Dr. Leia on Acupuncture for Sciatica Pain Relief, and Health Article on the Side Effects of NSAIDS?
Question for Dr. Leia: In an attempt to relieve the pain of Sciatica in one of my legs, I have had massage therapy, physiotherapy, osteopathy, and chiropractic. Nothing, to date, has helped. I shudder to think of back surgery. Are you able to provide advice?
Dr. Leia’s Answer: It sounds as if you have tried many different healing modalities except one which I feel has an impressive record of effectiveness for Sciatica problems. I may be prejudiced, but I feel that Acupuncture is one of the most effective methods for helping with Sciatica.
Acupuncture, the practice of using small, thin-guaged pins or needles and inserting them in strategic points in the body, has been around for over 4000 years. Because of its long history and track record, it is now commonly accepted as a treatment of choice for many different problems such as aches and pains, low back problems, sciatica, headaches and migraines, nerve and neurological problems, just to name a few.
It may be difficult to understand how inserting pins and needles into the body can help or completely allieviate aches and pains or to help the body heal. Some patients experience an immediate measure of pain relief after their first Acupuncture treatment. For others, the pain can appear to get worse for one or two days, but then may disappear completely or become markedly diminished thereafter. Originally, especially after the first acute appearance of the problem or pain, it is recommended to have Acupuncture treatments at least two to three times per week, then after the pain subsides or becomes controlled, to have weekly acupuncture appointments, then to gradually decrease to one appointment per month for maintenance.
In order to give Acupuncture a fair evaluation for your particular problem, it is might be necessary to try 5-10 treatment sessions before deciding that Acupuncture will not be effective for you.
I wish you luck in your exploration with Acupuncture and sincerely hope that you will be motivated to find a licensed Acupuncture Physician who has had experience treating Sciatica.
You may also be interested in reading a series of articles I wrote on Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine to give you some background information.
Please let us know of your success in this area. Best Regards.
Dr. Leia Melead
HealthyNewAge Health Article: How Do NSAIDS Function?
NSAIDS are one of the most often prescribed over the counter medications. A few examples are:
- Aspirin
- Advil
- Aleve
- Excedrin
- Motrin
When you take NSAIDS you are blocking the body’s production of prostaglandins.
Since prostaglandins are an important function of our body system and play an important role in regulating blood pressure along with assisting kidney functions and secreting gastric acids blocking their function can have negative effects over time.
Yes, you will find NSAIDs control pain but at the expense of effecting the positive action of the prostaglandins.
NSAIDS do reduce the pain and inflammation associated with ailments like osteoarthritis, but in time they can bring on some troublesome side effects.
NSAIDS Side Effects
Just a few of the potential negative side effects of takings NSAIDS are:
- cramping
- nausea
- indigestion
and diarrhea - constipation
- headaches
- tension or nervous behavior
For those who take NSAIDS for longer periods of time more serious side effects can appear. Some of these include:
- Ulcers
- fever
- sore throats
- breathing difficulties
- irregular heartbeat
- high blood pressure
There certainly is not enough warning that overuse of NSAIDS can have some pretty severe consequences. Now there is clinical evidence that because the body’s synthesis of proteoglycans is blocked the cartilage may not get enough necessary fluid which can damage the cartilage and lead to problems. So in the long run taking NSAIDS may just hasten the very disease or ailments a person is wanting to control.
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