This review is LOOOONG overdue.
I never intended to have an acupuncturist treat my sciatica, but it just so happened that my appointment with my chiropractor (who shares office space with Emily) wasn't able to see me at the scheduled time. Emily offered to treat me, and though skeptical that acupuncture would help, I agreed because the pain was unbearable.
My sciatica was due in part to a car accident I was in almost 2 years ago. The chiropractor had cured it initially but when I moved really heavy furniture in January of 2010, the symptoms came back. I finally sought chiro treatment in March and by May, when I found out I was a few months pregnant, the symptoms had gotten so bad I could barely walk without experiencing excruciating pain.
Emily said it would be safe to treat me while pregnant. The needles went in, I napped for 20 or so minutes and they came out. She massaged the area with ointment and I was on my way. I did feel a bit of relief as I walked out the door, but the real relief came the next day. I couldn't believe how almost normal I felt. I swear, I was back 90%. I could bend down, carry heavy loads on either side of my body and take long walks without any return of the symptoms. After 2 months, the symptoms had returned I think partly due to the added weight. I went in, this time she added the electric pulse to some of the needles. Boy did that get right to the nerve pain. Anyone who might feel wary about being treated with the electric pulse, have no fear! It doesn't hurt one bit. Again I felt relief as I walked out the door, but by the next day it was completely gone and has yet to return. It's been 5 months and I'm now 9 months pregnant and 25 pounds heavier than when I was first treated by Emily. During this second visit, I also mentioned to Emily that my carpal tunnel was flaring up due to the pregnancy. She treated that as well and I definitely got relief for some time from that.
I returned in late October because the carpal tunnel symptoms had gotten unbearable. I was waking up every night with stiff, swollen and numb hands and I had a really hard time getting back to sleep because my hands actually hurt from being so swollen. The thumb, middle and half of the ring finger on my right hand were numb all the time, even during the day. Emily treated me with the electric pulse again and was careful to avoid points that aren't safe during pregnancy. The swelling went down over the next few days and the numbness decreased. My fingers remained numb during the day however, and taking notes in school became almost impossible. Writing for more than a minute cramped my hand up really bad. With finals approaching (I'm a full-time student), I decided to see Emily one more time because I needed to be able to write essay exams. She treated me again, this time aggressively dealing with a point in the center of my palm that was very painful. I swallowed my pain and as soon as the needle went in the pain went away. Treating this point has severely decreased the numbness in my hand. Part of my ring finger is the only place i feel numbness now during the day. My hands swell up and get a little bit stiff at night but they don't get numb anymore. I can sleep through the night. For the most part, the daytime symptoms of carpal tunnel have disappeared.
Emily is a godsend. I highly recommend her to any pregnant woman with sciatica and carpal tunnel syndrome as these are two very common discomforts women experience during pregnancy.
Something Emily said to me in the past has really stayed with me and I wish to impart it to anyone seeking acupuncture for relief. And that is - some people respond really well to acupuncture and some don't.
I, evidently, respond very well to acupuncture. Two treatments per symptom and the pain was gone! How cost effective and helpful in easing pain so quickly. If you don't respond as well to it, don't discount the acupuncturist, it may be your body that just doesn't get relief from acupuncture.
I also love that you can text her to make appointments, it makes life easy when you're on the run. read more