That's something that is great to know, Thank you X

you are very welcome ")

I can imagine it might work for pain, but are you saying that it actually reduces swelling? Nothing makes my swelling go down so if that is the case I might try it. Could you please reply if time as that could really help me a lot.
Thanks,
Luce x

I have only taken 3 treatments....and I have had slight reduced swelling I have had a huge improvement in pain !! It is worth a try

I had it on my knees and it definitely worked for me, and even now after 6 months they. The joints I would say had he least pain.

I had acupuncture for many years. It worked at the margins for me, maybe a looser feeling for a day or so afterwards, but really not much. I have found that tai chi exercise has made a big difference in helping me to be more supple and to learn how to relax my joints if in pain. When I saw the consultant on friday she was really surprised at how supple I was. Which given my michelin man figure is extraordinary!

Did you tell her you're a tai chi whizz Cathie? TTx

That sounds great - I plan that I will go for acupuncture if I get more RA problems again ever. Are you trying this instead of drugs or as well as drugs please?

I did tell her about tai chi. To be honest - what I was trying to say, was that I've found tai chi much more effective (in a different way) to acupuncture. Haviing said that, Paddy (my husband) saw people having acupuncture iinstead of general anaesthetic when he was in Vietnam - that was in the early 80s.

I haven't stopped my meds yet , but plan to in the near future just to see !

Yes my aunt and uncle were in China in the 70s and saw someone having open heart surgery using acupuncture too! TTx

Okay, I'm persuaded. Anyone know if there's a register of accredited Acupuncturists or some such thing? Or shall I just get the old man to stick pins in me at random?

Get someone that has been trained and done for a bit !! I am in Seymour, In. and I use Marion Klaes ....she is wonderful

Well we have an acupuncturist who spent several years in China training up here Luce - she is supposed to be excellent. So best check out where your local ones trained and perhaps use your GP surgery or word of mouth for recommendations - or both? TTx

I used to work in the anaesthetic dept of my local hospital where we had a couple that specialised in acupuncture and hypnosis. Patients were referred to them via their gp just to the consultants "pain clinic". I used to watch people go in to his surgery in a wheelchair and walk out.
Worth checking if this is available on nhs in ur area.

i had it twice sticks 5 pins in me knee and 5 pins in me ankle and had slight improvment
if only he could leve them in permanently LOL
Was a bit sceptic at first but it works
me mate has had recki on his shoulder and they lyed him on a bed on his back with all candles around and you give a donation after to the church
well he says this guy started chanting and calling all the spirits here present and stuff well he says i nearly burst out laughting thought well ive had a good laugh for 15 quid.

When all of a sudden he says me shoulder started to heat up like mad oh it whent hot he said and it was like that all the way home in the car.
he said next day flagging shoulder never gave me a bit of trouble been ok ever since i would not have belived it he said
so ya never know do you till you try something

I've had acupuncture with varying results. My experience is that it helps when I'm not in a flare, but seems to increase the pain when I'm in the first stages of a flare.

It definitely does something and the chap I have been to is very matter of fact and businesslike (and very careful about cross infection too).

Hi all

As with many of the more complementary and alternative therapies they do seem beneficial for some in helping with the symptoms of RA but unfortunately will not work for everyone. Arthritis Research UK earlier this month published a report looking in detail at a range of complementary and alternative therapies used in RA, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and back pain. Acupuncture was included in this report, and I have copied their concluding comments below:

"Acupuncture is a treatment that involves the insertion and manipulation of needles in various locations in the body. It’s one of the most studied complementary therapies in the area of musculoskeletal disease, with over 70 trials, many of them high quality, made up of over 12,000 participants. Serious side-effects are rare and even minor effects are fairly uncommon.
The evidence suggests that acupuncture isn’t effective in rheumatoid arthritis, but there’s consistent evidence that it’s effective in easing some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis, low back pain and, to a slightly lesser extent, fibromyalgia."

If you'd like to read further you can download the full report from the ARUK website: www.arthritisresearchuk.org...

If you think you might give it a try it's important to choose a registered practitioner and do let them know about your RA. We are aware of quite a useful website for the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council who hold a register of complementary therapists and have some tips on what to look for when choosing a therapist: www.cnhc.org.uk/

Kind regards

Sarah Kate
NRAS