Ask the Acupuncturist

Question: Why do I feel some acupuncture points strongly on one side of my body and not at all on the other side?

Answer:

In acupuncture school, there were always questions like this one asked by the students. It seemed like there should be a logical explanation as to why something like this would happen. I remember vividly one day, someone in class asked a similar question to which the teacher replied, "No 'why,' just is!" Although pithy, I think the teacher's answer speaks volumes. Sometimes in acupuncture, there are so many reasons 'why' something may happen, that we have to suspend for a moment the idea that we have to know 'why' its happened. Of course, many things warrant an explanation, but things like this--especially sensations experienced by the patient--vary so much from person to person, that there may not be a 'why' to answer.

I can, however, offer a couple explanations: One reason, which may be the most basic, is that there is a blockage, or what we call "stagnation" in Chinese medicine, in that particular area. The easiest place to experience this is when we are in pain. Placing a needle into the area where one has a tight muscle can cause a stronger sensation than on the side of the body where there is no pain. Another reason may be that there is not enough vitality, or what we call a "deficiency" in the area where the needle is, and that placing a needle there causes a sensation that will "wake up" that part of the body, which the person will feel more than they would on the other side. This all has to do with the flow of "qi," that vital energy and the movement of which is the basis for much of acupuncture. If the qi is stuck, the needles can help it flow; if the qi is weak, the needles can help it fill up.

An interesting experiment is to simply pay attention to the sensations you experience during treatment and where they are in your body. Then, at your next visit, see how the sensations change. Without labeling them as "good" or "bad," see if you can feel a difference from week to week, in whichever part or side of the body they occur. Sometimes, the explanations aren't always clear right off the bat, but the information is there for us to observe until the answers come.