Acupuncture...who all has had it?

M

MarciKS

SF VIP
Who all has had it and did it hurt much or a lot or at all? Just wondering since I have an upcoming appt and it will be my first time.
 

You may have some discomfort, but nothing you cannot bare. I've had suction cups to draw blood to the surface. Acupuncture helped with involuntary facial muscle tremors caused by psychotropic medications. I injured my left foot as a child that continues to cause pain even today. Acupuncture helped with the pain.
 
I have had it for neck and back pain, but not as effectively as going to a good chiropractor. My wife finds it to be more effective than I do. She almost always falls asleep when she uses it.
Sometimes you may feel a little pain, but it is easily tolerable. Be prepared to lie perfectly still for about 15 to 20 minutes so get comfortable before it starts. I have also gone to sleep.
My advice is to try it.
 
A number of years ago a co-worker suggested it for my frequent headaches. I used to get a lot when younger, but they started to get better after 40.

I went to a very nice practitioner, low key office and you always got a mini massage. I think it helped. As far as pain goes, essentially non existent. I'm not afraid of needles however.

This nice woman retired or left the area or something. And I haven't gone to anyone else.
 
MarciKS said:
Who all has had it and did it hurt much or a lot or at all? Just wondering since I have an upcoming appt and it will be my first time.
Click to expand...
I had it a number of years ago to treat my ulcerative colitis. It does not hurt at all. It is a bit freaky when you look down and see a few dozen needles sticking out of you, but there is no pain. I'm not sure if it works or if it's voodoo, but after getting acupuncture my symptoms began getting better almost immediately and I haven't had a serious issue for nearly 30 years.
 
MarciKS said:
Who all has had it and did it hurt much or a lot or at all? Just wondering since I have an upcoming appt and it will be my first time.
Click to expand...
I tried it for arthritis in my knees YEARS ago.. At the same time I was smoking so I asked for something to help me quit. She put needles in my knees and had me lay there for a while. LOL during the procedure all I could think of is I hope an earthquake doesn't hit while I have these needles 😀
The needles to help me stop smoking were around my earlobes...
Neither procedure hurt nor did they help me ... but the visits were expensive since insurance did not cover it at the time..
 
Last edited:
Serenity4321 said:
I tried it for arthritis in my knees YEARS ago.. At the same time I was smoking so I asked for something to help me quit. She put needles in my knees and had me lay there for a while. LOL during the procedure all I could think of is I hope an earthquake doesn't hit while I have these needles 😀
The needles to help me stop smoking were around my earlobes...
Neither procedure hurt nor did they help me ... but the visits were expensive since insurance did not cover it at the time..
Click to expand...
How many treatments did you have, Serenity? I'm thinking about trying acupuncture to quit smoking.

My Medicare will only cover 12 sessions annually with 8 bonus sessions if you get the 12 done within 90 days. For some reason my 1st and 2nd treatments were scheduled a month apart (probly because they moved their clinic), so I doubt I'll be getting the extra 8 treatments. They're $60 each. But maybe my therapist can pull strings or whatever.
 
i have an update. i have a 2nd appt scheduled for june 22nd. then she will be going on maternity leave. there's another place i can go so it's no biggie.

i only had to use my lidocaine twice wednesday and twice thursday. today i only had to use it one time. leg did real good today. next time i go i'm gonna try for the 10 needles and the full 30 minutes.
 
I've had it twice > 20 years ago. Once when building my house and several lower back discs prolapsed causing immense pain. Quite a few weekly treatments from a regular GP. Needles did not hurt and were connected to electricity.Also on strong Panadol so I do not know if it worked. I switched to a rehab specialist and he injected long-acting prednisolone via lumbar puncture- several times over many months. He also prescribed codeine (Endone).I finally recovered after 2 years of that and back exercises.

The second time with the same GP I was treated for sinusitis. That certainly seemed to work within hours and, peculiarly, I've been free ever since. I had suffered on and off for years.

