Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with acupuncture

Am I being rational?

H. Roark — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:39:12 -0800

Alternative medicines for a young kid - am I making too much of it? I'm trying to figure it if my position is irrational or I am overreacting to the situation. The situation:

- My lovely wife is very health conscious and mostly dismissive of western medicine. She also has recently had some serious health issues which has made her even more proactive about health.

- I am pretty much the opposite. I value health but almost never go to the doctor and eat what I want, irrespective of it's omega content. I very much respect science and double-blind studies and FDA regulatory processes. I have never been to an acupuncture clinic but would have no big qualms about going for an ailment.

- Kiddo (3 years old) is healthy.

The dispute is that my wife takes kiddo to the acupuncture clinic regularly, with the needles and whatnot, for just normal "health tuneups". There are also visits when kiddo has cold for removing congestion, and at one point giving some "tincture" from the clinic to the kiddo which she knew I would object to. Kiddo complains one night when I'm flying solo that she cant go to bed because she "hasn't had her herbs" yet...

I'm concerned about a couple things -
- I dont want kiddo to have a psychological attachment where she thinks its normal to constantly eat herbs and go to the doctor twice a month as normal healthy living. It seems like a path towards hypochondria to me.

- I dont trust the non-FDA tinctures, especially when used just for "maintenance" and on children.

- I dont like that when I discuss it with the 'missus the conversation gets lost in hand-waving about how 5000 years of Chinese cant be wrong and my basic request to keep preventative health doctor/alt-med office visits to a minimum seems to be ignored.

Am I overreacting here? Is there some good reason why we should raise our kid to think its normal to go to the alternative medicine guy (or any doctor) every couple weeks? (I could buy that, but its completely foreign to me.) Is this all so harmless (tinctures included) that I should just skip the fight?

Thanks for your time and opinion.

TMJ alternative treatment and practitioner recommendations for New York City

Salamandrous — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:38:14 -0800

Please share advice for non-dental treatments for TMJ. I've been dealing with this for about a decade, and had a custom made night guard, that I wore religiously, for all this time. Maybe it's slowing down the rate at at which the TMJ is getting worse, but it's still getting worse and I hate it. Osteopathy? Acupuncture? I've heard of both as possible alternative treatments - and my insurance would help pay for them. Has anyone had positive experiences with them? Or can recommend a practitioner (who takes health insurance) in Manhattan or Brooklyn? Or has other suggestions for treatment to explore?

Thank you!

How can I find an acupuncturist with an MD or DO in my area?

UMDirector — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 06:55:14 -0800

How can I find an acupuncturist with an MD or DO in my area (South of Boston)? My insurance company cover acupuncture, but only if its an MD or DO (Doctor of Osteopathy). My google has failed me and short of calling every acupuncturist in the area I don't know how to find one. I found a DO directory, but it clearly didn't list all of them and didn't offer a search by function (such as acupuncture, but rather search by sports medicine, etc).

Please help me get back in the saddle!

bunnycup — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:32:58 -0800

Where should I start - a chiropractor, a sports massage, an orthopedist, acupuncture or what? I recently started horseback riding again, and though I have NOT suffered a fall or other acute injury, I have had crippling pain in my upper back (between shoulder blades) for about 2 weeks. I have tried stretching and gentle yoga, soaking, heating pads, ibuprofen etc., resting the muscles - and none of it has helped. I really want to get back in the saddle sooner rather than later, because it is really helping me cope with a very difficult personal situation and has become my primary form of exercise.

I know there are a lot of directions to go, and I've gotten some conflicting advice about what to pursue first: a chiropractor, a sports massage, an orthopedist, acupuncture or a few other things. If anyone has some advice on which may be most likely to help, which should logically precede the others, which is not likely to help at all, or any other thoughts, I would be really grateful. If you want to accompany your advice with any recommendations for specific practitioners in the Bucks County, PA area, I would welcome that, though it is not the primary purpose of my question.

Assume cost is not really an issue (my insurance covers these things if referred by my PCP) and I have easy access to each type of practitioner. I am female in my 20s.

Exactly how much do I have to spend before I get the actual 'acupuncture'?

GleepGlop — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:55:59 -0800

Is it safe enough to get an acupuncture treatment on the first visit / consultation? I called an acupuncture place in my area and they said that the first visit would be a consultation and I probably wouldn't actually get any needles stuck in me.
I really just want to get a taste of it and try it out. Should I just go to a place that is willing to stick me on the first date?

