Posted on 07/27/2014 12:14:51 PM PDT by lee martell
I have chronic pain issues due to flat feet and tendonitis in one of y ankles. I'm trying to be seen by a Veterans Hospital doctor and be scheduled for surgery if necessary. Meanwhile, I watch my weight (try to anyway) and visit the gym a few times weekly to cycle and life weights. My job supervisor just had a baby a year ago, and has gotten a sore wrist from holding the infant so constantly, especially during nursing. She was just about to get a steroid shot to the wrist to alleviate the pain, but chose a more holistic method of Acupunture. the ancient Chinese treatment. After a few treatments, her pain is manageable. She plans to visit that doctor one or two times a month. Since I have had this foot pain trouble since around 2009, my supervisor is aware of my difficulty. She suggested I give Dr. Ming a try. The first visit would be for $150. with follow up visits at $90. I was told the first visit would be paid for under the auspice of "employee appreciation observance". I was all for trying it out, and I'm still glad that I looked into it, however briefly.
Dr. Ming has a small shop near Mill Valley. The interior walls are lined with shelves. Each shelf is filled with different herb roots, teas, near the old fashioned cash register, now covered in Gold Leaf foil, are stacks of cannisters that contain body salves and various kinds of ointments. The floors are wooden, darkly stained and varnished with a low lustre. I am directed to the left side corridor, which leads to four little offices, two on each side. First, before entering the corridor, I follow Dr. Ming brushing through a green beaded curtain. Our arrival in the corridor is announced by the clicking and clacking of those beads. I am guided to a bench in Room B I sit on the raised bench, remove my socks and shoes, and describe why I'm seeking help. The room smells lightly of frankinscence, the kind I used to smell at St. Cecilia, my neighborhood Catholic Church with the bell tower. Dr. Ming rubbed some salve into the top of my head. and proceeded to stick little needles into that area. I was actually glad I could not see how that looked. He asked me to lightly rotate my ankles in a wide circle, first one direction then the other. I felt a sharp jab down, from the top of my head under treatment. The Dr. asks me; "Is it feeling better now? Somewhat, maybe a little bit?" I said, "Is the relief supposed to be immediate? "Yes" he said. I reply,"Right now, I can only say I feel a little pain and pressure from the top of my head" . I guess that was not the answer he expected. Next tactic, Dr. Ming asked my to lightly clench my fists. He then inserts two of those needled on the outsides of each fist, right below the little finger. Once again he askes me to rotate the feet, and this time slowly flex both hands open and closed. "Feeling better now?" "I reply "Ummmmmm".
Next tactic, Dr. Ming twirls the needles in my hands around slightly. Let's just say it did not tickle. I'm thinking "Where did I read that 'Acupuncture is virtually painless!'. To that I;m thinking "Painless? Hell, Those little F##krs hurt! Since my supervisor has paid for this session, I will try to deal with it. The Dr. is a gentleman and I respect his efforts, but it just didn't work for me. I was left in this state for about 15 minutes while the Doctor ran the counter for incomin customers. After he returns, Dr. Ming simply says, "That all now, better?" I smiled, thanked the Doctor, and tactfully said little else. I had already decided I will not be going back, at least not at those prices. Acupuncture operates by in some cases stimulating energy flows in the body from areas that have become dormant through the atrophy of neglect or aging. In other cases acupuncture acts to reduce inflammation. That is what I was hoping for in my case. It could be that many treatments are necessary to stimulate the area.
Perhaps most cultures have their own ways of dealing with pain. I still recall a movie I saw decades ago while in College. This was during "Foreign Film Week". After movies by Fellini and Ingmar Bergman, there was the inevitable French Farce. The French Ski team was preparing for competition. At one point one of the Skiers fell and dislocated his knee. Then a kindly looking doctor in a suit and wear a monocle on a chain looked at the patient, a youth who was writhing in pain from his dislocated knee. The doctor 'had forgotten' his anesthesia! The doctor turned to his nurse, a very pretty blonde in a white mini-dress with the Red Cross on her hat. The doctor said, "We will have to do 'The Routine' on this boy." "The Routine Doctor? Are you sure?" "Qui" I am most certain. Next scene, the doctor bends over to tell the patient, Just close your eyes for a minute, try to relax. The injured Skier is lying on his back in the snow, and does as the Doctor orders. Together, Doctor and Nurse count backward in french; Trois, Deux, Un! At the count of Un or one, both react as planned; The Doctor quickly, roughly pushed the boy's kneecap into place, at the same moment the nurse open-hand slaps the skier in the face so hard she knocks his helmet off of his head. It was the slap heard around the world. After getting over the shock of The Routine, the Skier is next seen thanking the doctor and hobbling off to ski again.
acupuncture plus aspirin, brace and time, helped me a LOT
There’s a modern method that uses electrical impulses in place of the needles. Might be better or less expensive (might be!).
