After my friend with Raynaud’s told me she had some success with acupuncture, I decided to give it a try.  Before sharing with you my experience to date, first a few caveats:

• There is to date no accepted clinical evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for alleviating Raynaud’s symptoms. I’ve found articles on the web both supporting and refuting trials using acupuncture to treat the condition.  Our Medical Advisory Board suggests that study design for many alternative therapies is unreliable (small samples, inconsistent methodologies, etc.).  So my voice on this subject is purely personal – I am not advocating acupuncture on behalf of the organization.
• The placebo effect can’t be ignored. In clinical trials, placebos have been reported to account for as much as 40% improvement in patients.
• No one treatment will work for everyone. Raynaud’s tends to be a very individual condition.  For every sufferer who tells me a nutritional supplement or dietary regime worked for them, another ten will tell me it had no impact.
• Make sure your review all treatment strategies with your doctor first. You never know when medications or other issues will have negative interactions.

Now that we’ve gotten the formalities out of the way, I’d like to share with you my journey to date with acupuncture.

I started the treatments in late September of 2010 with an open mind.  I don’t know what I expected:  maybe a discussion about my Raynaud’s attacks followed by some needles inserted in my fingers and toes, but it wasn’t like that at all.   My therapist spent a great deal of time not only understanding my Raynaud’s condition, but also a lot about me – my personality traits, my accomplishments, my family relationships, my history with stress – it was a lot more mind therapy than I expected.  But then again, acupuncture is considered a mind/body treatment alternative, so I shouldn’t be that surprised. [Read more...]