Tried Acupuncture or Naturopathy?

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I asked this same question not too long ago. One user named 43RichyThe43rd said he tried it but had no effect. I was thinking of giving it a try though.
 
I have had 2 acupuncture treatments through my chiropractor so far. The key is in understanding the science and logic behind the treatment. I was completely ignorant to the practice until I found my current chiropractor/homeopathic doctor. Me being an engineer by trade, I asked tons of questions because I like to know how things work and why they are done the way they are done. Acupuncture is but one aspect of treatment in an entire approach to health and medicine. The cliff notes version goes something like this. The human body is electrical in nature. Although bio-chemical, our brains, hearts and other organs all run on electricity. This is why our hearts can be jump started with an electrical shock and why electrical stimuli to the brain can trigger physical movements in response. The Chinese discovered this long ago and learned that there are 12 main 'meridians' or energy pathways in our bodies where electrical energy is distributed throughout the human body. If you read up on acupuncture you'll see a lot of information on these 12 main meridians. My doctor described the meridians to me as an analogy and compared them to a small stream which feeds into a larger stream and that stream feeding into a river, etc. If you were to dam a river, it not only affects the water flow downstream, but upstream as well. Similarly, the meridians in our bodies can become unbalanced and energy can be unevenly distributed leading to health conditions. Before you get too skeptical, you have to admit, there is a lot about the human body which modern medicine still cannot explain. Why do we get diagnosed with BFS for instance? It basically means that they don't know what we have, but they know its not life threatening. Anyway, the Chinese learned that acupuncture needles could impact the energy distribution in our bodies. When a needle is inserted our brains acknowledge that attention is required in that area. The length of time needle is left in will determine how much energy is redistributed. That's the principle behind it at least.How well does it work? I have no idea. All I do know is that the homeopathic doctor I am seeing figured out how to treat my twitching where modern medicine failed me. I'm going to give the acupuncture the benefit of the doubt and stick with it for a while to see how it goes. I know enough though to not expect it to be a miracle cure. It doesn't work that way. Anyway, I hope this helps.
 
I did 8-10 accupuncture visits. If you like emg/needle test, where they stick needles in your calf, they will probably enjoy accupuncture. It didn't do anything for me, though I enjoyed learning about it. I chauk it up to a different experience.-43RichyThe43rd
 
Thank you so much for that description. I am not going into it expecting a cure that is for sure. But where is there is no answer from western doctors other than I don't know just take this pill. Too me is a cop out. Drugs are not benign they all have side effects, and who knows the side effects long term. If I knew I had a condition that was life threatening and I either take the medicine or something bad will truly happen, I would take the medicine. But without a doubt I think western doctors give out prescription drugs way too much, without any thought and really don't care about the side effects or long term effects. SSRIs are a prime example, in the 15 minute session a western doc will give you, they ALL want to give everyone SSRIs. Man if you read about the side effects long term or the withdrawal syndrome it is amazing. Yes, they help some people, and I am sure some people are totally grateful for that. But they only treat symptom not cause, when you come off the drug guess what.I am in the health care profession, and every patient I have I have to ask for a list of their medications, I am not exaggerating, I bet you 80 percent or more are all on SSRIs. And I am not immuned I tried them just could take the side effects. So with that in mind, I decided to try something different, I don't think there is any real harm, its not like ingesting something into your body, so I am willing to try the experience, . thank you all for your responses and the wonderful description of accupuncture. You guys are great.Terri
 
cck9 - just wanted to say that I did use acupuncture for a while and had mixed results. It seemed to depend quite a bit on the AP (acupuncture physician) whether or not it helped or had any effect with me. I had 6 different APs and only 2 of these seemed to give me a positive after-effect; the others, can't say that it had either positive or negative. You really shouldn't feel the needle insertion if you are relaxed and if they are being cautious using the very fine needles at first, I don't like needles and didn't find it scary. When I asked about the discrepancy between treatments, it seems that it is individual for both patient and practitioner as they need to understand and know enough about your system and have a high level of skill (not just with the needles but with this aspect of knowing the patient, understanding their physical problems). With this in mind you make sure you feel comfortable with the AP & should give it several treatments with the same one before you decide. Some people can tolerate much more than others and APs tend to err on the light side (smallest width needles, less stimulation). I would go back to my 2 favorites IF I had the money (not usually covered with insurance) and if I could find them (they tend to travel about like massage therapists often do). Good luck and post after your 2nd visit or so to say if it worked for you.
 
