Acupuncture; Anyone here using acupuncture to maintain or keep their medical?

[FN FAL]

Just had my first acupuncture session last Thursday, my next one is this afternoon, I had a indepth physical by an MD today. The doc at my physical notices my blood pressure is way normal. He checked it twice in the last month and it was o.k., but in the higher range.

Needless to say, when I drove to see the MD today, I was waylayed by a semi-truck/car accident up on the highway. In addition I wound up getting forced into taking a wrong exit, which helped me get lost in the city and ten/fifteen minutes late for my appointment.

You see where I'm going with this, two blood pressure readings in the last month read borderline hypertensive. Then, after getting in the worst case scenario on the way to the office for my physical, I wind up with a real good reading on my BP. They hauled me in for the BP for that right after I walked up to the MD's office.

Anybody using the care of a good acupuncturist to assist in wellness?

 

[Metro752]

My aunt does that stuff, apparently people think it's a big joke, after they get talked into doing it, and it's over, they all swear by it, just like you.

Personally, no thanks! I'm scared of needles.

 

[FN FAL]

My aunt does that stuff, apparently people think it's a big joke, after they get talked into doing it, and it's over, they all swear by it, just like you.

Personally, no thanks! I'm scared of needles.

My feet were hurting for a long time, maybe the last year or two. I could still walk 4.5 miles on a hike, but if I sat down and rested for a while my feet would be in pain after a spell. Same with getting up in the morning the first twenty steps were a pain.

After one treatment, they don't set up on me anymore and I feel like I got new legs. I was also getting some dull pain in the base of skull, been seeing a chiro for almost a year. Neck's good to go all the sudden.

Here's the funny part, I'm doing the acupuncture to cure pockets in my intestines that were part of a bout of diverticulitis I had a month ago. Acupuncture guy is telling me he's going to send them pockets where they came from. The regular MD had originally told me that the pockets were part of getting old and the American Lifestyle, you live with it through anti-biotics and diet change. OK, sure Doc...see you at the next CT scan eating those words.

 

[Huggyu2]

Long story short: my cousin was a Registered Nurse, trained through Univ of Texas. Did it a number of years. Had major wrist problems. Surgeons she worked with recommended invasive surgery, blah blah. She decides to try acupuncture. She couldn't believe it, but she was cured. She was so convinced that she quit as an RN, and worked for 3-4 years to become a full time acupuncturist, which she is today.
I've been "needled" by two different acupunturists. It doesn't hurt. My mom saw one as a last resort to try to manage some severe pain due to a vertabrae compressing a nerve. The results were significant.
Strange stuff, but it seems to work.

 

[Applemac]

There is a lot of really bad medical information circulating in society these days courtesy of naturopaths, chiropractors, and other holistic types who haven't been to medical school and use the internet to spread their ideas.

http://www.quackwatch.com

Will help you sort through it.

Why acupuncture has no value:

Two scientists at the University of Heidelberg have developed a "fake needle" that may enable acupuncture researchers to perform better-designed controlled studies. The device is a needle with a blunt tip that moves freely within a copper handle.
When the tip touches the skin, the patient feels a sensation similar to that of an acupuncture needle. At the same time, the visible part of the needle moves inside the handle so it appears to shorten as though penetrating the skin. When the device was tested on volunteers, none suspected that it had not penetrated the skin .
In 2004, a University of Heidelberg team proved the worth of their "sham acupuncture" technique in a study of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in women who underwent breast or gynecologic surgery. The study involved 220 women who received either acupuncture or the sham procedure at the acupuncture point "Pericardium 6" on the inside of the forearm. No significant difference in PONV or antivomiting medication use was found between the two groups or between the people who received treatment before anesthesia was induced and those who received it while anesthetized .

Why acupuncture can be dangerous:

Improperly performed acupuncture can cause fainting, local hematoma (due to bleeding from a punctured blood vessel), pneumothorax (punctured lung), convulsions, local infections, hepatitis B (from unsterile needles), bacterial endocarditis, contact dermatitis, and nerve damage. The herbs used by acupuncture practitioners are not regulated for safety, potency, or effectiveness. There is also risk that an acupuncturist whose approach to diagnosis is not based on scientific concepts will fail to diagnose a dangerous condition.

 

[mynameisjim]

Why walking can be dangerous:

Improperly performed walking can cause fainting, heatstroke, convulsions, soreness, sore throat, dry eyes, reduced appetite, irritability, changes in blood pressure, or health. The air breathed by pedestrians is not regulated for safety, potency, or effectiveness. There is also risk that a pedestrian whose approach to a street/intersection is not based on scientific concepts and may fail to successfully negotiate traffic.

 

[Applemac]

You're right...if you weigh 400 pounds, have alzheimers, or a brain the size of a rodent, walking can be extremely dangerous.

 

[Dan Roman]

Long story short, accupuncture works, no question about it. As far as quacks go, be very wary of any medical professional that says what they do is the end all be all. Chiropracters, naturopaths or MD's (especially surgeons). The ones who have an open mind and a wholistic attitude will give you the best results. I've had excellant results with a naturopath who also uses chinese medicine.