Has anyone ever tried it? I think it would be cool. I think I need something to help me relax.
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Acupuncture
- Thread starter kscatlady
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I tried it for lower back problems a few years ago and it really did nothing for me except make my wallet a lot lighter. It is one of those things not covered by our health plan or my private company plan.
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But are you certain that you're actually very stressed or is it some thing/or one telling you that you should be? Maybe also consider looking into a day spa or something similar. I'm willing to bet being pampered and a massage would have more effect than acupuncture.
But then I'm with Yosemite on that one, I don't really believe it does much. Don't mind me, though, I'm skeptical of everything that wants to part a person from their money.
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Honestly, the reason I was thinking about it is because I've been reading about getting pregnant and relaxation is a big part of it. It's really hard for me to relax and I just thought I was give it a try. The costs I've found around here don't seem too bad to try. Jon and I have been talking about having a baby. Feels like a good time.Originally Posted by strange_wings
But are you certain that you're actually very stressed or is it some thing/or one telling you that you should be? Maybe also consider looking into a day spa or something similar. I'm willing to bet being pampered and a massage would have more effect than acupuncture.
But then I'm with Yosemite on that one, I don't really believe it does much. Don't mind me, though, I'm skeptical of everything that wants to part a person from their money.
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I dont think it helps relax me but here is a true story about a "family relative" and a baby .. Acupuncture helps me in other ways
She and her husband tried to have a baby for over a decade ... well they tried all the conventional medicine things and finally acupuncture ... well the acupuncturist took a detailed history and found the issue ... about 15 yrs prior both had been in a horrible auto accident and she had a metal rod in one leg... well a couple treatments and about 6 months she NATURALLY got pregnant with twins ... Fertility treatments for 10 yrs cost upwards of 50000 , acupuncture cost a few hundred
Word to the wise
... check around there are many ??able practitioners...
Also even a good one may not be right for you... my first treatment HURT though it was a well respected practitioner ... I go to one now who uses electrical , needle or cold types... my acupuncturist is also a chiropractor and it costs me 40 $ a treatment
She and her husband tried to have a baby for over a decade ... well they tried all the conventional medicine things and finally acupuncture ... well the acupuncturist took a detailed history and found the issue ... about 15 yrs prior both had been in a horrible auto accident and she had a metal rod in one leg... well a couple treatments and about 6 months she NATURALLY got pregnant with twins ... Fertility treatments for 10 yrs cost upwards of 50000 , acupuncture cost a few hundred
Word to the wise
Also even a good one may not be right for you... my first treatment HURT though it was a well respected practitioner ... I go to one now who uses electrical , needle or cold types... my acupuncturist is also a chiropractor and it costs me 40 $ a treatment
I love acupuncture. It has helped me in alot of ways. I know of quite a few people that have had success with acupuncure and fertilityalso. i had some other female related issues to deal with and it cured it for me. It was a commitment of time though. I went 2x a week for two months. The guy I went to was David Sollars. I belive his website has some good articles on fertility and acupuncture. I think its still www.firsthealthofandover.com
It helped me in 2006 after an accident left me chronic pain. Using the needles with electricity, the pain abated to a point where I could cut down on the OTC pain meds.
I am lucky I have friend who does it at a price I can afford. I need him now.
As for the relaxation, have you considered yoga?
I am lucky I have friend who does it at a price I can afford. I need him now.
As for the relaxation, have you considered yoga?
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It doesnt work. My grandparents used to go regularly. They saw cancer patients there ....
what a scam..I just hope the cancer patients weren't relying on acupuncture only.
what a scam..I just hope the cancer patients weren't relying on acupuncture only.
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I have had Bell's Palsy not once, but twice. Each time, an entire half of my face was paralyzed. Traditional medicine used to treat but not CURE, made me really ill. (They give prednisone for it.)
The second time it happened (five years after the first time) I refused traditional medical treatment but went to my doc anyway so he could see for himself how Acupuncture healed me. He became a solid believer after witnessing it himself.
I went to an Acupunturist for it, and both times, the treatments - not needles, but cold laser light therapy along the nerve pathways, cured the palsy within 10 treatments, about 4-5 weeks.
