Acupuncture & Reflexology

I've been having acupuncture for my gut and for insomnia. It doesn't seem to help the UC flair, but I think it has helped the sleep a little bit. (Except when I'm on prednisone. Nothing makes me sleep then. At least not for long, and the nightmares are so bizarre and awful I think I'd rather just get up.)

Yes! I am a HUGE proponent of acupuncture. I was in remission for nearly a year with it -- completely off meds and feeling bionic. I was ready to check myself into a hospital and instead was nearly symptom free in about 2 weeks -- 3 or 4 visits.

BUT, here's the catch: Finding a good acupuncturist is a challenge. I am lucky to live near one who is fantastic and recommended by many physicians. I went to another acupuncurist in NYC and he was a total quack. He had about 5 patients all at the same time and he'd run between the rooms to check on us. It was completely useless and actually rather upsetting to be left in a room with needles in me.

If you're wondering why I stopped going -- I went for a year, once a week and that kept me in remission. Then I wasn't able to go for about 5 weeks and I relapsed. Subsequent visits were not helpful. I've heard from other people that this is common. The first "course" is great but if you stop, it might not work again. Now that it's been some years, I'm thinking of trying it again. I know I have to make the commitment to go consistently, which is the only stumbling block for me.

Some ideas about how to find a good acupuncturist:
*Many physicians (maybe orthopedists especially?) hear about acupuncturists because their patients will tell them what they have tried. I would ask around with doctors.
*Ask whether you will get a full hour with the acupuncturist alone. You don't want to be one of several patients in a clinic setting.
* Ask about the person's training. I'd be wary of anyone who studied in China during the Chinese cultural revolution (1966-1976) when doctor degrees were given out more freely, according to my acupuncturist.

I highly recommend trying acupuncture if you can find a good practitioner! :)

I started seeing a "dart thrower" about a month ago and it has helped me overcome my latest flare. I did it 3 times a week and now I am doing it once a week. It helps with my colon, my stress level, and my hemi.

I recommend it.

Sore_Guts: There's someone good in Connecticut (who I saw) and I just heard of someone outside of NYC, maybe in Westchester. I never found someone good in NYC, which is insane. I'm sure there must be a lot of great people there.

I paid about $105 an hour but that was about 5 years ago. I would think that $125 for a whole hour of individualized care is still a good deal. But I'm in the Northeast where everything is pretty expensive.