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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2003 >> ACUPUNCTURE
        
(Message started by: MCK on Jun 2^nd, 2003, 11:22am)

Title: ACUPUNCTURE
Post by MCK on Jun 2^nd, 2003, 11:22am

I did not receive good feed back when I first asked about acupuncture. At that time I was going for my 2nd appointment. So I guess I will just state what the treatments have done for me. The morning of my 1st appt the neurologist had just prescribed prednisone for 21 days,starting with 6 pills, and to double the verapamil I was taking (from 240 to 480). I was adveraging 4/5 headaches a day, between 8-10 on the kip scale. My headaches started last July and have never let up. Since I was starting acupuncture that day I decided not to go with the new drugs.
The acupuncture treatments are for once a week for 7 weeks.
Week one: Not much change in headaches, except I did go one night without pain.
Week two: No headaches at night. Still had 2-3 during the day but pain scale dropped to
6/7
Week three: Still no headaches during the night. Had one maybe two headaches during the day but pain scale was 5/6. Went one day pain free.
Also stopped taking verapamil (240 mg)
Week four: No headaches during the night. Went 2 days with no headaches. Other days mostly one sometines 2 headaches. Duration of headaches is only 30 minutes and 4/5 on kip scale.

Tomorrow is my 5th treatment. I'm finally regaining my life back. Just to sleep all night is a miracle. I live in Cleveland, Ohio if anyone is interested in this treatment: Oriental Health Center - 505 Front St - Berea, Ohio - 440-243-0022

Title: Re: ACUPUNCTURE
Post by cathy on Jun 2^nd, 2003, 1:05pm

MCK...Im sorry I hope you don't think Im picking on you...but in your first post you said you were on 360mg Verapamil, 9mg Melatonin, Imitrex shots and O2.....Predinisone will help but only when taking 5/6 pills a day...

You now go on to say that your doctor had just prescribed you Predinisone but as it was your first appointment with the Acupuncturist that you chose not to take the new drug...?? I thought you were already on the Predinisone...anyway my point is that maybe for you the Acupuncture helped...maybe because the drugs were getting into your system they helped...maybe your cycle was going to an end anyhow....maybe we'll never know...

At the end of the day you are beginning to have some PF times and this is great news this is all that matters...and I hope it continues!

I think the only way we can be sure if alternative treatments work is if more people try them preferably completely med free....

I was a Holistic Therapist and used alternative therapies to treat a variety of disorders and IMHO for many of my patients it worked because the believed it would....the mind is a powerful thing....and because they also changed thier lifestyles, diet and there outlook on life which is part and parcel of any holistic therapy.

I do not believe that Acupuncture can help Clusterheadaches but wouldn't it be wonderful if the solution was that simple.

Cathy :)

Title: Re: ACUPUNCTURE
Post by Wendy the Brit on Jun 2^nd, 2003, 2:06pm

MCK

We all need to try things to find what is right for us. I'm sorry if you felt that the response you got wasn't good, but most CH sufferers , many of whom have suffered for many, many years, do not find that alternative therapies have given them any real relief.(see the archives and surveys)

I would only be convinced by acupuncture or any other alternative therapy if it consistently worked. I'm afraid I would tend to agree with Cathy that it may well be that your cycle was tapering anyway. If you try this again and it works quickly, let us know!

Glad you are getting relief from somewhere.

Wendy the Brit

Title: Re: ACUPUNCTURE
Post by BobG on Jun 2^nd, 2003, 3:29pm

I'm one of those that posted my doubts about accupuncture when you first came aboard. I still have my doubts but what-the-hell...........something is working. Why question it.

Maybe the meds, maybe the cycle is finally ending on it's own or maybe the needles.

What ever, congratulations on getting the pain under control.

