I wanted to share an experience from the other day. I have been struggling with gout, which is caused by eating tomatoes and red meat, so they tell me.
I have refused to go to the doctor for it because of what the medical community had done to the world some three or four years ago. Besides that reason, why not? There's no known cure for gout.
Making Every Step Count
I have been forced to count my steps whenever I go out because I'm only good for about two blocks of walking before I'm in severe pain. So I try to take care and not walk too much. That's also the main reason why I use an electric unicycle to get around. It doesn't make me pound my feet on the ground in order to travel. See my other account, @s22 to see how I'm able to travel miles at a time without harming my feet.
But I have found some relief by taking a page out of the book chiropractors use. Many of them also perform acupuncture, although I have not found one in this country that does that. Then I saw an ad on another social media platform and I just asked where they were located. You never know until you ask. It turns out that they were only a couple miles from my house so I took a ride over there and they treated me right away.
The pain that I've been having in both of my feet is only in one joint, the one right behind the big toe as you head backward on the foot. So I'm not sure why they needed to poke needles into my foot near the ankle and heal. The "Doctor" performing this particular procedure was Korean. His daughter was interpreting what I said and telling her father what the problem was. Let's hope they got it right!
The last time, which was also the first time, that I had acupuncture was about 20 years ago. The doctor was American and was also a chiropractor. At that time I felt nothing when he put the needles in and I was supposed to leave them in for about 30 minutes while I relaxed and waited for him to come back in the office. That was easy back then and this experience was similar as far as the 30 minutes goes. No pain while they were in but I had felt about half of those needles go in, although it was not that bad. I guess you could say that it was less painful than it would have been if I had done it myself. I had expected zero pain based on my first and only other experience. When I felt the second or third on go in, I did find myself questioning my judgment as to trying this technology for a second time.
While waiting those thirty minutes, I had no pain at all unless I tried moving in which case I did feel a slight aching sensation. I actually made a video showing both feet and talking about the experience. I wasn't sure if I should put that up or not which is why it's not here.
These people, in general, are very well trained in the points that can either be pressed or punctured in order to bring results, and I have to say the results that I've had since becoming a pincushion have been extraordinary. For the last few years, ice and heat and oils that I have applied on my feet for my gout have only brought slight relief. Now that I have done acupuncture, I have to say that this it has extended my walking ability to about a mile per day. The pain is also quite bit less severe as I hit that limit. Even if I walk a mile, I do not have to recover for an entire day after walking it.
Back to the office visit. This is a picture of a model that was on the desk in the office where they treated me. The first photo was also taken by me in the same office. These models show all the different points and, if I were a trained professional, they would guide me to put the pins in the right places in order to treat the ailment at hand.
While the practitioner was removing the needles from my feet and ankles, his daughter asked me if I would be interested in "bee venom therapy". I told her that I would do anything necessary to try to alleviate the pain that I've been in. She confirmed that I was not allergic to bee stings, and since the doctor is not buzzing around me and attacking me, he was welcome to install the bee venom with a hypodermic needle rather than a stinger.
I expected some swelling and I wondered if I would be able to drive home. As it turns out, I was able to drive home and on the way home I stopped at the mall and went for a walk. I walked three levels at Abasto and did a bunch of shopping before returning home. My feet felt fine!
What are your thoughts on acupuncture? Have you ever tried it?