Posted by pseudoname on October 19, 2006, at 12:21:34
In reply to my acupuncture for depression, posted by pseudoname on October 2, 2006, at 15:21:57
Well, I went to my last of six scheduled appointments for acupuncture for depression. I was taking a fair amount of other meds & fish oil at the same time, so it'd be hard to say that in isolation the acupuncture was responsible for any progress or failure, but I think it was a total waste.
In fairness to acupuncture, I couldn't find a truly traditional practitioner, so the points this guy used may not have been the right ones for me.
Also, he did not seem very sharp (so to speak!), and I was very put off by his smiley, "So-you-feeling-better-now?" attitude at the beginning of every session. (You often get that with pdocs, too, of course.) He also said that he sees a lot of people who do not WANT to get better even though they keep coming in for treatment. I considered that to be a warning: "Report improvement or I will label you a malcontent."
He said he could see improvement in my demeanor, etc, in the 3 weeks he'd known me. He also said that if I kept coming in, he'd get me so I was "smiling all the time." I considered that to be an irresponsible promise of efficacy in the face of negligible (if any) improvement so far. I think he had no experience with long-term, treatment-resistant depression and was clueless about what I am really up against.
I wasn't expecting any improvement, frankly. I was dubious of acupuncture to begin with, but I don't dismiss it. There are a few studies… Nevertheless, it didn't work for me. If I ever come across a more traditional practitioner with experience in depression, I might try it again.
Anyway, I can say I've done it.
poster:pseudoname
thread:691240
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20061013/msgs/696036.html