Acupuncture

[Boltlady]

While I have believed it to be a very useful tool in maintaining the balance needed for good health for much of my life, I had never tried it. That is until yesterday. I had my first session of it and it really is an interesting experience. It will take a bit of time to find out just how much good it will do for me, but I was surprised at how much effect it had on me already.

Has anybody else gone through a program of acupuncture for treatment of anything? I'm curious as to how well it has worked for whatever.

 

[MaryAnne]

Yes, my Son did to relieve neck and back pain. It works,but does not solve the problem.

His Osteopathic Doctor gave him much more relief with the body being out of alignment. he swears by her.

After reading many books about pain,one thing keeps coming back.If you have emotional pain,worries,problems, stress, etc., the body will create a real pain.

 

[Boltlady]

Yes, my Son did to relieve neck and back pain. It works,but does not solve the problem.

His Osteopathic Doctor gave him much more relief with the body being out of alignment. he swears by her.

After reading many books about pain,one thing keeps coming back.If you have emotional pain,worries,problems, stress, etc., the body will create a real pain.

Acupuncture cannot realign your bones, but it can do a lot for the stress. We all know that stress itself can cause a lot of physical problems, and I thought that it was mostly because it constricts the blood vessels. While that is part of it, I came across something a couple of days ago that I found very interesting. There was a recent study done that showed that stress causes a particular protein to be formed in the brain which can be one of the causes of Alzheimer's.

Since various parts of the brain control pretty much everything that goes on in the body, it's easy to see where that protein can wreak havoc in all kinds of places.

I copied the following from an investment board that I go to and I'm not sure of the original source:

"Seriously, we all need to relax more.

Chronic stress has been shown to increase the risk of a number of negative health outcomes, including heart disease, cancer and dementia. The means by which stress contributes to the development of these conditions, however, aren't as clear. But Swedish scientist Sara K. Bengtsson of Umea University may have an answer to the question of why chronic stress contributes to the development of Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia.
Bengtsson's research thesis, which she will publicly defend at Umea University later this month, suggests that the elevated levels of stress steroids in the brain during periods of stress have the power to inhibit general brain activity.
Bengtsson found that chronically elevated levels of one particular type of steroid, allopregnanolon, accelerated disease development of two Alzheimer diseases models in mice. The mice with elevated levels of the stress steroid responded with impaired memory and learning early in the stage of disease development, when they normally would not display these symptoms. After a period of experiencing chronically high levels of allopregnanolon, the mice's brains also had higher levels of beta-amyloids, i.e. the proteins that form plaques between nerve cells in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease. Her work also showed that high levels of beta-amyloids were linked to brain synapse dysfunction.
An Umea University press release noted that a comparable acceleration of Alzheimer's disease in humans due to chronically elevated stress steroids could mean the difference between living independently and requiring professional assistance.
The research comes at an important time, as the disease is becoming more common but the causes remain poorly understood. More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's and one in eight older Americans live with the disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Moreover, the prevalence of the disease is expected to triple over the next 30 years.
The American health care system has already felt the impacts: The costs of caring for those with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia in America is estimated at $200 billion, $140 billion of which is in Medicare and Medicaid costs -- and this number is expected to spike to over $1 trillion by 2050 as cases of the disease continue to become more frequent.
The research points towards not only the need for more research, but also the importance of healthy lifestyles to reduce the risk of developing dementia.
“The greatest threat to our lives is our lifestyle,” stress expert Dr. Kathleen Hall told the Huffington Post. "If you slow down and get some relaxation techniques, it absolutely will effect your health outcome."
For older adults, Hall recommends physical exercises, brain training exercises, meditation, and the development of a strong social network to ward off stress and create a calmer lifestyle."

It's a good thing to remember, but with my dysfunctional family, not always easy to achieve.

 

[MaryAnne]

Stress is one of the main causes of pain. I have found many ways to over come. For instance when I am on my morning walk I found my leg muscles tensing up when I came to a group waiting on the bus. I have trained myself to relax my shoulders by consciously doing so,this relaxes all the other muscles. I suggested this while sitting at a desk. You can feel the shoulder muscles begin to tighten when confronted with a problem. Any type of problem.

As I said,Acupuncture relieves the pain for a short time,but if the problem persists,it is likely other causes. I was surprised to learn the body being out of alignment can also cause the problem. Once that is solved,it hurts like hecknfor a couple of days,then you feel great. I saw it first hand.

 

[Zam-Zam]

While I have believed it to be a very useful tool in maintaining the balance needed for good health for much of my life, I had never tried it. That is until yesterday. I had my first session of it and it really is an interesting experience. It will take a bit of time to find out just how much good it will do for me, but I was surprised at how much effect it had on me already.

Has anybody else gone through a program of acupuncture for treatment of anything? I'm curious as to how well it has worked for whatever.

