No Longer on Pins and Needles, Acupuncture Gains Healthy Acceptance

SAN FRANCISCO — Lee Leibrock’s feet wriggle with each pin prick.

“Breath in,” his acupuncturist says softly, “Now out.” As he exhales, another needle is quickly pressed in.

With two rows of small needles placed neatly on either side of his spine, Leibrock’s pains slowly fade.

“I’m in heaven. I don’t feel a single needle. I’m just floating,” he says.

Then, a dollop of herb added to the top of the needles is set afire. A sweet-smelling smoke wafts through the air. The healing begins.

The ancient Chinese healing method of acupuncture is gaining momentum as an acceptable treatment in the West. A growing number of U.S. health insurance companies will pay for the treatment and the Food and Drug Administration is considering whether to give acupuncture its stamp of approval to treat certain ailments.

Acupuncture is a centuries-old treatment based on the idea that the needles, when placed correctly, open the body’s energy channels. This increases the flow of body chemicals to reduce pain or help the body fight off illness.

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The treatment is used for a variety of healings, including high blood pressure, infertility, illnesses associated with AIDS, muscle aches and drug-addiction treatment.

An estimated 9,000 people are licensed acupuncturists, and about half are in California. The state is also home to about one-third of the nation’s acupuncture schools.

The needles were effective in treating Leibrock’s sinus problem and he continues to see his acupuncturist, Angela Shen, for stress reduction.

Shen has been practicing acupuncture for 25 years, but it took some convincing before she decided to study the therapy full time.

An aspiring actress, Shen became ill after her daughter was born. She was bedridden for several days and was taking prescription medicine.

After realizing that she wasn’t getting any better, Shen began applying the little knowledge she had of acupuncture to herself. She also drank Chinese herbs.

Her health began to improve--and she found a career.

“I try not to needle myself because they hurt,” she said. “Anyone who tells you acupuncture doesn’t hurt is lying.”

Each prick feels like a mosquito bite, she said, but the pain is minor compared to the benefits.

Shen says she has helped AIDS patients regain their appetite, helped others reduce their stress and helped others lessen back pain.

Although some still view acupuncture as a healing process only for the superstitious, more and more people are beginning to accept it as a viable treatment.

“Some people may say it’s only because you believe it. But that’s not true because we’ve had so many who have come in after nothing else worked,” she said.

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Chinese medicine focuses on how the body’s internal organs are interrelated, while Western medicine tends to focus on each area individually, Shen said.

For example, with kidney problems, an acupuncturist may examine a person’s ear or inner ankle, both considered gateways to the kidney’s energy channel.