I have done acupunture for years with great success but you are SOOO right that it depends on who you see. My naturopath does it every week to release blockages on certain meridiens, ground me if I have had a stressful week, along with body work and breathing. I have worked with him for years so I feel safe and he respects everything i bring to the table, regarding diet, habits, etc. He helps me find the balance but not comprising my needs. When i really mess something up, like sprains or wipeouts (kind of an athletic klutz) I go to a different acupuncture doctor who uses larger needles and low levels of electric stimulation and massage.  I have avoided many splints, cortisone shots and the like. Anyone can perform acupuncture; get recommendations, call local naturopaths, and like Alicia says, go with your gut!!   

thanks for the information. i have been considering attending an acupuncturist following conversations with a couple of colleagues having previously been deterred by the cost of a session. after reading your post including the positive health benefits from your diet i'm now happy to pass. however it's very concerning that anyone in the acupuncturist's position told you that you were super anemis and that your liver was weak! thankfully you had had a recent check from a doctor and were aware of the truth. just imagine someone going into this situation without this knowledge.

I have had positive experiences with acupuncture but have recently been introduced to Gua Sha massage and cupping as an alternative.  These techniques are used largely for the same "symptoms" as acupuncture: wellbeing, positive energy/blood/chi flow, etc., the Gua Sha also provides a spiritual component based on the tenets of Tai Chi and Qigong. I would encourage everyone to give it a try, there are practitioners in all the places you find solid tai chi instructors!

I think it depends on who you see.  Sounds like you had a really bad experience. 

I had a pretty rough neck injury back in 2003.  Went to three different doctors and got all kinds of wonderful pills.  Sadly, after the medications wore off, my neck was no better.  Although I'm aware that my neck will never be the same pre-accident, I didn't want to rely on pills the rest of my life to deal with it.  Finally went to see an accupuncturist in 2005.  She was a miracle worker.  Within about a year, my neck pain went from almost a daily issue to nearly nothing. 

Today, my neck gives me problems maybe once or twice a year.  And when I do get flare-ups, they're not nearly as bad as they once were, and they tend to go away a lot faster.  I'm definitely not anti-Western medicine.  But after my acupuncture experience, I have nothing bad to say about that practice. 

As a side note, my accupuncturist and I were talking about diet one day.  This was when I was transitioning away from a meat-heavy diet.  She was very supportive and talked about all the benefits of plant-based diets.  Yeah, she pretty much rocks. :)

That's too bad that you have not had a positive experience to date. I have gone several times to a man who has been in the field for over 30 years and we have a mutual respect for each other. He has never tried to convince me to try anything that conflicts with my values. I have benefited greatly from his treatments. Recently I befriended a woman who is an accupuncturist and she has shown great interest in the vegan lifestyle and is actually trying out new recipes all the time inspired by our friendship.  But I think that some modalities work different for different people. For instance I have tried reiki several times and am not a big fan of it... but other people swear by it. The same for chiropractic care... I want nothing to do with it. 

I feel bad that you had such a negative experience.  Like all healing modalities, there are good practitioners and bad.

I am a vegan and a Licensed Acupuncturist.  Acupuncture is a wonderful method of healing, but it requires consistency and the right practitioner.

There are also many clinics out there that offer very affordable treatments.  Check out Community Acupuncture Clinics to find sliding scales from $15-$40.  I live in the San Francisco area and I know very wonderful practitioners that support veganism and are affordable and not pushy.

It is so unfortunate that you had a bad experience....I would urge you to seek out a new practitioner before you create such a negative opinion of such a wonerful form of medicine and post it for so many people to see.

...Hmmm.Alicia are you pregnant again??????Big hugs!!!!xoi

I am a vegan and an acupuncturist. I am sorry your acupuncturist had an agenda! I have noticed in general that the cleaner my patients eat the healthier their livers are. 

I just started acupunture mainly pain, and the doctor said a lot of the same things to me.  She said my liver was causing the problem and asked if any of my recent bloodwork showed me as being anemic...which it has not.  We did a meridian analysis test on a computer and the results showed all my levels as unbalanced or low.  When we talked about diet she said that I needed to eat mostly fruits and vegetables so I told her I was a vegetarian.  Later in the visit she asked me to explain why I was vegetarian and was overly concerned on why I do not eat fish or eggs.  I thought it was strange but have committed myself to eight more sessions just to acupunture a real try.  If she would have pushed meat on me as your doctor did, I would have changed doctors for sure.  I have had people try and blame my healthy diet for the issues I am having but not an actual doctor.  Most of the doctors I have been seeing have mostly been vegetarians as well.

I am so sorry to hear that you had that experience. That lady sounds like a quack. I went to an acupuncurist in the Chicagoland area with great results. I let the lady know that I was a vegetarian, and she told me that I was the picture of health. She also conducted an in depth interview with any symptoms that I was experiencing, since I had a neck injury from practicing Krav Maga/boxing/grappling. She was able to tell me a lot of other things about my health and bone structure and completely alleviated my pain, plus she didn't prescribe any drugs. (The ones that she gave to my friend for his pain did not seem to contain anything strange.)  I can understand your concern, though! That sounds horrible.

