acupuncture

Wouldn't that be awesome! If you should find out more let me know. I will research it as well and if I find something will let you know.
Maybe working it together with the exercises and posture would be extremely beneificial. I for one am leaving no stones unturned. We need to work together to help each and every one of us.

Take care,

1newtowholewoman

I have had my first acupuncture treatment and several acupuncturists have confirmed they helped women with prolapsed uteruses. It takes about 10-12 sessions. I'm also taking Chinese Medicine supplements.

Being 61 and having said no to hysterectomy for prolapse for a few years, I will let you know how I progress.

>Wouldn't that be awesome! If you should find out more let
>me know. I will research it as well and if I find something
>will let you know.
>Maybe working it together with the exercises and posture
>would be extremely beneificial. I for one am leaving no
>stones unturned. We need to work together to help each and
>every one of us.
>
>Take care,
>
>1newtowholewoman

When I was initially diagnosed with a prolasped bladder late last spring, I was already seeing an acupuncturist for low back and shoulder/neck issues. I eventually ceased the appointments as I was not noticing a difference and the needles at times were quite painful. She occasionally gave me a homeopathic remedy, the name of it escapes me. She also wanted me to do the hot embers over my low back, again I cannot recall the name of this but it is well known, and I declined. The needle she specifically inserted for prolapse was at the very top of my head. I would be very interested in knowing from others where their acupuncturist inserts needles to address the prolaspe. I have received the name of an acupuncturist from my gyn, who is also trained in acupuncture and has studied in China for it. I may consider contacting this referral whom I understand is quite good - she is from China and has practiced acupuncture for many years. As with anything, you have to find the right fit for you in order to make it work plus be ready and open to it. For me, cranial sacral work in conjunction with massage therapy, Christine's exercises and posture, chiropractic, getting adequate rest, yoga and walking on a regular schedule seem to have helped the most. I just started with a new chiropractor that does network or biointegrative chiropractic and thus far am pleased with how I feel.

Evie

I prolapsed in 2002 five months after the birth of my second child (after a straining to have a bm, my cervix appeared on the outside. A couple weeks later, my cystocele, which had been present in a lesser form since my first child was born in 2000, began vying for position on the outside. I now also have a substantial rectocele as well).

I started seeing an acupuncturist a couple weeks later. She "prescribed" an herbal formula to be taken twice a day with the purpose of strengthening my abdominal support system as well as my general demeanor and feeling of good health...and I saw her once a week for two months for treatments. Simultaneously, I was seeing a physical therapist who worked with me using biofeedback to strengthen my pelvic floor muscles. I believe that the two therapies combined gave me a great start on my path of recovery. Six months after beginning acupuncture, I added work with a maya abdominal massage therapist (I still see her on occasion...and see my acupuncturist once per month). I am still trying to incorporate Christine's posture...and have read her book and have her video. My gynecologist was excited to hear of Christine's work!

I am certain that the acupuncture only helped in my quest to feel normal again. I still take the herbal formula...not as often as in the beginning, but I believe that it re-inforces the work that my acupuncturist does during our sessions.

As of last fall, I rarely felt the bulges...only after a very long day on my feet would they make themselves known. At that point, however, I was diagnosed with lichen sclerosis, a skin condition that affects the external vaginal skin...and part of the treatment for this was to use an estrogen ring...which, due to the substantial prolapses necessitated a pessary to hold the ring in place. Now, more than ever, I rely on Christine's work so as to not move backwards with the false security that the pessary may be providing.

I would recommend both acupuncture and maya abdominal massage as possible therapies. You can find more info about the massage at http://www.arvigomassage.com/.

I hope that if you do decide to try acupuncture that it brings you relief and comfort.

Cathy

Welcome Cathy, and thanks so much for writing!

Yes

Thank you, Christine, for your reply. I did try many herbal remedies for the LS...but at the time, I had been told that it was a fissure and subsequent tear at the site of the episiotomy that occured during the birth of my first child...that was causing the pain. No herbal remedy brought relief. Once the LS diagnosis was confirmed, I began taking elavil for the pain (as well as applying steroid and estrogen cream). Thankfully, the elavil has helped immensely (it had been three years since my husband and I were last intimate due to the pain). Unfortunately, though, the medication leaves me so tired in the morning...when I used to head out to the gym several days a week... that weight that I had lost has begun to pile on. This in turn can't be helping internal matters. It's a vicious cycle.

I look forward to learning more about your new Center. And in the meantime, will work to master the posture. I am determined to avoid surgery.

Thank you so much for your work.

Cathy

hi, I am very interested in the Mayan abdominal massage to treat my rectocelle/cystocelle condition. can you recommend any criteria by which I can assess the knowledge and skill of the practitioner. How exactly is it performed and how many times? I live in the Bay Area and while I've found some therapists somewhat near, I don't know how to choose between them and ensure I get someone who knows what they are doing. also, how effective would you say it is compared for example with acupuncture? thank you.

Hi All

I have just picked up this thread again in response to Zelda's good experience with acupuncture in a different topic on this forum.

Well done Zelda (Yay!!). Common opinion on these forums seems to go against acupuncture as a useful thing for POP because POP is caused by a physically damaged fascial web. It is a bit like a broken arm. I would think that no amount of acupuncture will heal a prolapse, any more than it would heal a broken arm.

*However*, it has occurred to me that lots of musculoskeletal things do respond to acupuncture. So, if acupuncture relieves some inflammation or pain somewhere else in the body, that makes it possible for the woman either to relax muscles that are preventing her from using WW posture properly, or not have to compensate for some other part of the body that is not well (ie improving balance or centre of gravity), then I can see that acupupncture could have a role.

It would not be a direct effect on the fascia, but another whole body therapy that would enable WW posture to be done to best effect. I know that after straining my lower back with heavy lifting or bending I tend to tuck my butt under so I don't have to straighten my spine. It is purely out of habit. Once I realise what I am doing I am able to adjust my posture like a squeaky gate into WW posture. Then I feel much better.

Any thoughts on this, anybody?

Cheers

Louise

With accupuncture have been entirely positive. I like how Oriental medicine
does not separate the body into unrelated parts. I'm a little fuzzy on the details , but he
was the first fully accredited graduate from the school over on the West coast.
He did an internship in China. Any ways, I had worked with him before to continue
addressing some kidney issues that I felt total relief for two years after. So I
went back to him after the injury that started my POP. It was so soothing and
helpful and it really made me depressed that i had to stop for total lack of funds.
He even offered to carry a balance, the dearheart, but I couldn't sleep with that.

When the needles are well placed there are odd sensations of energy for lack of
better words. The spot on top of the head is for the Spleen which is believed
to regulate the positioning of pelvic organs and has an upward energy making it also
a good spot for depression and the fatigue of struggling with illness. So yesterday
when he inserted the needle he asked me to pull in with a kegel and I also pulled
my bellybutton to ward my spine like my chiropractor advised. It was a kegel
with unusual strength and response and I actually felt the smallest of clunks as
some organ repositioned !

I understand the skepticism. You can't fix what's broken ... or can you ? Chinese
Medicine looks at the body very differently. And I'm here to tell you in all these
months I've had my "ups" and "downs" with this thing, but I have never NOT felt my
prolapse. Yesterday was remarkably symptom free, and today seems the same.
I won't be seeing a physician for this ever again. This forum has entirely cured me
of the delusion that Western Medicine has a clue about this sort of issue and their
solutions do nothing but line THEIR bank-accounts. The results I'm experiencing
aren't placebo because I didn't think it would help so much and so fast.

I have some other issues with liver and kidney stress so I have decided to remove
all substances, too much coffee, red wine etc. Funny how we have this illusion that
these things feel good, when it seems they really just make us toxic. I'm excited for
what the future holds. I'm not saying I'll be cured and never look back.. but I know
I'll be much better with his help. Happy hopeful grateful me. I hope you all also
have the chance to work with a true healer, whatever their method, when you are
dealing with someone gifted that way it's remarkable. I worked with a cranio-sacral
doctor years ago that helped me identify and turn around systemic Candida. I think
not being in a system of socialized medicine has ultimately -FOR ME- been a blessing.
Zelda

Hi Zelda, I was very fascinated to hear of your experience of accupuncture and of the chinese view of the body as an energy system and i have an anecdote that is slightly off topic, but pretty inspiring.

Last year there was a patient at our spinal injuries ward who was chinese and spoke no english, it was certain that due to his injuries he wouldn't walk again. Crucially (imo) because he spoke no English and there were no chinese speakers, he didn't hear the words 'you won't walk again' unlike every other patient they have had. Well this man got himself out of bed every day and into a wheelchair and outside into the fresh air, he spent most of the day outside doing what exercises he could whatever the weather.

Seeing all this effort, the hospital were very concerned for this mans mental health and worried that he did not understand his prognosis. They found a translator and had a psychologist speak to him. What he told them was about his very different view of the body to the one we are are used to as westerners. It wasn't very much longer that he WALKED out of the hospital, the only patient that has had a diagnosis of permenant paralysis at that particular hospital to ever do so...

That story definitely illustrates the power of belief. Thanks for sharing it with us Soupy, as I think it really is food for thought.
I wonder how many people believe prognosis and never even have a chance to define their own recoveries ?
I have no doubt we have all suffered the "box" of Western Medicine. I am looking outside the box, and will not
look back. I am so distrustful of their medicines and surgeries. Anti-biotics are the exception as they saved my
life from TSS. But they can keep the rest ! Does anyone else think Bad medicine is epidemic ? All those pharm.
ads vague about the benefits but with all their potential side effects mentioned in run on sentences ? All the legal
ads asking if you've been harmed by long lists of medicines many of which I recall being touted as great in their day ?
and then add in all the posts I read here... and it makes me practically run screaming into the arms of Alternative Medicine.
Zelda