Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine

[joeactor]

Hi all.

I just started getting treatment with acupuncture and herbal medicine (for sleep problems and sciatica)
They came highly recommended by my wife's family, and only speak Mandarin.

Wondering if any of you have tried either of these alternative treatments. There have been some studies done that show promise, but I don't have any personal experience.

I'll report back on how it's going.

BTW, the herbals taste like crap.

JoeActor

[Tank]

I'll be very interested in what you have to report.

[joeactor]

I'll be very interested in what you have to report.

I'm going in with some skepticism, but trying to be open minded as well.

My bias is that the herbs may do more than the needles, but we'll see...

[Pasta Chick]

I've been using herbal therapy on my dogs chronic conditions for more than a decade.

It -can- work. Like so many things, it's what you're doing with it that maters. Herbs aren't going to cure cancer all by themselves, for instance. But we know for a fact that many do have proven qualities than can treat or compliment conventional therapies, such as milk thistle for liver dysfunction.

[joeactor]

Thanks PC!

My wife thinks I'm a dog, so the herbs might help 

[Asmodean]

Hmm... Herbal medicine? Maybe. It not being some traditional superstition crap may improve chances. Getting stabbed with needles? Maybe, for things like muscle pains. Placebos work very well for some though, or so I hear.

To sum up, I'm highly skeptical.

[joeactor]

Hmm... Herbal medicine? Maybe. It not being some traditional superstition crap may improve chances. Getting stabbed with needles? Maybe, for things like muscle pains. Placebos work very well for some though, or so I hear.

To sum up, I'm highly skeptical.

Should be an interesting personal experiment at least...

[Pasta Chick]

I think it ultimately depends on whether you've got a doctor who has studied herbology and alternative medicine, or someone who is super in to "natural healing" and got their acupuncture license and carries supplements.

I haven't for myself mostly due to lack of need/opportunity at this time... it's not covered and I'm not -that- bad.

My one dog had undiagnosed GI problems - likely some form of IBD but testing was expensive, dangerous and did not change treatment. So we did very proven things like modify diet to greater digestability and bioavailability. Slippery elm is known to naturally coat the GI tract without some of Pepto, etc side effects. Vitamins C and E, found in abundance in certain plants and foods, aid nutrient absorption. And so forth.

My other dog goes for her chronic Lyme.

If you're going someplace that's prescribing tiger claw because the chakra of your right eye is out of alignment... well...

[joeactor]

I think it ultimately depends on whether you've got a doctor who has studied herbology and alternative medicine, or someone who is super in to "natural healing" and got their acupuncture license and carries supplements.

...

If you're going someplace that's prescribing tiger claw because the chakra of your right eye is out of alignment... well...

It's not new age at all. Very old Chinese medicine. She's 70+ and has enough patients to run a clinic and also see people at her home. I wish I knew more, but I have to rely on my wife to translate.

[joeactor]

Status update:

After 3 sessions (30 minutes each), I've decided to stop.

The sessions themselves weren't that bad. Lots of needles, but only a few really stung. Some small marks, and a couple spots of blood.

However, the table I was on was putting a serious crick in my neck. Actually bothered me more than the needles.

I'm just not seeing a noticeable difference. Maybe I'm not giving it a fair chance, or don't have enough belief in it for it to work. But the fact is that it's taking 1.5-2 hours out of each day (drive time plus session), and that's just adding to my end-of-year stress. I was hoping to catch up on some things and feel like I'm falling further behind instead.

As for the herbs, I'll continue with them for the full week. Aside from tasting bad, they don't seem to be having any other effect, good or bad.

One take-away I got was that it's difficult to attribute a cure without a more tightly controlled environment. There's a lot going on. The stress of a new doctor and treatment. The drive time stress. The needles (not bad for me, but for some, also a major stress). It's actually given me a greater appreciation for the scientific method.

I'll report in again after I finish the herbs next week.

Your lab rat,
JoeActor

[Tank]

Good work Guinea Pig Joe!

[Pasta Chick]

Depending on the herbs, they generally take weeks to months to really see a difference.

[joeactor]

Depending on the herbs, they generally take weeks to months to really see a difference.

Thanks...

I've tried a few herbal remedies in the past. Some were pretty good.

She prescribed 15 doses (2 per day), so we'll see.

[Recusant]

Your willingness to let somebody stick long sharp objects into you in the name of open minded inquiry is admirable, joeactor. Thank you for your reports! 

[joeactor]

Experiment: over!

My wife called to tell them I didn't want to continue the acupuncture, but would try to finish the herbs.
Sounds like they told her how screwed up I was and that I'd need a lot more herbs and/or needles.

And... no. I'm done. I actually feel a little worse than when I started, so no more herbs, no more needles.

Maybe I need to find "the right one" to treat me, but I'm just not motivated at present.

Worth a try, but little or no results to report.

Short ride!
Joe