If you had to choose between herbs and acupuncture needles, which would you pick?
At Karma Zen Acupuncture, both have an important place in Traditional East Asian Medicine. Sometimes herbs are the better tool. Sometimes acupuncture is the better choice. And sometimes the two together can be a powerful combination.
But if you ask Dr. Katrina which she prefers?
She’ll probably choose the pins.
Not because she doesn’t appreciate herbal medicine—she absolutely does—but because there is something almost magical about what acupuncture needles can do in the hands of someone who truly understands how to use them.
Think of acupuncture needles as tiny little wands. The magic, however, isn’t really in the wand. It’s in the person holding it.
It’s Not Just About Sticking Needles in Someone
Acupuncture can look deceptively simple. As patient lies down, an acupuncturist inserts a few tiny needles. The patient relaxes as the treatment works it’s “magic”. Easy, right? Not exactly. Behind those tiny needles are years of education, clinical training, anatomy, physiology, Traditional East Asian Medicine theory, diagnosis, and hands-on experience.
Dr. Katrina completed thousands of hours of education and clinical training to become a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. During those years of training, she received treatments weekly and used that as additional opportunities to learn.
Throughout her education, she treated hundreds of people. Every patient was different. Every body responded differently. Every treatment provided another lesson. And that learning continues today from her continuing education, personal research, conferring with colleagues around the world, and from each patient she treats.
After more than a decade of treating patients, Dr. Katrina has developed an appreciation for how much can be accomplished with an acupuncture needle when the practitioner understands the individual sitting in front of them.
She’s Seen Some Pretty Incredible Changes
One of the reasons Dr. Katrina loves acupuncture is seeing patients accomplish things they weren’t sure were possible. She’s seen patients recovering from neurological events, such as strokes, regain function. There are people she’s helped who had lived with chronic pain for years and finally experienced meaningful improvement. She’s worked with patients experiencing neuropathy who hadn’t found adequate relief through conventional approaches. And she’s watched patients gradually become more active, sleep better, have more energy, and simply feel more like themselves again.
Every patient is different. Some people respond quickly. Children and younger adults can often respond with fewer treatments, while older patients occasionally surprise Dr. Katrina with just how quickly they improve.
There is no universal timeline. That’s one of the reasons individualized treatment matters.
The Secret Ingredient? Consistency.
One of the biggest patterns Dr. Katrina notices in patients who do well is consistency. They come to their appointments. They communicate honestly about what’s changing. They follow recommendations. They use complementary therapies when appropriate. And they give the treatment process time to work.
Acupuncture isn’t usually a one-and-done experience. Think about it this way: if your body has been dealing with something for months or years, it’s probably unrealistic to expect everything to change after one treatment. Your body needs time. Consistency gives it that opportunity. Many people can spend years trying conventional approaches in hope of obtaining relief from their health problems. Then after receiving regular acupuncture, Dr. Katrina has seen her patients feel better.
Acupuncture Isn’t Always About Needles Alone
While Dr. Katrina loves her pins, they aren’t the only tools in her toolbox.
Depending on the individual and their treatment plan, she may incorporate complementary therapies such as:
- Herbal medicine
- Moxibustion
- Cupping
- Gua Sha
- Infrared therapy
- Topical herbal products (like Evil Bone Water)
- Other supportive therapies
One favorite topical is Evil Bone Water, an herbal liniment that patients can use between treatments when appropriate.
These therapies can complement acupuncture and provide patients with additional ways to support their progress between visits.
And Then There’s Feeling the Zen from a Treatment
Perhaps one of Dr. Katrina’s favorite things about acupuncture is that euphoric feeling from an acupuncture treatment, that she refers to as feeling the Zen. Being able to rest as your body is healing itself naturally thanks to some carefully replaced acupuncture needles leaves patients with very calm and relaxed happiness.
Many patients report feeling deeply relaxed during and often after treatment. Some notice better sleep, improved energy, a greater sense of calm, or simply that wonderful feeling of having finally given themselves permission to stop for a while.
The only thing patients really need to do is show up, answer questions during their intake, and then let Dr. Katrina do the work. She makes it look easy. That’s the benefit of having thousands of hours of training and years of experience behind those tiny needles.
Herbs Still Have Their Place
As much as Dr. Katrina loves acupuncture, she wouldn’t want anyone to think she doesn’t appreciate herbal medicine. She does. Traditional East Asian herbal formulas can be incredibly sophisticated. They’re not simply a collection of random herbs thrown together. Each ingredient has a purpose. She takes herbal formulas daily depending on her pattern that she has been trained to recognize.
Sometimes acupuncture is the right tool. Other times herbs are the right tool. There are times combining them makes the most sense. The goal isn’t to choose a favorite. The goal is choosing what is appropriate for the individual patient. Although if you ask Dr. Katrina to pick? She’s probably still reaching for the needles.
The Real “Magic” Is the Whole Process
Acupuncture needles may be tiny, but the education and experience behind them are anything but.
It’s the combination of: Training + experience + individualized treatment + consistency + patient participation that can make acupuncture such a powerful part of a person’s health journey.
So yes, Dr. Katrina prefers the pins.
But perhaps the better answer is that she prefers the right tool for the right person at the right time. And sometimes that tool just happens to be a few very tiny needles.
Come in. Lie back. Relax. Let the acupuncture do the work.
After all, you’ve already done the hardest part: You showed up.
