OT - LASIK Followup: Acupuncture?!

[Botch.]

I had the LASIK procedure done a little over a year ago, was mostly successful but I've had rather dry eyes ever since. Had a checkup yesterday and the Doc recommended an acupuncture treatment that supposedly releaves dry eyes, they had an opening this afternoon, and I just had it done.

The doc had a couple "observers" in the room with us, gee ain't it fun to be the life of a party. He stuck two needles in each foot, two in each knee, one in my side, and one into each cheekbone (those HURT) and one into the outside corner of each eye. He then hooked up electrodes to each, and turned up the juice on each until I felt a "tapping". I asked if that was relatively recent, as the ancient Chinese didn't have electricity, guess they used to just twirl the needles between the thumb and finger before that. Then he turned out the lights and they all left the room, and I laid there tapping for fifteen minutes, then it was over. He was explaining to the observers what he was doing, supposedly he was connecting to both the liver and the gall bladder "buss", which affect eye dryness (???). I got a pretty good headache during the fifteen minutes, although I think it was just the needles in my cheekbones, it started fading as soon as they took those needles out. He said I should know if it worked within 24 hours, we'll see. Looks like I'm going to have a pretty good "black eye" for awhile too. The entire procedure was $80, what surprised me was learning that Blue Cross/Blue Shield will cover it, if I meet my $250 deductible this year (which I probably won't). Anyone else have acupuncture before, how'd it work out for you?

[ITGITC]

I use a little Visine every once in a while. Does that count, Botch?

 

In anticipation of your response, I'll go ahead and apologize.

 

Tom

[offramp]

I would imagine you could have gotten a similar response if you'd been Rolfed; probably would have been a lot less painful.

[Botch.]

Originally posted by Is There Gas in the Car?:

I use a little Visine every once in a while. Does that count, Botch?

Well, yeah, I did that too, but people kept cutting me off on the Interstate when I was trying to get the drops in, thought I'd try it this way.

[KenElevenShadows]

I've had acupuncture for my back before, and it was generally quite effective as a treatment. Acupuncture obviously treats a very wide variety of maladies. And yes, electrical stimulus in conjunction with acupuncture is extremely common both here, other places, and of course in China.

[Duddits]

In a flight of frenzy, I tried a little accupuncture way back for a little somethin somethin. I went to the best guy I could find in these whole united states (he was the president of the American Association of Chinese Medicine, Director of the China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing, accupuncture consultant to the NIH, one of 5 members on the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine, advisor to World Health Org, etc. etc. etc.)

 

So here is this esteemed, celebrated accupuncture guru. In go the needles, out go the lights.

 

30 minutes later, he comes back with his lovely assistant.

 

"Do you feel tingling?"

 

"No," I say.

 

He twirls one of the needles. It hurts.

 

"Do you feel tingling now?" He repeats.

 

"It hurts, but I really don't feel tingling. Sorry"

 

He twirls some more. Now it really hurts.

 

"Do you feel tingling now?" He asks.

 

"No?"

 

He twirls. It hurts alot.

 

"Yes. I feel it tingling. I feel the tingling. Yes. Tingling." (Anything to make him stop).

 

"Good." He replied. "That's the ENERGY that you feel, the electricity, the Qi."

 

Of course, I didn't feel any tingling whatsoever, but I was afraid that if I didn't say I felt the tingling, he'd continue to torture me.

 

I don't think I'd make a very good hostage.

 

But during the nap period before the torture phase, it was relaxing, mainly because I was literally pinned down, afraid to move, and forced to meditate, which is relaxing. I worked on a piece I was writing in my head.

 

I'm sure there's something to all of this because it's 2000 years old, but I'm just not convinced there's a bus from my ear to my liver.

 

By the way, Botch, I emailed you an answer to a question you asked two months ago. The answer boiled down to "yes and no"

 

[LiveMusic]

I had it several times for shoulder pain and it never hurt. In fact, I liked it a lot.

[KenElevenShadows]

For clarification: There is not *literally* a buss from your ear to your liver in the sense that there's some sort of direct connection. There are corresponding points of energy that can affect your liver that may be located in the ear, but that's hardly the same thing. That would probably be a better way of explaining it.

 

I had acupuncture, as mentioned above. It was for lower back pain. I had points put in the backs of my knees, which correspond to pain points, I believe it was. I *did* feel some tingling. I think it was more of a sudden jolt or shot than tingling, and then it would go away. I can't say it was painful, but it wasn't exactly pleasant, either. This was apparently when it was hitting a tight or pinched nerve.

 

Most of the time, I found the experience to be quite relaxing and actually fell asleep fairly often after the novelty of having acupuncture wore off for me.

 

Acupuncture doesn't work for everyone, and it doesn't work all the time. But then, what medical treatment does? I found it to be quite effective for treating lower back pain. The doctor recommended doing exercises, such as yoga (which I do every morning still for my lower back) and to exercise, eat good food, etc. She also prescribed some herbal pills.

 

I asked how some of the needles in my back worked, especially when they were being electrically stimulated. She said that this restored energy, largely in part by bringing much-needed blood flow back into the lower back. She said, "feel your back right now where it hurts. You'll notice that it's COLD. This is because your back muscles are clenched up like a fist and they are not allowing proper blood flow, which brings energy and rejuvenation in. What acupuncture does is bring blood flow back. This can be done through needles, through massage, through exercise, through stretching - the more you do, the more effective it is. Acupuncture can heal parts that sometimes you can't get to, but you really should do as much as you can to heal yourself." She used acupuncture needles, heat, moxibustion, and more to try and restore blood flow to the lower back.

 

As with any sort of medical treatment, the Chinese use acupuncture as *part* of a battery of treatments. The idea, of course, is that you are using your body to speed up its healing process and restore proper energy flow to the afflicted area.

 

I hope this explains a little bit about what acupuncture does.

[Dasher]

I have severe neuropathy in my hands and legs from feet to hips - as a pianist, it's really straqnge playing without proper;ly feeling the connection tio the keys.

 

Went to an acupuncturist and while the 'setup' was not totally painless, the majority of the treatment is comfortable. I have received some relief from the neuropathy (not that much so far, but MUCH more than I got from either of my neuro groups-one in Monterey and UCSF, one of the best in the world.)

 

I recommend it, but as with all things, there is a difference in quality. What you DON't want is an in-acupucturist!

 

Dasher

[KenElevenShadows]

The difference between a good acupuncturist and a hack acupuncturist is not subtle. I think a lot of people get put off from the whole practice by hacks. It's a lot like any other medical practice - if you go to some cookie-cutter doctor at an HMO, you're sure not gonna get good medical attention either. "Here, take these pills - uh, what was your name again? - and then stand in line for three hours again to see me in three weeks."

[Hendmik]

I'm having it done right now for migraines. It's helped a bit, I guess, although I'm refraining from judgement until my final two sessions are over. The other posters are right in that it hurts like hell. I'm usually pretty sore the day after a treatment. But my headaches behave a bit differently now, which I'm hoping is a good sign.

[offramp]

Hendmik, check your PM's...