Acupuncture and GBS – Any evidence of it Helping?

I too am curious about your collective input. I have $500 from benefits to spend on accu. and am wondering if it could help my hands

There is a Docttor in Louisiana that specializes in accu. His name is Dr. Snow and his number is 31-747-1400. Give him a call and ask. He seems to feel positive toward it’s results.
Pat G

Acupuncture can help the entire body get balanced and this could lead to healing and possibly pain relief. GBS is such a slow process that I wonder if you would see a difference right away..possibly with the pain. It tends to get expensive. I prefer similar methods I can do at home or anywhere. I am having trouble editing this post so I shall start over.

Why not try Acupressure? You can do it yourself and the cost is much less. I use a book entitled, ENERGY MEDICINE by Donna Eden. I am sure you can find others at your local book store. I also use reflexology of the hands and feet. They have worked for nausea, sore throats ear aches, etc. I used it on my hands when I was at the height of my GBS storm. The pads in my palms below my thumbs were aching. This is the spot to show inflammation. I massaged it to relieve the inflammation. These points are a way our body communicates to us what is really happening with it. We are like an electrical grid. It should relieve your pain. And there are no side effects like prescription drugs carry. I have tried acupuncture in the past….it was expensive and I found acupressure to work just as well. I had big bruise marks on my face like someone had hit me after having acupuncture. My fellow teachers at a new school did not say a word. They all thought I was a battered woman. Funny..I am walking around with these obvious bruises and no one asked. The acupuncturist said it was rare that it would bruise. SO I let her do it again. Bingo. Another set of bruises. It didn’t happen on the rest of my body. I finally decided to tell people what had happened. That is when they told me they thought I was battered and were too embarrased to ask. Sadly, if I were battered, guess they would not have offered any help.

You are TOO funny!!! Your comments still have me laughing a day later. The other teachers used to tease me that my vitamins would keep my body preserved long after I died. One day I brought in a jar of algae/pond scum to put under the microscopes for my middle school biology classes…the one teacher saw me and said, “What are you eating for lunch now!!!!”
How about a T-shirt that says: Nietzsche is peachy but myelin still grows 1 mm a day!
How do they know that?? Maybe MY myelin grows faster than 1 mm….I hate studies…many of them are flawed….the poor bumblebee would not fly if he read the literature that says he is aerodynamically unable to fly….

You know, it does one good to laugh. I even get a laugh or two when I fall. It does take the monotony out of the day though. Wish I could now learn to spell. God Bless.

I had a doc tell me once that it mends at 1 inch a month…if my legs are a 29 inch inseam, well…you can do the math.

But then I had a neuro tell me that the damage isn’t continuous along the sheath. It is damaged in patches. So when I have a spurt of improvement, it is probably because the mending has reached a patch that was not damaged.

That gave me solace, for some reason.

When I told him that my feet go back and forth between ankle to toe pain and arch to toe pain, he told me that before GBS, I had good days and bad days… but that I didn’t notice so much because I wasn’t paying attention. It’s normal for things to flucuate.

I love him. I love him second to the one who saved my life.

🙂
Barbara
Diagnosed GBS, July 2009
Pain in the feet is constant, just a matter of degree

My neuro told me this week that the nerve damage might have started an onset of Parkinsons. Never thought about nerve damage in that way.

Hedley, that’s why I changed neuros. The one I had knew less than I did. Should have called him DR Nimrod.

[QUOTE=Hedley LaMarr]Here is my experience with Acupuncture performed by an experienced Chinese doctor: I had 2 sessions and the post treatment was painful for two days after in each instance. It was as if he had stirred up coals on a fire. I was his first GBS patient. He reports having success with stroke patients. By mutual agreement we stopped treatment. The needles were placed in both legs from the knees down which is the area that has not recovered yet. I tried, but the resulting pain was not worth further treatment. This is just MY experience.[/QUOTE]

Hi Hedley

I got the same recommendation from my PT. Acupuncture will not grow myelin. I have been getting some benefit from massage therapy. All I can say is that it feels good and loosens up all my sore muscles. It has been worth every penny.

We have been on quite a journey and i try and am open to alot of aternitive medicine.Yes i have tried acupuncture and also while doing accpuncture the Doctor of Chinese medicine performs electric stimulation on some needles.I do find much help from this.I feel it has helped with balance to some degree even while wearing braces my one hope is to make balance easier.As with GBS eneryone has different problems.I This was my experience.My best to you all.

This will be a quick post. I have been getting regular acupuncture lately an have had some positive results.

First, I had pain in my right shoulder from too much time on the computer working on music. This has seemed to fade and my time on the mac has actually increased.

Also, I had some tremendous pain in my left thumb, likely carpal tunnel related from playing guitar without doing hand-stretches.

Perhaps not helping with GBS, but doing a lot for other maladies. That must count when recovering from GBS.

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