To think that accupuncture is a load of bollocks

[Pakdooik]

I've got a long term bad back - usually OK but every now and then it goes badly awry and I take myslef off to the physio.

The f**ng thing went as I was getting out of bed on Saturday so after a weekend of pain I got an emegency appointment this afternoon. My regular physio was fully booked so I had someone I'd not seen before.

In addition to the usual heat treatment and manipulation, she offered me accupuncture. Now I'll try anything if it'll aid my back so I said OK. But as I lay there for 20 minutes with 12 needles in my back, legs and feet having my "energy channelled" I couldn't help but think it was a load of old tripe.

Has anyone here had any benefit from the pin treatment?

I would say that there is alot to be said for the placebo effect. You shouldn't underestimate its worth.

I've had about 6 session of acupuncture so far (for rheumatoid arthritis). A few weeks ago, I woke up on the day of my appt with very swollen joints. My wrists were hugely puffy. He stuck some needles in my them and a few hours later, my watch slipped off my wrist completely.

I'm as skeptical as anything and not a fan of anything except convential medicine but I've started to have some faith in acupuncture.

I genuinely dont understand how a placebo would work for a baby?

I'm trying to find an NHS practitioner at the moment. I have ME, and my pain levels have rocketed. As for why it works, frankly I don't care if it does! Everyone I know who has tried it - including my cynical daily mail reading father - have had brilliant results.

In desperation, I tried it for hyperemisis. Load of old blx, but at least she told me there was nothing more she could do for me after 3 sessions, rather than continuing to take my money. I was in hospital on a drip less than 24 hrs later.

DH had accupuncture for a strained achillies. He thinks it is great, and he is an old sceptic. Difference is he had "Medical Accupuncture" through BUPA (in the days when he had a job with BUPA cover, actually in the days when he had a full time job) and I saw a old hippy.

I've only felt something once during treatment, on my second session. It was like a sort of buzzing inside. Otherwise I don't feel anything at all as I lay there. But it does seem to have changed my cycle (which I know very well as hormonal contraception doesn't agree with me so I have had 20+ years of my natural cycle).

Worked a treat for my morning sickness. I was very bad, being sick about 7 times every day before 12pm. No energy and very down. After my first session the constant sicky feeling lifted and I had a spring in my step and wanted to walk home (nearly an hour walk), which I did no bother. Prior to then I had barely been able to lurch forward for 10 mins at a time. I went once a week for about 5 weeks.

I saw a Dr of Chinese Medicine. Very highly qualified.

Sorry don't agree, I swear by it!

I needed IVF treatment to have my daughter. Fertility issues weren't mine, but was told Acupuncture would help etc.

I suffer from terrible PMT and painful, heavy periods. Went for my 1st treatment, came on four days later and it was a breeze compared to the agony I've suffered before!

I had Acu for three months before my 3rd and final round of IVF, all through treatment and the day before egg collection, and day after embryo's were put in, and I'm totally convinced it helped.

My last round of IVF was less stressful, and much more successful egg wise etc than without Acu, so I'm a believer!

Not cheap though, but so worth it!

I am Mrs Sceptical of scepticville, but when the nerve pain in my hand was so bad that I would genuinely have cut it off myself if I had access to a saw, acupuncture gave me more pain relief than tramadol. No idea about anything else, but it worked then

I have seen acupuncture work very efectively on dogs so no placebo there.

I've had a lot of acupuncture for various ailments, most recently for MAV (migraine associated vertigo). I'm not sure if it's helping with the migraines, but I'm finding the experience painful with my current practitioner. She insists that I must feel a little electric shock type pain when she manipulates the needles. Sometimes the pain, tho transient, is v painful. Has anyone else experienced this level of discomfort? I'm starting to dread my sessions as it's like an hour of torture!

There is though Beta - simply the act of interacting with the animal to treat it may have a beneficial effect, releasing endorphins and causing relaxation. It nay be less strong than we perceive the placebo effect to be in humans but it is definitely still there.