So! Does it work? I don't know if it does and, if it does, whether it is the placebo effect. If the latter, it's a genuine treatment because most therapies have a placebo effect. Placebos have been shown to work on some people even when the patient is told it's a placebo. Presumably, that is why so many therapies are available. After all: Australian aborigines would gradually die after "The bone" was pointed at them as a death sentence. Go figure!

BTW; All these treatments were free under our National Health Service , Australia.
 
Murrmurr said:
How many treatments did you have, Serenity? I'm thinking about trying acupuncture to quit smoking.

My Medicare will only cover 12 sessions annually with 8 bonus sessions if you get the 12 done within 90 days. For some reason my 1st and 2nd treatments were scheduled a month apart (probly because they moved their clinic), so I doubt I'll be getting the extra 8 treatments. They're $60 each. But maybe my therapist can pull strings or whatever.
Click to expand...
Can't remember exactly how many treatments but it only a few. I was not on medicare at the time and my insurance did not cover it..Also it was many years ago.
I wish you all the best and hope the treatments are a success!! I didn't quit smoking until my cardiologist told me I needed a mitral value repair😒..that made quitting not so hard.. :) I had the surgery over 10 years ago now..all is well but I will admit I STILL enjoy smelling fresh (not stale) cig smoke..so when I pass someone smoking I am never offended...
 
manlanc said:
I've had it twice > 20 years ago. Once when building my house and several lower back discs prolapsed causing immense pain. Quite a few weekly treatments from a regular GP. Needles did not hurt and were connected to electricity.Also on strong Panadol so I do not know if it worked. I switched to a rehab specialist and he injected long-acting prednisolone via lumbar puncture- several times over many months. He also prescribed codeine (Endone).I finally recovered after 2 years of that and back exercises.

The second time with the same GP I was treated for sinusitis. That certainly seemed to work within hours and, peculiarly, I've been free ever since. I had suffered on and off for years.

So! Does it work? I don't know if it does and, if it does, whether it is the placebo effect. If the latter, it's a genuine treatment because most therapies have a placebo effect. Placebos have been shown to work on some people even when the patient is told it's a placebo. Presumably, that is why so many therapies are available. After all: Australian aborigines would gradually die after "The bone" was pointed at them as a death sentence. Go figure!

BTW; All these treatments were free under our National Health Service , Australia.
Click to expand...
Interesting..I had never heard of placebos being effective after the subject was told they were given one.
 
Many years ago I had a few treatments for neck stiffness and pain. It worked and didn't hurt at all.

I still vividly recall the first procedure because the surge of energy that spread through my entire body was so exhilirating and unlike anything I had ever felt.

After that treatment I couldn't stop laughing. I felt so relaxed and high. It was amazing!
 
Serenity4321 said:
Interesting..I had never heard of placebos being effective after the subject was told they were given one.
Click to expand...

What an “open-label placebo” can do for you​

Dr. Ted J. Kaptchuk, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Harvard-wide Program in Placebo Studies and the Therapeutic Encounter (PiPS) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, has been studying placebos for more than 20 years. His most recent work on these “open-label placebos,” as they’re called, is fascinating. I had a chance to interview him in person earlier this year.
In one study, Kaptchuk looked at people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a common condition that causes abdominal cramping and diarrhea or constipation that can be debilitating for many. Half of the study volunteers were told they were getting an “open-label” placebo and the others got nothing at all. He found that there was a dramatic and significant improvement in the placebo group’s IBS symptoms, even though they were explicitly told they were getting a “sugar pill” without any active medication.
See full article:-

A placebo can work even when you know it’s a placebo - Harvard Health
 
manlanc said:

What an “open-label placebo” can do for you​

Dr. Ted J. Kaptchuk, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Harvard-wide Program in Placebo Studies and the Therapeutic Encounter (PiPS) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, has been studying placebos for more than 20 years. His most recent work on these “open-label placebos,” as they’re called, is fascinating. I had a chance to interview him in person earlier this year.
In one study, Kaptchuk looked at people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a common condition that causes abdominal cramping and diarrhea or constipation that can be debilitating for many. Half of the study volunteers were told they were getting an “open-label” placebo and the others got nothing at all. He found that there was a dramatic and significant improvement in the placebo group’s IBS symptoms, even though they were explicitly told they were getting a “sugar pill” without any active medication.
See full article:-