Do you know any good allied health specialists in Brisbane?

mjao — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:30:03 -0800

I may as well kill 5 birds with one stone. I need (/want) a dietician, an acupuncturist, a dermatologist, an allergist, and a remedial or shiatsu masseur. Know any good ones? Brisbane, Australia. (Yes—I am trying to make the most of my health insurance.) Notes:

I live in the Indooroopilly area, but I don't mind travelling.
I don't have any particularly major health problems, I'd just like to take care of a few mild-moderate issues as well as improve/maintain my health in certain areas.
It'd be wonderful to know why you are making your recommendation, if you are so inclined. (e.g., is the doctor super clever, really nice, or surprisingly affordable?)

Help me fix this tendinitis...with needles?

xiaolongbao — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 02:37:07 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good acupuncturist in the New York metro area? Stamford, CT environs also possible, but I have no car. I recently received my first acupuncture treatment in San Francisco, felt what might be the first inklings of success, and am hoping to continue in New York after I move back home this weekend. Can anyone recommend a good acupuncturist, particularly someone who could treat tendinitis, in the (preferably) New York or (possibly) Stamford, CT area? A zillion bonus points if they happen to accept BlueCross insurance - I know that's a long shot.

Backstory: I've been battling Achilles tendinitis in my left ankle for about 5 years. I used to run competitive long distance, one of my life's great passions, but overtrained and never received proper rehab. For a while, I simply gave up running, as my last ortho said "I think it'd be better if you never ran again," and my parents discouraged me from having "expensive surgery with a 50% success rate." When I do try to run these days, I have to stop after 2-3 20 minute runs spread out over several days due to recurring sharp pain. It has been a life changing, incredibly painful journey, and I've never found anything that' really fulfilled me the way running did. Hoping acupuncture can help me, as I've read some success stories. Other suggestions welcome, too.

Thank you.

Acupuncture in Edinburgh

Chairboy — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:55:16 -0800

Can anyone please recommend a good acupuncturist in the Edinburgh area for my partners migraines/IBS? Preferably one that won't try to sell her lots of expensive herbal remedies on top of the treatment.

I Can't Breathe, Damnit!

nikksioux — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:43:14 -0800

Does anyone have experience (good or bad) with Seasonal Allergies and Acupuncture? I am suffering from the worst allergy attack of my life. I don't take things like Claritin or Benadryl, as the side-effects from those things usually give me panic-attacks. No pseudophedrines or nasal sprays either. I have heard that acupuncture is a viable alternative to these "treatments", but would like some input from the hive-mind regarding your experiences. Better yet, if you can suggest a great acupuncturist in Seattle. Thanks!

China Study

the cuban — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:51:17 -0800

Studying Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. I'm looking into studying TCM in Shanghai and wondered if anyone had recommendations or experiences they'd like to share.

I intend on a long stay there, so anything beyond short 'taster' courses is what i'm looking for. Of course, any info on them is most welcome too.

How can I cure my knee pain?

kyrademon — Tue, 29 May 2007 00:06:23 -0800

Can you offer advice or techniques to help me with my worsening knee pain? For several years now, I have been experiencing pain in my right knee (and occasionally in my left), which has gradually been growing worse. These days, I usually have knee pain so bad that it is difficult for me to walk more than short distances – I seriously doubt I could walk a mile right now. I am a bellydancer, and this is a very big problem for me.

I have been diagnosed with both IT-band syndrome and patellofemoral pain syndrome. Most often, the pain manifests in my IT band, often going up all the way into my piriformis. However, I have also frequently experienced lateral pain and medial pain (i.e., on both sides of the knee), sometimes had tendon pain below the knee, occasionally had pain all the way up on the right side of my lower back, and very occasionally felt pain under the kneecap. I do not appear to have arthritis or any other degenerative joint disease.

I have been through three stints of physical therapy, with two different physical therapists, to little or no effect. For the last year or so, I have been seeing a chiropractor who does Active Release Technique, which seems to have helped somewhat. I stretch and exercise regularly (which means swimming these days due to the aforementioned issues), and have been doing VMO inner quad strengthening exercises and lots of IT band stretching, which have also helped somewhat but not nearly enough to solve the problem.

I have not yet tried acupuncture, prolotherapy, or any kind of surgery (such as lateral release). Can anyone tell me whether they think any of these might help me? Can anyone share their own experiences with physical therapy, acupuncture, prolotherapy, or knee surgery, or other methods as they relate to similar problems? Can anyone diagnose exactly what the heck has gone wrong in my body? Can anyone offer any advice? Help!

