Murrmurr
SF VIP
- Location
- Sacramento, California
I'd been going every week to get 8 tiny needles stuck in my backside, including my hips, the backs of my knees, and my ankles. Then I just lay there for 20 minutes or so under a heat lamp. After the first 2 treatments I didn't notice any results. Well I woke up really hungry after the first one, which is a good thing cuz I hadn't felt hungry for months and I lost about 15 pounds. And I wasn't overweight to begin with. But, while I wolfed down my bacon, eggs and toast, I wasn't sure that feeling hungry had anything to do with the acupuncture. The treatments were prescribed for pain, so I can reduce the pain medication, or even not have to take it at all.
So anyway, the second day after the first treatment, I wasn't hungry again. But after the second treatment a week later, I was. And I stayed pretty hungry all week. I was cooking again and absolutely devouring at least one hot meal a day. When I saw my regular doctor after the 3rd acupuncture treatment, I was all excited because I'd put on 3 pounds.
Maybe I was too distracted by the loss and recovery of an appetite to notice that I also had significantly less pain after the 3rd acupuncture treatment. I didn't even realize it until I went to fill up my daily pill dispenser one morning and saw I'd forgotten to take the evening dose the day before. The evening dose is the one I usually need pretty desperately because I'm most active in the afternoon.
You have to fill out this form every time you go in for your acupuncture treatment. It asks about your pain level and where it hurts and all that, and it has a couple areas where you can "explain" your answers. So last week, before my 5th treatment, I wrote down that my pain was reduced by a solid 40%. Dr. Yoon got all excited about that and scheduled all my subsequent appointments with the chief acupuncturist, Dr. Gocke (fortunately, she asked me to call her Christine).
Yesterday, for my 6th treatment, Christine stuck in 10 needles. The 2 extra ones went in the calves of my legs. Interestingly, the right calf, the one that gets these frequent, extremely painful cramps...that needle hurt. So Christine and I talked about that. She said she'd noticed excess neurological impulses in that area and chose to stick pins in it, and I told her that I normally get those horrible leg-foot cramps 3 to 5 times every night, but now they only happen maybe twice in a week.
So here's the overall improvements after my 6th week of acupuncture treatments:
Currently, lower back pain reduced by a good 50%
My appetite keeps getting better. I've gained back 12 out of 15 pounds
Excruciating leg/foot cramps down from 3 or more per night to like 2 per week (Christine recommended magnesium supplement)
Easy-peasy bowel movements
I walk better; posture is great, spring in my step, knees take the impact really well
And I just feel good. Really good!
I'm scheduled for weekly acupuncture treatments for another 6 weeks. Meantime, most days I'm fine just taking 1 or 2 pain pills a day instead of 3. The goal is zero pills.
So anyway, the second day after the first treatment, I wasn't hungry again. But after the second treatment a week later, I was. And I stayed pretty hungry all week. I was cooking again and absolutely devouring at least one hot meal a day. When I saw my regular doctor after the 3rd acupuncture treatment, I was all excited because I'd put on 3 pounds.
Maybe I was too distracted by the loss and recovery of an appetite to notice that I also had significantly less pain after the 3rd acupuncture treatment. I didn't even realize it until I went to fill up my daily pill dispenser one morning and saw I'd forgotten to take the evening dose the day before. The evening dose is the one I usually need pretty desperately because I'm most active in the afternoon.
You have to fill out this form every time you go in for your acupuncture treatment. It asks about your pain level and where it hurts and all that, and it has a couple areas where you can "explain" your answers. So last week, before my 5th treatment, I wrote down that my pain was reduced by a solid 40%. Dr. Yoon got all excited about that and scheduled all my subsequent appointments with the chief acupuncturist, Dr. Gocke (fortunately, she asked me to call her Christine).
Yesterday, for my 6th treatment, Christine stuck in 10 needles. The 2 extra ones went in the calves of my legs. Interestingly, the right calf, the one that gets these frequent, extremely painful cramps...that needle hurt. So Christine and I talked about that. She said she'd noticed excess neurological impulses in that area and chose to stick pins in it, and I told her that I normally get those horrible leg-foot cramps 3 to 5 times every night, but now they only happen maybe twice in a week.
So here's the overall improvements after my 6th week of acupuncture treatments:
Currently, lower back pain reduced by a good 50%
My appetite keeps getting better. I've gained back 12 out of 15 pounds
Excruciating leg/foot cramps down from 3 or more per night to like 2 per week (Christine recommended magnesium supplement)
Easy-peasy bowel movements
I walk better; posture is great, spring in my step, knees take the impact really well
And I just feel good. Really good!
I'm scheduled for weekly acupuncture treatments for another 6 weeks. Meantime, most days I'm fine just taking 1 or 2 pain pills a day instead of 3. The goal is zero pills.
