Acupuncture?

[SnowDrifter]

My parents just brought this up. Has anyone tried this? I guess I'm having trouble believing that turning oneself into a pin cushion can have any positive effects. Maybe it's placebo? I don't know.

[westernmass]

Acupuncture is my most effective treatment and I have far better relief from symptoms with acu than any meds I've tried.

[Katybug]

I do a musculoskeletal version of acupuncture called dry needling for pain relief through a physical therapist. It actually works for my EDS related pain better than anything else does and has a faster and longer lasting effect. I haven't tried traditional acupuncture for my POTS but I believe it could help....maybe not cure, but help.

[bebe127]

I've tried acupuncture. I don't really know if it helped or not as I wasn't able to do it for as long as I probably should have. I think that it is something you have to commit to and do for a while perhaps before seeing any real results. It certainly can't hurt and I would try it again, but I don't drive that often and having my husband take time off work twice a week was just too much for us at this time. I don't like needles per se (who really does??) but I have to tell you it wasn't bad at all, if you are going to someone that knows what they are doing. I think it is worth a try.

[Relax86]

I tried a few sessions of acupuncture and didn't notice a difference in my POTS. I wasn't sure I had given it enough time. I think I had 6 sessions. The table was flat and my BP drops in supine so that's mostly what I thought about during treatment. I should have asked for an alternative position. I one day will return to acupuncture because I like the concept. It just didn't seem to help my symptoms at the time.

[dahlfacepoet]

It makes sense doesn't it? A body has a natural response to stimuli, so stimulating the right pressure point can initiate a healing response. The idea of acupuncture is to convince (for lack of a better term) your body to heal itself.

I've just started seeing an acupuncturist who also uses essential oils and a needless cold laser therapy as apart of my treatment. I get relief from my migraines and the pain I have is lessened for the day. I must have some adverse reaction because I feel awful the next day, although that crash has been less and less the more I go. It's something that takes time, I doubt anyone would expect a doctor to fix everything in one visit, the same should be applied to DOMs. I also started supplements by her request, so it's not just up to her to do all the work, I have to do it too.

I think it's worth exploring. I do admit I'm not as confident as she is that she can help me, but I'm trying to be optimistic. Of course, our bodies are so different, everyone reacts differently and gets different results. This is just my experience so far, after 3 sessions. My acupuncturist has a long medical background, which I think helps a lot.

Hope you find something that helps you!

[blueskies]

I damaged my neck when I was 20. Over the years the pain has resolved and then asserted itself again. It's cyclical and I'm now 57 I have to be careful how I lie in bed -- that my neck is fully supported while piling my head high on pillows (sleeping semi-sitting helps with my migraine pain but I have to make sure that there is not the slightest strain on my neck or it will trigger migraine, too).

I've tried acupuncture when my kneck has been very sore and found, after about 6 visits that the pain was gone. So it gets a tick for that.

I've tried acupuncture for my migraine but ended up with a severe migraine. The practictioner (also a gp but one who is trained to do acupuncture) stuck one needle in the top of my head (pretty much the crown) and it hurt quite a lot. After I left the pain got worse and by that night I had a severe level migraine. So, no tick for migraines.

I do intend to try acupuncture for my gi problems -- severe constipation and bad bloating. I think it's worth giving it a try but I need to find a gp who does acupuncture. I would not go to any old accupunturist -- for me I want them to have a medical degree.

blue

[Sufilizard]

I got tired of the 2-hour drive to my acupuncturist, so I just sent him a voodoo doll

Actually, I've never tried it, but I know a lot of legitimate studies have shown acupuncture has some real benefits. I don't know if any of the studies have looked at POTS though.

[westernmass]

I'm actually about to start my masters degree in acupuncture and oriental medicine so i am obviously very pro-acupuncture! and for everything- pots symptoms, allergies, etc. i fell in love because after getting sick, seeing so many doctors and having so many tests and trying several drugs... I still felt terrible. Not to mention side effects! I started seeing an acupuncturist, she is my best treatment. As someone else mentioned, I'm not cured, but it's the best I've found for symptom management.

