Acupuncture: A modern tool from an old practice

Acupuncture: A modern tool from an old practice

By Mark Wadland

Linda Thomas, who owns Acupuncture Healing Arts in Framingham and has been a licensed acupuncturist since 1993, studied both Chinese and Japanese acupuncture, but she said she prefers to use the Japanese needles.

These needles – thinner than the Chinese style - are easier to use, she said, and acupuncturists achieve the same results, regardless of which type of needles they use.

Thomas was at the Callahan Center in Framingham on Tuesday to offer an informational session and free treatments. There, she performed ear acupuncture on five people, noting that this type - a newer form of acupuncture - began in France, and is one not used in China.

In less than 10 minutes, as the five patients sat comfortably in their chairs, Thomas inserted perhaps a dozen needles – which she carried in a small box – into each patient’s ears. The treatment did not disrupt the patients’ abilities to speak or listen, and the needles did not cause them pain.

Thomas said ear acupuncture was first tested in the U.S. at detoxification facilities in the Bronx during the ‘70s, but even today, many of those clinics do not perform acupuncture on recovering drug addicts.

She said acupuncturists are partly at fault for this because they haven’t done a good job at spreading the word, but she believes these addicts and many others can benefit from the ancient practice.

Acupuncture originated in China roughly 4,000 years ago, and there are two main types – Chinese and Japanese acupuncture. The needles are used to stimulate “Qi,” an energy force which flows through the body’s 14 meridians, according to acupuncturists. In Chinese acupuncture, patients prefer to feel a stronger stimulation, whereas many Japanese and American patients typically want to experience as little stimulation as possible.

When treating patients, Thomas likes to perform community acupuncture, an inexpensive and quick treatment that can include multiple patients at one time. Full-body treatments require an in-depth discussion regarding the patients’ health and costs more, but might result in a faster healing process overall, she said.

Community style acupuncture has two parts – balancing and symptomatic, which work by first balancing the body, and then treating the issue directly. Thomas said acupuncture does not actually heal the body – the body heals itself – but acupuncture balances the body, which accelerates the healing process.

When giving full-body treatments, Thomas generally leaves the needles in her patients for 28-30 minutes. Over the years, she said she found that time frame is optimal for 95 percent of patients.

She added that patients generally do not benefit from the needles staying in longer, as they can become tired.

She tries to wean people off of acupuncture rather than stopping the treatment cold turkey because it enables patients to “retain more progress.”