posted
Why didn't I try accupuncture yrs ago? Cannot believe how much relief I got!
Couldn't figure out why I couldn't find a NP in the area - state of Tenn shut them all down! Hopped down a state & found one that is both NP & accupuncture. (Just my luck - he used to be just 20 mins away from me...but worth the drive.)
Went in w/ a horrible week long headache that was getting worse by the day. The chiro got it reduced by about 30% but it was still terrible. Saw NP & got accup., and walked out of there feeling like a new person. Headache gone after he worked on (don't know how to spell this) oxcipital nerve? INSTANTLY! Can't wait to go back and see what he can do to help my lymph swelling this week.
I was shocked at how I could tell something was working... After about 15 mins w/ the accup. I was twitching all over - started in my legs, then moved to my stomach, then my uterus. Was not expecting any of that.
Then, a huge surprise - a gaglion cyst that I've had on my wrist for 20 something yrs started throbbing. (This was all on Fri) - Now it's early Tues am - and a few hours ago I noticed that it looks like 2 smaller "beads" instead of 1 huge bead - and it's smaller & ablong now instead of totally round. I think it broke it up somehow...
I have to say I was totally impressed & felt like it was $ well spent.
Anybody else that does accup - do u twitch during the session like I did? BTW - all the twitching stopped after the session, and I felt better than I had in a long while, instantly....I can't believe I waited this long to try it. Posts: 176 | From Tenn | Registered: Jul 2004
| IP: Logged |
Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
Congratulations. I'm happy you found something that helps.
I had the exact opposite reaction to acupuncture, and was wondering if anybody else had negative experiences.
I have really bad muscle pain. The acupuncture made it much worse. I was intense pain for 48 hours after each session. In my third, and last session, I had to call the acupuncturist in to take out the needles because I could feel the muscles tightening around them. Next morning, I could feel where some of the needles went in.
My acupuncturist said twitching is normal during acupuncture. Of course, my twitching lasted for days afterwards. It actually triggered my motor tics to return, which I haven't had in almost a year. Freaked out my boyfriend who had never seen the tics.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
clairenotes
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10392
posted
I went to an acupuncturist off and on for approximately four years or so, and can only say positive things about it as a supportive therapy. I started at a student clinic which was more affordable when I had CFS (pre-lyme diagnosis) and I was fortunate that the person I was seeing invited me to continue in private practice at the same low fees after his graduation.
The twitching might be caused by the sudden movement of energy, which is somehow created or engendered by the acupuncturist/needles. For me, it feels a little more like a vibration and often starts in the legs and moves upward into the body.
For the first few months, I had to lay in bed for hours or even a day or so while my body absorbed the new energy that it was not used to. But then I felt great. It also seems to build over time.
Later I switched to a practitioner using a different style of acupuncture (taoist) where the needles don't stay in. This seemed to reduce the 'recovery' time.
It is sad to hear that negative experiences do occur and it makes me think that perhaps the acupuncturist lacked the proper expertise. But I really don't know for sure... perhaps a certain percentage of people simply do not do well with it.
Claire
Posts: 1111 | From Colorado | Registered: Oct 2006
| IP: Logged |
Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
Claire,
My acupuncturist does not lack expertise. I was referred to him by a pain specialist who will only send people to 2 acupuncturists, both of whom were trained as doctors in China.
The acupuncturist was very perplexed by my case. He kept going lighter and lighter each time, but the last time was actually more painful than the first and I decided I couldn't stick it through to see if it gets better.
At first we thought it was from the cupping, but then the last day I felt my muscle spasming around one of the needles. I think it is too much trauma for my muscles.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hi all, I was introduced to acupuncture about 2 yrs ago, and I'm one of those that can't say enough about the good it did for me. It has actually been the ONLY thing that has made any lasting impact for the better on my health. I must also add that I have only had 6 wks of abx therapy under an LLMDs' care, so I can't compare to this. I agree that those that have had a 'bad' or 'no noticeable difference' experience most likely saw someone who didn't have proper training or had incomplete training. When I asked about the twitching I had experienced(I was always full of questions), I was told that it was the life energy or life force ~chi~ that was moving that had been stagnant for so long. I really enjoyed every visit with my 1st acupuncture Dr. Very informative every time. To avoid having a negative experience, may I suggest that anyone who wishes to try acupuncture be sure that they find a practitioner that has been well trained. Try to avoid someone who has only had a few hours of training, received in only a few months. A very useful tool in this search has been "acufinder.com" for me. I am currently trying to locate an acupuncture dr. myself. I travel with my spouse for work and an unintended consequence has been difficulty in keeping the same health care providers.
-------------------- May we all find peace one day and may peace prevail on earth ~ Traveler Posts: 66 | From traveling the U.S. | Registered: Aug 2007
| IP: Logged |
Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
I don't want to discourage anybody from trying acupuncture. I have complete faith in the practice as having incredible healing properties.
But, just because most people have positive experiences does not mean that all negative experiences are a result of a bad practitioner. I happen to know my practitioner is well trained and has incredible success in treating people with chronic pain.
