Has anyone (successfully) used complimentary therapies for chronic health conditions?

[Septemberintherain]

Things like acupuncture, reflexology, massage therapy, chiropractic therapies etc?
I have poor mental health and long term/chronic digestive issues (all connected, I know) and now in perimenopause (although trying to get a GP to acknowledge that is a bloody nightmare).
Nothing I have tried conventionally is helping (antidepressants, counselling and lots of CBT therapy, HRT etc, so I thought I would try something else?) Not sure what but getting a bit desperate and am thinking of turning to alternative/complimentary therapies.
Has anyone had success with such therapies?

Hypnotherapy
acupuncture
Reflexology
meditation -I still do daily in hope.
Yoga-I still do 3x a week in hope.

I’m still a wreck, despite maximum dose of medication too.

Hypnotherapy, reflexology & acupuncture all felt good at the time I was there but once the session was over it was gone and no long term effects apart from the depletion of my savings.

I really feel you LifeOfAnxiety. I keep trying so many things, nothing sticks. I’m a wreck too.
I am getting desperate.

If I could afford it I would personally use a combination of alternative therapies. And I think a bit part of it is down to being out of your fight/flight response.

I know someone who cured their chronic fatigue through sound healing.

I see an osteopath every two weeks. I have an awful back and joint issues which she keeps on top of but she does help with other issues and I feel significantly healthier when I see her regularly. The main things she helps with other than back and joints is my IBS and she has massively reduced the pain I get in my lower abdomen (that specialists have just said I've got to learn to live with).

What @LifeOfAnxiety said. Ditto

This I am interested in MithrilCostsMore. I have had lower back, pelvic and hip issues for years (was born with hip dysplasia). I have had IBS for 25 years which has been out of control for the last few years.
Maybe I should try giving osteopathy a go?

I was starting to feel a total mess and then I discovered bimuno. It's a prebiotic. I also take a probiotic. Since taking them my digestive issues are much better and I've hardly been ill despite my kids catching and bringing home very bug going. I tried Sertraline again for my anxiety and PND. I couldn't tolerate it the first time I tried it, it made me so ill, now I think it's the best thing ever. I put all of these improvements down to sorting out my gut. I was probably not in as bad a place as you but maybe focus on your gut first, more than half of your immune system is in your gut, it's so important.

I am an acupuncturist and help a lot of people with chronic conditions. I’m not going to lie, acupuncture is not going to cure cancer, but it has proven effects for pain relief, digestive disorders and a whole set of health issues. For chronic stuff, it works best combined with Chinese herbal medicine. I recommend looking for British Acupuncture Council members in your area.

@HouseFullOfChaos thats interesting. Do you mind if I ask how soon you noticed an improvement with the bimuno?

I have found that daily meditation and breathing exercises definitely make a big difference. I have a long term health condition that causes chronic pain.

I tried acupuncture a few years ago and found it good for relaxation/dealing with stress too but it is quite expensive so not something I would do regularly.

Not sure if it counts as a complimentary therapy but I saw a herbalist for some of the issues you mention and I did see an improvement.

I've been taking Bimuno daily for probably almost 2 years now so my memory is a bit fuzzy about the specifics. I think it was very gradual but it's the one supplement I've stuck with and don't think I'll ever want to give up. It wasn't like taking pain killers for a headache where you expect to feel better half an hour later. It was just a slow realisation that actually I felt generally better and was no longer fixating on multiple health worries because they'd kind of faded away. I'm not saying it's a miracle cure for all ailments but for me, sorting out my tummy has improved my life significantly.

My Auntie was a medical herbalist and helped many people. You will find that people like this will treat you holistically and will have other stuff to treat you aswell.

nimh.org.uk/

I've worked in this field for a good few years.

Osteopathy is a really good starting point for any one. You'd be surprised how many misaligned people are walking around with awful pain.

Acupuncture is okay I find it relaxing and re balancing.

Your gut health is so important! So try to improve it as much as you can. Take very good probiotics bio care is fantastic supplement co that has been around for years.

Pilates is a brilliant exercise for all round fitness.

I wouldn't touch:
Reiki or
Healers

I was recommanded by my GP to see a magnétiseur when I had shingles in my eye. It worked, and I went again for tendinitis and bursitis. Bit weird, hovering their hands over the sore bit and their hands becoming red hot and them having to run them under cold water. Almost mainstream, and is often linked to clairvoyance.
I live in very rural France.

What makes you think peri?

Do you take anything prescribed medically for any of your conditions?

HouseFullOfChaos I have tried Bimini and several other pre and probiotics buts sadly I react badly to them and they have made my gut issues worse. I’ve had IBS for 25 years and have tried absolutely everything but nothing I’ve tried helps long term, so frustrating.
NeedleWielder thank you, I will check that out. I am very interested in acupuncture.
Flowerytray that’s exactly what I am looking for. I believe all my issues are connected. Conventional medicine just wants to treat my symptoms but I never get long term relief or get to the root cause of my issues that way.
onmywayamarillo I am sure I am misaligned! I was born with double hip dysplasia and have never felt quite right but can’t put my finger on exactly what it is.
newtb I’ve not heard of that one. Off to look it up!
Razu45 I can literally tick off most of peri symptoms. I am nearly 50 and have had symptoms of Perimenopause since the age of around 45 but because my periods are regular, gp dismisses all the other symptoms and says I am not quite there yet! I take Imodium when needed and peppermint oil capsules. No other IBS meds have helped. I’ve tried various antidepressants and they’ve made me so much worse.

The only thing that works for my husband's tendon condition is acupuncture

my dad has a whole range of chronic conditions, including mental health and digestive. My mum has a mental health condition, is in breast cancer remission (is that how you would describe that), is now going through menopause and some others. My dc1 has anxiety, terrible eczema and skin. DC3 has terrible eczema, allergies and a heart conditions. DH was, in the last year, diagnosed with a range of chronic issues.

All of them use homeopathy and all of them have had their symptoms either stopped or reduced.

The most interesting one was my mother who had breast cancer for the second time and was told it would be a huge job to get her better with double mastectomy, chemo, radiotherapy etc. she began a course of homeopathic remedies and it basically changed her diagnosis.