my first ever acupuncture experience

last october for my 30th birthday (sigh) i decided to tell people what i wanted for my birthday instead of letting them guess. my lovely boyfriend's father got a hint that i wanted to go to an acupuncturist. i was so thrilled to hear that he got me a gift certificate. i was so excited that we had one in morgantown. so, last thursday i went to my appointment to get acupuncture for the very first time.

once i got off work, i headed over to roman's acupuncture and herbal clinic. i was warmly greeted and promptly taken back to my room. there i was given a bunch of forms to fill out. these forms covered everything from my medical history to how many times i urinate in a day and what color it is...let's just say, it was very thorough.



stacy roman was very friendly and super knowledgeable (pencil thin and totally adorable i might add. her photo is on their website if you want to see for yourself). i love how open-minded she is about eastern medicine. i have always been a huge fan of other alternatives than our western minded pill popping society.

after stacy looked through my forms and asked a couple of questions, she took my pulse and asked to see my tongue. of course, i stuck it out at her but i (always being curious) asked why. she told me that doctors in china see about 150 patients a day all they have time to do is look at a person's tongue and take their pulse. more info regarding the tongue diagnosis can be found here.

the main focus of my acupuncture treatment was for weight loss. i am disappointed in the condition of my body is in. part of it is to blame on my thyroid and the other part is, well, me. the fact that i'm a total foodie doesn't help matters much. especially the sweet tooth factor.

i lay on the table and stacy proceeded to put in approximately 15 needles. some i didn't feel at all and others felt like a tiny prick. no big deal. (and this is coming from the girl who usually passes out after having her blood taken, mind you!). after the needles were in, stacy turned off the light, put an infrared light on my exposed belly and left the room for about 20 mins. while in the room i practiced some pranayama and mediation. when stacy came back she asked how i was doing. i was feeling fine, very calm and relaxed. it was a wonderful experience.

i then went to the front desk to check out. thankfully i didn't have to pay since my gift certificate covered it (thanks again tim!). while i was out there i was talking to the receptionist, cynthia and it's as if we instantly connected. it was like catching up with an old friend that i haven't seen in a while. she was such a sweet-heart! cynthia said she had been working for stacy about two months and has already noticed major changes in herself as well as the other clients.

for the best possible outcome i should come in at least once a week. unfortunately due to all things recession, my handbag doesn't go that deep. i plan on going at least once every two weeks and will certainly keep you posted.

for anyone who's ever thrown around the idea of checking out acupuncture or any of the long list of services or products at roman's, i highly recommend it!!

p.s. check back soon for details and pics of my ny trip.

photos by little ol' me