Monday, August 16, 2010

Tales of Acupuncture

Hi All!

So on Friday last week, I had 2 new patients come in.  One of them had come from one of my massage therapists.  My massage therapist had suggested to her that we might be able to get somewhere with a bit of acupuncture.  The patient reported that she had had her headache for 10 days now, and that it had progressed to the point where the pain was traveling down her neck and in behind her shoulder blades.

The headache started between the eyes.  She reported that she had a series of headaches when she was 15 years old (20 years ago) and that they had taken her in for a CT scan, from which, she never heard the results!  I suppose no news is good news...

I think the most striking thing from her history is a car accident she had about 6 years ago.  She managed to lose control of her vehicle, went sideways for a bit, then rolled the car 5 times, at which point it switched to end over end for another 4 times before finally coming to rest against a tree.  Well, at rest is a bit of an exaggeration, as the tree trunk embedded itself deeply into what remained of the front end.

Thankfully, she didn't have much memory of the accident.  I think that's a heck of a self-protection device we have built into us.  When horrific things happen like that, the mind wipes out the memory so that all we have left are vague impressions instead of stark, burned in memories.

Meanwhile, I chose 5 points for her treatment.  Top of the head, one each over the eyebrows, one in the hand and one in the ankle.

Usually, I have a great touch with migraines, but she reported that she didn't feel a lick different after the treatment!  Boo...

Ah well.  Not everyone responds right away.  I'll get another kick at this headache tomorrow evening.  Hopefully, I'll be able to make more of a change for her.  Imagine how you'd feel after your head was pounding for 10 days straight...

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