The Fibro Follies

If you’ve done any exploration of alternative therapies to treat your fibro, you’ve no doubt run across mention of acupuncture. And if you’ve never actually had acupuncture performed on you, you might understandably feel a bit apprehensive about having someone stick needles into you as a treatment for a pain condition!

You’d be not only forgiven for the cautious approach - you might be right. Although the acupuncture needles themselves are, in fact, pain-free (in every instance I’ve experienced them, and according to all others I’ve spoken to, though - as always - YMMV*), many people (myself included) experience a painful relapse on the first few sessions of acupuncture. Yet others speak very highly of it as an effective treatment for the pain symptoms.

So what gives? What’s the real scoop on acupuncture for fibro? Here’s a rundown on the subject collected from various sources on the web, as well as my own story.
* Your Mileage May Vary

Nicole Cutler: Acupuncture for Fibro Is “Proven and Painless”

In this article published at ezinearticles.com and originally written for FibroManage.com, Cutler asserts that the use of acupuncture is proven to alleviate fibromyalgia pain. She writes:

Published in the March/April 2006 edition of Alternative Therapies, acupuncture therapy is finally proven to have a significant therapeutic advantage in treating fibromyalgia. In addition to demonstrating effective reversal of arthritis and other chronic pain disorders, acupuncture is now specifically proven to improve fibromyalgia’s painful symptoms. The nature of clinical research is such that studies need to include uniform subject selection, criteria and treatment administration. This poses a quandary to acupuncture because of the possible different diagnoses and treatments employed per individual. A recent study cited in Alternative Therapies was structured to satisfy the stringent expectations of sound medical research. In Southern California, treatments were administered two times a week for a total of two months. The same acupuncture point combinations were used with each recipient, dependant only on the western medical diagnosis of fibromyalgia (not the acupuncturist’s energetic diagnosis). The results were statistically significant, demonstrating that regular acupuncture treatments led to decreased pain levels in tender points, without side effects.

Ms. Cutler’s article goes on to discuss how to find a qualified acupuncturist, if you’re interested in giving it a try.

WebMD: Study Shows Acupuncture Helps Fibromyalgia - But Another Shows the Opposite

In this article at WebMD, a Mayo Clinic study is discussed, with its conclusions showing improvement in pain, anxiety, and fatigue (but not activity and physical function levels). The study was presented at the 11th World Congress on Pain in 2005. The impact on pain is notable, of course, but the study authors revealed they didn’t anticipate the improvements in fatigue and anxiety levels. Of course, that might not be so remarkable - given that the depressive thoughts and anxiety stem from the direct experience of the pain as a chronic condition, it would stand to reason that when you remove the pain, the mood would improve.

Notably, the WebMD article reveals an earlier study which showed exactly the opposite conclusion - that, when compared with “fake acupuncture” (as the Mayo Clinic study did), the researchers reported no advantage for those receiving true acupuncture.

My Experience With Acupuncture

After my diagnosis in 1999, I immediately embarked on a five-year-long search for conservative treatments that worked. I ran through a laundry list that would make your head spin. I feel as if I tried everything, including the kitchen sink treatments that somebody’s aunt’s hairdresser swore by. I made my way, finally, to an acupuncturist’s office a few miles from my office at the time in 2002. I wasn’t that nervous about the needles - I had by this time adopted something of a “nothing could be worse, nothing to lose” attitude.

The doctor’s assistant made me very comfortable in a warm room with a slight breeze. No unpleasant odors or clinical atmosphere here - it seemed more like a room you’d get a massage in, frankly. I admit to a certain degree of skepticism over whether this would have any impact at all.

After a very lengthy questionnaire and examination in which she physically manipulated every single pain trigger point gently, to confirm whether I was feeling pain at that moment, she positioned me on my stomach with my shirt removed and my pants pulled down to hip level. The needles were inserted without incident - I really couldn’t feel most of them being inserted at all, and the others merely registered as a slight pressure. She left me alone in the room with a set timer, and I think I may have even dozed a bit.

She came back when the timer sounded, and began removing the needles. So far, so good. Then, she brought out a box of glass things that looked for the world like small, squat hurricane candle globes. This, she explained, was for the cupping procedure. I’d never heard of it, but she said it helped draw toxins out of the body. OK, I’m always a bit dubious about the whole “toxin clearing” thing - most physicians and scientists say that toxins aren’t released through methods like that, but through good old-fashioned perspiration, evacuation, and urination. I keep an open mind though - there’s every possibility that this stuff does work, so I relaxed and let her do her thing. She heated the air up inside the small glass cup with a lit candle, and then quickly placed the cup with the mouth against the skin of my back. I could feel the skin being drawn up slightly into the cup - it wasn’t painful, though I could discern some significant pressure in a few places. She placed several of these cups in a pattern all over my back and buttocks. Again, we waited.

When she came back, she removed them, and told me to get dressed. I set up another appointment for a few days later. As I left the clinic, I noted I didn’t feel any better, but told myself it was likely something I’d have to do several times for a cumulative effect. By the time I got to the car, I’d experienced a dramatic drop in energy. By the time I got back to my office, I could barely walk because I was in so much pain. I ended up taking the rest of the day off, and barely made it back to work the next day.

At my next session, I told the acupuncturist about the bad reaction. She agreed to reduce the number of cups, as she thought that was the most likely culprit. Although the reaction wasn’t as bad as the first time, I still experienced heightened pain and a drop in energy that was precipitous. The third appointment, we skipped the cupping altogether. I had five more sessions, but never experienced any improvement in my pain level.

It’s entirely possible some factor - perhaps the cupping, perhaps a deeply subconscious tension I was holding - made the acupuncture unsuccessful. Perhaps it works for some and not others, and we just don’t know why. I’m not sure. For me, it was merely one more unsuccessful treatment to scratch off the list, which moved me closer to medication.

I’d like to hear from readers who’ve tried acupuncture, both with and without cupping. What were your experiences like? Tell us your stories in the comments.

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