Acupuncture-A You Tough Enough For A Little Needling?
Posted by: maryhealth in: ● February 26, 2009
What if I told you there was a drug free way to deal with all sorts of pain, including chronic pain? I will admit that it takes a relatively open minded person to say, “Oh go ahead and poke me with that needle, and by the way I will pay you do to it.” That is a pretty intense concept but Western medicine is increasingly seeing the value of acupuncture in treating all sorts of problems. Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years and continued to have people swear to its effectiveness generation after generation. Keeping this in mind it was a bit smug of Western medicine to dismiss acupuncture outright was foolishness. I know several people that have been helped a great deal by those little needles.
My frequent readers know by now that my grandmother died a few years ago due to breast cancer. As a result I really try and keep my eye out for any news related to breast cancer. A recent study was examining the effects of acupuncture on treating pain from breast cancer. The conclusion was that acupuncture was an effective way to deal with this pain.
The study concluded that acupuncture was in the same range of effectiveness as drugs, but without the side effects. Many women experience hot flashes and night sweats, among other symptoms while battling breast cancer. Apparently Western medicine isn’t sure why acupuncture works but it does and it does its magic without the side effects often associated with drugs. While some doubt the study I have seen bright, educated and skeptical people helped by acupuncture. Often people walk away from an acupuncture session unsure as to how it worked but acknowledging that it does indeed work.
There is a bigger issue here as well, for part of being healthy and achieving something near optional health requires having an open mind to change and an open mind to new things. Much of what is healthy for us could be discarded because it is unfamiliar or takes us out of our comfort zone. By always staying in our comfort zones we never grow or learn. I know many people who are dealing with chronic pains of all kinds and sorts and there is increasing evidence that acupuncture is a way of treating pain. Considering this, if you are having chronic pains what do you have to lose, give it a try.
Many institutions are beginning to embrace acupuncture as a possible treatment option. If you are still skeptical take a look at the MayoClinic website. They seem to think that acupuncture might indeed have something going for it. Again, remember that it’s been around for thousands of years and more and more medical institutions and research facilities are opening up to the possibilities of acupuncture.
4 Comments to "Acupuncture-A You Tough Enough For A Little Needling?"
1 | Dina
28 de February de 2009 to ● 6:21 pm
I wholeheartedly agree with this post! I have received acupuncture treatment for several health issues, including chronic knee pain, and it has been the best health-related decision I have ever made. Not only are there no negative side effects, there actually are positive side effects - like feeling more balanced, getting more sleep, and feeling less stressed. It is unfortunate that Western medicine does not embrace this ancient Chinese medicine because I think so many within the Western culture could benefit from its approach. But I try to spread the word whenever I can to my family and friends! 
2 | Sharon
3 de March de 2009 to ● 8:45 am
I’m sitting in Bangkok having “Dry Needling” done by Dr. Wasin at Bumrungrad Int’l Hospital (it is indeed Int’l–approved by the US State department, so I was told–oh and don’t overlook the Starbucks and McDonalds located inside it’s lobby)
Anyway, back to the point (no pun intended) of this: I came here due to two months of pain in both legs. (We have an NGO in Bangladesh–thus opting for Thailand vs. USA treatment)
The doctor initially ordered meds…help while on them, but as soon as I finished a weeks dose, pain returned. They said I had myofascial syndrome (muscle damage) with trigger points.
He then said my opts were physiotherapy and perhaps dry needling. I’d never heard the word before, but believe me I know it now.
I did one week of PT, still pain. So I gave the green light for the fast track: dry needling. Started last Tuesday and as of today, having my last treatment, I am 95% back to normal. The doc and I expect that with continued stretching I’ll be w/o symptoms soon.
How was it? Well, the needle going in is no big deal. Even when he probes the needle into the muscle, it’s not that bad. Now, when he does find a TP (trigger point) the pain can go from a 2 to a 10 (on the 1-10 pain scale) in a moment. But most TP’s are about a 5. However, the relief you get from hitting a TP–I actually got to the point where I wanted to have a 10!! (you have to understand, his needle was two inches into my muscle–I had alot of damage) So far I’ve had 17 muscles probed in 4 sessions–one probe is about 12-15 jabs–again, not all jabs are 10’s!
What is a 10? Well your body jerks involuntarily. The pain lingers for about 15 seconds. If your doctor is good he can even tell when he hits a TP that’s only a 3-4. The most I had done was 5 muscles in one session. That was probably too much. Four muscles (that’s about 50-60 jabs) is probably good. Though your first time I’d recommend two.
Now I had no anesthesia at all (dulls your awareness for knowing your TP’s). But as soon as the needling was over (about 3-4 minutes per muscle) the doctor gave me two Tylenol and ice packs for 10 minutes on all needled areas.
I noticed that while resting with the ice packs, I had some involuntary muscle spasms which I contribute to the muscles loosening and relaxing.
My areas were the upper buttocks and outer hamstrings. So, following each session it did hurt to walk for about 2 hours and sitting/sleeping was a bit uncomfortable. Continuing to do PT was no problem, though they did not massage the TP areas.
I would recommend this therapy if you want fast relief and have let the pain go so long that you have several TP’s. (the dr. here actually found more that I had no idea I had until he pressed on the areas).
Hope this was helpful to anyone who wants unofficial but “been there, done that” comments.
3 | Meieli
5 de March de 2009 to ● 6:21 am
I had acupuncture, and it was not a pleasant experience for me. As I relaxed while the treatment needles did their thing, I moved my foot (with the needles in it) ever so slightly. I felt a horrible shooting pain! I felt significantly better afterwards, though, so you just need to be strong for this treatment!
4 | Mary
5 de March de 2009 to ● 6:50 am
Meieli, you are so brave! Hope they gave you a sticker! lol. Seriously though I have heard the level of pain depends on the doctor administering the treatment and also what is wrong with you.
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