Heartburn is a burning sensation beneath the breastbone caused by a back flow of stomach acid into the esophagus. Heartburn also produces a sour or bitter taste in your mouth and throat and it can last for a few minutes or few hours at a time. One treatment option for heartburn is acupuncture. This is an anciet Chinese treatment option that is practiced all over the world. Acupuncture alleviates pain and suffering and returns the body back to normal functioning. If you want to use acupuncture for heartburn, there are a few things that you should know about the process.
Instructions
1. Call your doctor and schedule an appointment. Before you begin acupuncture treatment, you must first confirm that you actually have heartburn. Your doctor can determine whether or not you have heartburn or another health condition. Many people experience occasional heartburn, but chronic heartburn suggests that you may have a serious health problem.
2. Go to your scheduled appointment and meet with your doctor. As a part of your medical evaluation, your doctor asks you questions about your current health status, lifestyle behavior and medications you're taking. He must also give you a general physical examination and perform certain tests on you, before he can diagnose heartburn.
3. Complete the necessary tests. Your doctor may give you certain tests, such as the upper endoscopy test (looks inside your esophagus and stomach) and the esophageal manometry test (checks to see if the esophagus is working correctly). Your doctor can make a formal diagnosis after she completes these tests.
4. Discuss acupuncture with your doctor. Your doctor can let you know if this is an appropriate treatment option for you. He may also be able to recommend a qualified acupuncturist to you.
5. Find an acupuncturist and schedule an appointment. If your doctor does not know a local acupuncturist, you can try searching for one on the Acufinder.com website, or look in your local telephone directory.
6. Meet with the acupuncturist. During your first office visit, the acupuncturist discusses the treatment process with you. You must complete a health questionnaire, inform the acupuncturist about any medications that you're taking and also tell him about any current medical problems you may have.
7. Take the acupuncture treatments. The acupuncturist informs you of how many treatment sessions you're going to need. Each session may last anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour. She inserts slender needles into the skin (or uses another tool such as electrical stimulation, lasers, acupressure or heat and herbs) and applies them to distinct acupuncture points that lie along meridians in the body. This reduces the pain in your body and allows your body to heal.
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