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Published on March 2, 2008

Having a dozen or so thin needles inserted into the body at various points may sound to the uninitiated more like torture than treatment. But acupuncture can be very useful both for relieving pain and in easing such common urban complaints as stress and insomnia.

Having been unable to sleep properly for quite some time, this reporter was in search of a non-pharmaceutical treatment. Hence the decision to consult a doctor at St Louis Hospital, home to one of the capital's most popular, and fully licensed, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) centres.

The TCM centre at St Louis is a frenzied space with a heavy patient load and is staffed by four doctors trained in China. My appointment is with Narong Saengui, who earned his degree from the Traditional Chinese Medicine University of Beijing. He starts by feeling for pulses on each of my wrists to check my symptoms and confirms immediately that insomnia is the dominant problem. He suggests I undergo a 30-minute acupuncture session for relaxation.

During the wait for my turn, I learn about the positive effects of acupuncture from the centre's promotional brochure.

Particularly important in acupuncture - one of the essential components of TCM, along with herbal remedies, massage, exercise and nutritional therapy - is the free flow of qi, the animating force that serves to regulate a person's emotional, mental and physical health. The force also promotes the functions of the body and holds our organs and tissues in place.

The term acupuncture describes a family of procedures involving stimulation of anatomical points on the body by a variety of techniques. The acupuncture technique involves piercing the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation. The needles are inserted into the skin through more than 2,000 points on the body that connect with the 14 meridians or pathways through which the qi flows.

In a broader sense, TCM is also based on the idea of yin and yang. These terms refer to a conceptual framework derived from observations and analysis of the natural world. They refer to the opposite but complementary relationship between phenomenon.  In traditional Chinese medicine, there must be a harmonious balance between yin and yang and a smooth flow of qi throughout the body for good health to exist. Simply put, a disharmony between yin and yang and a disturbance in the flow of qi may result in disease.

St Louis Hospital's TCM centre claims that acupuncture can bring therapeutic relief to 37 conditions including headache, insomnia, stress, allergy, back pain, knee joint pain, impotence, neurogenic bladder, sore throat, deafness and tinnitus, numbness and paralysis, and postmenopausal syndrome.

When my turn comes, I'm pleasantly surprised: the inserting of each of the 16 individually packaged needles - two on the face, six the arms, and eight on the legs - feels rather like an ant bite and is way less painful than an injection.

Once installed on the acupuncture points, the needles are stimulated electrically to help smooth out and speed the flow of the vital energy. The ant-bite sensation is mildly accentuated by gentle electrical shocks but they are feel-good spasms and after 30 minutes, I'm ready to believe that the qi is flowing better. Certainly, I fall asleep almost immediately when I go to bed that night.

But the doctor says I need acupuncture twice a week. I'm looking forward to the stimulation.

For more information, call St Louis Hospital's TCM centre at (02) 675 5000 extension 20198.

Manote Tripathi

The Nation