Worst case, I'll chalk this up as research

[pbray]

One of the quirks of being a writer is that we never stop being a writer, no matter what else we're doing. A perfect example was my doctor's appointment this morning. An ordinary patient might have been thinking "I hope this works" or perhaps, "I hope this doesn't hurt too much." My thoughts were "Hey, it would be nice if this helped. But if not, I can always chalk the experience down to research."

Today was my first visit to an acupuncturist. Friends may remember the Great Crockpot Incident of April 2009, which resulted in pain/nerve damage in my right hand that has never quite healed. When I had my physical earlier this month my doctor suggested acupuncture, so off I went.


I'm not a huge fan of alternative medicine, but I've read enough to be open-minded about acupuncture. My acupuncturist is a member of the same family medical group that my physician is in, and has in fact successfully treated my own doctor for back and muscle pain issues, which was a huge plus for me. I did some checking and confirmed that the acupuncturist was a board certified medical acupuncturist, with all the right credentials, and then did the pre-visit reading that the office requires.

Today was my first visit. I liked the doctor right away--he asked good questions, did a great job explaining the theory behind what he was going to do, and was genuinely interested in engaging with me in my treatment. He's going to work on the hand issues (at best it feels tingling and uncomfortable, as if I just banged it against a wall. At worst, well, it just hurts, and the pain radiates from my knuckles up to my elbow.) And he's also going to work on the low grade neck pain that I've had for at least 10 years, which is likely stress/job related.

The treatment started with placing four tiny gold studs (needles) in my right ear. These hurt a bit going in, but nowhere near as painful as getting your ear pierced. I get to leave these in for a week (unless they fall out) and was given little magnets so I can periodically top up their energy. Oddly, after they were put in, I felt immediate relief in my neck, which surprised me since I was expecting any change would be in my hand.

The next part of the treatment was called "The Four Gates". I laid down on the table, and four needles were put in--one in the top of each foot, and then one on the top of each hand, in the flesh part between the thumb and forefinger. A final needle was put in my right arm, about halfway between hand and elbow. I barely felt the needles being inserted, but after each was in, the doctor manipulated it until I felt either a cramping sensation (feet) or had an involuntarily response (twitchy girl, that's me.) The fifth needle produced the most dramatic response, which he explained was likely due to a muscular issue related to the nerve problems.

I was lying down so I couldn't really see anything, but I did pick up left hand hand to check it out. Seeing the quill sticking out from my hand was incredibly bizarre, I kept thinking it should hurt, but it didn't.

After all the needles were in, I got to meditate for fifteen minutes. As I lay there, I could feel my right hand tingle, then it fell asleep. When time was up, his assistant removed the needles, then the doctor came in to check on me. I reported improvement in my neck, and no apparent change in how my hand felt, though we both noticed that my hands were red and flushed with blood, which is not how they were at start of treatment.

I return next week for another treatment. Now that he knows how I react (needles didn't bother me) the hand treatment is going to include electrical stimulation. It should be interesting.

It would be nice if this worked. But if not, at least I can say that I've tried it.

Comments

[lagilman]

ack. okay, just reading that made me feel queasy....

(I give blood regularly, but if I look at the needle in my arm, I pass out. Acupuncture NOT for me. But I knew that already)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I passed out the two times I tried to donate blood, and get queasy when they draw blood for testing. But this procedure didn't bother me. I suspect if I had been watching him insert and manipulate the needles I would have had a different reaction.

[mtlawson.livejournal.com]

My wife's sister went to an acupuncturist for a year or two to relieve her bloating symptoms. At the time, the docs couldn't find out what was wrong with her, so she was recommended this particular acupuncturist. She was an old Chinese lady who also browbeat my sister-in-law about her eating habits (more tea!) among other things.

The treatments worked, and her bloating subsided. Problem was, the symptoms were being treated, not the disease. If she didn't go to her treatments regularly, the bloating would come back. (She complained to me that it made her look six months pregnant, but I couldn't tell the difference.)

Eventually, the docs finally had her tested for celiac (again!) and she tested positive. The removal of all gluten from her diet did the trick, and she no longer needs acupuncture.

I guess the moral of the story is that as long as you realize symptoms are being treated, then it's fine. Acupuncture has been around for a couple of millenia, so at least it's not a quack treatment.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Acupuncture is used for a wide variety of symptoms and conditions, with, I suspect, varying results. Given that my issues are nerve related, it makes sense to me as a treatment, where I would never have considered it for other conditions.

Basically I'm approaching this with an open-mind, and seeing what happens. Even if it's only symptom relief, I'll take it.

[diamondreads.livejournal.com]

I hope it works! It's great that the needles don't bother you. Fingers crossed on the electrical stuff.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

My medical sensitivities are odd, but worked in my favor this time. And I'm hoping the electrical stuff is a lot like Young Frankenstein ("She's alive!")

[jennifer-dunne.livejournal.com]

Looking forward to seeing your new ear jewelry this weekend. :-) I picture a Looooooooooong discussion as you try to explain to my mom that it's medical, not a fashion statement.

My healer (combination of accupuncture, chiropractic, and energy work) says that accupuncture is excellent for anything involving blood flow, such as hastening the repair of soft tissue damage or clearing out the residue from trauma (like catching a crock pot).

One session with her fixed my DeQuervains in my thumb so that it was usable again, which seven weeks in a splint and three shots of cortisone from a standard medical doctor had merely made bearable (as in, not bursting into tears when someone touched my thumb).

[pbray.livejournal.com]

And as we all know, your chi is the extra bouncy kind, that needs supervision, so when it is out of whack...

[jennifer-dunne.livejournal.com]

And now, I can officially report, your tiny gold needles in your ear are extremely cute and unobtrusive.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I had acupuncture on my knee years ago and found it very helpful and not too scary -- on the other hand, I'm not bothered at all by blood or needles. It was only one session, performed by my own doctor, who did this as a sideline and it was to try and train me out of a bad habit I'd developed protecting an ankle. It seems to have worked, as that particular issue hasn't recurred since. I hope this goes wonderfully well for you.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm cautiously optimistic.

(I'm very bad about anyone taking blood from me, but sticking needles into me doesn't bother me, a legacy of weekly allergy shots when I was a child.)

[tryslora]

Thank you for posting this. It's something I've been curious about, but there's that needle fear too (something I shouldn't have, given the insulin I took while pregnant with Chick, but yeah, there it is on my squick levels). Being able to read about it like this, from the personal viewpoint of someone I know, makes me interested and curious what it could do to help my back/neck problems.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I know people who swear by it, so decided to give it a try. After I've gone through the course of treatments, I'll post and let folks know if it made a difference or not.

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

Heh. Last time I was at the orthodontist, I asked, "So, how long do you have to go to school for this?"

Ten years, it turns out...

[dann-m.livejournal.com]

There is a reason why not all people can be doctors, we should give them the credit for doing what they can in treating us. I am becoming a fan of alternative medicine, I trust is in many cases more effective than traditional medicine. Nevertheless I hope I won't need it soon.
Dan Manson (http://www.linkroll.com/by--Daniel-Marcus-Manson-0.html)