Acupuncture for back pain Need Advice

September 19, 2017, 07:45 PM

quote:
Originally posted by StorminNormin:
My mom and wife have raved about relief they have gotten from acupuncture. I have been having back pain in my upper back for almost a year and do not yet know what is causing it. I tried acupuncture with a well known Chinese doctor every week for several months and it did not help at all. Next I am going to try a chiropractor and if that doesn't help then I will get X-ray and MRI to try and figure out what is going on.

Just because acupuncture didn't work for me doesn't make me feel it doesn't work for people. It has been around for a long time and I think it just depends on the person and what is causing their problem.

Definitely agree with parallel, get the x-ray/MRI first. Also, I'm not particularly a fan of the mainland Chinese method of diagnosis and treatment for pain (either acute or chronic). They use a system that's geared primarily towards herbs/herbal medicine and, in my experience, it's kind of hit and miss when it comes to musculoskeletal issues.

I'd suggest you try to find someone who practices Tung/Tan acupuncture. This system comes from Taiwan
(was brought there from China during the cultural revolution when the Chinese communists were weeding out the intelligentsia) and works extremely well for joint and pain issues.

September 19, 2017, 11:20 PM

I have no experience with acupuncture myself, but I have read that old World Health Organization report. Surprisingly to me, there is evidence that acupuncture can relieve pain caused by a wide array of maladies. The WHO's report is available as a PDF, but I find Google Books easier to navigate - https://books.google.com/books...0acupuncture&f=false

After reading the report, my conclusion was that acupuncture is that worth pursuing, but you need to avoid "sham acupuncture".

September 20, 2017, 08:28 AM

JeffR

There are quite a few studies that show acupuncture's effectiveness across a fairly wide array of health issues. If you're interested in anything more recent, check out PubMed (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/).

When it comes to pain/pain management, more folks are starting to get interested in acupuncture, particularly given the recent negative press around opiates. The American College of Physicians is now recommending acupuncture along with chiropractic, massage, behavioral therapy and a handful of other treatments as first line for both acute and chronic back pain.

Sham acupuncture can be difficult to define and hard for the average person to detect. Most states license acupuncturists and we do have national board certification through NCCAOM. From a patient/consumer perspective you should look for both credentials (usually L.Ac. from the state and either Dipl OM or Dipl AC from NCCAOM). Even with that, as a profession we tend to run the gamut from 'dirty hippy' to 'silk pajamas'. If you're lucky enough to have an oriental medicine school nearby, I'd suggest you start with their student clinic. You'll get a chance to try out several different practitioners, at fairly low cost, and might be able to stay with them once they graduate.

September 20, 2017, 01:19 PM

ZSMICHAEL

Thanks for all of the help. I appreciate everyone taking the time to respond.

September 20, 2017, 02:45 PM

SBrooks

quote:
Originally posted by JeffR:
There are quite a few studies that show acupuncture's effectiveness across a fairly wide array of health issues. If you're interested in anything more recent, check out PubMed (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/).

When it comes to pain/pain management, more folks are starting to get interested in acupuncture, particularly given the recent negative press around opiates. The American College of Physicians is now recommending acupuncture along with chiropractic, massage, behavioral therapy and a handful of other treatments as first line for both acute and chronic back pain.

Sham acupuncture can be difficult to define and hard for the average person to detect. Most states license acupuncturists and we do have national board certification through NCCAOM. From a patient/consumer perspective you should look for both credentials (usually L.Ac. from the state and either Dipl OM or Dipl AC from NCCAOM). Even with that, as a profession we tend to run the gamut from 'dirty hippy' to 'silk pajamas'. If you're lucky enough to have an oriental medicine school nearby, I'd suggest you start with their student clinic. You'll get a chance to try out several different practitioners, at fairly low cost, and might be able to stay with them once they graduate.

You didn't put an email address in your public profile. I had some questions, but no need to clog up this man's thread with them...