Chinese Medicine And Other Alternatives

[Sulevismom]

Hello,

I've been wondering what other people's experiences have been with alternative medicines.

I saw my longtime Accupuncturist/Chinese medical doctor a couple months ago regarding my recent diagnosis with celiac disease. He was glad for me that I discovered the disease and took it very seriously, which was nice, since I wondered if he was going to disregard it and say I have some other ailment. Since we only had one session together (I would have had several, but now I live in another country) he gave me an accupuncture treatment for liver stagnation, which deals with pretty much all my symptoms, as well as the "plumb pit" problem I have ("plumb pit" refers a drop of mucus that comes down the back of the throat--anyone else have this problem?). He also gave me some herbal pills: Xiao Yao San, made of things like ginger, and liquorice, and the prescription was to take 3 pills 3 times per day with meals.

The result was that I felt more clear headed after the needles for a few days. I have not noticed a difference by taking the pills, and actually I stopped taking them because of this. Now, I think I will start taking them again and see if it helps with the speed of the general healing. It's has been tough to know what causes what in the beginning, since I so often got accidentally glutened. But now, I think I know more: no oats, no gluten free wheat starch, no gluten, and I'm fine.

So, my question is what have other's experiences been with alternative medicines?

[Generic]

I love acupuncture. It has really help calm down my glutening reactions. Before I would end up in the ER with severe dehydration, now I just get D and stomach cramps.

[daphniela]

I have used accupuncture in the past for my TMJ and migraines. It worked very well.

[ang1e0251]

I used accupuncture a few years back for a sore shoulder after a car accident. It gave me temporary relief. I assumed this shoulder just had arthritis and kept going. Guess what? After I went gluten-free, no more shoulder pain.

[kdonov2]

my chinese doctor doesnt even believe in food intolerances. he laughed at me when i told him that western medicine had diagnosed me with gluten and casein intolerance. he told me that it was the quality and quantity of the product (except for dairy products, he thinks it should be completely eliminated from the diet). he told me i should eat unprocessed 8 and 9 grain breads, but im still very wary. im not going to chance it.

[ENF]

my chinese doctor doesnt even believe in food intolerances. he laughed at me when i told him that western medicine had diagnosed me with gluten and casein intolerance. he told me that it was the quality and quantity of the product (except for dairy products, he thinks it should be completely eliminated from the diet). he told me i should eat unprocessed 8 and 9 grain breads, but im still very wary. im not going to chance it.

To tell you to continue to eat gluten is about the worst advice any doctor could give you. I've been to several doctors who were trained in China and Russia. While they were not taught anything about Celiac Disease, once they learned about it at least they acknowledged it's existence and recognized the importance of the gluten-free diet.

[RESO]

Chinese medicine is the BEST!!! BUT, you have to find the right practitioner. If your acupuncturist doesn't "believe" in allergies or intolerances, find another one. As far as how long the effects last, conditions such as Celiac disease are serious and complicated, symptoms will not clear up with one treatment - they may clear up for a short period of time, but you will need a series of treatments to get lasting relief.

I encourage everyone to check out chinese and japanese medicine, it's been around thousands of years longer than western medicine. Just like with doctors, you may not find the right acupuncturist the first time around. Ask around for recommendations from friends and family and/or try your local acupuncture school. Western medicine has let many of us down, I know it let me down. Acupuncture is the only thing that has gotten me back to almost normal. In fact, I am considering acupuncture school in the fall.