PATIENTS REPORTS FROM THE INTERNET
I have been receiving accupucture treatments for 10 years. It is amazing. Shame on all the disbelievers. It is non-invasive and safe.
Ten years ago I became ill. I had blood work, x-rays, ultrasounds. It went on for months. They couldn't find anything. At the recommendation of a good friend (who happens to be Chinese), I went to two different accupuncturists, and they both had the same diagnosis. I was better within a month. Also, one of my horses suffered a severe head injury about 5 years ago. I found a vet who specialized in holistic medicine including accupuncture. The vet gave my horse 3 or 4 accupuncture treatments. It was amazing to watch the horse's reaction during the treatments. There is no doubt, it works. She fully recovered. Incidentally, the vet is so busy with these treatments, she doesn't practice traditional medicine anymore. Try it, you've got nothing to lose. LT ----------------------------- As someone in daily pain, I can say that if a treatment works I couldn't care less if it's a placebo, 'legitimate,' 'conventional,' or scientifically proven. If it lessens my pain, I'm happy. If it does so without negative side effects, I'm even more happy. Our military personnel deserve the treatment that is most effective in lessening their pain, whatever that may be. ------------------- acupuncture´s method of healing has been described in terms of neurology, neuro transmitters, cell behavior, and immunology. Some people need to hear explanations for WHY before they will believe it worked. Im not one of those people. Cure first, Explain later. ------------ SINUS For years I suffered from recurrent sinus infections - I went to many doctors, took antibiotics and other medications, but the infections always came back. At one point an ENT doctor was recommending sinus surgery for me. I decided to try an different approach. After two acupuncture treatments, my sinus infection went away, without antibiotics. I have also found acupuncture to be very effective for headaches. It is relatively painless and side-effect free - something that can't be said for most medications.EJ ---------------- I've been a patient at the VA for several years now, and for the last couple of years I've gone to acupuncture.The VA clinic I attend has seen lots of provider turnover, so once or twice a year I have to explain to my PCP why I would rather go to acupuncture than take pain meds for my back pain. It's always a challenge, I'm in my last year of pharmacy school, why wouldn't I want a pill? I was a skeptic, until I found that it actually seemed to help. Perhaps it is a placebo effect. Perhaps it's just that I actually have to lie still for an hour and relax, I'm not convinced either way. For the last couple of weeks, I have had the pleasure of working with the Natural Standard, an integrative medicine research collaboration, as a student. I was honestly a little surprised to find that there is actually strong scientific evidence for acupuncture in treating chronic pain, postoperative pain, and osteoarthritis. Not just one or two small, old, observational studies, but randomized clinical trials, systematic reviews, and many of them. The beauty of science is that although there may be some evidence, everyone is still entitled to their own interpretation of it (the blending of science and art, if you will.) CS -------------------- |
"Non-medicine" is the only thing that worked with any degree of success for me. After severe back injuries in Nam I went for years on pain meds and with limited movement. I was passed over for promotion and terminated more than once because I took too many days off or was too slow. At one point in the late 1970s I couldn't get out of bed one morning. The slightest movement caused pain. I ended up calling out for help and my land lord entered and called an ambulance. The first thing the docs that saw me wanted to to was fuse vertebra, which would further limit movement and inhibit employment. One of the nurses, a Chinese lady, suggested I try Chiropractor and acupressure/acupuncture, and suggested a doctor. I went there and though it took a while, I began having less pain and more freedom of movement. He got me interested in tai chi, and I took some courses and bought some tapes.
