Does acupuncture work? Experiences requested.

So, does it? There is a woman in town who is doing it, and her husband invited my Mom and me (both of us have chronic pain) to come to the office Saturday for a free treatment. Acupuncture is not something used much in this area, and I suppose the freebie is to encourage business.

But I’m kind of chicken. What is it like? Does it hurt? Can it damage your nerves or anything? I’m wondering if it could help my Mom.

My mom is in some really horrible pain – she has bursitis and tendonitis in her hip, and she is scheduled for injections to relieve it, but could not get an appointment until October 15. That’s a long time for a 75-year-old woman to suffer.

Do you think acupuncture could help?

Thanks for any info…

Bethany

I had acupuncture treatments 13 years ago so that I could get my body back in balance and off theophylline (sp?) after a nasty asthma attack. It worked to get me feeling less stressed. I also was able to stop taking that med., but not others. I still have asthma and have tried a lot of things, meditation (the best), breathing exercises, massage, yoga, reflexology, vitamins, herbs, standard pharmaceuticals…
I believe the chinese saying ‘no problems, short life - one problem, long life’ is true in that anything you try to do for your own good will increase your chances of a healthier body, and also true in that when you give yourself the chance to heal and remove the pain you are much more willing to live. Living in pain is no fun. Accupuncture will help. Drink lots of water and breath deeply too.

I tried it several years ago to help my migraines and back pain, along with some chiropractic session. It doesn’t hurt - the needles are tiny. It did me no good, however - I actually had the worse migraine attack I’d ever had about 3 months in to treatment, presumably when I was supposed to be getting better.

Some people swear by it, though. Cecil isn’t one of them, however.

My mother has many problems with her upper back and neck. She tried everything (PT, medication, etc) that her doctors perscribed, and nothing really helped. She started acupuncture two years ago, and can finally sit comfortably, sleep without getting woken up by muscle spasms, and not spend 2 or 3 hours a day with a heat or ice pack on her neck. It’s done wonders for her, and no, it doesn’t hurt that much.

Unfortunately, it isn’t covered by her insurance, so keep that in mind.

I had good experiences. I got acupuncture at a low-cost clinic at an acupuncture school(staffed by 3rd-year acupuncture students, kind of like a doctor-in-residence). My immune system got better and my ear infections mostly went away. Plus, I found it really relaxing. The needles didn’t hurt at all. Rather, sometimes they were kind of intense–like I would feel that body part more strongly when the needle was put in.

The nicest thing was having an hour and a half every week where someone listened to me and cared about how I was feeling. The difference between that and going to my university’s health center was staggering.

The only thing I would suggest is: make sure the person is licensed and check out their credentials before you start going. Make sure the school they went to is accredited and such.

My Dad believes it works for his back pains very well. But Eddie Izzard in his recent routine said it felt like having small needles placed into his shoulder, and didn’t help him. (Though of course he said it far funnier than I ever could).

Acupuncture doesn’t hurt at all – at the worst, all you’d feel is a tiny pinch when the needles are applied. The needles are very thin, almost hairlike, btw.

I go for treatments whenever my back acts up. After an accident at work a few years ago, I couldn’t sit or lie on my back without shrieking. In all seriousness, acupuncture and massage therapy did more for me than traditional medicine. After a couple of sessions, I could move and bend – achy, yes, but nowhere near what I felt at the outset.

I think I had treatments twice a week for about three months, give or take a few days. By the end, I could sit, lie down, walk – you name it – without any pain whatsoever.

Yes, it was pricey ($50 per session), but luckily my insurance covered some of it. To me, it was money well spent :slight_smile:

BTW, I go for a “tuneup” now and then – maybe once every 2-3 months. I call it “preventative medicine” – er, needles?

The first woman I ever lived with assisted Kaiser Permanante’s first study of acupuncture’s efficacy in ameliorating the symptoms of dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain).

