Acupuncture

[Mike]

Hey all,

Its been a while... hope you are all getting better.

I had another appointment at the M.E clinic I attend and had some acupuncture..... very weird and a little painful.... well odd pain would be the best way to describe... couldnt text on my phone for an hour after... LOL

So far... so good, its only been 2 hours... so cant really report a great deal.. but the Lady I have is excellent, as she has M.E its great to download to her and get some really good feedback and support and knowing she has also been through the mills and is doing excellent really gives you a real life goal in coping and overcoming M.E, she is real life proof that we can beat this.

I will update in a few days to let you know how things are going.

Cheers
M


--
You cannot fight fate

[mmMarty]

Mike,

Acupuncture eh? Where did she put the needles? Is there a normal treatment for PVF? I really am willing to try anything, and my regular doc is sort of out of ideas so I'm starting to try to find other types of medicine--that was how I got introduced to acidophilus and to oregano oil...not sure if they are helping but i will keep it up for the recommended 3 months. I envy you having a clinic-- I live in a rural area and I think I might be the only PVF case in my GP's care.

I'm trying not to get down, but it has been really hard the last few days...do you find the mood issue to be cyclic? Somedays I'm sort of OK with all of this blankness, other days not...marty

[Mike]

Marty,

I had a total of 6 needles in me... one in each hand between the thumb and finger, one in each foot and in each leg just behind the shin.... i have a desk based job and even typing today I still have a ache in the hand like a bruise. Acupuncture has been around for centuries and can do many things to the body, the treatment I had will either help with sleep or increase my energy levels, for this clinic its normal treatment, so may be worth having a go yourself when youre more able... or maybe someone offers a "to your door" service

I also take Acidophilus, also Threelac to help fight off the bad bacteria in the gut and restore the good stuff.

I've had PVF/M.E for 1 year 7 months now and i've had real bad days and some where I can cope... some days I've felt so bad/detatched that i feel like i wont wake up the following morning... I think once you begin to accept that youre ill and its going to take months/years to recover it all falls into place. One thing which has helped with the moods is returning to work or doing small hobbies like building nitro rc cars... even a walk to the post box each day just to get out, and achieve a small walk can help loads with mood.

I live in a town and im like the test subject from my GP surgery as far as im aware im the only M.E victim in my surgery... But to be honest as dreadful M.E has been and will continue to be for me, it has its own silver lining, I have appreciated things which i was too busy to make time for pre illness...

Everyday youre one day closer to recovery...

Chin Up
M


--
You cannot fight fate

[Helena]

Hey there,
I found the acupuncture very helpful. When my bck was so sensitive i could hardly bare her to touch it, she had a different technique to relieve the surface tension


--
~Put your own oxygen mask on first~

[kolllkowski]

Hi all, I am a nurse and also studied Chinese medicine as part of my Shiatsu training.
When I developed post-viral fatigue following a cold, flu and bronchitis in the past 3 months I encountered unhelpul responses at my GP surgery. Due to my work with alternative medicine I know a very good acupuncturist, chinese herbalist and a great nutritionist (who is also a biochemist) who have been invaluable to my slow recovery. I want to pass some of the things on, hoping it may help others too. Besides regular acupuncture sessions which made a big difference I felt that I needed to look more into this fatigue syndrome. So here is what I found: The majority of people suffering post-viral fatigue (also called adrenal fatique or recognized as Kidney Yin deficiency in Chinese Medicine) often have low blood sugar. (typical symptoms as most of you know are insomnia, weakness in legs, drowsyness, fatigue,fast pulse, noise + light sensitivity, temper tantrums, dizziness, restlessness, lack of concentration, pale skin, headache, cold hands and feet, irritablility, loss of sexdrive, eyeache) These were all symptoms I suffered over the last months. So one of the most important thing is to have very regular small meals with a good complex carbohydrate - protein balance. Avoid sugar, alcohol, caffeine as they will only make you feel worse. That also includes potassium rich fruits ie. bananas, figs and fruitjuice as they drop your bloodsugar too fast. Foods that were recommended to me were: berries, apple, millet, quinoa (highest content of plant protein), amaranth, brown rice, kidney and mung beans, potato, crab, dardine, duck, eggs, pork, beef, cheese. (the last 4 in small amounts) I would strongly recommend you find an alternative nutritionist who can check you for mineral/vitamin deficiency (incl. hair tests are available)and suggest appropriate supplements specifically for you following consultation. Although it seems that post-viral fatigue for many people have had a sudden onset (following illness) you will often discover that there has been deficiencies in your body leading up to that event, otherwise your body wouId have been able to cope with the virus more efficiently and you wouldn'tbe stuck with the fatigue now. My consultation with the nutritionist was certainly an eyeopener!
Look into your lifestyle and diet before the illness - Did you suffer from stress at work or emotional stress? Do you have allergies, IBS, recurrent chest infrections, asthma or eczema? These are often related
to adrenal fatigue and need to be looked at in the context of your fatigue. If you can't afford treatment (nutritionist or acupuncture) right now I would recommend to check out two supplements I have been given that are specifially designed for improving your immunsystem: Immulina (bioactive algae extract) ca. £25 www.vital-life.org.uk or check out: Elderberry complex from Bionutri ca, £16.50 www.bionutri.co.uk
Get better soon but go and look for help - it's there!
Nicole
"If you don't look after your body -where are you going to live?"
<em>edited by kolllkowski on 11/22/2009</em>

[Mike]

Nicole,

Welcome to the forum.

Many thanks for your input, very intersting read... not a side I have researched... I've only had acupuncture a few times and only have 6 needles every session so far, inbetween the thumb and forfinger.... in the foot between the big toe and the next one along, but a little way up the foot and the last in the calf just behind the shin bone... this is mirrored across the body. i've been told that these areas are to increase "energy"

I havent seen a nutritionist yet, but since reading your post am very very keen to see one... I had alot of stress pre PVF with a mixture of burning the candle at both ends and having a cold I couldnt shake for 3 weeks.... I used to live life with the expression "ill sleep when Im dead"

If you dont mind me asking, what age are you and how are you coping at present? are you mobile and working or still housebound?

M


--
You cannot fight fate

[kolllkowski]

Ups, forgot to log in again, the message before was me
Nicole

[SweetLana]

Hi Nicole,

I should say you are pretty much experienced with the fatigue! I'm impressed you were having it for 2 years (Mike is close to this mark as well). You said you were working part-time since then - does it mean you never got back to 100% energy/health? Did they diagnose you as the one with CFS?

Thanks for all your advice. Hope this time you get better sooner.

Cheers,
Lana

[kolllkowski]

Hi Lana,
I don't know if you saw my wee blurp in one of the other forum threats regarding your eczema? Just in case you missed it I copied it again as I had so much bother with eczema too and have got it more or less under control now. So here it is again:
Hi Lana one comment regarding your eczema. In Chinese medicine terms your eczema flare up is a sign of heat in your body that is due to deficient kidney yin energy (deficient yin fluids) which normally help to cool your body = ie: inflammation, dry skin and unusual thirst are all heat/dryness signs. If its still bothering you now I'd recommend you get a good fish oil supplement asap and antioxidants supplement (vitamin E, A and C) to reduce the inflammation and promote healing of your skin from inside rather than just using ointments! Besides its always good to have a good Multivitamin complex with chronic stuff like eczema. Avoid too much warming food: coffee, alcohol, lamb, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, peanuts and hot spices, refined sugar. And you could consider Acupuncture and Chinese herbs too if you want to sort it quickly.
Regarding your question...
No, I was never diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue and although I felt that was the closest I could find in view to my loss of energy I didn't quite fit the bill with my other symptoms... my allergy related fatigue in the past has been a desperate time as noone took me serious then or knew what was wrong with me. I was not quite as acutely sick as I am now with the post-viral stuff but I had hardly any energy, chronic diarrhoea and lost lots of weight. The worst was that I still I had to drag myself to hospital to work as I was self-employed at that time and would have earned no money otherwise. But finally after 2 years of suffering I found a blood test for Food Intolerances in 2004 (they were not commonly known as they are today) and improved within a month following my diet change. So that I felt almost normal again - only my energy levels have never been stable since then. I need much more sleep and had to learn to live with IBS. Unfortunately, as we all know - we look normal and are young - and so my work is rather suspisious that I am off sick more often than others wich causes me more stress. Although god knows how much money I spent on alternative therapies with Nutritionist, Acupuncture and Shiatsu over the past years - I don't care cos that all helped me to get back to a more or less normal lifestyle. But I feel I could never work a normal full-time job again - and in fact wouldn't want to now, even if my energy would be 100%! I learned to appreciate to have more time for myself and have regular lie ins in the morning. I had to get up only 3 days at 7am and that was already a real struggle over the last years. So I am lucky that Shiatsu has provided me with a second job that is much more relaxed than my busy nursing. And since I have the post-viral fatigue I am actually considering of giving up nursing for good in the near future as it is no job one can easily cope with when struggling with chronic issues... but I'll have to see how my post-viral fatigue developes in the next months... I'm getting gradually better although still on the couch most days. But my chinese herbalist gives me hope. I know that the GP's only approach is rest but I find that therapies can help so much. (If you can afford them that is...)
Nicole
<em>edited by kolllkowski on 11/27/2009</em>

[SweetLana]

Hi Nicole,

yes, I read your post and I actually replied in "Symptoms Progression" thread. Anyway, I do most of the things that you advised but it's still there and I still have to use the cream. I think I'm just out of the balance too much. I believe when I get better with PVF, eczema will get better too. Maybe I'm wrong. Don't know really what was first chicken or the egg. I started it getting back again in May (after 3 years of being clear) and I fell sick with PVF in mid-July. So, it's hard to say now. I stay away from alcohol, coffee, peanuts (hate them actually), hot spices (not a big fan either), cut off sugar (because of candida), I'm taking multivitamins for 4 months now, vit C and E, B12 but it's still there. Thanks for the advice though. I'm glad it's working for you.

It's good that you trained in something else that can give you income. I constantly think that I should do/train in something else too just in case. But I really don't know what it might be.

As for acupuncture - my friends insist that I should try some and they recommended a good Chinese doctor but he is way too far from me and he has stairs which I'm not ready yet to conquer. So, I might find someone closer when money permits.

B, welcome back! How was your trip? How are you feeling?

Cheers,
Lana
<em>edited by SweetLana on 11/29/2009</em>