Over the past few weeks my pain from my shin splints has persisted so I decided to go back to old reliable, 5,000 years old reliable, Acupuncture. Last year when training for the NY Marathon I had some terrible lower leg pains about 30 days before the Marathon and acupuncture saved my legs and my race. I had drunk the acupuncture Kool-Aid and now not only believe in acupuncture but am like one of those Scientologists trying to convince you to take a stress test in the subway. I want to tell you all about it

Acupuncture is based on the belief that living beings have a vital energy, called “qi”, that circulates through twelve invisible energy lines known as meridians on the body. Each meridian is associated with a different organ system. An imbalance in the flow of qi throughout a meridian is how disease begins.
Acupuncturists insert needles into specified points along meridian lines to influence the restore balance to the flow of qi. There are over 1,000 acupuncture points on the body.

My acupuncturist (is that the right term?) is Melani Bolyai who runs Natural Qi here in New York City. You can click on the link to read about her and her practice which I believe specializes in pregnant women, which always leads to weird stares at me in the waiting room. Anyway,  Melani diagnosed my shin splints as being a problem with my liver meridian/energy line, which is illustrated below

If you can keep your eyes off certain areas you can see the shin splint pain area (Liv5) is directly connected to the Liver. Now I do not understand how any of this works but trust me it does. My pain has descreased significantly and I am readyto slowly start running again. If you are a runner or are experiencing aches and pains I recommend giving acupuncture a try.  If you are pregnant, this may also be your cure.

As always your mileage may vary so please do not write in if acupuncture does not “cure” you