Professional athletes use it to alleviate soreness. Princess Diana visited a clinic in the weeks before she died. Jennifer Lopez lost 15 pounds using treatments. The ancient Chinese alternative medicine acupuncture has long helped treat a variety of pains and ailments.

I figured if J Lo and Princess Di were fans of the poking and prodding process, it’s about time I try it for myself.

Luckily, the treatment isn’t just for the rich and famous anymore. Urbana Acupuncture in Lincoln Square Mall is part of a growing national movement, People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture. Community acupuncture clinics make the service more affordable with their flexible rate.

Urbana Acupuncture charges $15 to $35 per visit, plus $10 for the initial evaluation. They have a “pay what you can afford” policy in that price range.

According to information provided by Urbana Acupuncture, llc, treatments can lead to better sleep, more energy, mental clarity, better digestion and less stress. Tiny needles are placed at acupuncture points to correct imbalances in the flow of qi.

Going into it, I imagined myself lying face down on a massage table with my back resembling a pincushion. I figured it would either be that or a replica of Pinhead from “Hellraiser.” With the added stress of friends citing mysterious deaths due to incorrectly placed needles, my feelings were apprehensive to say the least.

Fortunately, the experience was the opposite of my anxieties. Community acupuncture means you sit in a room full of recliners, take off your shoes, roll up your pant legs and sleeves, and receive treatment amongst other clients.

As the steady flow of customers in and out of said room eased my anxiety, acupuncturist and owner of Urbana Acupuncture Jim Lorr gave me the run-down. Before each visit, the patient specifies ailments they would like to treat. These include anxiety and stress, migraines, colds and flus, circulatory disorders like anemia and a long list of others.

I did not have any specific ailments, so I just went for general health and increased energy. 

The community room was dimly lit by lamps and was quiet except for soft rainforest spa sounds. Lorr directed me to a recliner, gave me a blanket and went to work. Pins were placed in my feet, legs, hands, arms and earlobes. The photographer who received treatment alongside me cited a sinus cold, so he got pins stuck in his face and head as well.

Since I can watch my own blood get drawn without a flinch, a fear of needles wasn’t an issue for me. Going in, the tiny, hair-sized needles felt like a subtle pinprick, about half the pain of a mosquito bite. Lorr inserted each needle into acupuncture points with a gentle tap-tap to get them to stay.

Once in, I could hardly feel them. We were instructed to relax for 25 to 30 minutes. Although I’m unsure if it was the atmosphere or the fact that I was running on little sleep, I actually felt more relaxed than I had in a while. 

At first, I was worried about getting a nose itch, which I would probably not be able to relieve without poking myself in the eye. But in about 15 minutes, I was sound asleep.

To reap the full benefits of acupuncture, periodic treatment is recommended, frequency varying based on the intensity of the pain or ailment. Though this was my first time, I felt an increase in energy that day and would definitely go again.

As for ensuring a safe practice, Lorr opened his clinic in December 2011 and has 12 years of experience. He studied at the University and opened Red Herring Vegetarian Restaurant before studying acupuncture in New York, then practicing in China.

If you too are feeling adventurous in the new year, I’d recommend this as a way to try out acupuncture inexpensively. If nothing else, it will at least be an hour of total relaxation during stressful times in the semester.

Jordan is a senior in Media and can be reached at sward13@               dailyillini.com.