Title: Re: ACUPUNCTURE
Post by MCK on Jun 2^nd, 2003, 9:31pm

Thanks everyone for your replies. Cathy, to answer your questions. In checking back I did state that I was on 360 mg verapamil. I forgot that I did start to double my dose, but only at night. When I took 2 pills it knocked me out. I stopped taking the increase does after the first week. I had been on prednisone 3 other times. The last prescription ended 4/1/03. I have also tried neurontin, steroid shots, imitrex, melatonin and h2o. None of these helped much only the prednisone and that only when taking 6/5 pills a day. I have not suffered for years. My headaches started last July. I have thought that this could just be the end of my cycle. I will continue to track my progress and post again if I have any news. Again thanks everyone for your replies. This web site helps me greatly.

Title: Re: ACUPUNCTURE
Post by dellp on Jun 3^rd, 2003, 10:08am

Thanks for posting this. I posted about my experience without a reply and very few even read it. Have you?

Acupuncture has been saving my ass for almost 25 years.

I am VERY interested to find out where your provider graduated from and the technique he/she uses. Would like to get this information from everyone who has tried it both successfully and not.

My guy would have me in twice a week for a couple weeks, once/wk for a few and then seasonally. Went as long as 7 years without a hit. :) :D ;D

Congradulations and I hope it works as well for you.

Dell

Title: Re: ACUPUNCTURE
Post by brain_cramps on Jun 3^rd, 2003, 11:33am

MCK - Really glad to hear you're getting some relief.

As we all know, people react differently to different treatments for CH.

About 10 yrs ago, I tried acupuncture and got relief for about a week, but nothing after that. I had really hoped that it would be the 'magic pill' for me. Glad its working for you.

If it works, don't fix it (or change anything.) :D

PFDAN,
grant 8)

Title: ,Re: ACUPUNCTURE
Post by BlackDog on Jun 12^th, 2003, 5:06pm

MCK

Title: Re: ACUPUNCTURE
Post by BlackDog on Jun 12^th, 2003, 5:15pm

MCK,

Sorry 'bout the double post thing.... The beast is not far away and concentration is tough.

After my MD's gave up on me last year (thought I was having migrane) I sought out acupunture. Not like me at all to do so, but I NEEDED relief. Several weeks later, my back felt GREAT ;D, but the MF'n HA's kept comin. Acupunture did nothing for me. I was a skeptic to begin with, but was open minded to anything that could stop the GDMF'n pain! The only meds I was on then were for BP, etc...

This was all before I even knew what a CH was or all the assoicated treatments.

I'll be interested to know how it works for you. I have a friend who swears by her acupunture-ist?!

Good luck to you.
Darren

Title: Re: ACUPUNCTURE
Post by ijunG4 on Jun 17^th, 2003, 10:49am

I'll add my 2 cents here.

Being from Japan, where both Western and Chinese medicine are used and accepted, it seems acupuncture doesn't get the respect that it deserves in the States. People seem to be very skeptical, but I imagine that it stems from unfamiliarity. It's been around from anywhere between 2,000 to 8,000 years, so it's a proven method, in general.

Whether or not it works for CH is a different matter. Testimonials on this board seem to indicate that it at least has very promising potential.

People who have tried acupuncture without success need to keep in mind that not all acupuncturists are the same, just like not all GPs and neuros have the same knowledge about CH.

First of all, acupuncture depends heavily on the correct knowledge of which "points" to use for a particular ailment. If the acupuncturist has the wrong knowledge or assumptions about treating CH, this will not work.

Second of all, even if the correct points are known to the acupuncturist, it does not mean that the needles will be successfully applied to the exact location needed. It's not like these points are marked with a big "X" on our bodies, and the points will vary from individual to individual. So the execution of the knowledge is important also.

To dispel another mystery about acupuncture, the needles do not hurt. The great thing about acupuncture is that if it does not work, there is no harm done.

If you try acupuncture and it does not work the first time, don't write off acupuncture itself; perhaps let the acupuncturist know, or try a different acupuncturist.

Having said all this, I haven't tried acupuncture myself yet. I will be seriously looking into finding someone, though, since seven years of being pain-free would be a dream!