Reply To: Acupuncture / Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Acupuncture is placebo. Chinese herbal medicineis mostly placebo. There are a few things with useful medicinal properties and others which are harmful. TCM is mostly harmless, but is not the place to find effective treatment for GBS.

GBS is self-limiting. Many people afflicted with it will make good recoveries with no treatment at all. This why some people think placebos are effective when they are not. The danger with such treatments is that they may encourage a patient to forego real medical treatment when it can make a difference in the outcome. It is known that earlier treatment (meaning IvIg or plasma exchange) generally leads to better recoveries.

Axonal damage takes a long time to heal, and the recovery will likely not be complete. Almost four years on I still have residuals in my legs associated with nerve damage. I expect it is permanent.