I am having acupuncture.

[echelon]

*lol* It's great to hear all your acupuncture stories. It's been 8 days now and I have been cigarette free all this time

[wendy]

Good for you.
I have acupuncture and have done so for about 11 years. I started because of severe pains in my hands due to arthritis. I could not knit, turn handles or carry anything heavy. Now I can do all of it. Along the way I have had other medical problems which it has been such a great help.
Good luck, please keep it up. It builds up in the system, so a one off doesn't work.
Wendy

[AL37]

Wendy, I was never told about the building up in the system. If I had been I would have carried on with it. My back problem puts me on crutches around four times a year.
Echelon, I will watch your non smoking progress with interest. Its always been in the back of my mind to stop but the last time I prepared myself and whent to join one of the nhs non smoking groups at my local doctors I was told now wasn't a good time to stop.
It realy knocked the wind from my sails as I had spent months preparing my self to go and make the first step.

[Steve the Gas]

I've had accupunture several times for my sciatica ............ and it did absolutely SQUAT.
I am not trying to knock it -at all - I really wish it had worked as I'm in pain 24/7.
Do you lot reckon there is some sort of placebo going on?





Can't lie in - wish I could- that's why some of my posts are quite early!

[wendy]

Who knows if it is a placebo....but if it works.
All I can say is I do not take any tablets other than one for blood pressure, the lowest of diuretic a going. At 65 I don't think that is bad going.
If I have a problem I mention it to Mary and she sticks needles in me. I started going every week and as time went by it got further between the visits. I go for 'topping' up every 8 weeks.
I had trigeminal neuralgia [you can read it up on the net, but it is severe facial pain] about 7/8 years ago. I decided to make a graph of my progress to help my doctor with the medication etc as he said I would never come off the tablets and may need either to have the muscle in my face cut or surgery on my brain.
After about 3 weeks I rang to see if she could help and along I went. The graph was amazing, after treatment the level of pain [10 worst ever, 1 good] reduced for awhile. It came back again but never to the level of the previous week. Eventually the attacks got less and less and after 6 months it went. I have never had it again, touch wood, and I do not take the medication. I have an internet friend who has it and she has now had her third brain operation and it still hasn't cured it. But she is too frightened of the needles to go
Maybe I have been tricked, but it worked for me.
Wendy

[mrs butzi]

There is undoubtedly an element of placebo going on Steve as there is with every kind of treatment ( yes - even surgery - how impressive does surgery look!! ) but there is also plenty of GOOD scientific research showing what's going on in the blood chemistry during needling. I've certainly had some very good results with acupuncture , particularly with neural pain Wendy , and have seen some rather startling physical responses to needling which convinces me that there is a response in the central nervous system.
However, the wealth of scientific evidence relates to the pain relieving aspect of acupuncture not necessarily it's use for breaking adiction but then if it works .................

[echelon]

Still no cigarettes and my back is almost pain free now! She also did it to my shoulder which I strained a couple of weeks back - that's better too!

I feel so much better in myself and hardly think about the cigarettes at all now

[wendy]

[Babycakes]

Well done Echelon!!
I'm really glad you have found something that works for you.

[kate egg]

that is brilliant news - well done

[mrs butzi]

Fantastic news - really pleased it's worked out for you