Thanks, Rob, for the info. It’s certainly along the lines of what I was thinking, and I’m feeling like it would be reasonable to try this. I’m reassured by your comment that “the rest got nothing but a bill”. I like the fact that you are realistic: if you said “oh sure bet that an acupuncturist can solve your problem!”, I’d be very very skeptical.
From what you say, ten sessions should be enough to know whether there’s a prospect of getting relief from acupuncture. I’m willing to gamble ten sessions!
Thanks again for your advice. Did you manage to find the “Articles and Research” section of the Discussion part of the hboard?
No problem at all, Seenie - I hope it helps. Between you and me, 5 sessions is enough to know if it will work. If you feel no improvement after 5 sessions I would see a different acupuncturist for another 3 - 5 sessions just to be sure. The truth is everyone has their strong suits, so it's nothing personal against one acupuncturist or another, it's just reality... Just like the fact that nothing ever works all the time. I wish it did!! Better to be honest about it and let you make an informed decision, right?
OK, good luck - I did not get to the article board, I'll do it now, since I'm obviously not working lol.
HA HA HA “Between you and me …” and 1900 other members!
Thanks anyway for the frank advice. I really do appreciate it. I’ll let you know what happens.
This is great information. Thank you so much for sharing it. I have not really looked into acupuncture, mainly because I am stubborn, obstinate, and a card carrying skeptic. However, I am becoming a little softer as time goes on, and have begun to wonder if maybe I could reduce some of my pain medications with acupuncture. I have read more, instead of pooing what I don’t know, and think that I will be finding a practitioner soon, as in after the Holidays.
I am very interested in the “community” options that you am Nym mentioned. Funds are a little tight.
In the New Year, I’m heading for a half dozen test treatments as well. Just have to pick my practitioner, a good project for the holidays.
Welcome to the Dark Side!
Community clinics are probably the way to go - as I said the practitioners have a lot more experience, and also the setup allows them to check on you frequently without bothering you. The only real downside is you don't have a private room so if you have issues about your skin or whatever that could something to think about.
As for... Ahem... "pooing" what you don't know, I really appreciate your changing perspective on this. I am also a card carrying skeptic (in fact I am a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster if there are any other pirates here on the board lol), I only tried it out of desperation.
Good luck! Let me know if you want a referral, or if you aren't sure what questions to ask before your visit, I'm happy to help.
GrumpyCat said:
This is great information. Thank you so much for sharing it. I have not really looked into acupuncture, mainly because I am stubborn, obstinate, and a card carrying skeptic. However, I am becoming a little softer as time goes on, and have begun to wonder if maybe I could reduce some of my pain medications with acupuncture. I have read more, instead of pooing what I don't know, and think that I will be finding a practitioner soon, as in after the Holidays.
I am very interested in the "community" options that you am Nym mentioned. Funds are a little tight.
Happy to hear it, Seenie! I'm sorry I don't know anyone up there in the snowy north. Definitely let em know if I can help in any other way!
Robbie
Seenie said:
In the New Year, I'm heading for a half dozen test treatments as well. Just have to pick my practitioner, a good project for the holidays.
R'Amen,, brother! ;-)
I don't have any real skin issues anymore, and even if I did, I wouldn't worry. I am excited to find a new way to relax my aching body.
robsamben said:
Welcome to the Dark Side!Community clinics are probably the way to go - as I said the practitioners have a lot more experience, and also the setup allows them to check on you frequently without bothering you. The only real downside is you don't have a private room so if you have issues about your skin or whatever that could something to think about.
As for... Ahem... "pooing" what you don't know, I really appreciate your changing perspective on this. I am also a card carrying skeptic (in fact I am a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster if there are any other pirates here on the board lol), I only tried it out of desperation.
Good luck! Let me know if you want a referral, or if you aren't sure what questions to ask before your visit, I'm happy to help.
GrumpyCat said:
This is great information. Thank you so much for sharing it. I have not really looked into acupuncture, mainly because I am stubborn, obstinate, and a card carrying skeptic. However, I am becoming a little softer as time goes on, and have begun to wonder if maybe I could reduce some of my pain medications with acupuncture. I have read more, instead of pooing what I don't know, and think that I will be finding a practitioner soon, as in after the Holidays.
I am very interested in the "community" options that you am Nym mentioned. Funds are a little tight.
*Sigh*
You just made my NIGHT!!!
GrumpyCat said:
R'Amen,, brother! ;-)
I don't have any real skin issues anymore, and even if I did, I wouldn't worry. I am excited to find a new way to relax my aching body.
robsamben said:
Welcome to the Dark Side!Community clinics are probably the way to go - as I said the practitioners have a lot more experience, and also the setup allows them to check on you frequently without bothering you. The only real downside is you don't have a private room so if you have issues about your skin or whatever that could something to think about.
As for... Ahem... "pooing" what you don't know, I really appreciate your changing perspective on this. I am also a card carrying skeptic (in fact I am a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster if there are any other pirates here on the board lol), I only tried it out of desperation.
Good luck! Let me know if you want a referral, or if you aren't sure what questions to ask before your visit, I'm happy to help.
GrumpyCat said:
This is great information. Thank you so much for sharing it. I have not really looked into acupuncture, mainly because I am stubborn, obstinate, and a card carrying skeptic. However, I am becoming a little softer as time goes on, and have begun to wonder if maybe I could reduce some of my pain medications with acupuncture. I have read more, instead of pooing what I don't know, and think that I will be finding a practitioner soon, as in after the Holidays.
I am very interested in the "community" options that you am Nym mentioned. Funds are a little tight.