I have never experienced acupuncture myself, but there does appear to be scientific evidence of its effectiveness as a pain reliever:



Dec. 1, 1999 (Chicago) -- Sticking an acupuncture needle into a point in the hand greatly diminishes the amount of brain activity associated with pain impulses, doctors report at the 85th Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

In a series of experiments, researchers tell WebMD, the proper placement of the fine acupuncture needle in the area between the thumb and forefinger, called the Hegu point, allowed subjects to tolerate greater amounts of pain. And pictures of the brain before and after acupuncture treatment show dramatic decreases in brain activity -- up to 70%.

"It is important for Western medicine to recognize that these acupoints really mean something in regard to pain relief," says Huey-Jen Lee, MD, associate professor of clinical radiology and director of neuroradiology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark. Acupoints are certain points on the body that, when pressed or punctured, have beneficial effects for certain ailments.



Complete text: http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/19991201/mri-shows-accupuncture-reduce-pain


Perhaps you will share your experience going forward with us here on this forum as to its long-term effects. Its always good to get a first-hand account.

 

[Craig]

While I have believed it to be a very useful tool in maintaining the balance needed for good health for much of my life, I had never tried it. That is until yesterday. I had my first session of it and it really is an interesting experience. It will take a bit of time to find out just how much good it will do for me, but I was surprised at how much effect it had on me already.

Has anybody else gone through a program of acupuncture for treatment of anything? I'm curious as to how well it has worked for whatever.

I have had some experience with acupuncture. It helped relieve pain from scar tissue issues originated from a car accident.

One of my best and oldest friends is a practitioner...and has had great success treating others with the discipline.

http://www.baltimoreshiatsuacupuncture.com/index.html

 

[MaryAnne]

Zam, I would like to know too,but I did just give you a first hand,or at least second hand. The needles do not hurt either. But the relief seems to be temporary.

Training how the mind reacts helps a great deal,if it is stress and not actually a physical problem. This is a subject I have been interested for a long time. Another is how the mind shuts down and you go on automatic pilot when confronted with a huge shock.

 

[MaryAnne]

Was the relief permanent,Craig? Was it a series.My Son took several.

 

[Craig]

Was the relief permanent,Craig? Was it a series.My Son took several.

No, it was temporary, but dramatic at the time. I have a bit of chronic pain there, but it is rarely debilitating, as it was then. It barks every now and then, but I haven't had any other treatments.

 

[Zam-Zam]

Zam, I would like to know too,but I did just give you a first hand,or at least second hand. The needles do not hurt either. But the relief seems to be temporary.

Training how the mind reacts helps a great deal,if it is stress and not actually a physical problem. This is a subject I have been interested for a long time. Another is how the mind shuts down and you go on automatic pilot when confronted with a huge shock.

Oh yes, I just read your post. Although the pain relief may be temporary, I imagine if you're in pain, any relief is welcome. Obviously, if the source of the pain is not addressed, one should expect the pain to return.

 

[MaryAnne]

Oh yes, I just read your post. Although the pain relief may be temporary, I imagine if you're in pain, any relief is welcome. Obviously, if the source of the pain is not addressed, one should expect the pain to return.

I agree with that one, You have to find the source of the pain.That is very hard at times. could some be mind over matter,as I just described? We all live with stress,one way or the other,but like with Craig,he had physical pain caused by a scar.

 

[MaryAnne]

I think Zam said it best.When you are in pain any relief is worth it. Nothing is worse than chronic pain.That is debilitating.

 

[Zam-Zam]

I agree with that one, You have to find the source of the pain.That is very hard at times. could some be mind over matter,as I just described? We all live with stress,one way or the other,but like with Craig,he had physical pain caused by a scar.

Nothing wrong with a temporary pain reliever, whether it be acupuncture or Tylenol, as long as one is aware that that's exactly what it is. As for mind over matter, that works for some, though certainly not in every case.

 

[MaryAnne]

Nothing wrong with a temporary pain reliever, whether it be acupuncture or Tylenol, as long as one is aware that that's exactly what it is. As for mind over matter, that works for some, though certainly not in every case.

No,it doesn't. For me, Aleeve works in most cases,including lower back pain that comes and goes.8 hours of relief.

 

[Boltlady]

I have never experienced acupuncture myself, but there does appear to be scientific evidence of its effectiveness as a pain reliever:



Dec. 1, 1999 (Chicago) -- Sticking an acupuncture needle into a point in the hand greatly diminishes the amount of brain activity associated with pain impulses, doctors report at the 85th Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

In a series of experiments, researchers tell WebMD, the proper placement of the fine acupuncture needle in the area between the thumb and forefinger, called the Hegu point, allowed subjects to tolerate greater amounts of pain. And pictures of the brain before and after acupuncture treatment show dramatic decreases in brain activity -- up to 70%.

"It is important for Western medicine to recognize that these acupoints really mean something in regard to pain relief," says Huey-Jen Lee, MD, associate professor of clinical radiology and director of neuroradiology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark. Acupoints are certain points on the body that, when pressed or punctured, have beneficial effects for certain ailments.



