re: How to Beat Arthritis Naturally With Acupuncture, Turmeric

wufferbear_nye — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:26:01 GMT

As a licensed acupuncturist practicing in the US, I can tell you it is unrealistic to expect the kind of arthritic pain & nerve damage you described to vanish within 5 days of acupuncture treatments. With osteoarthritis, or significant injury to a joint, a recommended course of treatment is 8-12 weeks, 1-2 sessions per week for 20-40 minutes. In this country, a follow-up acupuncture session typically ranges from between $45-$75 depending on the location /state/ practice. This would cost, at the higher range and twice per week, about $645 per month for a few months. (It seems that your treatments on the Chinese cruise ship were much higher priced than what is available generally in the US.) By generally accepted acupuncuture treatment standards, it would be premature to decide that it “doesn’t work” before you have tried at least 4-8 weeks of treatments. Results can be noticable in just a few weeks or sooner.

Please remember that in China, Chinese patients with health issues can be treated daily for free or very cheap, and progress is much more rapid. They would still not expect chronic or severe problems to be resolved in 5 days! In the US, unfortunately, we have to deal with our health care system as it is for now, paying out of pocket unless we have great insurance.

Finally, if your knee injury severely damaged the structure of your knee joint or cartilage, it is unlikely that acupuncture alone could have healed this. Sometimes surgery is necessary. Please don’t write off acupuncture as valueless. I have personally experienced my own knees being healed from severe daily pain and dysfunction, but it took months of acupuncture treatments as well as herbal formulas. I have also treated people successfully with acupuncture who suffered from osteoarthritis. These people stuck with the recommended long term course, and they are grateful for the significant improvement. How much is well-being worth to you? It’s a long term investment if it’s worth anything.

re: How to Beat Arthritis Naturally With Acupuncture, Turmeric

Beccadog — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:19:39 GMT

I tried acupuncture while visiting in China. The Chinese physician aboard the Princess Elaine, cruise ship on the Yangtze River, inserted needles around my knee as well as my hand, the latter of which suffers nerve damage from mixed xylene isomers in a floor stripper (using the wrong gloves, through which the mixed xylene and other VOC's permeated). My knee damage was due to a bad fall, and ultimately resulted in a total knee replacement a couple years later.

The needles felt pretty good during her demonstration to the audience, but the negative pain returned with subsequent applications. She even electrocuted the needles causing my muscles to throb visually as well as sensationally. This was to no avail.

While the trip insurance covered our expenses with the Chinese physician, the treatment was over $1000 and did NOT work. She said it would have to continue to much longer. Longer than 5 straight days for an hour per day. Forget it. We did not extend our tour in China for more acupuncture therapy.

The pain subsides eventually with the surgery, but a damaged immune system is the result of a prosthesis, and perpetual stiffness continues. Before it was a matter of being unable to do much exercise, now it's mandatory. For not exercising every day and constantly remaining active and away from computers, means the pain and stiffness returns--big time. Been there. Trying to get back, but studying photoshop, which I love, does not help.