Treating Knee Pain with Acupuncture

Treating Knee Pain with Acupuncture.knee pain gif_1448860578

We have had very good results treating knee pain with acupuncture at our clinic in Guildford, Surrey. We often see knee pain that has been going on for years, sometimes decades.

Causes

Knee joint pain can be caused by lots of things.It can be damage to the knee joint itself, ligaments, or muscles and tendons.It can be postural, referred pain from somewhere else (see our article on back pain here), an old injury that never healed properly, or arthritis (see our article on arthritis here.)

Doctors Treatment

Knee problems are seen by doctors as difficult to treat. They often prescribe pain-killers initially. If the pain doesn’t go, then they may do an x-ray, or MRI scan,which will show if surgery is needed. Surgery can be minor (eg keyhole to clean up cartilage) or major (for severe ligament or joint damage).

Acupuncture Treatment

Often we see people after they have had years of pain, & nothing that the doctors have done has worked. We spend time going over the medical history, and do an examination. We will then use acupuncture needles around the knee & some points elsewhere. We can also advise on exercise.

Case History 1

A man came to us with 2 years of knee pain following a car accident. He was due to go skiing in 3 weeks time! So we treated him once a week for 3 weeks. The pain was almost gone by thhe time he left to go skiing, and he returned after his holiday reporting no pain despite skiing every day. We haven`t needed to treat him since.

Case history 2

Recently a woman in her 40`s came to us having suffered knee pain since being a teenager. It could get really painful if she walked any distance, and all the exercises she had been given by physios had made it worse. The doctors had done nothing other than prescribe pain relief drugs for 30 years. I treated her with acupuncture and when she came back for the 2nd treatment, she hesitantly said the pain seemed not to be there. 2 weeks& 2 more treatments later,still no pain! So I told her to come back if the pain returned. We havent seen her since!

I Learn Exercise After Surgery is Good!

Acupuncture doesnt sort ever problem. I have had keyhole knee surgery for a torn cartilage. Before having the surgery I had several acupuncture treatments that had no effect, and hobbled around for a year. Interestingly, for a year after the surgery I continued to hobble, & thought the surgery had failed Then I did some simple knee strengthening weight training in the gym & and my pain dissappeared within 2 weeks! My lesson from this was the importance of doing strengthening gym work & pilates when recovering from surgery.

So we feel it is always worth trying acupuncture if you have knee pain. Even if you are due surgery, it is worthwhile, as surgery carries risk, whereas acupuncture is risk-free.

With our affordable acupuncture clinic, where we provide top quality treatment at low cost, it makes even more sense!

Menopause & Acupuncture

menopause & acupunctureAt our Affordable Acupuncture Clinic in Guildford we treat many women before & during menopause.

Interestingly, 30% of people who come for acupuncture are women age 40-69. Sometimes women don’t realise their problems are due to hormonal changes & can be treated  with acupuncture.

The World Health Organisation has approved Acupuncture to treat menopause. It also approved acupuncture for other women’s issues. We have written about these issues here.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of menopause are night sweats, weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, depression,anxiety, foggy headaches, palpitations, loss of libido & hot flushes.

These symptoms are due to lower levels of estrogen and other hormones.

Medical Treatment

The main drug used to control symptoms of  menopause is HRT,  tablets or patches. This can work but it increases the risk of breast, ovarian & uterine cancer.

How Chinese Medicine Explains Menopause

Menopause happens when a woman’s body needs to preserve blood & energy to help keep the Kidneys nourished. The extra kidney energy is then used to feed the spirit & extend longevity.  On a deep level this is seen as a change from mother to enlightened & wise being! So with Chinese medicine, the menopause isn’t about struggling and feeling unwell. It is more an opportunity for growth.

How We Treat

Acupuncture can help with the length and severity of hot flushes. We find that it also helps a lot with many other symptoms. We aim to treat each person’s individual symptoms. As well as acupuncture, we recommend  diet & lifestyle. For example, try & eat less dairy products, red meats, alcohol, sugar, spicy foods. Also caffeine & smoking is not good. We also can give you exercises to do. It’s amazing how much the right exercise can help.

Case History

After many years of helping women with one of the biggest changes in their lives I am starting to need my own remedy! Last year I began getting hot sweats, bad sleep, palpitations. I had a course of acupuncture treatments last year with David.  Amazingly all my symptoms went away & my sleep returned back to normal. A year later I am still symptom free. So  I don’t seem to need any treatments at the moment.

