Acupuncture

My dad and I went to an acupuncture clinic last February 18, 2012, Saturday. When we arrived in the clinic, I filled out a form. It was just a short form, an index card, so I put my basic personal details, then one of the acupuncturists said I need to put my complains in it. So I put:

Fibromyalgia: muscle pains (spasm, cramps, twitching); migraines, eye pain, difficulty breathing - tightening of neck muscles

Myofascial Pain Syndrome: back to shoulders

My dad filled out his form as well and wrote his complains. The clinic has two acupuncturists, an old man (probably the same age as my dad) and his son, his son is 30 years old. When the son read the forms, he called for his dad. My dad left to bring my sister home and to have lunch; he will go back for his session. When the old man read my complains in the form, he asked me: “Do you know the root cause of this?” I said according to my readings, the cause is not known. So he answered: “It is autoimmune.” That means my own immune system attacks my own body. I know I have an autoimmune disease which is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, but fibromyalgia is not an autoimmune disease. I saw the old man writing something on my index card. Looks like he’s drawing or doing a formula and it looks weird because doctors don’t do that. When he finished writing, I asked: “How many needles?” He replied: “65.” I was surprised so I asked: “65!?!” 65 needles are too much, I think. I’ve been to another acupuncturist before and the maximum number of needles he placed on me in one session is 6. I was a little scared, apprehensive. I asked if all the 65 needles will have electrical current/stimulation, you see the acupuncturist I’ve been to before places a gadget on top of the needles which allows a small amount of electrical current to pass into my body and it is painful so I was worried because 65 needles all over my body with electrical current is surely painful. Just the act of pricking the skin with needles is painful enough. The acupuncturist said: “No, no electrical current. We’ll just put something on the needles and burn those.” I don’t really understand all that he said. He gave my index card to his son. His son led me to a cubicle with a bed and curtains around (which reminds me of the hospital emergency room). He gave me a piece of cloth to cover my skin, gave me instructions then he went out of the cubicle for me to prepare. I took of my pants and my blouse, lay down and covered myself with the piece of cloth and with a blazer that I brought. When he came back he started placing the needles on my legs. Some hurt, some don’t. I didn’t count how many, but if the old man said 65, 65 is a lot for me. He placed more needles on my thighs, my arms, my abdomen, my chest; he put two on my temples, two below the corner of my eyes, one on top of my head, two on the sides of my neck; then finally he put more on the soles of my feet and that part were the most painful. When he was finished placing the needles, an assistant placed something on some of needles on my legs and feet. It looks like a thick candle wick, which she burned to make the needles warm. I was able to sleep during the session. The session lasted for about two hours. I think I feel pains during the session as I try to move my hands and more pains after the session. 

When I got out of the cubicle, the senior acupuncturist told me: “Stop all the vitamins you are taking… Your immune system is too intelligent that it attacks your own body. We have to balance it. We have to make your immune system unintelligent so we/acupuncture could work…” I don’t really understand what he was trying to say because I’ve been reading online, books and medical journals about fibromyalgia and none of them says that it is an autoimmune disease. If fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disease, my diagnostic tests would've shown it. Then my dad told the senior acupuncturist about my low carb diet. That I don’t eat rice and I eat a lot of meat. I actually eat meat with lots of vegetables and fruits. The acupuncturist then told me to eat rice and less meat. He said I shouldn’t eat too much nutritious food so my immune system will not be intelligent. It was all becoming funny to me, as I listen to him, inside I am laughing. Another man talked to me. I thought he’s also an acupuncturist because he seems to be very knowledgeable about acupuncture. He simply said he gives seminars (because the senior acupuncturist teaches). He said that if my illness progresses it will become lupus. Haha! I really don’t understand where these people are coming from. I told the man I’ll try to research about it. He answered that if I research I should go as far as the Ming Dynasty. The man also told me that my healing is guaranteed. He and the senior acupuncturist were telling me that they were somewhere in Visayas to treat patients. I can’t remember the figures but I remember them saying that most of those patients are healed now. Okay. I don’t know what else to say. A lot of things are running in my mind. How could he guarantee healing? Even the greatest of doctors does not guarantee healing to their patients especially if they know the condition is incurable or terminal. They only guarantee that they will do the best they can to help and treat their patients. Only God can guarantee healing, and even if He guarantees it, He does not give it to everyone and He has His reasons. And the man who said that when my medical condition progresses it will become lupus, I noticed a cigar pack on his shirt pocket, so how does he expect me to believe him and all that he said?

Although I don’t believe in the explanations of the acupuncturist and the man in the clinic, I do believe in alternative treatment. I just hope alternative treatments will record their studies and findings so it can be used as evidence for treatment of other medical cases. I had my second acupuncture session last Friday. I’ve been to more than fifteen doctors with different specializations and none of them had the answer. I went through many diagnostic tests and all turned out normal. With all that I’ve tried, I think there’s no harm in trying acupuncture. I can only hope for the best with this kind of treatment, and the best could mean my pains could be alleviated, or as the clinic said, I’ll be completely healed. I’ve had two sessions now, 8 more sessions to go.