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This is the first and, to date, the only time in my acupuncture practice that I have ever made such a proposal.
Normally, I treat clients with pain complaints once or twice a week in the beginning. In this way, the treatment can build on the effects of the previous treatment and you will ultimately need fewer treatments.
But this case is exceptional: this young student cut her index finger on a broken glass and the scar fused with the nerve. Although the scar and nerve were separated, two years down the line the nerve pain still shoots from the finger to the shoulder. It’s impossible for her to sleep for more than an hour at a time becauseof the pain. She has difficulty planning activities, because the pain might resurge and then she is unable to do anything.
So, I begin treatment on the healthy finger. The pain immediately subsides for a few hours and then returns. When I treat her again later in the week, the pain has returned in full force. This calls for drastic measures. I tell her that treating her twice a week will not bring any lasting results and that it will be a waste of time and money if I keep having to go back to the starting blocks after each treatment.
When I propose treating her six times a week, she decides to go for it!
So, she comes for treatment six times a week for two weeks, then the following week she comes three times, followed by two treatments the week after that.
The treatment stops and except for a very slight stinging sensation in her index finger, which she can live with, the nerve pain has completely disappeared. She can sleep again and is pain-free for a year.
But after a year, she comes back to the practice because the pain has returned in full force. We immediately start treatments six times a week, but this time the pain does not significantly lessen with each treatment. So, my conclusion is that there must be something that structurally continues to irritate that nerve. I tell her that I think that there might still be glass in that finger.
Her surgeon checks it out and discovers that there are still two pieces of glass in her finger.They are removed and at Christmas I get a card from her saying that she is doing well now.
This anecdote illustrates the importance of a well-coordinated frequency of treatment. It also proves how effective acupuncture is without directly pricking the painful area. And it shows that acupuncture can’t eliminate mechanical blockages.
Therefore both Chinese and western medicine care are essential.
