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[elsie]

I'm having a bad, bad flare-up, partly due to stress and partly due to wildly fluctuating weather. It's the end of a long week of workshops and meetings, and my back is killing me and I'm exhausted.  The semester starts on Monday, and I don't know how I'm going to make it through next week, if I stay like this. I could sure use some coping strategies from faculty with chronic illnesses. Has anyone tried Lyrica? How bad are the side effects?

[fiona]

Acupuncture does wonders for all kinds of conditions. If you haven't tried it, I recommend it.

Look for a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, as they seem (in some states, anyway) to be more knowledgeable than someone who's just taken acupuncture courses.

The Fiona

[xenia]

Acupuncture does wonders for all kinds of conditions. If you haven't tried it, I recommend it.

Look for a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, as they seem (in some states, anyway) to be more knowledgeable than someone who's just taken acupuncture courses.

The Fiona

Oh, I absolutely second this!!
Traditional Chinese Medicine has a pretty good track record when it comes to dealing with the stuff where Western orthodox medicine just doesn't have anything to offer. Women's health, chronic conditions, etc.

Traditional Chinese Medicine gave me back my life, health, self -- and this in the land of socialized medicine, where the doctor is always in, and free, for all the good it'll do you.
I ran into my sister the other day. The last time she saw me was at Xmas, and she still didn't recognize me. Apparently, after 5 or 6 years of zombiehood (i was housebound for several years while I couldn't walk much), the light is back in my eyes. So she failed utterly to recognize me when I bounded towards her, waving and grinning and jabbering a mile a minute, as I did of old.
I won't bore you with all my diagnoses and the whole saga, but will just say that now my bloodwork shows we've managed to reverse a whole slew of bad things that were happening, and that supposedly don't get reversed (e.g. thyroid now normal after 5,6 years of being hypothyroid, etc.). Took 3+ years, and money we didn't have, but what price health?
 

Best of luck, I'll be thinking of you.
 

[elsie]

How much does it typically cost to go the Chinese medicine route?

[fiona]

How much does it typically cost to go the Chinese medicine route?

I live in one of the cheaper parts of the country, and it's $80 an appointment (about 2 hours). It is not covered by my HMO, but you might be luckier in that respect. If you have a good primary care practitioner who can prescribe it, that might work for your health insurance.

Yes, it's expensive, but for many people, it gives them back their lives. It also helps a lot for carpal tunnel, arthritis, gastritis, back pain, and many other things. It's miraculous.

The Fiona

[spork]

I recommend yoga.  Look for a good instructor, but start at the low-cost options like the Y and your university's fitness center.