Complete text: http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/19991201/mri-shows-accupuncture-reduce-pain


Perhaps you will share your experience going forward with us here on this forum as to its long-term effects. Its always good to get a first-hand account.

Back in the mid '70's I happened to see a film from China that showed a woman having brain surgery. The only anesthetic used was acupuncture. It really did impress me because she showed no distress at all.

One of the things that my acupuncturist tried to impress on me was the fact that one cannot depend on such a treatment to solve all the problems. It's not like taking a pill to make everything go away. She said that we have to take responsibility for our own bodies, which I knew from the years when I dealt with nutritional supplements. What she worked on yesterday was pain in my lower back which is caused from a mild form of scoliosis. I learned that back when I was seeing a chiropractor regularly before I stopped going. I stopped because I got too involved with dealing with a lot of dysfunctional family members. (STRESS) She reminded me that this was my time and their situations had to be put on the back burner. I will be going back to my chiropractor because just as MA mentioned, it is an alignment problem.

For the record, she did do the hand thing to the point where I was experiencing a dull ache almost to the point of being painful itself. She said that she did lean heavily on that because it had been a long time since I had been to the chiropractor and so she was trying to help me with the back pain. I didn't hardly feel the needles going in though.

One effect was that she said that I shouldn't do anything strenuous afterward. I went to lunch and then roamed around a Whole Foods store for a while (my 1st trip to one), and absolutely crashed went I got home. I was rather lethargic while at the store.

 

[MaryAnne]

Bolt,you hit on a very important point.We do have to see to our own bodies.We also know that is easier said than done when dealing with stress we have no control oner. Family, work related issues.They all take a tole on our bodies It is also possible to actually make yourself sick when problems over whelm us.

Bolt, the Doctor my Son settled on,who helped him the most was an Osteopathic Doctor. My long time Doctor was an Osteopath. They operate,but use other methods. She is the one who gave him relief.His ribs were out of alignment.

 

[fairsheet]

About a decade and a half ago, "Consumer Reports" conducted a rather extensive review and analysis of both acupuncture and chiropractic. Their ultimate conclusion was that there's no scientific basis whatsoever, for either, even as their surveys suggested that many were convinced that they "worked".

"Consumer Report's" conclusion was that even as there was no medical/physiological evidence in support of them, they're relatively harmless and if people think they make them feel better, they couldn't hurt (no pun).

In my opinion, the way they "work" is that they don't CAUSE healing, they OVERLAP healing. In other words, if we had two patients with the exact same condition and one went to his acupuncturist every week for the next 6, and the other followed his physician's instructions, both would heal. And, the former would be convinced that it was a result of the acupuncture.

 

[Boltlady]

About a decade and a half ago, "Consumer Reports" conducted a rather extensive review and analysis of both acupuncture and chiropractic. Their ultimate conclusion was that there's no scientific basis whatsoever, for either, even as their surveys suggested that many were convinced that they "worked".

"Consumer Report's" conclusion was that even as there was no medical/physiological evidence in support of them, they're relatively harmless and if people think they make them feel better, they couldn't hurt (no pun).

In my opinion, the way they "work" is that they don't CAUSE healing, they OVERLAP healing. In other words, if we had two patients with the exact same condition and one went to his acupuncturist every week for the next 6, and the other followed his physician's instructions, both would heal. And, the former would be convinced that it was a result of the acupuncture.

You are obviously unaware that there is a movement afoot to discredit pretty much any form of health care that does not involve expensive drugs and/or surgeries. Laws are gradually being passed
that make it illegal for makers of nutritional supplements to make any claims that they might be good for specific health problems. They can say that the product is good for you but the pressures are on if they try to say why.

The following is an example having to do with cancer. It is hardly the only area that is being squelched, but it should give you an idea of what is happening in the medical profession.

http://www.naturalnews.com/038995_cancer_industry_war_cures.html

You are one who seems to believe that information about what is really happening in this ol' world are just 'conspiracy theories'. Well, my friend, things are simply not the way you would like to believe they are or the way the media, and yes the gov't tells you they are. As it is there are a lot of people who buy it just as you do.

Consumer Reports gets their information by sending out questionnaires to all of their subscribers. They then use the most common answers. Since there are so many people who are not aware of many of the realities that it would be wise to be aware of, misinformation gets put out there a lot. For the most part, if you want to buy a washing machine their method is just fine, but the information that you say they gave on acupuncture and chiropractic is exactly what the medical profession wants you to believe. They can't make any money from it and the procedures cut into their regular profits.

Money rules. We are expendable.

 

[Queen Titania]

While I have believed it to be a very useful tool in maintaining the balance needed for good health for much of my life, I had never tried it. That is until yesterday. I had my first session of it and it really is an interesting experience. It will take a bit of time to find out just how much good it will do for me, but I was surprised at how much effect it had on me already.

Has anybody else gone through a program of acupuncture for treatment of anything? I'm curious as to how well it has worked for whatever.

Yes often, it is wonderful xxxx

 

[NightSwimmer]

Spurious treatments are often the most appropriate course of action for relieving spurious maladies.