Acupuncture and PMR
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hi Everybody, I posted some weeks ago to know if anyone had any experience of Acupuncture helping PMR. I seemed to have been told by so many people \"Oh you must try acupuncture\", so I did and have been 4 times now. So for anyone thinking about it here are a few do's and don'ts.
Make sure you go to someone reputable, the British Acupuncture Council seems to be the major British supervisory body.
Be clear what you want. I tried an alternative health clinic first.When I phoned asking whether acupuncture helped PMR, the receptionist said that I would be offered a free 15 minute appt. with the Clinic's Director. Nice women, but she then said I should first try \"bio-energy healing\", later maybe acupuncture. It's very hard to get yourself out of these situations! So I paid her £50 to have her wave her arms about (no actual physical contact). I later realised that she was a business woman who basically let rooms in her premises to other therapists and it was actually in her interests to see patients herself. Also I felt very wary about seeing anyone who might steer me towards Chinese medicine as there had been some pretty adverse criticism in the press about this. Do realise that it is quite hard to resist when someone tells you that you need something!
So I found someone I was happy with, working in the local physiotherapy clinic. Very gentle, not pushy. We would see how I felt after 3 or 4 sessions. I had had PMR for sometime and it was systemic so not likely to have an instantaneous healing. I said I wanted it to help with the side effects of steroids, and reducing the dosage, and maybe any particular pain. The last it very clearly has helped. When I have been with specific pain, one week with knees, another with neck and shoulder, it did help. Otherwise it was rather non-specific. I tended to feel better in myself in a rather vague way. Perhaps it was the attention! But one week I was going on to lunch, looking round a cathedral, and also viewing a large exhibition of about 50 paintings. This last I was dreading - the walking round slowly and standing are almost my worst activities! But I felt fine! Anyway, it is now left that I might like to go back monthly or for any specific pain. I certainly didn't feel he was after my money! I did go trying to feel open minded about it. If anyone wants to know anymore just ask.
Have a good day everybody. Green granny
1 like, 6 replies
EileenH
Posted
You might be interested to know that my husband has been invited to a seminar/workshop in South Korea in September (hence my visit then!) with a scientific group who believe they have found a third circulation, i.e. in addition to blood and lymph, which responds to acupuncture and want his advice on further measurements to confirm it. He is very down to earth about alternative medicine so I am very much looking forward to what we find out then as the proceedings are to be published as part of a reputable series and I will be involved in that work.
Often it is possible to be referred for acupuncture by your GP as many physio departments have trained practitioners. It doesn't hurt to ask.
And about your \"bio-energy healer\": a psychiatrist who blogs was rather disgusted by an article he'd found where someone in the States was referred to a psychiatrist (she had quite serious mental issues) and had her first assessment by the office's energy healer! To make it worse, she was later assured she wouldn't need ever to see this person again - so the most important part of developing a relationship with a psychiatrist, the pouring out of your unbared soul, had been done to someone not qualified in the field who would not be there to interpret their comments at a later stage!! I echo MrsK's comment on her post elsewhere \"I don't believe it!\" Whatever the state of the NHS we haven't got there yet.
So glad you're feeling better though - and how funny, it's walking slowly and standing that I find worst. Not that walking quickly is an option!
EileenH
Mrs_G
Posted
I was interested in your acupuncture report as it is something I intend to try at a later date I did start reading about the adrenal glands a while ago ( when I was on a lower dosesage !!) as it said accupuncture could kick start the adrenal glands Now I am on a higher doseage again I have left it alone
I do intend to try it at a later date but I will discuss it with my Doctor first
Have been doing quite a bit in my field this weekend Cleaning the stables and yard ( now spring seems to be here to stay) I am very happy with a hose and lots of disinfectant !! So I am hoping I havent done too much
Off to lunch with friends now so at least I will be sitting resting then Enjoy the spring sunshine !!
Love Mrs G
MrsO-UK_Surrey
Posted
I'm so pleased that you appear to have discovered some pain relief by way of Acupuncture. In fact, just a few days ago I was talking to a lovely lady (MsK) I met up in London following the Charity launch, and she mentioned that she, too, is finding relief from this treatment. I have often wondered about it and did mention it to my rheumatologist at the outset of my treatment but he was quite negative about it. However, you and Mrs G have today re-aroused my interest, particularly Mrs G mentioning that she had heard it could kick-start the adrenals and as I'm struggling on 2mgs I might raise this with my GP and see what reaction I get from him.