Acupuncture worked so well for me, I wonder how women cope without it!

 

Vahida Diaz

 

 

 

Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

Arthritis treated with Acupuncture

Arthritis treated with acupuncture can be helped. In fact, we have successfully treated both Osteo and Rheumatoid arthritis with acupuncture at our Guildford clinic.

The 2 types of Arthritisarthritis treated with acupuncture

Osteoarthritis is wear and tear of the bones, joints and cartilage. Pretty much all of us have it showing on x-rays as we get older, but interestingly not all of us get pain.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is where our own immune system attacks us. It can start as early as in our 20’s. It can get progressively worse as we get older, with deformed joints. It can be very distressing. It often comes and goes, and can ‘burn itself out’ (stop doing damage permanently) after a few or many years.

Treating Osteoarthritis

Strangely, you can have severe osteoarthritis showing on x-rays, and be pain-free and active. Also you can be in a lot of pain with healthy x-rays. No-one knows why this happens.  So whatever pain you are in, and whatever the x-rays show, there is hope.

arthritis treated with acupunctureWe have found acupuncture helps a lot of the time. Again, no-one quite knows why. In China Doctors say there are energy pathways (meridians) in the body, which if blocked causes pain. They use acupuncture needles in special points on the body to unblock the pathways, which cures the pain.

I have many clients with painful osteoarthritis in the back, hip, or knees, that have walked out of our clinic pain-free after just 1 short course of treatment.

Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis

This is more difficult to help. We find regular treatments can often make the pain less, and help the hands & feet to move better. Interestingly we have had clients whose arthritis has burned itself out at the time when they see us for acupuncture.

Client History – Osteoarthritis of Knee

A 40 year old man came to see me some years ago, diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis in his knees. The doctors had him on pain killers that were not helping. I treated him 6 times and his pain disappeared. He returned a few time over the next 10 years for other issues, and the pain never returned during this time.

Client History – Osteoarthritis of Hip

This can be helped. If severe and getting worse, it usually this requires a hip replacement. But doctors want to delay as long as possible, as the replacements only last 10-15 years. Interestingly, a lady of 65 came to see me with severe pain in her hip. She had been diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis, and was scared of surgery. I gave her a course of treatment, & amazingly her pain disappeared totally! She also regained mobility in the hip. I last saw her 2 years later, when she was still pain free & happily mobile!

Client History – Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Many years ago I saw a lovely lady aged 65. She was an ex nursing sister and a magistrate. She had severe Rheumatoid Arthritis, since her 30’s. When I met her she was wheel-chair bound. Her hands and feet were twisted and damaged, as was her neck and spine. Her upper back was severely hunched. She was also suffering with Ankylosing spondylitis, which caused deterioration and pain in her spine. She also suffered with severe indigestion & reflux.

I treated her for a number of years. Me seeing her coincided with her arthritis stopping getting worse. I treated her systemically, her hands and her feet, and her reflux. She found acupuncture once a fortnight really helped the arthritis to not get worse. It also gave her better mobility in her hands and feet. Her reflux was also greatly helped, as was her general mood. She felt happier, and less anxious. She lived many years longer than the doctors expected her to. I got to know her very well & always looked forward to seeing her. Her mind remained very sharp, and our conversations about medicine, Law & life were both entertaining & educational.

Our Clinic

Both Vahida and myself have over 25 years’ experience. So you will be in safe hands! At our clinic in Guildford in Surrey we have £25 treatment days & on-site parking. So it easy and affordable to come & see for yourself if acupuncture can help you.

David Gilbert

Asthma Treated with Acupuncture

We have been helping people with asthma for 30 years. We have had surprisingly good results at our clinic in Guildford.

The Asthma epidemic

Asthma is diagnosed more often these days. It has become a bit of an epidemic! Papers like the telegraph comment on the numbers of children prescribed inhalers. Steroid and Ventolin inhalers can be really effective. Unfortunately they come with side effects, as I know only too well. I used a whole Ventolin inhaler to keep alive during a severe allergic reaction (to tomato paste, chili and coconut milk of all things!). Then a consultant told me using a whole Ventolin had permanently damaged my heart! I was shocked, as I had no idea how dangerous these inhalers can be! The steroidal inhalers can also have side effects. So it isn’t surprising that parents can be worried about their child being on steroids for the rest of their lives.