I can smile fully, and close my eyelids because of Acupuncture. I think it is a blessing and very real, and recommend it to EVERYONE.
It has also assisted me with some gastrointestinal issues as well.
I guess, though, if you are inclined to disbelieve, then it won't work for you because you will be predisposed to blocking the benefits it might otherwise give you.
The second time it happened (five years after the first time) I refused traditional medical treatment but went to my doc anyway so he could see for himself how Acupuncture healed me. He became a solid believer after witnessing it himself.
I went to an Acupunturist for it, and both times, the treatments - not needles, but cold laser light therapy along the nerve pathways, cured the palsy within 10 treatments, about 4-5 weeks.
I can smile fully, and close my eyelids because of Acupuncture. I think it is a blessing and very real, and recommend it to EVERYONE.
It has also assisted me with some gastrointestinal issues as well.
I guess, though, if you are inclined to disbelieve, then it won't work for you because you will be predisposed to blocking the benefits it might otherwise give you.
I think you have nailed it right here! As with anything, if you believe it will help your mind can work miracles and cures. Now this I totally believe to be true. Look, for instance, at what placebos can do for some folks if they actually believe it is real medicine they are taking.
If you believed strongly enough that something will help - it probably will.
As with anything people need to do research on it before they discredit it right out of hand. There have been scientific studies to PROVE the benefits of acupuncture. I get so sick of people saying its a placebo effect. It is ignorant thinking.
Oh I'm certain it works for people who believe in it. Not saying it doesn't. I was basically just confirming GK's post that if you don't believe it will help, it probably won't.
I don't know how good it is for relaxing, but I have had it for a severe back injury from a slip and fall at work. My back was so sore that they couldn't even touch me. So the physiotherapist did acupuncture on me for 6 weeks.
Now whether the acupuncture helped or my back healed enough on its own in the 6 weeks to allow them to actually touch me to do treatment, I can't really say.
After my car accident in October last year I went to a chiropractor 3 times a week for almost 4 months and hit a plateau. Then I added massage therapy, which helped a great deal. My deep muscles were loosened to a point where my chiropractor treatments lasted, and now I still go for massage, but haven't been to the chiropractor in about 3 months now.
If it's relaxation you need, I suggest massage therapy.
I use acupressure on myself when I get a headache. That works. I even do it on patients at work if they are complaining of headaches. Also my brother's SO does reflexology and she's given me a few treatments when I was in the hospital. That is largely based on pressure points too, and I found that they helped me to relax. But then again a plain old foot rub will relax me! LOL
Now whether the acupuncture helped or my back healed enough on its own in the 6 weeks to allow them to actually touch me to do treatment, I can't really say.
After my car accident in October last year I went to a chiropractor 3 times a week for almost 4 months and hit a plateau. Then I added massage therapy, which helped a great deal. My deep muscles were loosened to a point where my chiropractor treatments lasted, and now I still go for massage, but haven't been to the chiropractor in about 3 months now.
If it's relaxation you need, I suggest massage therapy.
I use acupressure on myself when I get a headache. That works. I even do it on patients at work if they are complaining of headaches. Also my brother's SO does reflexology and she's given me a few treatments when I was in the hospital. That is largely based on pressure points too, and I found that they helped me to relax. But then again a plain old foot rub will relax me! LOL
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You confirmed my post, not GK's, and for the record, when I went the first time, I had no belief, only fear that my face would never "work" again. I only became a believer in it when it WORKED. I was actually terrified of the acupuncture needles and glad to know it was only laser therapy, and even then, was skeptical but was willing to give it a try.Originally Posted by Yosemite
Oh I'm certain it works for people who believe in it. Not saying it doesn't. I was basically just confirming GK's post that if you don't believe it will help, it probably won't.
My point was, a negative attitude will almost always bring negative results.