Since I am around this site for the first time in a long time, I thought I would give my experience, too.I tried a very good naturopath in my town. She tried a number of homeopathic remedies and dietary supplements and to her credit, she would not give up. She was determined to help me. She is very experienced in acupuncture and I did try that. I found it quite a relaxing experience, but unfortunately it did not help beyond that. I would try it though. Different things help different people. In 12 years I have approached all attempts, medical and otherwise, to help with this problem with an open mind.Shirley
 
I went to a "naturopathic/homeopathic" doctor this summer. He had helped my brother with neck pains and my step father with his leg pains. He is very much into Chinese medicine and has a PhD, but is not a medical doctor. Before my visit he had me check my urine pH for a week and write down what I ate for a week. My urine pH ranged from 6.2 to 6.8 during that time period. He immediately said that I was in "acidosis" and that I should go on a "high alkaline" diet. That should help my issues, he thought. I use " " because all of the alkaline diet is not really proven in the scientific community, at least as far as I can tell. Anyway, I tried it for a full month. Nothing but fruits, vegetables, lemon or lime water, millet flakes, almonds, almond milk, millet and flax flour for baked goods etc. Very little meat protein (all meats are "acid producers") and no dairy products. However, the pH of my urine never was higher than 6.4 the entire month and my twitching did not go away or even subside. I also did not feel any better or worse otherwise. I still try to go with as much "alkaline" foods as I can (like drinking lemon spiked water), but am not going to pay the extra $$$$ for the almond milk and special flours, etc. However, just because it didn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for others. You can by pH strips through Amazon for fairly cheap. He did recommend acupuncture, which has helped my brother and my step father. I have not gone that step yet but am willing to try it. He also mentioned meditation, which I have tried during periods of anxiety but have not gone to see anyone about it. He gave me some names of meditation experts in my area (I saw him while on vacation at my mom's place this summer) and I may also go down that route. The trouble with both acupuncture and a meditation expert is that they aren't covered by my medical plan and I am on a tight budget.
 
I'm starting to believe that nothing will really help these twitches. I have tried many different things really nothing has worked. Ignoring them helps the best although that is not always possible. I also thought about accupunture but haven't decided yet if I am going to try it.
 
deadpirateroberts - limes and lemons are acidic not alkaline - maybe you should use the pH strips on the food ;) Yeah, sure the metabolism of the food may change pH values (as in meat) but maybe a nutritionist/dietician would be the way to go with this? I did confer with one once (not for BCFS but for lowering my lipids) and it wasn't wasted time or money. Some old tried and true homeopathic stuff does work - many of the 'healing herbs' of old had active ingredients identified and turned into drugs. And you just can't beat the placebo effect even if it's just a cup of medicinal tea: basically using your brain to heal your body even if it is temporary; it shows just how much we can do with our thoughts.Meditation does help me and has throughout this process of healing myself. You don't need to go to someone to learn it - there are some really good CDs/books out that will take you through it. I have a list from a doctor that focuses on wellness techniques if you are interested. Also many yoga classes teach meditation and they are often offered in community schools for little money. De-stressing is good regardless of the reason.
 
AllGoodHere: Yes I know that all citrus fruits are acidic. Stomach juices are very acid and have a very low pH. So it didn't make any sense to me to start with. However, the PhD I went to gave me a list and they rank right up at the top for alkalizing the body. Watermelon supposedly is the highest of all the alkalizing foods. If you look up "alkaline foods" on the web, you can see some similar lists. Supposedly, certain foods metabolize differently in the body - according to this theory. But as you have read, it didn't do anything for me anyway. It certainly didn't hurt and I probably ate better (more fruits and veggies than usual) than usual. But more importantly, I promised my mom I would try what he recommended - can't say no to mom :) .
 
Oh, for sure, you have to at least give it a try. Never stand between a mom and her mothering! That would be stressful for everyone (I speak from experience!) :)
 

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