Although they found you needed to believe that it would work, it actually did. The study used full control groups, as in:[ol][li] People who were given correct acupuncture treatments.[/li]
[li] People who were given incorrect (location) acupuncture treatments.[/li]
[li] People who just sat and talked about getting treatments without ever receiving them.[/li]
[li] People who received no treatment whatsoever.[/ol][/li]The study was a success.

My lover also manifested a pretty strong allergic reaction to the fur from my two dogs. She recieved a few treatments and within less than two weeks her symptoms declined by over 90%. They seemed to work rather well for her.

I go for treatments everytime my hay-fever symptoms show up. Prior to acupuncture I had to carry a box of tissues with me everywhere I went because I’d be sneezing and sniffling continuously. To give you an example of how well if works on me: I last went for acupuncture three weeks ago and I haven’t sneezed even once, no runny nose and the occasional sniffle.

But… (yes, there’s always one), during the SARS period my usual acu-doctor had closed his clinic, so I went to another clinic and the doc did the usual stuff but in the end it had no effect on me whatsoever.

However, when I go to my usual doc, the results are truly unbelievable. I have no idea how, but it works brilliantly - for me. Placebo effect? Perhaps; maybe even likely.

Most of the patients that go for acupuncture here in Hong Kong usually have some arthritis, tendonitis or allergy problems. And a fair share of non-locals (like myself) go for treatments as well.

Oh, forgot to add… it doesn’t hurt at all, just a small pinching sensation when the needle is inserted and nothing more.

It worked for me, and for me at least, I could barely feel most of the needles (pins?).

I had horrendous back problems, my therapist used a combination of different chinese therapy, including one that was rather odd, but REALLY helped.

She did at least once a week accupuncture until I got better. It was wonderful to be painfree in such a short time.

Well, here is Quackwatch’s take on the subject. http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/acu.html

I have some muscle/nerve damage in my neck and trapezius muscle from an old track injury, and from time to time (usually once every month or two) I’d wake up in the morning and be unable to turn my head or move my neck/shoulders without great pain. When I was living in CA it seemed to get worse; probably stress-related. My then-SO suggested acupuncture, as he’d had good experiences with it in the past, so I tried it. My acupuncturist (a doctor of Chinese medicine) was great–she treated my neck pain, and after mentioning stress/tension, she included her “Silicon Valley Special” tension relief treatment as well. I went back for treatment for menstrual cramps, which was unfortunately not successful, but that was mostly due to my own negligence–I didn’t take the herbs I was prescribed because I’m really bad with pills.

Actually, come to think of it, my neck/shoulder pain hasn’t reoccurred since then, and that was almost 2 years ago.

Two important things to keep in mind here:

  1. I hate needles.
  2. I hate needles.

The needles used are hair-thin, and you don’t even feel most of them going in, or feel them when they are in. Sometimes I’d feel a dull pain where a point was particularly tender, but it wasn’t what I’d call “painful” at all. I have panic disorder, and the thought of lying still for 30 minutes with dozens of needles in me was terrifying at first but it was actually very relaxing, and afterwards I felt really refreshed.

I was lucky in that I had an amazing, attentive, caring doctor who knew how to put me at ease and effectively treat me. And the best part–it was covered by insurance! I wish I could find a Chinese doctor out here back in RI, because I’d like to give it a try for treating my panic disorder and for tension relief.

Check the woman’s creds and all that. Most states (though not all) require practicing acupuncturists to be licensed, and the requirements vary. Licenses require ~1000 hrs of study in acupuncture/Chinese medicine in accredited schools and so on.

Go for it, is my advice!

My Blue Cross/Blue Shield covers it. Must work for somebody if they’ll pay for it.

My mother’s used acupuncture for a couple of years now, and she swears by it to relieve muscle spasms and pain from a brain hemmorhage she suffered eight years ago. She’s also become good friends with the acupuncturist and gets a sort of therapy from her as well. I haven’t tried it myself, since I don’t think I have much to relieve at this point.