Interview with Acupuncturist Katie Davidson
      (interview continued)

Q.  Can you describe a general treatment session?  How much times does it
take?  Are the needles painful?
A.  Regular sessions for established patients are between 1 and 1-1/2 hours.  Time
is spent re-evaluating progress, changes, additional or new symptoms.  I have very
comfortable tables for treatments and play relaxing music with dimmed lights should
that be what the patient prefers.  Many people fall asleep or go into deep relaxation
while having the acupuncture session.
The needling for the most part is not painful.  There are some points that are more
tender than others during insertion but quickly dissipate.  Some points will cause an
“awareness” that something is there—but I wouldn’t call it painful.  I do have a few
patients who are very needle sensitive.  For them I use needles that are so thin that
they can be flexed back on themselves with light finger pressure.  They are slightly
larger than a hair in diameter.  Even a standard acupuncture needle is very small.  
Between 5 to 7 are able to fit into the opening of a standard hypodermic needle, so I
hear.

Q.  Please give us a couple of examples of how acupuncture helped your
clients?
A.  I had one elderly gentleman who had been unable to eat any solid food for five
months prior to visiting me.  He had trigeminal neuralgia, a very painful irritation of
the trigeminal nerve which innervates the face in the eye, mouth, and jaw area.  He
had been subsisting on whole milk and blended foods during that time.  He had his
first solid food—a hamburger!—several days after his initial treatment.
Another one of my patients arrived in my office, unable to sit up, in the back of a van
on an air mattress.  I even had to get him into a treatment room to lay down so that
he could fill out an intake form.  He had been to a myriad of Western docs over an
extended period for the condition and had not received any relief.  The day following
his initial treatment was a holiday and he told me he wanted to sit up and eat with his
family.  Even I was surprised when he called to thank me and book another
appointment a couple days later!
Also, there are many stories of miracle babies too.  It is always rewarding and very
emotional for me when I can be part of the team who helps someone wanting so
much to get pregnant.

Q.  When would you use Traditional Chinese Medicine instead of
acupuncture?
A.  Because acupuncture is a component of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), I’
m always using TCM.  There are times when I will include herbals or diet counseling
in addition to the acupuncture.  If a patient has a particularly stubborn condition or
something that needs to be dealt with very quickly, such as an infection, I will add an
herbal formula into the mix.  If when looking over their intake, I notice a real lack of
hydration or good nutritional food choices, that’s the appropriate time to advise
them on some better dietary choices.