SAGINAW -- Acupuncture is alternative medicine that treats patients by inserting needles into the body.
One Mid-Michigan woman says it’s healing her Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
NBC25 went to the Alternative Health Care Clinic in Saginaw to learn more.
Dozens of tiny pieces of steel pushed into the body.
It looks like medieval torture, but for Jan O'Dell it’s helping her avoid Carpal Tunnel surgery.
“Do you have any kind of a sensation anywhere?” said Dr. Paul Meyer. “I find that the numbness releases from my hands,” said O’Dell.
O’Dell is in her fifth acupuncture treatment and seeing results.
“Quite a bit of relief, ability to sleep at night,” said O’Dell.
Over the last 20 years, Jon Potrykus has treated a variety of disorders, including arthritis, infertility, and depression.
Potrykus says scientific evidence suggests there are 15 energy channels called meridians in the body.
“By placing these needles into these points, it’s like putting a key into a lock and unlocking the channels to let the energy flow again, which gets the other systems back into communication,” said Jon Potrykus who is a Diplomat of Acupuncture.
In O'Dell's case, her energy flow is off.
Potrykus uses technology called Acugraph to sense the electric signals in O'Dell’s meridians, indicating which ones are blocked.
The Chinese say the ear is Shenmen, or Spirit Gate, because every point of the body is represented there.
Acupuncture releases endorphins so the body can heal itself.
Potrykus says he consults a higher power while he works.
“How does this work? Is it by faith, maybe,” said Potrykus.
Acupuncture is widely known as Chinese alternative medicine, but its been used since prehistoric times.
“In Discover magazine they found a corpse of a guy that was around 10,000 years ago, frozen in a glacier, and the guy had tattoos where acupoints would be to treat his arthritis,” said Potrykus.
For O'Dell, her acupoints are in the feet, so the needle does not have to be put where the pain is.
“The amount of blood spill with these kinds of needles are just about negligible,” said Potrykus.
But is acupuncture painful?
“It kind of feels like an insect bite at the most,” said O’Dell.
I decided to find out.
It really wasn't that painful. It kind of feels like a warm tingling sensation, like a magnet is under your skin and it’s thumping to your heartbeat.
After 20 minutes the pain in my neck was lessened, and the overall effect was relaxing.
But don't take my word for it. Try it yourself.
Acute conditions average six acupuncture sessions or less, while chronic conditions may take as many as a dozen.
Do you think Acupuncture can heal diseases instead of surgery?
Do you think the human body has energy channels?