I've had massage therapy, chiropratic and currently going to an acupuncture clinic with a sliding scale fee. None of these things are a cure-all for any and all illnesses. if the issue is with joints, a chiropractor is good, massage therapy: muscle tension and issues. Acupuncture is good for nerve issues. I would not be able to work at ALL right now if it weren't for those needles. Do I believe 100%? No. About 85%, really. But drugs don't cure anything either. They only mask the pain. If it's a pain issue, which is it for me. As for the person who was very blunt about acupuncture and cancer, I don't believe acupuncture cures cancer. I know it helps relieve the PAIN from Cancer. I had a friend who was dying of cancer, had acupuncture and it helped alleviate the pain from it.
To to OP: I would try some other things. But if some of your stress issues are nerve related, I'd try the needles. If you can afford it, try both it and some massage therapy. Talk to your doctor, if he/she is open to alternative therapies. Many aren't. I know my clinic I go to now has one of the doctors also doing clinical acupuncture. I think it's awesome. Not where i go for it, but it's cool.
If I can remember next Thursday when I go in for my acupuncture appointment, I'll see if they have an acupuncture clinic like mine in your general area. Mine here is called Working Class Acupuncture and it's all 'chair work' where they work on the extremities (but it affects all areas of the body). They have a huge map in the waiting area of all the connected clinics. it's very cool. this one charges 15-35 per visit and you decide what to pay.
if they don't have a connected one there, if I were you, I'd check for the local schools whether it's massage or acupuncture. (I'd put Chiro in there, but my latest bout with a Chiro school left me a bit sour, most are better). There are schools everywhere for these things.
Amanda
To to OP: I would try some other things. But if some of your stress issues are nerve related, I'd try the needles. If you can afford it, try both it and some massage therapy. Talk to your doctor, if he/she is open to alternative therapies. Many aren't. I know my clinic I go to now has one of the doctors also doing clinical acupuncture. I think it's awesome. Not where i go for it, but it's cool.
If I can remember next Thursday when I go in for my acupuncture appointment, I'll see if they have an acupuncture clinic like mine in your general area. Mine here is called Working Class Acupuncture and it's all 'chair work' where they work on the extremities (but it affects all areas of the body). They have a huge map in the waiting area of all the connected clinics. it's very cool. this one charges 15-35 per visit and you decide what to pay.
if they don't have a connected one there, if I were you, I'd check for the local schools whether it's massage or acupuncture. (I'd put Chiro in there, but my latest bout with a Chiro school left me a bit sour, most are better). There are schools everywhere for these things.
Amanda
I know acupressure works so certain pains so I'm sure acupuncture would work too...on some things. Using it to help the pain some cancer patients are experiencing makes perfect sense. I just don't like someone sticking needles in me...I would MUCH rather get a nice, deep massage....
I only like it if the practitioner massages the point with his/her thumb before poking. It desensitizes the skin and muscle. I'm not a huge fan of it in general. I prefer another Chinese treatment called cupping, which has similarities to acupuncture but no needles/poking at all. Gwyneth Paltrow has used cupping in the past (for what, I'm not sure) .. The main downside to cupping is it leaves weird circles on your back for approx. a week but they do go away. Cupping is sometimes given a few minutes' coverage on the Travel Channel when various shows go to China........... Y'know in acupuncture they're always talking about "meridians". Well, when I'm sober (which is 99.99999999999999% of the time) I don't feel any meridians, but I do remember one time I was high on grass I felt the meridians pretty darn clearly. At that moment I yearned for an acupuncturist but I think it must've been the weekend plus I was in no condition to go out in public. Well the high faded and the opportunity was lost.
Also, FYI, there something called ear acupuncutre (also called auricular acupuncture (on the ears only, nowhere else))... I happen to like it MUCH more than body acupuncture. I've got ears of steel and they like being needled. My ears are sensitive yet made of steel (sounds like a contradiction/paradox to say that ---but for me it's true)
Ear acupuncture usually costs less per session too.
Hopefully you can ask about it in your area (for the sake of exploring all your options and sub-options
).
Now I wanna go OT for 2 seconds to say Sharky quite possibly has the cutest cats in the world imo!!
Ear acupuncture usually costs less per session too.
Hopefully you can ask about it in your area (for the sake of exploring all your options and sub-options
Now I wanna go OT for 2 seconds to say Sharky quite possibly has the cutest cats in the world imo!!
