"In March I
started to have pain and swelling in my hands and feet and loss of flexibility
and strength in my hands as well. I
took Extra-Strength Tylenol which did not help.
In May I went to my family doctor who prescribed Celebrex and later Vioxx,
but neither of them relieved my symptoms. In
June I began treatment with a rheumatologist, who doubled the dose of Vioxx and
then switched to Voltaren, but none of these anti-inflammatory drugs helped with
my symptoms, which were diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis.
In
July I started taking Plaquenil (a “disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug”
DMARD) with the Voltaren, and when that did not help my medication was changed
again to Sulindac (another anti-inflammatory) along with the Plaquenil.
In
mid-August I was so tired of the pain that did not seem to be reduced by
medication that I began acupuncture treatments to see if they would help.
After two treatments I noticed that my hands and feet were better (less
pain, more strength and flexibility).
After four treatments I continued to improve, and my Plaquenil was
reduced to half the original dosage.
After 8 treatments with Dr. Shapiro over the past 4 months I can say that my feet have no problems and my hands have no pain, normal strength and almost normal flexibility. I have recommended acupuncture to others for treatment of pain, and you can be sure that I will consider acupuncture for any future medical concerns."
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