# Alternative medicine and YOU



## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Please only add something to this thread if *you personally* have tried alternative medicines.

What was it?
Did it work or not work?

Many years ago I had had acupuncture for depression, _(I had been almost bed ridden with back trouble for a few months which was very depressing)
_Given by an expert who did nothing else (not a doctor or physio) *it worked* for me.

Hans had acupuncture recently for hip pain, 12 sessions, it* did not work *for him


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## nickoff (Oct 11, 2005)

Many years ago I had tennis elbow, very painful in certain circumstances, I believe it was brought on by my job. I tried acupuncture to remedy it and it had no effect whatsoever. I eventually paid to have an operation on the offending elbow and that cured it completely.

Nick.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Thanks nickoff, was this done by a bona fide acupuncture expert or a part timer i.e. medical doctor or physio?


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

The wife had very severe torn shoulder ligaments, she had acupuncture for the pain and that did help.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

You may need to define alternative medicine Jan

As you percieve it

Or have you already defined it as acupuncture ?

Sandra


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

No not just acupuncture, everything thats alternative to prescribed drugs, herbal, reflexology etc etc.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Not sure if it's alternative but I bought 10 tubs of Atenolol bp tabs in Mexico 2004 for $1.49 a tub. Still using them and getting the right results.
Same with Amoxicilina anti-biotics.

Ray.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

raynipper said:


> Not sure if it's alternative but I bought 10 tubs of Atenolol bp tabs in Mexico 2004 for $1.49 a tub. Still using them and getting the right results.
> Same with Amoxicilina anti-biotics.
> 
> Ray.


Same results for what Ray? internet says its a beta blocker

*Atenolol* (*Tenormin*) is a beta-blocker that affects the heart and circulation (blood flow through arteries and veins). *Atenolol* is used to treat angina (chest pain) and hypertension (high *blood pressure*). *Atenolol* is also used to lower the risk of death after a heart attack.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Most modern medicines are derived from old remedies and improved upon.Take doc leaves for stings, there are numerous creams over the counter that do the same and saves you wandering around the fields.00


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

cabby said:


> Most modern medicines are derived from old remedies and improved upon.Take doc leaves for stings, there are numerous creams over the counter that do the same and saves you wandering around the fields.00


Yes cabby, we just need to know what those old remedies are and do they still work on us today. :smile2:


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

WHY, modern meds are so much better. If it cannot be helped with anti biotic treatment, then wrap up and drink hot toddies, that is an old-fashioned way for you.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Antibiotics are not the panacea for everything silly.
Alternative medicines have been talked about, read about, know somebody who has tried them, but I would like to hear it from the horses mouth that they do or not work for them.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Not always cabby

Some mod medicines have quite severe side effects

And I don't know 

But there are fruits and veg in sufficentquantities that can achieve the same effects 

But I'm biased

I juice all veg and fruit said to deter melonoma 

Does it work , I don't know , because he(we ) also fast on juices alone

And does that help?

he's still here,

No internal spread as yet, but given the depth of the original tumour it should have

Even his surgeon says we don't know why it's so slow to spread in you, but we no so little about melonoma 

And interesting his arm which was very swollen due to lymphodemia , as he has no lymph glands in it ,has reduced in size, his hand is almost normal

He cycles 10 miles a day
So who really knows just what is affecting what ?

Just I believe our bodies are miraculous things

We can heal ourselves 

With natural methods combined with traditional medication 

Sandra


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

JanHank said:


> Same results for what Ray? internet says its a beta blocker
> 
> *Atenolol* (*Tenormin*) is a beta-blocker that affects the heart and circulation (blood flow through arteries and veins). *Atenolol* is used to treat angina (chest pain) and hypertension (high *blood pressure*). *Atenolol* is also used to lower the risk of death after a heart attack.


Controls my bp.

Ray.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Ray

If you bought it privately 

Are you still being checked by your GP ? He should know you are using it 

Sandra


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Weeeeelllll, sorta.
My GP looked at it and said "Give it a try". But he didn't really know about side effects.

Ray.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Ray

Exactly what are you taking ?

Sandra


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## nickoff (Oct 11, 2005)

JanHank said:


> Thanks nickoff, was this done by a bona fide acupuncture expert or a part timer i.e. medical doctor or physio?


