Acupuncture?

Cured two frozen shoulders without shadow of a doubt

Our GP is qualified to give acupuncture but it is so popular that only patients registered with him will be treated. Some years ago DF had severe back problems which were made worse by a chiropractor. After a couple of acupuncture treatments by the GP he was pain free. Well worth a try Jane10

Thanks all. Buoyed up by your enthusiasm, I've just booked for tomorrow. I was a bit taken aback at the speed but it was a last minute cancellation and doesn't give me too long to think about it! Will keep you informed.

It's good to discuss complimentary therapies. As a practitioner of hypnosis and Neuro Linguistic Programming for 17 years, I do know that what suits one person may not suit another. I really enjoy Chinese Acupuncture, and have also experienced Reflexology, Shiatsu, Cranial Sacral therapy, mostly to experience what other practitioners teach, and have found great benefit from them all. I see many clients whose GPs have run out of ideas on what to prescribe, and my clients have found real benefit from hypnosis, particularly for things like IBS and chronic fatigue.

I always say to people, try it and if it's not for you, then look elsewhere, but never give up.

Found it very helpful for my sciatica.

Well I went yesterday. Therapist was a very nice lady with long experience of acupuncture. She gave my sore arm a very hard massage then inserted needles at various points. Although I hadn't asked about it, she spotted my sore knee and did some work on it too.
Result - knee pain gone completely but temporarily. However, my elbow is much sorer. Can anyone tell me if this is a stage in healing? Is it supposed to get worse before I could expect an improvement?

It can cause a bit of a flare but in my experience, that settles down quickly.

Jane10 Agree with Iam, sometimes complementary treatments cause a temporary flare up, which soon settles down. I tend to think that it happens with joint/muscle problems because they're rearranging themselves - I think it applies to osteopathic treatment as well as acupuncture because you are beginning to move your arm differently now that the needles have freed up your elbow IYSWIM.

I must say I'm very disappointed. My arm is even sorer than it was before the acupuncture. Its really bad this morning.
My next appointment isn't for another 10 days and I'm not sure whether its worth going.

It may be worth a call to the acupuncturist. I had real success with one practitioner, a retired GP. when he retired, a young man who had trained with him took over. I never felt well after treatment with him and the RA didn't benefit either. One of our GP's uses acupuncture, he says it has a powerful impact and a couple of days rest should follow treatment. Hope you're soon feeling better

To be fair placebos are known to help pain and stress and have been for years, as well as doctors with a good bedside manner. Certainly with pain and stress issues which do interact. I certainly had that with RSI type twinging in my arms. It got much better but as I am feeling very stressed at present it has come back a bit.

Years ago I had coccyx pain after a fall on by backside which became really bad when standing up from sitting getting out of bed etc. I was then having AP for tension headaches and my therapist used moxa herbs which she burnt over the area and it felt better in a couple of hours. I just had a couple more sessions after that and it went. That was really impressive.
"Mind over matter" can be very helpful. (but that does not mean that if it does not work for you it is because you're not trying hard enough.)

I've had acupuncture for back trouble and am nearly through a course of 10 sessions, this time for sciatica. It hasn't made one iota of difference. And this time I have had a 25 minute drive there and back, so even more of a waste of time.

I'm inclined to call all alternative medicine Mumbo Jumbo but used to know a German vet who used acupuncture. As she said, there's no placebo effect with dogs. Sometimes it helped, sometimes not, the same as conventional medicine.