Arthritis Treatment – acupuncture

At my clinic in Guildford Surrey I have been helping Osteo & Rheumatoid arthritis for 30 years.

Types of Arthritis

arthritis treatment - acupuncture
courtesy of NRAS

Rheumatoid Arthritis is our immune system attacking our own body. It starts as early as in our 20’s. It can worsen with age. The joints (specially hands, feet & neck) can become deformed. It can have episodes, & even ‘burn itself out’ (stop getting worse for ever)  at any time.

Osteoarthritis is wear & tear. it affects joints,bones & cartilage. We all have it, as seen on x-rays whe we get into our 60’s and 70’s, but a lot of us get little or no pain.

Interestingly, severe osteoarthritis can show on x-rays, & be causing no pain or problems. You can be in a lot of pain with healthy x-rays. We dont know why.  what this means is whatever the x-rays show, there is hope!

Acupuncture for Arthritis

I find acupuncture helps my clients with arthritis much more often than research on the internet says it should. Why is this? Chinese Doctors talk of energy pathways (meridians) in us, which will be in pain if blocked. The doctors in China use acupuncture needles to free up the pathways, which stops the pain.

Clients of mine diagnosed with painful osteoarthritis have left pain-free after just a few acupuncture treatments.

Rheumatoid Arthritis & Acupuncture

Rheumatoid Arthritis is not so easy to help. Regular acupuncture can manage the pain, lessening it. The hands & feet can also be helped to be more free and in less pain. Also I have sometimes had Rheumatoid arthritis burn itself out when I begin treating it with acupuncture.

Case 1 – Hip Osteoarthritis

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! So hip arthritis can be helped. Usually, when bad and worsening, a hip replacement is needed. The consultant wont want to replace it until they really have to, as new hips last at most for 15 years.

Case 2 – Knee Osteoarthritis

A man aged 40 saw me some time ago. X-rays of his knees showed severe osteoarthritis. He was on pain killers, but they were not helping. Just a few treatments from me & the knee pain was gone, and his knees moved freer. He came back for several years for other health problems, & his knees stayed pain-free.

Case 3 – Rheumatoid Arthritis, severe.

arthritis treatment - acupunctureA lady aged 65 came to me many years ago. She was a magistrate, and had been a nurse before. She had been suffering from severe Rheumatoid Arthritis for 35 years. She was in a wheel-chair. Her hands, feet and neck were deformed by the disease, and she was hunched over. She also had Ankylosing spondylitis, a nasty condition of the spine. Linked to all this she had really bad reflux and anxiety.

She had acupuncture with me for many years. Just after I began seeing here her arthritis burned out. For her, acupuncture ever 2 weeks gave her relief, more movement in her feet and hands, & her arthritis stopped getting worse. Also her reflux was eased considerably, and she felt happier, and was not so anxious. She was a really nice lady with a wonderful memory. while she was being treated I learnt a lot about medicine, the law and life. She did so much better in her later years than she thought she would.

 

David Gilbert