A placebo can work even when you know it’s a placebo - Harvard Health
Click to expand...
Thank you for the info..but I really don't 'get it' If one can be given a pill and told it is placebo, then the mind is doing the curing..so why bother with the pill...or why not pick up anything..maybe chocolate and tell yourself..ok this chocolate is going to cure me 😃
 
I did have it years ago, prob for my neck pain...I really dont remember. Dont think I got much relief.

But, I'm thinking about trying it again for my neck issues, only if my insurance covers it.
 
Serenity4321 said:
Thank you for the info..but I really don't 'get it' If one can be given a pill and told it is placebo, then the mind is doing the curing..so why bother with the pill...or why not pick up anything..maybe chocolate and tell yourself..ok this chocolate is going to cure me 😃
Click to expand...

Serenity4321 said:
Thank you for the info..but I really don't 'get it' If one can be given a pill and told it is placebo, then the mind is doing the curing..so why bother with the pill...or why not pick up anything..maybe chocolate and tell yourself..ok this chocolate is going to cure me 😃
Click to expand...
I understand what you mean. I was totally miffed when I read an article claiming this a couple of years ago. And yet, when you think about it, people have been reacting to ordinary behaviour for a long time. Think of the Roman Catholic Church! Transubstantiation is ridiculous to many people. Yet it defines Catholics.

For quite a long time the Protestant Anglican Church has negotiated with the Roman Catholic Church that they might, as heretofore, become one. The principal sticking point is transubstantiation. Anglicans believe that the bread and wine during mass only represent the blood and flesh of Jesus Christ. Yet, you are only a Catholic if you believe (know) that bread and wine actually become the flesh and blood of Christ. Think of voodoo and Lazarus! Homeopathy is a prime example. According to science, diluted medicine cannot possibly be effective. But I knew a couple of GPs who practiced it.

Possible explanation! It’s the environment and the administrator: nurse or doctor or priest, that matters. I have given many placebos in hospital; often to patients with severe postoperative pain. 15 minutes later they were fast asleep. But I never told them.Sneaky hey?
 
manlanc said:
I understand what you mean. I was totally miffed when I read an article claiming this a couple of years ago. And yet, when you think about it, people have been reacting to ordinary behaviour for a long time. Think of the Roman Catholic Church! Transubstantiation is ridiculous to many people. Yet it defines Catholics.

For quite a long time the Protestant Anglican Church has negotiated with the Roman Catholic Church that they might, as heretofore, become one. The principal sticking point is transubstantiation. Anglicans believe that the bread and wine during mass only represent the blood and flesh of Jesus Christ. Yet, you are only a Catholic if you believe (know) that bread and wine actually become the flesh and blood of Christ. Think of voodoo and Lazarus! Homeopathy is a prime example. According to science, diluted medicine cannot possibly be effective. But I knew a couple of GPs who practiced it.
Click to expand...
Protestant Anglican Church has negotiated with the Roman Catholic Church that they might, as heretofore, become one
seriously?
I have never heard this...but then I have been a non-practicing Catholic for a long time..I don't concern myself with the transubstantiation debate...IMO everything is a part of God..so who cares... :)

manlanc said:
Possible explanation! It’s the environment and the administrator: nurse or doctor or priest, that matters. I have given many placebos in hospital; often to patients with severe postoperative pain. 15 minutes later they were fast asleep. But I never told them.Sneaky hey?
Click to expand...
I understand if the patient does not know they are given a placebo that positive results can be achieved..It's the statement that those told they were given a placebo and had positive results that I didn't understand as much ...yet it is possible they would have had success without any interventions..Our bodies are truly remarkable on their own...
Good for you for 'slipping them a placebo'😉
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top