Transformation
— Janice C. Brown MD, MPH
That is what acupuncture can do, transform someone. I have helped many patients transform with acupuncture, unbeknownst to them. But one patient really sticks out.
An elderly man worn by the ebbs and flows of life. He suffered from constant low back and neck pain, his spine deformed by scoliosis that developed in the latter years of his life. He suffered from constipation severe enough that he had to go the hospital on several occasions and from abdominal cramping that seemed to have no rhyme or reason as to when it occurred.
We met one morning for his initial evaluation, his wife by his side. Acupuncture was his last resort; surgery was not an option, the standard oral pain medications were mediocre in effect, the lumbar epidural steroid injections no longer worked. I did my usual intake and examination noting that his scoliosis encompassed both the coronal and transverse planes. His muscles were tight and unforgiving. He walked, hunched over and clearly in pain. His nervous system remained intact.
As I know the benefits of acupuncture, I did not hesitate to get him scheduled with recommendations for weekly sessions. He was skeptical after the first treatment; he did not feel better, his pain was the same intensity. The second session was the same. His wife was there to support him, reminding him that this was it, he had no other treatment options available. He continued, and by the sixth session he noted that his back was feeling better, the pain almost gone. His wife confirmed that he asked less often for oral pain medications.
What did I observe? A transformed man. He was walking more upright with less shuffling of his gait. He was able to get on/off the table with less effort (he needed his wife’s help prior). He was brighter and engaged more in conversation. He had less constipation and abdominal discomfort (I did do a treatment to unblock his GI system). His wife was even more relaxed. He was amazed in a subtle way being the stoic, retired professor he was. His request? “Can you work on my neck?”
If you are a physician who practices acupuncture, share your story of transformation with your colleagues. If not, share this article with them. Acupuncture has and always will have the power to transform as long as the human body exists in its current form. So why not add it to your toolbox? It is truly a game changer.
Janice C. Brown MD, MPH practices acupuncture daily in her Integrative Pain Management Clinic within SIMED Health in Ocala, FL. She can be contacted at janice@betterhealthlifecoaching.com.
Longtime AAMA member, David Nagel, MD, ran for election to the New Hampshire House of Representatives to represent Belknap 6. He won in the general election in November and assumed office on December 7, 2022. His current term will end on December 4, 2024. We asked Dr. Nagel to share his thoughts about the intersection of public service and medicine. Here are his comments:
