Back & Neck Pain

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Big Surprise at Seminars - people are surprised when acupuncture quickly helps pain

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I am invited to seminars once in a while at churches or health clubs. During my talk I introduce how traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) developed. I provide information about what foods should be taken depending on people’s individual constitution based on TCM.

Each body has unique constitution. Some have a cold body and their hands and feet always are cold. Some feel they have to apologize to the other party when they shake hands, as their hands are very cold. Some can’t go to bed without wearing socks during sleep.  Some people have a warm body. Certain foods may help this body condition. If anyone eats by the opposite way, for instance cold body with cold foods, this will harm the body. I believe that some say we have to eat all varieties of foods. This idea is not always right as this common theory doesn’t consider our constitution.

After the seminar, I give a free acupuncture treatment depending on the situation. If I do, I offer the treatment to as many patients as possible. I usually ask them to give me only one symptom they really want to treat, as we have only limited time. Many people complain of neck and shoulder or arm pains; a whopping more than 30% of the attendances. This means they live with pains everyday without proper treatments. Some couldn’t move their neck or have constant neck pains. Some couldn’t raise arms, or their range of motion is very limited. Some can move, but they feel the pain in a certain position or make a funny sound from the shoulder.

This is what I usually do during the treatment. I want to find the painful spots; sometimes only one spot, or multiple spots. When I press this spot, the patients screams instantly or makes frowned face. This simple procedure eliminate all kinds of tests, such as MRI, Cat Scan etc. (These tests try to find where the pain is and how the pain area looks. A person who doesn’t have health insurance may not be able to afford these very expensive diagnostic procedures.) These tests don’t include proper treatment such as prescribing pain killers, massages, physical therapy, chiropractic methods etc. If all treatment methods do not work, the other option is a surgery.)

I as an acupuncturist try to find what causes the pain. As soon as the original cause is removed, the pain will disappear. Tendon inflammation, or tear are western names. I try to interpret this into acupuncture theory. Inflammation means “caused by heat”. Pinched nerve means stagnation. There are more causes such as Qi and blood deficiency or stagnation, blood stasis, damp accumulation or phlegm etc. I often explain these in detail at the seminar. So what I do is just to remove the heat or stagnation etc. with acupuncture.

After finishing the diagnoses, I tap acupuncture needles on the patients. People surrounding the patient ask questions such as ‘is there is any pain when tapping in acupuncture needles?’ The answer from the patient is no pain at all or a touching feeling. They wonder how this could happen. The next thing I do is to press the same painful area or spot to check whether the pain is reduced or not. About 50% of cases say there is no more pain or don’t scream or make a frowned face instantly. Some say even though there is still lingering pain, the pain is less than before. Everyone is amazed by the fast response. Some even ask whether needles are coated with narcotic drugs. Of course, there is very small group saying there is no change at all. But they also say the pain is reduced substantially when I remove needles after 30 minutes. The acupuncture treatment generally lasts about 30 minutes.

Some patients who have had a surgery come to clinic, as pains still remain the same. Some doctors want to do another surgery, but the patient has realized that all surgeries are not successful. Please note that any person with a surgery has a tendency for a slower healing process with acupuncture treatments. I think this is due to damage on the subjected meridian. I strongly suggest trying acupuncture treatments before considering a surgery. If acupuncture treatments don’t work in your case, you still have an option for a surgery. The surgery may be a last option.

I wonder why so many people suffer these kinds of pains, even though acupuncture is an effective way to make them free from pains, such as neck, shoulder and arm pains? One reason is we haven’t had any education about acupuncture theory in school and acupuncture is not well-known in the Western culture. Sometimes they say they are ‘afraid of needles’ and they don’t realize an acupuncture needle is usually a very small hair-thin needle, not at all like the large needles used to give vaccinations at their doctor’s office. Many people think acupuncture is mystical, superstitious and non-scientific. The truth is that acupuncture is very simple, inexpensive and effective and fast treatment.