NO.311 Wellness Wednesday: Acupuncture

"I haven&`&t come across a lot of things it can&`&t treat," Krueger says. "But what we know is, what it treats most effectively are things like headaches, back pain, anxiety. Infertility is a big one right now. They have this great top 10 list of what people get acupuncture for and those are sort of heading the list. Up and coming, they&`&re using it a lot more for digestive issues." READ MORE: Wellness Wednesday: How to prevent seasonal allergies Kruger says there are a few misconceptions associated with acupuncture - the main one being that the needles hurt. "You usually feel them when the needle is going in. Then as you&`&re laying there with your acupuncture needles, you don&`&t tend to feel them anymore. I think the other big misconception is that there&`&s been some commercials lately where people are completely coated in needles. It&`&s not that many. You know, it&`&s like 12 to 18 needles.” South Dakota is one of three states where you can practice acupuncture without a license, which can be dangerous - so it&`&s important to do your research. "You should look for someone who is actually nationally recognized and licensed. You can look and see where they went to school and see if it&`&s a graduate school or if it was a weekend training.” READ MORE: Wellness Wednesday: Children&`&s Therapy Services Acupuncture is something to consider for treatment, especially for a non-muscular issue. But Kruger says it can also be a good addition for muscular pains. "We actually work alongside western medicine all the time. So go get your physical therapy and come here too, and your results are going to be much better than either one of them alone.” Krueger and her husband own Thrive Acupuncture on Mount Rushmore Road, and both have a master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine.