Expert: Eric Renaud - 1/11/2001

Question
Dear Eric,

    My relative lives in Baltimore and has a tremendous amount of pain in her hands. She's played the piano all her life. Arthritis runs on her mother's side and she has all kinds of problems at 70 years old. She has a bulging disk in her neck, has had Ulnar Nerve surgery in both arms, etc.... The surgery got rid of the daggers of pain and prickles, but now she's left with just pain. Yesterday, she used her hands a lot to vacuum and play bridge, and could not get to sleep afterwards. She lives with the pain everyday.

    Doctors have diagnosed her disorder as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, and they are not sure exactly what is causing it, her bulging disk in her neck or something in her shoulder or the ulnar nerves? Nobody can help her and she's been to supposedly the best in the world, about 15 doctors in all. So, we are still looking for answers.

    I know a famous pianist who lost the use of his right hand and eventually fixed it, after 10 years, with acupuncture and other holistic medicine.

    Do you think acupuncture can help with the pain management and/or fix the problem?

Sincerely,

Scott

Answer
I would like to make a referral.  I attended school at the Traditional Acupuncture Institute, in Columbia, Maryland.  I think your relative is in a good place geographically if she wishes to pursue treatment.  If your relative is willing, she can contact a member of the TAI faculty clinic at 410-997-3770 ext. 614 or if she is wanting to see someone locally, she can call the TAI student/faculty clinic in Baltimore at 410-433-6846.

That being said, I think that acupuncture could help your  relative, but there is no guarantee.  From my standpoint, the diagnosis given means much less to me than the patients actual report -- this is because every person is unique, and two patients coming to see me with a diagnosis such as "Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy" would likely receive different treatment specifically oriented toward them, and not the labeled condition.  In order to truly answer your question, I would need to be with your relative, interview her, feel her pulses and do an intake exam.  

It has been my experience that often times acupuncture is sucessful when other therapies are not.  This is perhaps because I see patients who come for treatment after exhausting other avenues, and treatment seems to help many of them.  Of course there is no magic involved.  Acupuncture is another toolbox to work from, and in times when other tools do not work, acupuncture may.

Beware of any provider who promises a cure without actually meeting with your relative -- and I hope the referral information comes in handy, there are many fine practitioners (some who were among the first american acupuncturists in the country !) in her area.