I cannot believe you had an experience like that.  I'm amazed you were even able to stay for the accupuncture part of it.  What a nut!  Although I haven't done accupuntcure, I do have many incidents of doctors really not knowing what the heck they're talking about.  Just yesteday I had to go in for topical infection on my hand that I couldn't seem to cure with natural remedies on my own and mentioned that I've been using honey on it, which is an antibacterial agent.  She seemed so clueless.  

How can our doctors and therapist go to school for so long and not learn about nature's healing powers?  I once read that out of all the years a doctor attends school, only two hours are spend studying nutrition.  

I've had many experiences with my kids' doctor as well trying to convince him that raising my kids vegan is a good thing and that they sure can get all the nutrients they need without having a glass of milk, fluoride for their teeth, etc.  

Hi Alicia,

I'm with you on this. I quit my gym and the use of a trainer when he started pushing animal protein on me -- and he wasn't the only one. All the trainers at my former gym were preaching the gospel of animal protein. They acted like it's the miracle cure for everything. According to them I am going to waste away to nothing. Meanwhile, my nutritionist, who is an RD, says my diet is perfect. My doctor says I'm healthy and my blood work is perfect.  Recently, even my dentist got on my case. She thinks my bones are going to turn to dust if I don't start eating dairy products again. She told me I should go and have a bone scan.  Whatever!  It's all medical propaganda and I'm not falling for it.  Since going Macro/vegan a little over one year ago, I have never felt better.  And when I find myself acting spastic, I know it is due to lack of sleep, too much caffeine and too many vegan desserts like Moo Cluck from Whole Foods.   Keep doing what you're doign Alicia. You changed my life.   

Wow, so many things I want to say about this. First and foremost, I am so sorry to hear of your experience! You are correct - every acupuncturist is different just like any doctor, massage therapist, nutritionist, etc. I have had good and bad experiences with all. In fact, I know one or two crazy vegans I would rather avoid due to that funky energy thing.

I am a licensed acupuncturist (on hiatus) and when I was in practice I actually helped people by encouraging them to cut animal products out of their diets. In fact, I led several clients on the Arise & Shine and other cleanses (vegan, raw, macro). This is unheard of in Traditional Chinese Medicine.  But I was not practicing in China hundreds of years ago. I was practicing in Southern California in the 21st century!

In chinese medicine, the practitioner must look at the whole person, the individual. The region and climate in which they live. He/she must consider not just the patient's physical constitution, but their emotional well-being as well as their spiritual and religious beliefs and lifestyle.  ALL must be honored and worked with. In fact there are many chinese buddhist vegetarians and I doubt a practitioner in China would tell them to eat meat.

I became an acupuncturist becasue I had such great success as a patient and wanted to share that. I was healed of chronic low back pain, as well as chronic bronchitis and adult onset asthma.  A big part of that was due to the macrobiotic diet my acupuncturist had me adopt at that time in my life - which launched a life-long commitment to a plant-based diet. But my acupuncturist also got me on my feet (after laying flat on my back for days with acute pain) by their skillful use of the needles as well.

There are many vegan acupuncturists who are wonderful healers and would never behave in the way you described this crazy woman!  I also want to point out that there is also a new trend in this country (thank goodness) of community acupuncture where they charge on a sliding scale (and I know private acupuncturists who work in this way as well).

Also, a good healer would never start the conversation by telling the patient how sick they are ("your liver is so weak....you're anemic"). That is just terrible!

Again, so many more things I could say. I would be happy to share info about the wonderful acupuncturists I know in Southern California who promote a vegan diet and who don't overcharge and who are generally wonderful healers. They are out there!

For over 10 years I suffered from chronic middle back pain. I tried everything from muscle relaxers to chiropractic care.  Within four acupuncture and cupping sessions my pain was pretty much gone.  It still remains gone 7-8 months later with only one session a month. My guy only gave me herbs for the first few weeks and actually didn't make me pay for them most of the time. He was a little resistant to me becoming vegan 5 months ago but said if it works for me then to do it. 

I had a similar experience with an ENT doctor a few weeks ago. I had gone in to see if I had an ear infection.  During the exam I told him I was feeling fatigue and having some heavy feelings in my arms.  He asked about any recent life changes so I told him about going vegan and he just shut down.  It was like he got angry.  He blamed anything and everything on my diet.  He said "Sure americans eat too much red meat but you need animal protein to be healthy".  The rest of the visit was very awkward and then he just prescribed me about 3 different meds which I never took. I had my blood tested by my primary doc for anemia etc. and it came back with perfect numbers.  Today I feel fine and my ear no longer feels infected.

OK, kid you not - BIBLE - this just happened to me yesterday!!!!!!!!!  I went to the acupuncturist in Chicago- it was so incredibly painful that I asked her to stop.  She got VERY VERY upset w/ me and said "Fine, you won't heal then".  She then proceeded to tell me that I am malnourished and that I need to eat MEAT - a LOT of MEAT. She said will heal me but I have a blood deficiency and ill b/c my diet is lacking meat.  This girl's story mirrors my own - it's bizarre!!!