Find another one, HotCup. I did feel that way with my first practitioner; sadly it put me off for years. Then I found someone who didn't hurt me. Don't put up with it.

Had it pre first dd to bring on labour and relax me.
Ten days later I was induced and a day and night later she was born.
Had it for SPD and I was still unbale to move.
I did like it though esp the ones in my head was sort of tingley and nice.

Thanks Dazzle. I will find somebody else. I shouldn't have to dread it every time.

mummytowillow as I said upthread, my friend in the States pretty much works full time on couples going through IVF and its all funded by the insurance companies as it does make a demonstrable difference to success rates. She was completely that it wasn't more common over here. Really glad it worked for you .

I do think there's a lot of 'alternative' practitioners around who have done a short course and if anyone is thinking of trying it, make sure you go to the right person - not just a massuse who's done a weekend course. My friend trained for 7 yrs and 1.5 of those were spent in China.

Actually there is evidence it works. And a little bit of acupuncture trivia for you: All danish midwives are trained in it.

HotCup there might be some discomfort but it should not be painful, but I always found if it was on my hand between my thumb and finger it was uncomfortable, I second finding some one else if possible.
OP Give it time it does take a day or two to find relief esp if you have also had manipulation as well. I speak as some one who could not get out of bed, had a bleeding ulcer from pain relief [am allergic to codeine and paracetamol wreaked my stomach] I now run marathons really slowly

We are forgetting that acupuncture was in use long before modern medicine,

As a medical proffesional I am number one sceptic with most "alternative" medicine but I have to put my hand up to totally believing in acupuncture.

Had it for getting hormones back in balance post MC and was preg within 2 months of MC. Had heavy bleeding-threatened MC with subsequent pregnancy and went back to see my acupuncturist (who was also a midwife) Result - successful birth of DD! Okay I will admit there is no definitive proof that this was down to acupuncture, the outcome could have been a successful pregnancy without it.

However 3 years down the line I had something called an annular tear - a tear in my cervical spinal disc (mainly from carrying DD too much on my left hip!) I suffered from awful neuropathic pain, couldn't sleep, strong morphine painkillers just about took the edge off, it was agony. I went back to my acupuncturist and got off the couch at the end of session 1 like a completely new women. I kid you not I practically skipped off that damn couch!3 sessions down the line and pain was gone, back to normal after 4 months of agony. So for me YABU - I really believe in acupuncture.

A few years ago there was a program about alternative therapies - homeopathy, acupuncture and something else I can't remember.

Everything was scientifically hypothesised and controlled experiments were carried out. Homeopathy was shown to be no more effective than a placebo, the other thing (could have been Chinese herbal medicine) was slightly successful, but warned against due to contraindications when combined with certain modern drugs.
Acupuncture completely surprised her by being really quite successful.

The effects of acupuncture were shown by giving a patient acupuncture whilst having an MRI scan, which was specifically looking at pain receptors. The practitioner placed a needle on a non meridian site, did all the twiddly stuff, no affect on the pain receptors. The practitioner then placed a needle in the right place, twiddled, and the pain receptors showed a significant reduction in pain being felt by the patient. Was very interesting :)

placebo effect has been shown to work in dogs actually. I have NO IDEA how tht would work.

How the placebo effect works on animals

Talks about homeopathy but the effect is the same.

The Chinese have been at it for thousands of years, so it's not some sort of woo, new-age thing. I've dabbled in Traditional Chinese Medicine since moving to Shanghai, and a lot of it has proven effective.

In TCM, the body is treated as a whole unit in which all parts are connected. Healing an illness or ailment involves treating the problem at its root.

Every time I start to get a cold, I go for "cupping" (where they apply glass vacuum cups to your back) and lo and behold, I'm cold-free the next day.

Whether it works or not probably depends on who is administering it. I'm skeptical that every practitioner in the UK has a sound background in TCM taught in China by masters...

my considered opinion is that it (probably) belongs in the same pile as homeopathy.
I think that it wors only via the placebo effect, the placebo effect is rather more powerful than is commonly believed