Is accupuncture a waste of money?

Katiehound

Well, they use acupuncture on animals with effect and animals aren't likely to think 'it's mind over matter!'
I have used it and found it to be very effective
Just check that the person is well qualified- or ask around locally for recommendations.
I have been told that it is effective on 90% of the population.

elsien

I tend to work on the basis that even if the effect is placebo, I don't care as long as there is an effect. What have you got to lose?

(This doesn't apply to things I really can't get my head round such as homeopathy quackery, crystals, reiki etc.)

CakeCrusader

It depends on where you go. I have MS, I've had acupuncture after a relapse and it was massively helpful. I went in with a squint caused by the relapse, the following day the squint had corrected itself. I felt a thousand times better within a couple of weeks, and didn't relapse again for a few years (until I caught a bug). I wouldn't recommend a herb medics/high street clinic though, they tend to sell herbs and vials of goodness knows what so it can work out costly. I'd look for someone on here; https://www.atcm.co.uk/find-a-practitioner I'd also look at the scientific journals for research on Acupuncture and migraines to see if the effects have been reviewed properly. It's known to work well on migraines

lessonlearned

I'm another one who finds acupuncture very helpful.

Iamadored

Worth a try. Give it 3 months, and if your condition does not improve, stop.

My migraines were caused by caffeine withdrawal. I have written on here about them before, but to recap: I was in the habit of drinking a lot of coffee during the week at work, and not drinking any at weekends. As a result, I got a migraine every weekend. It took me a long time to make the connection, but when I did, I gave up coffee and tea, and my migraines have ground to a halt.

I have also had a neurological issue (seizure, disphasia) which I suspect might have been caused by alcohol withdrawal. I have never drunk more than a small can of lager or a couple of glasses of wine of an evening, but I suspect that drinking for a few days and then not drinking for several days, could have triggered those issues. I have now given up alcohol, and so far, fingers crossed, the fairly frequent episodes of disphasia have stopped (I only ever had one full grand mal seizure).

It may be worth cleaning up your diet; eating and drinking very simply and healthily. 'Close to nature' food and drink, prepared from scratch, and mucked about with as little as possible. Lose weight if you need to, and increase exercise. And make sure you get enough sleep.

Meditation is supposed to be good for stress (which sounds like your problem) and it is free. I have started doing it for 20 minutes a day. It does not come easy to me, but I am determined to persevere.

beanielou

ripplyuk wrote: »

Thank you for the replies. I should have worded my OP better. The NHS do offer it but my GP has told me they have an 18mth waiting list in my area. I can’t wait that long and the alternative treatment they have offered is an anti-seizure drug with some very nasty side effects, along with diazepam, which I’m scared I’ll end up addicted to.

I’m still sceptical but I think the accupuncture is worth a go. I don’t know how much of it I’ll be able to afford but these problems are bad enough that I’ll get into debt if necessary, to get any relief.

I take daizapam on a regular basis for muscle spasms & I am not addicted to it, if thats any help.

sheramber

My vet used acupuncture on my dog for spinal problems with fantastic results.

Doom_and_Gloom

I've had acupuncture for my spinal issues and yes it does work, it also gave me a way to cope with pain better even after having it done. I had it on the NHS on a weekly schedule and didn't have too wait long for the treatment either. But then they were hesitant to operate on me (not a high chance operating will help, will likely degrade again anyway and too high a chance of permanent paralysis due to operation on top of time and PT to heal after) so maybe that was why I didn't have a long wait?

dbrookf

Worked for my sciatica - gone after one session; didn’t work on my lower back pain!

BigHead

I used to have chronic back pain and I tried chiropractors and shots. I spent a lot of money and time trying to mitigate the pain and finally I tried acupuncture. I was very skeptical at first but it was the only option left besides surgery.

acupuncture was the only thing that helped but it wasn't immediate relief. It took 4 sessions and my back has felt great ever since. Now I go in for just maintenance once every 1-2 months. Trust me its worth a try.