Aegle Wellness Clinique: Pain Management

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Some of you might have noticed through my social media that I haven’t been attending Pilates classes. Well, that’s because I’ve been getting recurring sharp pains in my shoulder when I do a certain action – with or without weights.

Then, an opportunity came knocking, by the means of Aegle Wellness Clinique, to assist with the pain management.

I hesitated.

I hesitated because I was afraid of needles and chances are, based on the pains I’ve been having, I’ll definitely have to undergo acupuncture. And that frightens me. A lot.

It also didn’t help that the first time I went for acupuncture (sprained my back), I was in pain throughout the entire session and I ended up feeling a lot of pain at the area that received the acupuncture for days!

However, after thinking about it for a couple of days, I came to a conclusion that maybe, just maybe, this was a sign. I mean, the opportunity couldn’t have come at a more timely fashion, right?

So I gathered my courage and decided to not only get rid of the shoulder injury I have (don’t even know how I got it!), but to also overcome my fear of needles!

Stepping into Aegle Wellness Clinique, I was greeted by the lovely scent of lemongrass and almost all of the anxiety within me vanished. It was as though I stepped into a place for some R&R rather than for pain management. It definitely reminded me of all the spas I’ve been that were also scented with lemongrass!

Fresh flowers are a definite welcome sight!

After registering, I met with my physician, Kong Swee Siew, for a consultation. My diagnosis – muscle strain. I don’t even know how I managed to strain my shoulder muscles to the point of not being able to rotate or move it in a certain manner without leaving me in pain!

Besides the pain in my shoulder, I also mentioned the backaches I get when I stand or walk for hours on end, with it being worse when aunt crimson visits.

And the conclusion – acupuncture is necessary. I knew it! I then made it known to him that I’m seriously terrified of needles and asked him if there’s any other way out – No. There wasn’t. AHHHHH!

He told me to just relax and not worry because I wouldn’t feel pain at all. I tried my best to keep calm and relax by focusing on my breathing. With my head facing down, I just kept telling myself, “Breath, muscle relax. Breath, muscle relax.”

Moments later, I thought I felt something, but before I could say anything, Physician Kong went (not his exact words), “It’s not pain at all, right?” The needles were all in. I repeat, all four needles were in! Yay! I did it!

Two on my shoulder

Two on my lower back

He left me to relax with a bell next to me for the next 20 minutes. Nearing the end of the 20 minutes treatment, I felt a little discomfort in my lower back and rang for help. I guess it’s pretty normal for muscles to tense up when feeling cold and as a result, the discomfort.

What followed after the needles were removed surprised me. Physician Kong massaged the areas that were treated! The only other time I had acupuncture, they just removed the needles and that’s that. While I was pretty tickled throughout the back massage (it’s a guaranteed, except when Sean massages for me. Hehe!), the shoulder massage was awesome! And in just one session, my shoulder pain was gone! I could rotate my shoulder, move it up and down… No pain!

Physician Kong warned me that the pain might return if I don’t take good care of it as this was only the first session, but it wouldn’t be as intense as before. And I must say, I took the pain relief for granted and after a few days, the pain returned, but just like Physician Kong said, it wasn’t as sharp a pain as before. Phew! Time to take better care of my shoulder!

Physician Kong also taught me some exercises to do at home to strengthen my back muscles as he believes that besides receiving treatment, we also need to play our part in wanting to care for our own body. And we need to care for our own body on a daily basis! It sounds pretty duh! but I can assure you, we all tend to think otherwise. I know I did! Just moving my shoulder and feeling the pain is a reminder to self!

Ended the session with a cup of floral tea with wolfberry.

* * *

A week later, I went back to Aegle Wellness for my second session. I told Physician Kong that I felt pain in my shoulder after a few days but when I pointed out the area affected, he told me that it’s a whole different issue and asked me if I had been lifting heavy items with my elbow locked in about 90°, kind of like a tai tai who went shopping and hung all her buys on my arm. Haha. That’s the only way I carry my shopping bags! How else will I be able to continue texting on my mobile? Haha!

He also asked if I had been able to get a good night’s sleep.

Well, falling asleep and staying asleep is not an issue for me, but I don’t have enough time to sleep. So he said he’ll help me to rejuvenate and feel fresh for the rest of the day! I was so excited about it until he told me he will be applying needles to my head. YIKES!

It’s not as bad as it looks. I could feel when the needles entered, but it wasn’t pain or anything like it. It just felt like there’s something on the top of my head, that’s all. I was pretty shocked when I saw the photo though. I thought all four needles were placed in one area, but as it turns out, it was pretty spread out! Physician Kong says this is because the needles were all pointing towards the same spot.

I went into light-sleeper mode after, keeping my eyes closed and concentrating on my breathing. I kept reminding myself to relax and honestly, I was looking forward to the tui na (massage) that will follow after the needles were removed!

And boy, was I enjoying the head massage! I can’t remember when I fell asleep but before the massage, Physician Kong said to just ring the bell when I woke up. Haha! And when I woke up, I felt so good! It’s like waking up naturally and on the right side of the bed!

Looking forward to the next few sessions, Physician Kong!

Aegle Wellness Clinique is formed by a group of experienced healthcare and wellness professionals. The clinic is named after the goddess of radiant good health in the Greek mythology – Aegle.

Their aim is to provide a high standard of TCM treatment and to maintain good health and optimize well-being of their clients.

They also believe in combining the best of both conventional and complementary medicine to address the biological, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of health and illness.

If you’re experiencing strange pains and aches in your body, like myself, take action to heal your body with the help of the professionals at Aegle Wellness Clinique. And no time is better than now when there’s a promotional code available!

Quote ‘MabelXAegle’ and you’ll receive 50% off for the trial session (usual price $150)! Valid till 30 November 2015.

^{Disclaimer: My TCM treatment sessions are sponsored by Aegle Wellness Clinique for the purpose of this review.}