04/09/2026
One experience in particular, with a 98-year-old lady, has stayed with me deeply.
When I first met her, she had bronze-golden hair, a strong high nose and striking features that reminded me of a Greek sculpture. I later discovered that she actually had Greek heritage.
But physically, she was very frail. She had a pacemaker, her breathing was heavy and laboured, and she suffered from long-standing numbness and crawling sensations in her hands and feet that disturbed her sleep. At times, she said her limbs felt “as if they were not really mine”.
During the first treatment, she could barely feel the needles. I remember wondering how much response such an elderly body could still produce.
But after the second and third treatments, she began to notice movement, tingling and sensation returning.
One day, she looked at her own foot in surprise and asked:
“Is this my foot?”
I still remember the expression on her face — something both familiar and unfamiliar, as if she were rediscovering a part of herself that had been lost for a long time.
After around five treatments, her energy, complexion and general wellbeing had visibly improved.
Last week, when I saw her again, she had put on lipstick and a little makeup.
At that moment, I realised that for her, the treatment was no longer simply a medical procedure. It had become something she prepared for with dignity — almost like an appointment worth looking forward to.
Over time, I have come to understand that acupuncture is not only about medical knowledge.
It is also about trust, kindness and the connection between two people.
Perhaps these are part of the foundation of healing itself.
Maybe this is a kind of positive cycle of intention — when you genuinely wish for someone to feel better, that kindness somehow returns in another form.
Sometimes I even feel that the body can sense it.
Acupuncture may not only be about treating the body. Sometimes it is about helping someone reconnect with the feeling of being alive.
It also makes me think again about the classical acupuncture text Ling Shu — often translated as the Spiritual Pivot. The title itself feels meaningful. Perhaps the ancient physicians were not only talking about points and channels, but about the relationship between the body, the mind and life itself.
I increasingly believe one thing:
Our bodies never truly give up trying to repair themselves. Sometimes, we simply drift too far away from them.🙂
albans
