I had it as part of treatment for a vascular necrosis of the sesamoid bones of the foot. My x-rays were looking progressively more and more like swiss cheese, and my orthopedist had told me that the only thing that could be done for my pain was to remove the bones, which would leave me with a permanently deformed big toe (sticking straight up). A few weeks after I started getting the treatments, my x-rays started looking better, and I eventually made a full recovery.
However, another part of the treatment from the acupuncturist was cayenne pepper patches on the affected area. I strongly suspect that these were what really did the trick, as topical capsaicin is known to stimulate the vascular system. (The “vascular” part of the vascular necrosis was not diagnosed until I was starting to get better. I did an aggressive literature search and eventually found a case report of a very similar case. In the report and in my own case, the patient had been repetitively stressing the ball of the foot in a way likely to cause vascular damage. He was a long-distance runner with bad shoes; I was a ballroom dancer who had been near-obsessively practicing a particular step on a daily basis.) I am still unconvinced about the therapeutic benefits of acupuncture - but it is definitely very relaxing.
I, personally and anecdotally, love me some acupuncture.
I get migraines. Serious bad-ass migraines. If I have a migraine for just one day, that’s a great migraine. A few years ago I had the never-ending migraine. Every single day I had a migraine. All the time. This week, last week, next week, next month. Nothing helped.
I did the full complement of western medicine, including inpatient therapy. Nothing worked. My doc suggested acupuncture, I would have tried anything at that point.
I got the work up, the look at the tongue, the slightly embarrassing questions that my regular doc doesn’t ask. I got my acupuncture diagnosis. Then I got on the table and had some needles stuck in me. (Did I mention that I didn’t like needles?) They didn’t hurt - at most there was a little sting. Then I was left to be calm for a while. Then she came in and the needles came out.
Did I feel better? Well, I’d had about 20 stress-free minutes, so that was nice. On about my third visit I noticed pain going away. She had broken the migraine!!! It came and went, and I saw her weekly for as long as I could. I always felt better a session. One of my favorite things was when she used a special kind of needle - longer and with a cup at the top. She’d put this stuff in it called moxa (sp?) and burn it while I was having my ‘alone’ time. That was awesome.
The needles were teeny-tiny. I saw each one come out of a sterile package. I had no worries on that score.
I’m a (professional!) scientist, and I know all about the placebo effect. I also know a lot about pain. I won’t trouble the skeptical with discussions of ‘energy work’. However, I’d like to remind y’all that what what was impossible yesterday might be possible later today, if we keep working at it.
It works - I’ve used it for a pulled muscle, and people in Korea use it all the time for a variety of illnesses. My grandmother uses it to relieve back pain. Korean doctors who practice acupuncture properly, though, have to go through years of medical training to get their degree, just like Western med school. We also have our mystical elderly voodoo witchdoctors who profess to be acupuncture experts as well. They manage to attract patients, but they are iffy at best. Most sensible Koreans will go to a certified doctor to get their acupuncture treatments.
One of the great things about getting acupuncture in Seattle is that we house Bastyr University, one of the best centers for training in alternative medicine in the country.
I don’t believe in everything they do, and I don’t have to. But they have amazing training in acupuncture. I’ve found that I prefer one approach compared to another, because I’ve had the opportunity to work with different providers.
I would never say that it would work for everyone. But if you took an SSRI for depression, and sincerely believed that it wouldn’t work or that it was a placebo, I believe that there is a good chance that it wouldn’t be very effective for you.
Physicians today are learning that the patient has to participate in the healing process. My back surgeon and I agreed to put off my (inevitable) surgery for months while I desperately tried other options. He knew they wouldn’t work, he told me they wouldn’t work. But he agreed that surgery was a very bad idea until I was ready for it. Mentally and physically. Because he’s seen the difference in outcomes. And he’s a big old wiener orthopedic surgeon who probably wouldn’t talk to a chiropractor on a dare.
So just because it didn’t work for you that time doesn’t mean that it never works.
I went in for acupuncture for constant dizziness. I’m talking 24/7 dizziness. I had tried all the normal things my Doctor had recommended first, like an ear/nose/throat doctor, an eye doctor, even an MRI.
They were all normal, and nothing was found, so they basically gave up.
As a last resort, I went for accupuncture. I was of a mind that this wasn’t going to help either.
Twenty minutes later, when I arose from the table, my dizziness was gone!
I was so happy I hugged the accupuncturist, and he was a guy!
I had accupuncture after coming out of hospital following a manic episode, which had left me feeling pretty crappy and feeling lacking in energy (and the drugs I was on probably weren’t helping).
I’m not sure if it can be attributed solely to the accupuncture but I definitely felt better after a course of about 5 sessions over two months, and would recommend trying it at least once (to see if it makes you feel better). Unlike a lot of people I feel all the needles and they hurt a little, but I’ve got a high pain threshold so don’t mind.