Has anyone ever tried accupuncture?

[gemgirl]

I''ve suffered from vertigo on and off for the last fifteen years, and it''s been back for the last month. The ENT I saw last week believes it might be coming from my neck (although I''m going for a two hour test at the end of the month that hopefully will tell them really where it''s coming from), and he is sending me to Chinese medicine doctor who is also an M.D.

Has anyone ever experienced accupuncture? and if so, what''s it like? I have my first appointment tomorrow at 3:00.

 

[jjc]

Hi gemgirl, acupuncture generally isn't painful, there may be an initial *flash* of a prick but that's about it. In terms of its efficacy, I know that it's really worked for many people and a host of different reasons, I've been getting it every two weeks or so for the last few months and it's really been effective for me. It's really great that the acupuncturist you're going to is also an M.D., there has been a lot of movement nowadays to merge Western and Eastern medicine (in the past there has been lots of resistance from both sides to recognize the other's validity). My acupuncturist also subscribes to this more integrated philosophy, and even Western medicine is acknowledging that for certain ailments, acupuncture is the best method. I hope it's a good fit for you, since acupuncture is more about healing the root cause, as opposed to treating symptoms. I hope that helped, and while I'm certainly not an expert, please let me know if you have any other questions that maybe I can answer!

 

[mayachel]

Hi Gemgirl, I have gotten tons from different practitioners over the years. I think it is worth pointing out that usually an acupuncturist has an incredibly complex multi year training in Chinese Medicine (I think it is 3 year min, master''s level in NY) whereas physicians that are primarily MD''s can take a weekend class and call themselves certified in it.

In my experience I have found it extremely no question in mind, great for pain issues related to compressed nerves or injured tissue. I had severe TMJ (jaw pain) for over a year-saw an oral surgeon, got a very expensive bite plate, was seeing a chiropractor to be border line functional on a daily basis.

After my first session of acupuncture I was able to open my jaw three finger widths (previously only 1). I had a dramatic response, and while I have flare ups, now 8 years since...intermittent treatment has been successful at relieving the pain from a chronic 8/9 to a 0/1.

I am among other things a massage therapist. When I used to see 20 people a week, I could barely type/brush my hair/point etc...at the end of the week. Regular acupuncture helped significantly at relaxing my carpal and meta carpal pain.

I also tried acupuncture for hormonal issues. To my dismay, I have tried over a period of months a couple of different practitioners and have not had any success with acupuncture and hormone balancing, so I''m leary of it''s value for that sort of thing.

In general, the experience is NOTHING like getting a shot or blood drawn. You may feel a sensation like an ant crawling on you or a tiny tiny pinch but otherwise it is unlikely to hurt. You should expect to feel relaxed and put at ease by the doctor. There will be a very long intake, this is to help figure out how to balance you according to chinese medicine theory.

 

[gemgirl]

Thank you for the information ladies. My appointment has been moved to Saturday morning and a different doctor, but this man is also a Chinese medicine doctor and a regular M.D. too. So I think we have all the bases covered. I had a good chat with one of the nurses in his office today and she was very forth coming with information and she put my mind at ease. I''m going in with a very positive attitude. I''ve been wanting to try this for a long time. I hope it works for both my vertigo and chronic neck pain. Fingers crossed! I''ll let you know how I do.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I have tried it twice, I don''t feel the needles and it doesn''t seem to help me.

The weird thing is that if someone does accupressure on those same areas (my upper back and neck), it really helps a lot with the pain. I talked to an MD who is knowledgeable about the subject and he said something about my body needs more pressure to react to it.

I think it is worth a try. The needles are really thin and at least for me were not that painful at all. If he is an MD, he should have each needle in a separate, sterile plastic wrap for infection control purposes.

I would be interested to know how it works for you.

 

[gemgirl]

I had my first accupuncture treatment last week and I''m anxious to go back again this Thursday for another one.
Although I can''t say that anything dramatic happened after my first treatment, I think it may have eased my vertigo a little. I took myself to my local mall afterwards and walked almost the length of the mall focusing on walking in one straight row of floor tiles and I did it. I wouldn''t have been able to do that before, so maybe it''s helping.

It wasn''t painful at all. Just a little initial prick and that was it, and they do it so fast that it''s over in a flash, even with 30 tines.

 

[rhbgirl24]

I get treatment by Trigger Point Needling. Its similar to acupuncture, but the needles are manipulated in the muscle (or an electrical shock is added) to relieve muscle spasms and pain. It is a little uncomfortable, think of a needle being wiggled around in deep muscle tissue, but does help relieve the pain.