If you're on pins and needles from holiday stress, a few strategically placed acupuncture needles could do the trick.
It's better than aspirin for relieving headaches, according to a study published this month.
"I have seen a lot of people come into my office with a lot of skepticism, and they came because someone recommended it -- possibly their doctor," said Jennifer Whiteside, an acupuncturist at Pennsylvania's Allegheny General Hospital. "They are at their wits' end, nothing else helps, and they are willing to try it even though they think it's weird. And it helps them."
A team of researchers at Duke University in North Carolina analyzed more than 30 studies involving 4,000 patients with migraine and tension headaches. In 17 studies comparing acupuncture to pain- relieving medications, 62 percent of the acupuncture patients reported relief compared to 45 percent of people taking medication.
The results were published in Anesthesia and Analgesia, the official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.
Acupuncture also can relieve nausea associated with chemotherapy, chronic back and joint pain, allergies and gastrointestinal problems, according to the National Institutes of Health. Local acupuncture patients said becoming a veritable human pincushion at one of the 30 or so acupuncture firms is one of the best things they've done.
Peggy Carpenter, 46, of Churchill, Pa., said she was a skeptic about a year ago before visiting Sydnie Bryant, owner of Wholistic Acupuncture in East Liberty. The treatment helped Carpenter recover from retinal vein blockage in her right eye. "The retina specialist said, at the time, my prognosis wasn't good. The vision loss would be permanent," Carpenter said. "I went back two months later (after acupuncture), and he said that it had recovered much further and faster than he had expected." She since has returned to Bryant's office one a month for treatment of migraines and allegeries. As a scientist, Carpenter said she devised a theory on how acupuncture works. She equated it to repairing a short in an electrical system, because the body runs on electrical charges. "I'm still sort of wigged out by the whole Qi-being-in-balance thing, but, whatever it is, it works," she said. Bryant is used to skeptics. Before coming to Pittsburgh two years ago, Bryant practiced in Austin, Texas, where doctors frequently recommend acupuncture, she said. The practice is not as widespread or accepted here, Bryant said. "We just have to prove ourselves," she said. "It's just about education." Hunter Howell, 36, of Stanton Heights was a believer from the start. He had regular massage-therapy appointments but never tried acupuncture until Bryant opened her office in the same building where Howell works as a personal trainer.
"I'm fairly open-minded," he said. "I believe in natural ways of healing the body." So, when he injured his hamstring, he called Bryant. "An injury like that can put you down for six weeks," he said. "I was running at full speed in three weeks." My Time on the Table My stomach ached, my palms sweat. I felt like I was about to get a flu shot. Instead, I was on an acupuncturist's table waiting for Sydnie Bryant, owner of Wholistic Acupuncture in East Liberty, to stick me with needles. "It's relaxing," she said. Sure it is. I tried to look calm as she dabbed alcohol on the sensitive skin between my thumb and forefinger. "To me, this is the most painful spot in acupuncture," Bryant said. I steeled myself for the worst as I watched the needle go in. I felt ... nothing. Really. There was light touch, then the sensation was gone. A wobbly needle with a little orange tip stuck out of my hand. Four needles later -- including one between the eyes -- I felt fine. It was stunning to look down, see a needle and feel no pain. The needle placed on the top of my head for a "good pick me up," according to Bryant, hurt a little going in. But that's probably because she hit a hair follicle, she said. I never felt relaxed, but Bryant assured me that's normal for anxious patients such as myself. After a couple times, she said, I probably would fall asleep during a session. I'm not so sure, but being a human pincushion was fascinating.
