Acupuncture and herbs for autoimmune disorders

[CuriouMum]

Hello, I would like to spread some awareness about this subject as there are so many posts around autoimmune diseases (psoriasis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis and more). There is a sense of despair in many of these - people suffering for years with apparently no solutions being offered to them, some having concerns about medication they are given and some even asking for magical cures.
So I thought it is worth knowing that acupuncture and herbs offer a reliable solution for this problem. There is nothing magical about it by the way - the treatment simply stops one's immune system from overreacting and attacking its own body cells. In this way it stops the symptoms from appearing.
It's simple, natural, safe for anyone, including children, pregnant women and the elderly.
It does however require a high level of skill, so the best results (as with anything else in life) are delivered by highly qualified and experienced TCM practitioners. So make sure you find the right practitioner as the skill levels vary greatly. Generally the ones trained in China (i.e. those who have Traditional Chinese Medicine degree from a Chinese medical university) being the best.
I hope this will help you and your families.

[RingBinderInjury]

Hmmmm

So, of the three “examples of literature available on the subject” that you have provided for us OP…

The first is published by the Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute (no bias there then) and the standard of written English is so poor I gave up a few paragraphs in.

The second was published in 1992 in that well respected medical journal ‘Problems in Veterinary Medicine’.

The third is a magazine article from Harvard University (note, not the medical school, and not a peer reviewed journal) with some details about studies of acupuncture in mice.

I’m not going to waste any more of my time doing further research into acupuncture because you know what, people with far more extensive knowledge of autoimmune disease have done it for me, and their findings are reflected in Cochrane systematic reviews and NICE guidelines. If I want to locate research regarding the evidence-based management of these diseases I’ll look there, not some anonymous random snake-oil peddler on mumsnet.

[CuriouMum]

Hi YourLittleSecret, I respect your views and that's perfectly fine, it's great that you are happy with the care you're getting. I'm not trying to sell you anything either.
As for me, personally, I cannot unfortunately say the same about every medical practitioner I've met although I wish I could. Besides, I also like to have some choices and be treated like an intelligent adult capable of making my own choices. I hope that would be fine too.

[Octopuscrazy]

This is dangerous and irresponsible to say the least.

I have a cancer patient who opted against conventional proven chemo and radiotherapy with a chance of cure. She was given "oxygen therapy" by an alternative medicine practitioner.

Without understanding the underlying science, the likelihood is that this has fed the cancer cells and caused it to grow. She now has terminal cancer at under 30y of age. Really sad.

There is possibly a role for "alternative medicine" but any "alternative" plant based medicine should be proven in peer review journals.

In fact alot of common medicine did start from alternative such as aspirin or docetaxel but without the science it is irresponsible to promote these things.

[CherryRipe1]

Thank you for your lengthy and considered reply OP. I will pm you.

[MagpiePi]

@CuriouMum

And besides all that, what about the very real risk of not getting the help you need because the health services are overwhelmed, there are long waiting lists and so on? Is it better to just wait until things get much worse and it is too late, or does it make more sense to seek some help where you can actually get it?
I'm obviously not there to tell you what answer is right...

YOU were the one that said 'It is safe for everyone...' you can't now caveat that and say, 'well, obviously, I don't mean everyone, and nothing is without risk.'

When you dye your hair at home or at the hairdressers you are told that there is a risk of allergic reaction and you do a test beforehand. When you take paracetomol there is information detailing the risks and possible negative side effects.

And how is persuading people to pay for treatment that is not proven to work, an alternative to the NHS? @Octopuscrazy has seen first hand the danger of this.

[CuriouMum]

Hi All, I was going to leave this chat, but I feel compelled to add just one more thing as it seems that the debate has gone somewhat wild and my words are heavily misinterpreted. I am not selling anything, I am not persuading anyone to abandon their NHS treatment and I am not trying to influence anyone's choices. I also respect the audience of this forum and I don't think anyone would just blindly rely on a Mumsnet chat to make their health choices without making sure they are fully informed.
It's your life, your body and it is entirely up to you what you want to do. I have personally benefited a lot from various TCM treatments (delivered by first class professionals that is) and I know of many others who have too. So I just wanted to spread the word about it. If some find it useful, they can make their investigations and decisions for themselves. If you feel it is not for you, well, don't do it, no one says you have to.

[CuriousMama]

GP surgeries have offered acupuncture for years haven't they? Not all granted.

I've just had my second treatment and it's amazing. She's very well qualified.

[CuriousMama]

There you go. What a load of quacks 😉

[Swivellingbrat]

I’m rather late to this thread. I would however say that my auto immune disease - Adult Onset Stills Disease - went into remission after acupuncture. The treatment also involved tweaks to diet and Chinese herbal medicine.

At the point I had the treatment, I was about 5 years in, had had all the tests ruling out tumours etc and was pretty desperate.

You can think what you want, quackery or whatever, I am certain it cured me and it is worth a try.

[CuriousMama]

@Swivellingbrat that's brilliant. I've had my 3rd acupuncture treatment and there's definitely improvement. Did your practitioner take your pulse and look at your tongue?