Saturday, September 29, 2012

Acupuncture

Recently, a few of my dear friends ganged up on me and somehow managed to persuade me into trying a new doctor for treatment of my chronic Lyme disease. This doctor has degrees in both Eastern and Western medicine, and, although he came highly recommended to me, the thought of going to even one more doctor sounded like about as much fun as getting a root canal. But a tiny little voice inside of me said, "Go." So, I went.

"Can you stick out your tongue, please?" Dr. L. asked. After a brief peek at my lovely lengua, the doctor told me with a concerned look on his face that I had blood clots. Yikes! "And you have very poor circulation," he went on. I suppose that may have something to do with why I always feel like I'm in Antarctica even in the summer time. 

Dr. L. did acupuncture on me and I was literally bouncing off the walls for six glorious hours. And that's all it took to convince me that this is a doctor who can really help me. I've been seeing him twice a week for two weeks now. And I feel amazing! I expected that he would tell me to stop taking antibiotics and that they are killing my body. On the contrary, he believes that there is no way you can heal from Lyme without antibiotics!

I will be seeing Dr. L. in conjunction with my regular LLMD (Lyme literate doctor). I've tried acupuncture for my Lyme disease in the past (with a different acupuncturist) and really didn't notice much of a difference, but I cannot believe the difference in my body from only two weeks with Dr. L. My energy is back and I can function again. I'm able to fall asleep at a normal hour and have been able to wake up easier in the mornings, for the first time in years!! And--drumroll, please--I haven't had any of my seizure-like episodes since seeing Dr. L.!

 A normal visit with Dr. L. entails acupuncture, laying on an acupressure table (heavenly!) and jade hot stone therapy. He highly recommended that I get an acupressure mat to lay on at home, which I did (thanks, mom!), and it makes a big difference. Dr. L. has seen big improvements in his Lyme patients who lay on spiky acupressure mats, like the Spoonk or the Nayoya Acupressure Mat. (I, personally, chose the Nayoya mat and neck pillow, and I really love it, but it definitely takes some getting used to! You're laying on hard plastic spikes and you have to build up a tolerance to it. It really does help my pain levels, though.)

I also have seeds (yes, you read that right!) taped to my ear to help me locate six acupressure points in my body. I am supposed to stimulate the acupressure points at least five times throughout the day. I feel like a Chia Pet!

I am very blessed to have a darn good trio of doctors working to get me better--my Lyme doctor, my acupuncturist and my neurologist. I am in good hands and I feel in my heart that these three are going to give me my life back.

7 comments:

  1. Praise the Lord!! God is so................GOOD!!!

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  2. Hey there Alyson! I just found your blog and I, too, am a mom with Chronic Lyme (and a blog!) and such... Just though what a coincidence... or not... (I really don't believe in coincidences) that you are who you are and write what you write, and today of all days, I find your acupuncture blogpost when I have a relative staying with me who has come to my city to one of the best schools of Oriental Medicine in the country. He is staying with us and actually already knows how to do it (his father does this as well as trained him) and the school is actually doing highly Lyme-specifc studies as they have had an influx of Lyme patients coming in! Anyway, though WOW, what a connection. Had to say hey. I'm Lauren. Nice to meet you. You can read me at laurenslymelife.blogspot.com if you wish. :) I see you have my friend's blog listed in your faves, too. :) (My Blind Spot Journey--she hasn't updated in a while, but she's amazing.) Hope to hear from you!

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  3. I am so glad you found a good accupuncturist. And even happier that it helped! I love going to accupuncture and it always helps me a great deal. I was skeptical to begin with but I love it! Anything that helps, right? Hope you get lots of good days.

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  4. Acupuncture really is a great method to helps improve our body's health and reduce stress and pain. Also, it has been said that it can also strengthen our immune system.

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  5. Acupuncture has been the primary medical system in China for thousands of years. Many people are aware of the benefits of acupuncture for stress reduction, addictions, and pain management. However, most people are still in the dark about Traditional Chinese Medicine as an adjunct to woman’s health and infertility.
    acupuncture in chicago

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  6. With professionals by your side, there's no doubt you're on the right path towards healing. Acupuncture is one the few alternative treatments that can bring back your good health. What's good about this is that it does not only heal a certain disease, but can possibly affect your entire body - heal other ailments.

    -Jaime Scott @ DrStevensChram

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  7. That is better to be a healthy person than a patient and I am happy that you are now enjoying your recovery from Physiotherapy North Ryde and hope that the doctor will keep supporting you to bring you back to your life with minimal antibiotics.

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