As I said, that was in the lates 1970s. From the early 1980s until today I've done some form of Taichi 2-3 times a week. I was able to go back to the work that I enjoyed, keep my weight under control, lower cholesterol and BP. My whole life turned around after a 2 minute conversation with that nurse. I'm retired, and still do Tai chi. ----------------------- I am a chronic pain sufferer and have spent countless hours working in physical therapy, seeing all kinds of doctors, taking their largely experimental medication, and being stuck with IV's in the ER. I started doing acupuncture when I didn't believe anything could work, I wasn't hopeful about acupuncture. It's been the only thing to help me with a chronic headache and pain from a hip injury. This is not coming from somebody who will just put her faith thoughtlessly into whatever is suggested as treatment. Anybody who claims that acupuncture doesn't work, or only does so because of the placebo effect, has never tried acupuncture. They are lucky enough not to be dealing with chronic pain, or lucky enough to have Western medicine work for them. Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years. It's your word as somebody who has never tried acupuncture against history and the people for whom it works.ED -------------- |
COMMENTS FROM INTERNETThe military at the VA hospital in California is also embracing mind-body methods, such as EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique, http://www.eftuniverse.com/) that involves tapping on acupressure points that lie on the acupuncture meridians of the body. There are many success stories at that site by doctors, as well as links to published controlled experimental studies showing that EFT also works for removing many symptoms.
Acupuncture for pain has been shown in double-blind controlled experiments to not only work, but to be superior to drugs or other methods for many types of pain. The reason for many skeptics attitudes toward acupuncture may lie in the fact that they do not understand how acupuncture could work in the Western medical model. Explaining it in terms of the Eastern Medical model of chi (energy flow) just doesn't make any sense to us Westerners. However, when you understand how the brain and spinal cord controls simple physiological processes, then the Eastern and Western medical models can come together.... ---------- the FDA requests clinical trial evidence of a drug performing "at least as good as" a placebo or a current drug on the market, typically in a double-blind randomized trial design, where the subjective & objective benefits outweigh the risks of side effects. If we are to use that same argument, then of course acupuncture is a viable and effective healthcare modality. Acupuncture has been proven in many clinical trials to be "at least as good as" a placebo and "usual care" (meaning pharmaceuticals and/or physical therapy), with little to no side-effects. If that is the criteria, then acupuncture works. --------------- No one conventional treatment works for everyone, and people build up tolerances to pain killers that often come with other not so great side effects. If acupuncture works for some people, why is it snake oil? My dogs have been getting acupuncture now for 5 years for arthritis in their hips and knees. With the older dog, the results are night and day. She can limp in achy and old, and walk out almost like new. Don't see how it could be the placebo effect there. Tons of animal studies out there that prove the efficacy of acupuncture. I think it should be part of the retinue of offerings for our troops.MM ----------- |
COMMENTS FROM INTERNETThere are many studies that have looked at the physical effects of acupuncture, including at the biochemical level and in the brain using function MRIs. These studies show an effect from acupuncture:
http://acupuncturegirl.tumblr.com/post/17557735827/this-is-your-brain-on-acupuncture-functional-mris http://acupuncturegirl.tumblr.com/post/17556480615/how-acupuncture-may-work Also: "The US National Library of Medicine can be searched through PubMed at: http://www.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/ to show the huge volume of scientific research that has now been done on acupuncture' s basic mechanisms and clinical applications in both animals and humans. As of February 25, 2010, a search on the keyword “acupuncture", limited only to papers with abstracts, results in 14,846 papers, which shows the depth of scientific research now published in English on acupuncture." ------------ There are many studies that have looked at the physical effects of acupuncture, including at the biochemical level and in the brain using function MRIs. These studies show an effect from acupuncture: http://acupuncturegirl.tumblr.com/post/17557735827/this-is-your-brain-on-acupuncture-functional-mris http://acupuncturegirl.tumblr.com/post/17556480615/how-acupuncture-may-work Also: "The US National Library of Medicine can be searched through PubMed at: http://www.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/ to show the huge volume of scientific research that has now been done on acupuncture' s basic mechanisms and clinical applications in both animals and humans. As of February 25, 2010, a search on the keyword “acupuncture", limited only to papers with abstracts, results in 14,846 papers, which shows the depth of scientific research now published in English on acupuncture." --------- Treatment of xerostomia, lymphoedema and serum cortisol and prolactin do not sound like placebo to me. These are just a few studies that showed up on PubMed aside from all positive studies on pain regulation. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22072272 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21685498 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19118825 And I agree. Even if it is placebo. It is the best placebo out there with great results and minimal risk of adverse side effects.NL ------------- |