I have my first appt at 1:45pm today (so in a few hours).

Has anyone tried acupuncture and if so, what has your experience been in helping your PN?

I tried accupuncture for a year after my PN started because I didn't know what else to try. My accupuncturist was on the faculty of the Pacific School of Oriental Medicine here in San Diego.

Accupuncture helped headaches, toothaches, sore muscles, and even help clear my stuffed sinuses. Unfortunately, it had NO effect on my PN at all, either short term or long term. That was also the experience of anybody who tried it in the old PN boards.

It's still worth a try. We are all different and each of our PN has different and often multiple causes that makes our PNs completely individual. Accupuncture could give you dramatic relief and healing. You won't know until you give it a fair trial.

That was really, really weird. He said that I have problems with mercury, lead, aluminum, a parasite, and a fungus, all from a weird test. I don't know what to make of this at all. The whole time there seemed quite strange and somewhat like "voodoo magic" and nonsensical.

I recently tried acupuncture after after 3+ years of PN. The only thing that it helped was my acpuncturist's bank account.

Carlie

Acupuncture is like a lot of things: magnets, Zen, Anodyne, Rebuilder, Omnilight, supplements, and you name it. It might work for some and not help another in the least. I've always said that if eating the bark off a tree helps--- go for it.

voodoo is voodoo. But there are things that are helped by acupuncture. I think the best record is on muscular pain. But it's not going to fix damaged nerves, only spasm that might be resulting from them.

A couple of months ago I did a series of 3 acupuncture sessions, and I'll probably go back in a few weeks for a booster. But I have a lot of spasm in my back since the laminectomy. It loosened my back up immediately, and I do mean immediately. I could bend to put on my shoes, whereas before my back was too stiff for this. It lasted a few days, and improved again. The third session was a bust. It did nothing for pain, just ease of movement.

My acupuncturist is very western. He talks with people's doctors, letting them know what he finds. He doesn't care particularly about meridians, or hocus pocus. He says there are a few things he can almost always help, and somethings he can often help. But he leaves it at that.

The anesthesiologist who did my facet block yesterday also does acupuncture. But again, it's part of a western orientation and these practitioners have a good sense of what treatment works for what ailment.

The acupuncturist did not try to get me back, after the third session was bust. He thought maybe I might want to try in a few weeks or a month, but he was awfully happy to hear I was getting the facet block.

Hey, Dan- ain't that the way they found the ingredients in aspirin?

Opti....
The genearal consensus is, that acupunture (and regular chiropractors too), is a benefit to the bank accounts of the therapist, and 99% of the time is of no benefit to PN sufferers.
If you think you fit into the 1%, spend the money.