Thanks for posting Robbie. I've been a skeptic of alternative medicine, but I've read articles that support acupuncture for arthritis and other ailments. I've been very interested in trying acupuncture and my insurance covers an acupuncturist who is in the network. I've been reluctant to start because I don't know how to find a good one. I don't know where to start. I live in the Washington DC Metro area and have lots of choices. How do you know who is good and who is good for PsA? Does is it matter where they were trained and in what type type of acupuncture?
Thanks for any advice!
Also, do you recommend any herbs to help with fatigue?
Hi Frances!
Nice to e-meet you.
In many ways this is the trouble with finding any type of doctor, right? Ideally you'll find someone that takes your insurance that you have a personal referral for, but that is not often possible.
Acupuncture is considered more of a retail service than a medicine in the US. There are pros and cons to this, but a big pro is that most acupuncturists have websites for their offices, and most are reviewed on sites like Yelp - at least in major cities. This is a major difference between an acupuncturist and an MD.
So the first thing to do is private message me the name of the acupuncturist and I'll see if I know them or at least know of them (i'm in New York City, so it's not so far away).
If not, go to their website and get a feel for the person, you'll be surprised how much that can help.
Last, go to Yelp and Google and look for reviews. It's not as good as a personal recommendation but at least you can get a testimonial that you can be reasonably certain is legitimate.
As for schools and trainings, I would love it if the acupuncturist you saw was trained in Trigger Point Acupuncture (that's an American variation of acupuncture based on anatomy, GREAT for pain and arthritis), but there is no one school they have to have attended.
Also you want someone who is Board certified in Oriental Medicine, not just Acupuncture, because the OM people also have been trained in herbs and they are very useful for PsA. Not always necessary to take herbs, but in our case it usually helps a lot.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Robbie
Frances said:
Thanks for posting Robbie. I've been a skeptic of alternative medicine, but I've read articles that support acupuncture for arthritis and other ailments. I've been very interested in trying acupuncture and my insurance covers an acupuncturist who is in the network. I've been reluctant to start because I don't know how to find a good one. I don't know where to start. I live in the Washington DC Metro area and have lots of choices. How do you know who is good and who is good for PsA? Does is it matter where they were trained and in what type type of acupuncture?
Thanks for any advice!
Also, do you recommend any herbs to help with fatigue?
Oh, I forgot to mention - if you want to know about herbs for fatigue, I highly recommend this article, by Will Maclean. I really trust him, and I use his book almost everyday to help guide me in my herbal formulas. This article is a great overview.
Good luck!
Robbie
robsamben said:
Hi Frances!Nice to e-meet you.
In many ways this is the trouble with finding any type of doctor, right? Ideally you'll find someone that takes your insurance that you have a personal referral for, but that is not often possible.
Acupuncture is considered more of a retail service than a medicine in the US. There are pros and cons to this, but a big pro is that most acupuncturists have websites for their offices, and most are reviewed on sites like Yelp - at least in major cities. This is a major difference between an acupuncturist and an MD.
So the first thing to do is private message me the name of the acupuncturist and I'll see if I know them or at least know of them (i'm in New York City, so it's not so far away).
If not, go to their website and get a feel for the person, you'll be surprised how much that can help.
Last, go to Yelp and Google and look for reviews. It's not as good as a personal recommendation but at least you can get a testimonial that you can be reasonably certain is legitimate.
As for schools and trainings, I would love it if the acupuncturist you saw was trained in Trigger Point Acupuncture (that's an American variation of acupuncture based on anatomy, GREAT for pain and arthritis), but there is no one school they have to have attended.
Also you want someone who is Board certified in Oriental Medicine, not just Acupuncture, because the OM people also have been trained in herbs and they are very useful for PsA. Not always necessary to take herbs, but in our case it usually helps a lot.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Robbie
Frances said:Thanks for posting Robbie. I've been a skeptic of alternative medicine, but I've read articles that support acupuncture for arthritis and other ailments. I've been very interested in trying acupuncture and my insurance covers an acupuncturist who is in the network. I've been reluctant to start because I don't know how to find a good one. I don't know where to start. I live in the Washington DC Metro area and have lots of choices. How do you know who is good and who is good for PsA? Does is it matter where they were trained and in what type type of acupuncture?
Thanks for any advice!
Also, do you recommend any herbs to help with fatigue?
Thanks so much for the comprehensive reply Robbie! I'm going to start searching and reviewing acupuncturist and I'll send you a name or two when I whittle down the list.
i started getting acupuncture about a month ago. i go every week. i don't seem to notice any change yet in pain, but it helped immediately with nausea from the MTX. i also had a terrible back spasm that was extremely painful. i got acupressure and ear seeds that i wore for 2 weeks straight. my back was still sore, but i kept massaging the seeds taped to my ears and eventually it all cleared up.
the acupuncturist told me that my back problems are causing my muscles and skin to be tight. he said it's affecting my ability to receive the acupuncture, so i started to go to a massage therapist. the massage caused a huge pain flare, so i went to a physiatrist and now have to go to physical therapy. 2 weeks ago i tried chair yoga (yoga for those of us that can't get down on the floor or get up from the floor). the yoga breathing has helped a lot during acupuncture.
even though i'm terribly afraid of needles (that's the reason i'm not on a biologic), i think acupuncture has helped with some issues and i hope it will help with PsA pain. the one time i got needles in my hands between my knuckles, both hands swelled up right away more than they had been before the needles. my hands became stiff and i couldn't bend my fingers. the acupuncturist ran and got some cooling cream and smeared it all over my hands. the swelling went down by the time i got home, but i don't think i'm getting needles there again, lol.
Hey Robbie! It’s been 1,356 days since the last post on this thread. We’ve moved to a new platform, and today someone asked about acupuncture. I remembered you, and wondered where you’d disappeared to.
Here’s the latest thread. We’d love to hear from you.
Hope you and yours are keeping well.
Seenie