I use trad Chinese medic, along with also using Western medicine. That guy is EXPENSIVE! My acu gal doc is about $60 a visit, and that includes the first visit. I had some luck with acu. She puts in the needles, they don’t hurt. Then she hooks up an electronic device that sends pulses of juice to the needles. Interesting!
She couldn’t do a thing for my arthritic knee, though she certainly tried. She referred me t an herb doc. He was the head of a hospital in Shanghai before he emigrated. Very experienced guy, and now a good friend. He gave me a bag of various herbs to make tea with. First visit, no luck. Second visit he made the mix stronger as I’m much bigger than his usual Chinese patients. It helped! Third visit, no more knee problems. 15 years ago I walked with a cane, now I don’t even know where my cane is! Oh! $40 a visit.
He’s in Cleveland. Nothing could really help my back though. “Too much damage” he said.
It helps some, not all. It’s IMO worth pursuing because it is so much less intrusive than surgery. That’s the simple calculus.
If acupuncture works at all it is probably due to inflammation caused by the intrusion of the needle. Not likely to have any long term curative benefits I would think.
They’ve been using it for thousands of year so yes it has its uses. It will take time and won’t help in all cases.
Acupuncture does not work for about 15% of people. For the rest, for some it sort of helps, for others it helps a lot.
First, a few questions.
Did he recommend any herbal medicine to go with the acupuncture? In the case of tendonitis, herbs are typically suggested to reduce inflammation as well as to help strengthen the tendon itself.
Did you have any medicines in your system when getting your acupuncture, especially analgesics or pain relievers, or anti-inflammatory drugs?
Which tendons? These three give me calf stiffness and calf cramps:
http://www.rad.washington.edu/academics/academic-sections/msk/muscle-atlas/lower-body/flexor-hallucis-longus
I’ve figured how to tape them to get rig of the problem
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=813601268684882&id=100001050484690&set=a.539414272770251.128192.100001050484690&source=48
I would like to know what herbs were in that tea that helped your knee. Only if you’re okay with sharing that information.. I’m glad you found help. I was interested because it’s less intrusive than surgery and I would not have to miss work during six weeks on recovery. I still intend to get on the waiting list for surgery though.
My boss’s chronic tendonitis was “cured” 10 years ago by buying and wearing SAS shoes. Expensive, but worth it.
I put “cured” in quotes because recently he stupidly sprinted across the sand on the beach, twisted something, and it came back really bad.
If I were to pay $150 for an acupuncture treatement, I would convince myself it worked.........
For later. Thanks.
I’m unable to view your pages, but the concept sounds clever. I have trouble with the tendon right under my ankle. This same tendon goes up into my calves. Sometimes there is edema.
Pain Management;
It’s a whole new education pursuit I was not expecting.
I've never experienced acupuncture, I've never considered acupuncture, and I'm not planning to.
However, if your first experience was "so-so" I would consider that a success and continue. Perfection is the enemy of good enough and so-so is not that far behind good enough.
That’s a very thoughtful reply. Something to consider.
I’ll post the pics from my laptop when I get home tonight .... I was trying from iPhone and didn’t work
Arch supports cured my foot pain. Completely cured it!
Tip: Get blood tests and check your thyroid level and your B-12 level (anemia). This what was the root cause for me of some of the same ailments you describe.
As we age we don’t have as much intrinsic factor to absorb vitamin B-12. For me even absorption under the tongue didn’t work. I went for a B-12 shot and oila!
There is a company that now for the first time produces a Vitamin B-12 supplement with intrinsic factor. It’s called Trinfac-B. Try it or a B-12 shot as an experiment and see what happens. I have no conflict of interest in the company that makes the product but thus far it also seems to be helping.
It isn’t always tendonitus or other problems that are the cause, they can also just be symptoms.
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