To be honest I couldn't say. It was done in the early nineties in Australia.

Nick.


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## nickoff (Oct 11, 2005)

cabby said:


> Most modern medicines are derived from old remedies and improved upon.Take doc leaves for stings, there are numerous creams over the counter that do the same and saves you wandering around the fields.00


And for toilet paper when we were kids. :laugh:

Nick.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

You do act a little high handed Jan,I expect you do not mean to, well I rather hope that is the case.I am never silly about drugs, my wife and I depend on them.Well I do there are no meds for her.We just wait and watch her deteriorate faster than we would like.


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Here's me thinking it was going to be a discussion about corks :wink2:

tony


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

aldra said:


> Ray
> Exactly what are you taking ? Sandra


Half a 50mg. Atenolol tab every other day in me tea if I remember.

Ray.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

cabby said:


> You do act a little high handed Jan,I expect you do not mean to, well I rather hope that is the case.I am never silly about drugs, my wife and I depend on them.Well I do there are no meds for her.We just wait and watch her deteriorate faster than we would like.


When have I been high handed for goodness sake I have asked a serious question and you were flippant. Antibiotics don't treat anything other than infections. We also depend on prescribed drugs, it would be good to know of something other than chemicals that work.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

As an ex Vet Nurse I am very sceptical of "alternative" treatments. Vets and doctors are scientists and want absolute "proof" that a compound or treatment works "First do no harm".


One of the vets I worked with had an very severe back problem. She tried every modern drug available to her with no effect and ended up wearing a Tens machine. Then she found acupuncture. She found it through an enthusiastic Physiotherapist who was very professional and would have been on good training courses to learn it.
This vet then went on to study Acupuncture so that she could use it on animals. (only vets are allowed to administer it to animals). She got amazing results! You cannot have a placebo effect with an animal. If it feels better it will behave in a different way which is "evidence" that it really does work. I have seen it with my own eyes on my own pets.
First was a cat. At a check up the vet said he had arthritis. Any cat owner will tell you that giving a cat a pill is a nightmare so she suggested acupuncture. This was no easy option, sticking needles into a cat, but I went for it. This cat, we later realised, had not climbed our stairs for a very long time. I brought him home from his acupuncture session and the first thing he did was run upstairs and jump on the bed!
Next was my lurcher who had lots of pain from old injuries and arthritis. I took her for acupuncture and, as the needles were inserted into her, she dropped her head into my lap and snored! The relief was so great that she almost fell asleep during treatment! Same with my Whippet, but not such a dramatic reaction. It helped, along with physio and hydrotherapy to restore her pelvis to its rightful position.
So, you see, I am convinced that, with a good practitioner, it is very effective.


I have also, personally, had amazing results from Reflexology. It has cured my sinus problems and pain in my legs (sciatic). It "balances" your emotions too. Regular sessions are advise.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

I can also tell you about a dog who had acupuncture and laser treatment for an incurable illness it added 18 months to his life. He was out second GSD, Mr Tebbitt and his son also treated race horses.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

If you can convince a vet (scientific brain) that it works then I have confidence that it works. You can also get treatment on the NHS and they would not fund it if the evidence was not there.


I did go to a herbalist, once, too. I wanted treatment for my insomnia. I was not impressed. She shook some glass vials, containing compounds, at my outstretched hand and watched what my hand did. She then based her diagnosis on that!


In her opinion I was sensitive to milk and milk products. She said it was inflaming my digestive tract and causing me to wake up in the night to go to the loo. Even if that were the case, why could I not get back to sleep? After giving up milk and dairy I contacted her again as I was still not sleeping. She sent me some Nutmeg tablets. When I looked them up they can be quite dangerous in high doses so I did not take them.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Almost 50 years ago I was an apprentice electrician with the electricity board (SEEBOARD).
At some point they sent me for a medical with a 'herbalist' who asked how I was. I said a bit of dental trouble.

He sat me down and told me to hold my hand out flat palm upper. He then held a string with a ball on the end over my palm.
With his other hand he put a finger on top of rows of test tube type glass tubes. When the ball started rotating in a particular direction he held up the tube and pronounced I was deficient in Vit C. This went on and it was diagnosed I was deficient in a few more vitamins. I could hardly stop from laughing.
In the end he wrote a so called 'prescription' for all these vitamins and told me where to get them.

