Acupuncture - Effective Treatment or Pseudo-science?

[Sue2dRescue]

Missa--I have a fabulous acupuncturist right off the 14th street PATH.  She is wonderful, just a nice person, and genuinely caring.  I'm thrilled to finally have found someone as professional yet personable.

http://aphealingarts.com/

[missa]

um, uh   

i am gonna go out on a limb and say that you aren't a licensed acupuncturist, eh.

[shahaggy]

come on over to my place missa, I'll    you 

[missa]

Hello!

Does anyone have any recommendations for an acupuncturist, preferably in Hudson or Essex county?  I don't work in the city, so I don't want to have to schlep to the city, but if they are particularly good and reasonable, I might...

TIA

[jc_insomniac]

Funny, I actually signed up for an acupressure massage at that TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) clinic on Grove Street and was considering trying acupuncture there, too.

I used to go to an acupuncturist in Chinatown for my recurring sinusitis and chronic bronchitis (I'm allergic to cigarette smoke, which used to triggers my infections), and went to weekly treatments for about 4 months. It did alleviate my symptoms, though I can't say that it cured me completely. I probably would have kept going to him, but he retired when he turned 70, or after the 4th month or so.

Has anyone (missa?) ever tried cupping? I heard those really hurt, but are great for back pains.

[skwirrlking]

got one for downtown Manhattan. will let you know how it works out.

[RB]

any recommendations for skilled practitioners would be much appreciated.

skwirrlking, curious, did you ever find a practitioner in the area? How did it go?

[missa]

any recommendations for skilled practitioners would be much appreciated.

unfortunately, both practitioners i went to were naturopaths. 
one is no longer practicing, and the other has relocated to illinois.

sorry!

[Kindelan]

Also, you would think that if something didn't work it would probably be very difficult for it to stick around for 3-5 thousand years as acupuncture has....I don't know.

[skwirrlking]

any recommendations for skilled practitioners would be much appreciated.

[missa]

Am wondering about the efficacy of acupuncture and wanted to know if anyone out there has used this treatment for anything and found it helpful?

extra points for moxibustion stories.

i agree with jcpeace. 

there are some situations where acupuncture are appropriate and are not.  moxibustion can be milder or more traumatic depending on how well the patient is able to clear toxins or move energy thru their body (are the active or sedentary?  do they "hold on" to their emotions or express themselves freely?).

we often used moxa for bronchitis, skin rashes, and swelling, at the clinic/apothecary.

in NJ a good acupuncturist is tested rigourously.  in NY the laws are more lax, so the quality of a practitioner and their ability to treat the patient can greatly vary.

unlike western allopathic medicine, traditional chinese medicine treats the root cause of the issue, not the symptom, so it can be more beneficial for complex issues. 

i also used auricular therapy (acupuncture of the meridian on the ear which remains stimulated for about two weeks).  it worked very well for adjusting my habits at the time, leading to the clearing of symptoms.

[jcpeace]

Personally I would not reccomend that place for acupuncture, Rory. I have gone there for Man-ssages and they were very good

"with happy ending"?
(someone had to do it)

some conditions lend itself well to this kind of treatment, others do not. case in point: when my GF had a herniated disc in her neck she was told by an acupuncture practitioner that this type of treatment would only exacerbate her problem. On the plus side, i've had good results with energy meridian based treatments myself....so i would not consider it to be pseudo-science. it's just not applicable to everything.....

[Kindelan]

Personally I would not reccomend that place for acupuncture, Rory. I have gone there for Man-ssages and they were very good but their acupuncture technique from what I have understood from them is not up to par. I have never recieved a treatment from them but have asked about the techniques that they use. For one thing they at times employ electricity to the needles. This to me reflects an ignorance or disbelief in the most powerful aspects of the treatments.

But this also brings up an important point (pun intended ha ha ha ha) Not all acupuncturists are of equal skill level. It is important to get a good practitioner...I can give some reccomendations to people on a case-by-case basis.

[RB]

Am wondering about the efficacy of acupuncture and wanted to know if anyone out there has used this treatment for anything and found it helpful?

extra points for moxibustion stories.

What ails you, skwirrlking?

I have never tried acupuncture but have been curious about it too. There is that place on Grove Street near Marco and Pepe's. They advertise it as a solution to all types of ailments, including "man dysfunction."  I have gotten a massage there, which was nice. Anyone know if this place is legit for alternative treatments?

[nikki]

i love the word efficacy.

Yesterday, Kindelan convinced me to try it for my lady problems.  If it doesn't work I'll get all hormonal on him!

[duke_of_earl]

Does it work on muggles?

doe

[Kindelan]

I have found it very effective for myself and I have seen it work wonders on relatives.

A loved one of mine broke his collar bone, for example. The western solution to this is to put a plate with screws in to bring the bone together. But I actually watched how with many acupuncture treatments over a month or so they were actually able to move the bone with the treatments. Pretty cool.

[skwirrlking]

Am wondering about the efficacy of acupuncture and wanted to know if anyone out there has used this treatment for anything and found it helpful?

extra points for moxibustion stories.

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