Acupuncture:A 2000-Year Track Record

With almost three-decades of Rheumatoid Arthritis, I am always researching the benefit vs the risk of various modalities available to me for pain relief. RA is not a very easy disease to live with. , as many of those who have to live with it, refer to the dreaded disease, as "Arthur." Pain if 24/7 and the crippling effects are progressive. It affects all muscles, joints and organs symmetrically. People ask, "Where does it hurt the most?" Well, it really hurts everywhere. That includes your eyes, feet, knees, hips, shoulders and all major muscles. It is not, at all, like Osteoarthritis except for the pain. My wife has arthritis that is specific to certain joints or muscles referred to as osteoarthritis. Dealing with pain of this magnitude requires changing many aspects of your life.

You must think positive and divert your mind to the positive side of life. We are adventurous, and love people, traveling, our pets, The Badminton Club of Greater Buffalo and the Senior Tennis League. We know that the life we enjoy is helpful, productive and very gratifying. That’s good for both of us, and gives others the benefits of friends, laughter, and belonging.
Some medical doctors say that I am the expert in how to live with and treat rheumatoid arthritis. I don’t know that, but I certainly do my level best to research the many ways we can improve the quality of life amongst RA patients. I already use an aspirin regimen, hydrotherapy, massage, reflexology, chiropractic and Mediterranean foods to keep my body as flexible and pain-free as is possible.
That’s where Acupuncture comes in. I hesitated for decades, because our Western culture hasn’t accepted this ancient Chinese practice as effective. Medical doctors have relied on pills and that has not been effective either. The side effects of pharmaceuticals, often makes the pill more dangerous than the disease. Also, finding a reputable acupuncturist is difficult. As luck would have it, I have many fine people working with me to help combat my disease and they are not restricted to the protocol of the medical community. My RN-LMT is the best and she is knowledgeable. Her patents raved about one acupuncturist - who left the medical profession, after 20-years, to become an acupuncturist.
He was recognized for his courage, and the thousands of patients he has helped. He is now a member of the "Half-Life Change" group of successful people, who dared to question the efficacy of the medical profession. He is of Chinese parentage and a highly intelligent man. When medicine didn’t work, he decided to return to the roots of his ancestry.

Dr. Herbert K. Y. Lau, M. D. is right here in my beloved Western New York and he is kind, gentle and a good listener. He evaluates your condition and then he, methodically, designs a procedure involving needles and electrode stimulation to specific pathways in your body. There is no pain. Once the needles are placed and the electrode stimulation is set, you lie there in perfect serenity with soothing music. While the time passes, you are relaxing, and it is not uncommon for you to fall asleep.
The insurance company handling my case was so convinced of the usefulness of this approach that they authorized 12 sessions. I was aghast. Could it be that we are finally accepting the fact that these methods are effective? I think so.
Now hailed as helpful for a wide range of conditions, this ancient Chinese Practice enjoys burgeoning acceptance in the West. "Acupuncture sends a signal to the body to turn on its own rescue system." says Ka-Kit Hui, MD, professor of medicine and the director Center for East-West Medicine at UCLA.
According to Chinese medicine, energy flows along 12 pathways, or meridians, that are related to the body’s major organs and functions. The aim of acupuncture is to restore and maintain healthy energy flow. If the flow of Qi is blocked, you get sick. The meridians correspond to specific organs and body functions. As a young man I believed that everything in the universe is based on electro-magnetic fields. The older I get, the more I am convinced that this is the case. One molecule, the universe, including the planets and the stars and the body of every creature, are made up of electrical impulses and electro-magnetic fields.
Acupuncture treatment may take place over a few days or for several weeks. For best results, Dr. Hui recommends that Acupuncture be part of a comprehensive wellness program that includes exercise and a healthy diet. His aim is to develop a model system of healthcare that will benefit people all over the world.
The needles used for Acupuncture are only as thick as a single human hair. As a Tool & Die maker, I first measured human hair using a micrometer and found that most hair is about three-thousandths of an inch in thickness. Acupuncture has been used to help patients regain movement after stroke, and to treat depression, headaches, migraines, pain, tennis elbows low-back pain, tennis elbows—even substance abuse. A very early study in Neuroscience letter suggests that it may even be a useful strategy for treating Parkinson’s disease.
The World Health Organization recommends acupuncture for many respiratory diseases, eye and mouth problems, orthopedic troubles, neurological disorders, and gastrointestinal ailments. According to the National Institutes of Health Consensus Statement on Acupuncture, the therapy has also shown considerable promise in relieving nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy.
The spectrum of treatments effective in dealing with so many human ailments is beginning to take a turn towards science and leaving the "Magic Pill" world of prescriptions.

Knowledge is power, and you are the benefactor. If you take control of your health by addressing your healthcare needs, your lifestyle and the use of mind, body and spirit to complete your program you will find that which works best FOR YOU!