Using acupuncture to treat recurring miscarriages?

discokitty — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 09:34:20 -0800

Last week, I had my second early miscarriage. In addition to a battery of tests I'm trying to convince my ob/gyn to give me, I'm also considering treatment with acupuncture. I'm 34 and am healthy, as far as I know. Noone in my family has had fertility problems, and I've been able to get pregnant easily (one month of trying with my first pregnancy, second month trying with my second pregnancy). Staying pregnant seems to be more of an issue.

Has anyone here used acupuncture to treat recurring miscarriages? If so, was it successful? I've found some promising articles around, but I'm more looking for some personal experiences (yours, or someone you know). I'm feeling down about everything and I guess I'm looking for a little hope here.

How do I learn acupuncture, and establish a practice?

Jairus — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 11:23:32 -0800

AskMe inspires me. How do I learn acupuncture? My significant other has severe chronic pain issues, and she's unable to find a doctor who's willing and able to work with them. I called an acupuncturist last week to setup an appointment for her, after reading a number of studies which indicate acupuncture is effective in the treatment of several chronic pain issues.

If it works, I would like to learn acupuncture myself, so that I can help in the event that we're suddenly bankrupt, or we move to the middle of a forest, or something. How would I best go about doing this?

How to sell an acupuncture practice

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 09:43:38 -0800

Should I sell my business or change direction? I own a busy acupuncture practice seeing about 80 - 100 people a week. I have a waiting list of about five months for new patients. I went into a caring profession in order to help and support people and ended up burned out and exhausted. The business is thriving but I am not. I look back fondly on the days when I got to spend lots of time with each patient but my overhead is such that, that is not a realistic possibility now.

As my practice has been built on my own reputation as a good practitioner how do I value it without me and more importantly would anyone want to buy it if I wasn't there? Alternatively I could employ a junior partner to take some of the load and take a back seat but I'm not sure how to structure that financially.

I've worked hard to create my business so I don't just want to close the doors (nor could I afford to) but I'm really pretty miserable the way things are. New Year's Angst! Help!

By the Pricking of My Thumbs...and other key points.

BigLankyBastard — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 11:36:51 -0800

Alternative-MedicineFilter: I need to find a report of a Clinical Study on efficacy of Acupuncture in Chronic Pain Management. I have already tried searching JAMA and NEJM, but was unable to find what I was looking for - the results I saw dealt with specific sorts of pain, or non-pain-related issues. It seems most of the Google hits I got were studies sponsored by alternative-medicine groups, which I don't trust. I am hoping for a large comprehensive clinical study by a "straight" conservative organization or school (Paging Ikkyu2!).

The story is: I have a relative with Cancer, and we are investigating our pain-management options for the future. On top of the study, any advice on how to pick a reputable practicioner would be helpful in case we decide to go that route.

Stop smoking with lasers or acupuncture?

nj_subgenius — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 05:27:51 -0800

Any of you stopped smoking (or not) after acupuncture or laser therapy? After many years of smoking 30 or so cigs a day I went to a hypnotist, which helped me quit for a two weeks - which was the longest I'd gone before. The hypnotherapy helped a lot with resolve to stay quit but not for long. FWIW, I can't take bupropion, so Zyban is out of the question. Have done patches and gum. I hate to think a health scare is going to get me to quit cold turkey and by then it could be be too late. Help!

acupuncture for dogs

vito90 — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 20:23:11 -0800

Experiences with acupuncture for your doggie, in particular an older companion with arthritis? My 10.5 year old Basset Hound Lou (still kicking!) has added arthritis to her current list of maladies. I have one acquaintance who used acupuncture on her dog, to good effect. I am interested in hearing more opinions. Did it make a difference? Did your dog freak out the first time or first couple times? How frequent were your treatments? How much did they cost? I am pretty sure my dog's oncologist can recommend a good canine acupuncturist, as she is a big believer in natural/holistic treatments as a supplement to hard science. Thanks in advance for replies. Shane, still have the biscotti signal? :)

Any input on acupuncture?

patrickje — Fri, 30 Jan 2004 08:47:14 -0800

Acupuncture? Does anyone have experience with it? How do I find a decent acupuncturist? [more inside] I'm mainly looking for something to relieve stress and help relax muscles. I run about 40-60 miles a week, and I'm interested in trying acupuncture to help with muscle stiffness and soreness.