I'm hoping to heal myself and eventually focus on dysautonomia and other chronic illness as a specialty.

[kim5204]

I have actually used electric accupuncrure for my gi problems and it was a great help for me for 6 months until all my nerves quit working. I hadca great accupunctureist.

[AussieOI]

I am actually a fan of acupuncture and I do believe it has helped me with POTS. I developed POTS very badly last year and have managed to improve a lot. I tried many things, acupuncture being one of them. I also drank a funny herbal drink that the acupuncturist gave me (it was a powder ) and I would add warm water to it.

My acupuncturist was very positive and he would tell me you are getting better even when I felt physically awful but I found his positivity very helpful.

Perhaps it was placebo - I don't know, however going there and having the treatment was certainly one of the things I attribute to my improvement although it is difficult to say whether it helped a little bit or a lot.

It was quite expensive though however I would recommend people giving it a try. I think with POTS you just have to try different treatments and different meds and be open to things.

[MarkA]

I have used it to control muscle soreness and GERD and it has helped. I do not think it will cure POTS or the Labrum tears in my hip but it does help with the pain. It does take some getting use to and they do hurt briefly going in sometimes but I think it has helped me.

[Lethargic Smiles]

Reading everyone's experiences is so interesting. I'd love to hear more.

I'm interested into looking at this as an avenue for not only POTS relief, but for helping out my immune system. I think my immune issues are what makes POTS act up. I have gotten some good control over my POTS symptoms through biofeedback, but my immune system didn't get the memo that I am getting better now.

Does anyone care to share the cost of the sessions for the person they went to?

[Psalm 23]

Hi Jackie,

I have been contemplating acupuncture lately as it's one of the few things I have not tried. I'm in a fibro support group and we had a guest speaker a few months back that gave a really impressive lecture on acupuncture. I'm a pretty hard sell but have been convinced to at least give it a try. The price quoted was 75 dollars per session. Twice weekly sessions for one month were recommended before making a decision as to the effectiveness of it. I have heard a per session price range of $50-$150 so it can get rather pricey. Like you I believe my immune system is what's behind my pots symptoms as well as my fibro, peripheral/autonomic neuropathy etc. symptoms so I would be hoping to get to the root of the problem.

I hope you get some additional feedback on this. Of course the difficulty in evaluating how effective acupuncture is for an individual lies in how accomplished and knowledgeable the acupuncturist is. I think very careful consideration must be made in deciding which one to go to.

Janet

[westernmass]

I'm currently getting my masters degrees in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine the only reason I tried and fell in love with it is because I got sick with dysautonomia and western medicine seems to continue to have no answers for me!

Acupuncture is great for acute and chronic issues- I see more success with acute for me personally. For instance if I go in with a migraine, or severe muscle pain, or coming down with a cold- I leave without those symptoms. I haven't had that experience (yet!) with dysautonomia, although I remain hopeful and it definitely helps me MANAGE my symptoms, even if they so come back. Through a couple people in the acupuncture community, I have found someone who has supposedly treated pots (what!? I was shocked someone would even know it by name!) and am working on getting in contact.

Prices will depend on geography, but the $50-150/treatment seems accurate. If cost is an issue for you, try a "community acupuncture" place-3 to 8 people are treated at once in the same room, and costs roughly $10-25/treatment.

I have also found Chinese herbal medicine to be my best bet with my digestive issues, so may be worth finding an acupuncturist/herbalist.

Two more points: make sure you find a liscenced practitioner! (ie NOT just a physical therapist who will stick needles in you- that is NOT the same!) and treat it like any other doctor- you may need to try a couple people before you find one who "gets" you and can treat you effectively

For those in the north east us who feel like waiting 3 years (LOL): I want/plan to figure out pots/Dys from the traditional Chinese medicine perspective so I can help all of us heal

[yogini]

I tried it and found it didn't do much