We all know that people with Lyme react more strongly than others to medications, massage, exerice and many other medical modalities. Is it so difficult to imagine that some people with Lyme may react more strongly to acupuncture?
Everybody's body is different. Everybody has reacted differently to our illness. Everybody needs to find the treatment modalities that work for them.
I hope to be able to try acupuncture again one day, when I'm in a better condition. But it is clear right now that my body can't handle it. Perhaps it releases too much toxins, perhaps it is just too much of a shock, or perhaps my muscles are just too tight to have anything stuck into them.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
clairenotes
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10392
posted
Aniek said:
"We all know that people with Lyme react more strongly than others to medications, massage, exerice and many other medical modalities. Is it so difficult to imagine that some people with Lyme may react more strongly to acupuncture?"
Not at all hard to imagine. There might be certain stages of lyme that are not conducive to receiving acupuncture treatment. I do remember another LN member who also did not do well with it, and I am sure he was seeing someone with experience and/or good credentials etc. He was also quite ill.
I would not be opposed to going back to a student clinic if the need for acupuncture arises again and I have no money. But in the best of all possible worlds, finding someone with more expertise is probably a wiser choice.
Developing an understanding of energy (and the different qualities of it, etc) so important, in my opinion.
Claire
[ 28. August 2007, 11:41 AM: Message edited by: clairenotes ]
Posts: 1111 | From Colorado | Registered: Oct 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
Glad to her the twitching is normal. It kinda freaked me out alittle as I had JUST gotten the stupid leg twitches to go away after years of it.
I had always taken a B-12 & some mag. - no change. Then I bumped up my B-12 to 3 pills & added a B-6 - gone the next day. So you can imagine how like a week later, I'm laying there on the table & legs start going crazy again - I thought "Oh NOOOO!!!!"
Aniek - so sorry it wasn't a good fit for you. Your right - not everything is for everyone - or the stage of illness that they are currently in.
I said I wish I had tried it sooner - but possibly when I was sooo sick it might not have been a good thing at that time.
Have been doing lots of yeast stuff, flushing, & anti-oxidants recently, but no abx or babs RX, so maybe my body is a little more ready for it than it would have been at other points in this journey.
If, like Aniek's experience, I had twitched for days & felt like things that had been gone (like my constant eye twitch) were now back - I can't say I would have been too impressed. After all - we're trying to find things that more us forward - not regress us.
Maybe give it another try in another year or so Aniek...
Truthfinder
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8512
posted
Aniek, you are not alone. My back problems are still my worst symptoms. While the negative effects of acupuncture done on my back did not last beyond the actual treatment, like you, my muscles were constantly on the ragged edge of going into a full-blown back spasm, the kind which can pinch spinal nerve roots and anything else that gets in the way, resulting in some of the worst pain I've ever experienced. This was not twitching - this was a deep-seated phenomenon.
I, too, had a very capable practitioner - he has his own acupuncture school, was president of the state acupuncture association at the time, and began studying acupuncture in China when he was 7 years old.
During the 3rd session, I finally had to call him over and have him remove the needles because I was feeling the very first effects of major spasm approaching.
I should state that while the treatment itself was awful, I did have very positive effects in my back afterwards...... but only for about 2 days.
I do not know if he was mystified by my reaction because I could not understand a word he said (his accent was still very prominent). Nearly all my communication with him had to be through his English-speaking daughter.
Subsequent acupuncture treatments with a couple of other practitioners were not so bad, but no positive effects at all from them either.
What is wrong with us, Aniek?
Tracy
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged |
Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
Tracy,
Interesting that we both had to call the acupuncturist in to remove the needles on session 3.
I have autonomic nervous system disfunction, like many Lymies. My body is always in the fight or flight (aka stress) mode. So it's possible that because my body is so stressed, it gets more stressed, rather than relaxing, to the acupuncture stimuli.
The drugs that help my muscles the most work on the nervous system. Flexeril, and now Zanaflex. It might be that our nervous systems are screwed up and they are reacting the wrong way.
I also know I feel more pain than other people to the same stimuli. I have a high pain tolerance, but I feel more pain. It's a classic fibromyalgia symptom, and so I assume it's also part of Lyme pain for many. That would explain why the needles hurt for us. In fact, I've wondered if my right abdominal pain is just the fact that I feel my gallbladder contracting.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
CaliforniaLyme
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 7136
posted
Acupuncture helps a lot of Lymies- never herad of it curing someone but with many Lymies it REALLY can stimluate immune response and help greatly!!! I am very supportive of this as a supplemental therapy to abx!!!!!!!!!! It does work for many people!!!
-------------------- There is no wealth but life. -John Ruskin
All truth goes through 3 stages: first it is ridiculed: then it is violently opposed: finally it is accepted as self evident. - Schopenhauer Posts: 5639 | From Aptos CA USA | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
![[confused]](graemlins/confused.gif)
BTW - all the twitching stopped after the session, and I felt better than I had in a long while, instantly....I can't believe I waited this long to try it. ![[shake]](graemlins/shake.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic