I have a herniated disk towards the end of my spine, what the medical experts call L5. It hurts every day. I’ve been to a surgeon. After much discussion, I asked him, if he were me, would he do surgery? He answered with a resounding no. That answered my question about surgery as an option. I don’t want to be injected with cortisone either. My grandmother used the stuff, and it literally killed her.
I checked out other less invasive options. I’ve been to a chiropractor. It helped a little. I get regular massages. They help, as long as I do it every other week. I lift weights twice a week. This has helped enormously, strengthening the muscles around my back, alleviating a lot of the pain.
But sometimes, my back just freezes up. And the only thing that seems to work is acupuncture. It’s an amazing practice, especially for those over 50. When I did my initial research, some of the many ailments it helps to alleviate include lower back pain (check), weight control (check), stress (check), hot flashes (check) and many others, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, headaches, hip pain, arthritis pain, irritable bowel syndrome, infertility, and a whole host of other age-related stuff. I’m grateful that I did not have to check them all!
I was finally referred by a friend to Miles Reid. Dr. Reid offers something rare in the field; he is an MD and a Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (D.A.O.M.). Ok. This is good, I thought. If he sticks me with a needle and it starts to bleed profusely, he’ll know what to do to stop the bleeding. I am such a wimp.
My fears immediately went away when he walked through the door. First of all, he was hot! Also, highly trained, very spiritual and very knowledgeable. He showed me how tiny the needles were. Ok, I said. Let’s get this acupuncture thing started!
He felt my pulse. It checked out as normal. Then he had me stick out my tongue. I asked him why. He said when he checks out the tongue, there’s a lot he can tell about his patient’s health status. I found out my tongue was healthy. Whew. Never thought about my tongue being unhealthy.
Next came the actual acupuncture. Instead of putting the needles directly into my lower back, he inserted them in different pressure points on my body. The tiny needles were placed in my ear lobes, the top of my head, and in my hands, arms, and neck. When they first went in, I felt a little pinch – that was it. The hand-needle hurt a little more than the others, but settled down as I relaxed into it.
He then left me alone for about 45 minutes. I literally dozed off very soon after he closed the door and dimmed the lights. So relaxing. After the session was over, my back pain was gone. And, no more stress, no more hot flashes. I think the weight loss part will take more than one session, but I am willing to incorporate it into my new fitness regime. Besides, gotta make sure my tongue is healthy on a regular basis!
