Do you think its possible to do your own acupuncture?

or maybe teach someone in your family exactly where you want the needles... I mean isnt it basically just about putting the needles in the right spot?

It isn't a good idea to do acupuncture on yourself for several reasons:

1) Although the process of inserting the needles seems simple, it is actually a complex technique that takes years of practice to perfect. The angle at which the needle is inserted, the timing during the inhalation/exhalation cycle, the speed at which it is inserted, and dozens of other factors will have a direct effect on how the needles interact with your body.

2) Point location is also complicated; although there are many textbooks available which provide a general location based on anatomical landmarks (including Chinese "cun" measurements), any acupuncturist could tell you that point location varies among individuals; experienced practitioners can feel (and some can even see) the point.

3) When practiced by trained clinicians, acupuncture is remarkably safe; however, an untrained individual could easily rupture a blood vessel, hit a nerve, cause a pneumothorax, or injure an internal organ.

4) Acupuncture needles are controlled medical devices which are not available to non-licensed individuals.

5) It will not be effective; doing acupuncture on yourself is just recycling your own energy.

I'm sure you could but you'd need to make sure that they're doing it correctly?

Not without a lot of studying first, or it won't be effective, and could be dangerous.

I watched a show on discovery health that said you can't (sorry can't remember the show, but its a good starting point). It said that you aren't able to relax enough for the acupuncture to work if you're doing it yourself. Also, you have to be certified to perform it!

No, the point of acupuncture is taken away if you're fiddling with needles on your own face. You'll probably end up pricking yourself, so I would recommend going to someone who specializes in acupuncture.

"isnt it basically just about putting the needles in the right spot?"

Only if you assume that Western Medicine is "basically just picking the right prescription."

Acupuncture (Traditional Chinese Medicine) takes years to learn properly, especially the diagnostics. Further, improper needling can be disastrous under certain circumstances. Bottom line, NO, not without proper schooling. Go see an acupuncturist if you want treatment.

By using acupuncture what are you rying to accomplish? I used a smaoking cessation product based on acupuncture with no needles... Zerosmoke uses magnets instead and really helped me relax. I quit smoking a few months ago-- it took my awhile but gradually the magnets worked...

Doing your own acupuncture will be cheaper and will be just as effective as acupuncture is only a placebo.