I often wondered how much SEEBOARD paid for this and how many gullible clients bought the vits from his friendly seller.

Ray.


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

I saw a reflexologist when I was 22 regarding my knee which the Dr wanted to operate on. After 1 hour with the reflexologist and some basic strengthening exercises I was able to play rugby for the next 14 years with no issues at all.

On the other side, I had hypnotherapy and acupuncture for my insomnia but neither worked...

Graham :smile2:


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Now, wouldn't you think that hypnotherapy would work for insomnia? I, too, have tried it to no avail! I was expecting her to give me a mantra of some sort that would send me off. She seemed more interested in my emotional state. She had some good insight but I wanted her to send me to sleep! The GP did tell me, however, that it does seem to depend on the therapist. How to find a good one though is beyond me. 
Also tried acupuncture but it did not work for that.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Acupuncture didn´t work for my sleep problam either Pat.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Did anyone see the programme by Michael Mosely (Trust Me I'm a Doctor) on sleep last night? He is an insomniac too with the same symptoms as me i.e. waking in the early hours and not being able to go back to sleep.
They tested his genes and he is genetically predisposed to this kind of sleep problem and I recognise a lot of his genetic factors in me it too.
Light is very important. It concluded that we should all be exposed to early morning daylight and also through the day. Screens are, of course, a no no.
He tested a prebiotic (un named but I think it was made from concentrated Lentils) and it seemed to work really well for him. Others tested a warm bath followed by a cooling of the body by entering a cold room.
Another tested eating Kiwi fruit, 3 before bedtime, and found they slept better.
Another used Mindfulness which they found slightly helpful.


Interestingly, he thought that caffeine had little effect on him but tests proved otherwise. He is sensitive to caffeine but thought that he was not. Alcohol was also not advised


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

For my aches and pains the answer seems to be Sandra saying. "Pull yourself together you silly old bugger and get the grass cut or pick up the hoover"..

Funny it works.. It must be all in my head!.

ray.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

patp said:


> Interestingly, he thought that caffeine had little effect on him but tests proved otherwise. He is sensitive to caffeine but thought that he was not. Alcohol was also not advised


Yes they all come out with this about alcohol. But how much and when. 1, 2, 3, glass's, 2, 3, 4, hours before sleep???

Ray.


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## suedew (May 10, 2005)

raynipper said:


> Weeeeelllll, sorta.
> My GP looked at it and said "Give it a try". But he didn't really know about side effects.
> 
> Ray.


Beta blockers are no longer first line treatment for high blood pressure, they can if not monitored correctly , among other things heart block and heart attack. John had his stopped by consultant first time he was seen, told @your GP is killing you !!!'
Back to alternatives ie non prescription
We both take glucosamine and marine choindroitin. John will need a hip replacement at some time, these keep him pain free, recommended by a friend. We also recommended them to one of my friends, they did not help her at all.
With all things what suits one person does not suit another, I can not take paracetamol, causes facial swelling and that is too close to my wind pipe for comfort.
Previous husband had intractable back pain, his GP who had studied it, used acupuncture with good effect and taught me how to apply for his condition only.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Thanks Sue.
I would like to try something else to moderate my bp. Although another doc I saw asked how high without Atenolol and when I said 150 to 160/64 he said quit.
But I feel it's all guesswork and although I could go ask my GP for another product again it's trial and error.

Ray.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

*calcium channel blockers*

I have 2 tablets for my bp.
Amlodipin and Valsacor both were prescriber by an internist, not the GP.

They are called _calcium channel blockers _I don´t know if thats the same as Betta blocker.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

There is a need to be careful 

Icheckwhateverthe GP suggests 

And make my own decision 

My GP has prescribed a cholesteral reduction tablet 

Couldn't be bothered arguing 

But side effect muscle weakness and pain

Dam it I can hardly walk with crystal arthritis, which is already weakening my muscles 

And I'm in enough pain

Can't take anti inflammitary medication because of kidney weakness

So I will decline 

I may not live longer 

But it will seem like it 

Sandra


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