When you referred to the problems you encounter with slow walking and standing, I do so know what you mean and if that problem didn't appear following your last Acupuncture session, then that sounds very encouraging indeed.
Glorious sunshine here today again and do hope it's the same for everyone and that you're having a comfortable and happy weekend.
MrsO
diane67131 Green_Granny
Posted
I've had pmr for almost 3 years now, previously 100 percent healthy, so I was devastated by this. I have tried everything under the sun and nothing worked until I tried accupuncture. It definitely works for me. I see a huge difference in my pain level. It's crucial to find the right one though. I've tried two others. The needles were painful and I didn't see any change, maybe more energy but still in pain. The woman I have found now is great. She combines the treatment with Chinese Herbs. I also take 4 Zyflammend tablets a day. I tried Zyflammend in the past with not much of a difference but doubled the dose on recommendation of the woman at the health food store.
I can't have the accupuncture treatments often because of the expense, but when I go I feel much better. This Monday I limped into the office, could barely get up on the table, and hours later I was already better. She told me that if I went twice a week for three or four weeks, I could turn this thing around. I tend to believe her. Unfortunately, I don't have the money for that but I do have sustained relief after treatments which has helped me lower my prednisone intake.
I was having trouble weaning off prednisone, stuck at 4 mgs. At my rheumatologist visit a couple of months ago, she asked if I was ready to go down a mg and I said no. I was in too much pain already. She's been urging me to take Plaquenil but I don't want to add one more toxic drug to my system so I refused, to her displeasure I might add. That day I went directly from her office to the accupuncturist and two hours later I was seeing a huge improvement. I probably went from a pain level of 8 to 4 that day. After feeling good for a few days, I dropped down on the meds and did fine.
I'm currently down to 2.5mg. What also seems to work for me is decreasing the dosage by half a mg. instead of a whole mg. It's a more gradual taper. When I was first diagnosed, the dr had me on a fast taper. I ended up starting on 15 all over again three months later. A friend told me that her father was a pharmacist and recommended a half mg taper to get off a drug like this so I tried it and it seems to be working. Maybe the body is less affected and doesn't notice that sneaky little change.
So in a nutshell, a gradual taper, good accupuncturist and supplements has worked for me in this long struggle. If you try a practicioner and see no results, try another one. Best of luck.
EileenH diane67131
Posted
However - I'm so glad you found your own way to a SLOW taper! We preach this story on a regular basis: no reduction should be more than 10% of your current dose and when cutting your tablet is either not allowed (enteric coated) or enough (below 5mg daily dose) then spreading the reduction over a few weeks also works well - it's posted all over the place here!
The original dose of pred didn't cure - you are looking for the lowest dose that controls the symptoms until the cause goes into remission so it isn't necessarily a case of reducing to zero and that is also why your original fast taper didn't work. It usually takes at least a couple of years and often much longer - but I suspect getting the very slow taper right from the outset would almost certainly make a major difference. It avoids the problem of steroid withdrawal which mimics PMR pain - how do you know which is which? It is impossible to tell and the knee jerk reaction is to go back to a higher dose of pred - which would work for either scenario.
I have myofascial pain syndrome and the pain specialist who has pretty much sorted it uses the technique of needling and/or cortisone shots into the trigger points. We discussed it at length on one occasion and feel it is likely that some accupuncturists are working on the same trigger points - so both traditional/mainstream medicine and accupuncture are doing something similar.
diane67131 EileenH
Posted
Thank you for that info. I didn't know steroid withdrawal mimicked prm symptoms. You're right. I found out the hard way that a fast taper was not going to work. I wanted to get off the steroids in a hurry and had a lack of understanding in the beginning of how difficult it was going to be to get over this condition. My first rheumatologist was terrible - indifferent and basically gave me a 1-page printout on pmr and giant cell. I'm hoping that with accupuncture I will be able to continue my slow taper and eventually be off the steroids completely and manage whatever pain I have with accupuncture treatments until remission. Hopefully soon. I wish the same for you.