Asthma treated with Acupuncture

Acupuncture, Chinese infant massage therapy (Tuina) and dietary advice can be a much better first port of call. Ventolin and steroids can then be used if necessary.

asthma treated with acupunctureThe NHS says Asthma is incurable, only manageable. We have had asthma clients who have not had any asthma since having acupuncture.

We treat with acupuncture, tuina massage for infants, and dietary advice. We have found dietary advice really helps alongside acupuncture. We have had 1-treatment ‘cures’. However, usually a course of treatment is needed.

My Own Asthma

As a case history, I have had asthma since I was 14. It was in summertime only, & related to hay fever. I found that diary and nuts were a major trigger, so avoiding those reduced my asthma by 80%. Over the years my asthma has become worse. It can now happen all year. It is triggered by more foods, such as soya, wheat, and all oils apart from olive and coconut oil. I have also recently had a severe, almost fatal reaction to tomato paste, chili and coconut milk. As a result I carry a Ventalin inhaler and epi-pen everywhere. I wonder whether increased traffic pollution has had a large effect on my asthma worsening. This has been documented widely. I find dietary restrictions essential. Three months ago I had a course of acupuncture with Vahida for my asthma. Since then my allergic reactions have reduced by at least 50%, and I have had virtually no asthma, and only used my inhaler before playing football every Sunday! I shall have another course of treatment with Vahida as summer approaches. This is my worst time of year. I shall update this article with the results!

So if you or a member of your family has asthma, surely its worth £25 to try acupuncture. Asthma treated with acupuncture is a great place to start!

David Gilbert

Back Pain & Acupuncture, amazing success!

Back Pain & Acupuncture

IBack pain acupuncturen my 30 years as an acupuncturist I have treated many many people with back pain & acupuncture. I have had astonishing success!

After I had been practicing for about 5 years, I was feeling uncertain as to how I had done, so I went back over all my patient notes. One fact stood out. For back pain I had had a 93% success rate! This was after a lot of clients. Some of the clients had had back pain for over 20 years. By success I mean the pain had gone totally or almost totally.

Two case histories stand out in my memory.

Case History 1

A local lawyer, who had had severe, constant pain for 30 years came to my clinic. In just 3 acupuncture treatments his pain was totally cured. One year later he sent his cleaner to see me. She also had back pain for over 20 years. I treated her with weekly acupuncture and her pain was gone in just six treatments. At the end of the last treatment, as she was leaving, she began shouting at me! What sort of an acupuncturist was I to take 6 treatments to cure her, when with her employer I only took 2 treatments!

Case History 2

back pain &acupunctureThe second was a young man who represented England in 3 sports. He had fallen off his bike 3 years previously and severely damaged his upper back. When he came to see me he was booked in to have back surgery. The surgeon had told him the surgery was extremely risky. It carried a 50% risk of total paralysis! Still he was about to go ahead with it. I treated him with acupuncture, not expecting to be able to help. The next week he returned, and in a despondent voice told me the treatment hadn’t got rid of his pain. I asked if there was any reduction of pain. He said yes, about 50%! Unlike him I was overjoyed, & I treated him again. When he returned the 3rd time the pain was 80% gone, and by the 5th treatment it was gone entirely. He came for one more treatment, and cancelled the surgery. I saw him again 1 year later for a Shiatsu treatment. He reported that his pain had never come back, and that he was back representing his country.

Acupuncture & The NHS

So if you ever read that acupuncture does not work for back pain, then please ignore it. The NHS NICE guidelines have recommended back pain & acupuncture for some years. Strangely they have just recently decided to not recommend it. I am astounded by this, as acupuncture is a cheap and effective treatment, in my 30 years of practice. In my opinion back pain &acupuncture should go together always in the NHS!

My Own  Back Pain

So if you have pack pain of any description, before taking drugs and having surgery, try acupuncture. I am speaking here as someone who has had back surgery. I tried acupuncture, and it had no effect on my back pain. This is not surprising as an MRI scan revealed that my lowest disk had totally ruptured. I would have died if I didn’t have the surgery. Fortunately for me my surgery was very successful, I am very grateful to the surgeon. 15 years later I’m in my 50’s & still play 5-a-side football!

Getting Treatment

At our clinic in Guildford we offer £25 acupuncture treatment. The low price does not mean you get less of a treatment. So if you are local to us, and are struggling with your health, why not give acupuncture a try?

David Gilbert