5. Do the needles hurt?
No, if the acupuncturist is skilled, the needles really do not hurt.
You feel something, a small sensation, but it's not like the type of
needling that you experience when you give blood. Acupuncture needles
are so thin, you can fit anywhere from five to ten of them inside the
hollow of a hypodermic needle.
Some acupuncturists might do a
really light manipulation of a needle so that a person feels it, but
only so as to bring their awareness and energy to that point. If
there's a blockage in the point and you want to disburse the energy,
then you might do a little bit of a stronger stimulation, which could
feel a bit uncomfortable for the patient, but only because it is moving
their awareness throughout their body. There are some points, ones
where pain is located, that we know that tend to be sensitive, and so
we might tell a person to take a breath or say, "This point is a little
bit strong, so be prepared."