Needles and Pins

The needle in the photo at left spent about 20 minutes in my left ear this morning. Along with about 15-20 more -- in my hands, feet, stomach, the top of my head, and one directly between my eyes.

That's right, I am having acupuncture treatments.

Backstory: For the last 11 months or so, I’ve been having pain of varying degrees in my left foot. A podiatrist diagnosed it as Plantar Fasciitis, a fairly common heel condition of old people, like myself. He recommended exercises, administered cortisone shots and prescribed orthotics. The pain came and went for 10 months or so, but about three weeks ago it came back to stay with a vengeance. And it has only gotten worse.

The most recent trip to the podiatrist found a recommendation for something called shockwave therapy. Apparently this technique uses sound waves not unlike those used on kidney stones, but it is cost prohibitive -- $2000 per foot. Despite having insurance, a high deductible forced me to look elsewhere – all the way to the Far East.

Now I’m not one who is much for alternative medicine. Give me antibiotics, shots, whatever it takes. To me, alternative medicine has always meant pie-in-the sky medicine that was for hippies, non-vaccinators and those who drink Chai tea.

But I’m desperate. And sick and tired of feeling like my body (or at least my foot) is starting to betray me.

So, I've decided to try something completely foreign. Literally.

The first treatment was weird. It didn’t really hurt, but the needle pricks were an odd sensation. And after they were in, I got to lie on a table in a dimly-lit room, completely stationary, and listen to the Spa Channel on XM radio. How Zen. I really needed to scratch my nose several times but I didn’t dare for fear of scratching my cornea or poking out my eye. My groin itched as well, and I don’t need to say that I didn’t go there either.

The day after, my body felt worse, like an exposed nerve. I had twitches and ticks in my legs and arms, and I felt dizzy. And my foot hurt worse than before and not just on the heel.

And yet, I went back for another session. Today was more of the same. And so far, no change, at least in my foot.

But look at me now, living in the future. Well, if you can call something the future that’s been around for some 8,000 years. But, with my old-school ways I still feel like I’m living on the cutting (or piercing) edge of technology. Because, for me, it’s a brave new world. Soon I may be wearing Birkenstocks, sending my kids to a Waldorf school and voting for Ralph Nader.

I’ve been told it might take 6 or 8 or 10 or 12 sessions for relief. But the pain is enough that I am willing to be a patient patient. And given my love of quick-fix medicine, that is a surprise. I must be maturing.

Or maybe it's just because in this instance I've had no luck at all with traditional Western medicine -- and my foot hurts like hell.

Stay tuned.