I recently wrote about my friend Maria, who came to visit and stayed for two weeks while I gave her intensive acupuncture treatment for chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. One of the things that struck me was how for years, she was prescribed very strong opioids like OxyContin. Opioids are a class of drugs that are prescribed to relieve persistent or severe pain, and include morphine and codeine. We know now that opioids are addictive and side effects are numerous, including increased pain. The US is in the grip of an opioid crisis, and abuse of these drugs has caused tens of thousands of deaths a year.

Part of the response in the US has been to push non-pharmaceutical options for pain control. This is when Chinese medicine can be invaluable. For example, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) recommend acupuncture as a first-line therapy for coping with the opioid crisis because it is found to be effective, safe and cost-effective for numerous types of acute and chronic pain.

In the UK, there is no official support for acupuncture or other unconventional treatment options to opioids. Acupuncture primarily sits outside the National Health Service, so people usually pay privately for treatment. But people come for treatment because they hear about it from friends and family. The evidence is also clear about the effectiveness of acupuncture for 117 conditions.

In my day-to-day practice, about a third of patients come for pain, usually for musculoskeletal or neurological reasons. It is wonderful seeing someone walk out of clinic a different person, one in less pain, more relaxed, and with a smile on their face. Because this is what I do every day I sometimes take acupuncture for granted, but it is a truly remarkable system of medicine.

​Photo by Dima Vishnevetsky from FreeImages

When an old friend from Manila - let's call her Maria - got in touch six weeks ago to ask if I can help with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, I said yes of course. But when that friend said she will stay in London for two weeks to have acupuncture treatment, I was bowled over by her trust and commitment.

So over these past two weeks, I saw Maria roughly every other day to give her acupuncture. She has suffered from a debilitating constellation of low-grade fevers, muscle/joint aches and pains, sweating, and fatigue for the past 15 years. But it had worsened significantly in the past two years so she could barely walk a few minutes without getting wiped out. All that conventional medicine doctors could offer were painkillers, steroids and antidepressants - at one point Maria was told there was nothing they could do for her any more.

When I told my friend that of course Chinese medicine can help, it's because it sees auto-immune conditions as difficult but not impossible to treat. The incidence of auto-immune diseases such as fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis has been on the rise, and there is universal agreement among scientists that industrial toxins and chemicals in the environment are interfering with the functioning of our immune systems. According to the UK's National Health Service, fibromyalgia (a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body) is estimated to affect one in 20 people.

I focused on releasing the fever, lowering her temperature, removing toxins, and easing the aches and pains in her body. And over the past two weeks, Maria has got stronger as the sweats and fever abated and pain reduced. Chinese medicine focuses on lifestyle choices as well - part of Maria's work is making changes to the food she eats (her daily medicine!) and learning Qi Gong (Chinese internal exercises that focuses on breathing and simple movements) to circulate and generate energy, allowing her to get stronger and manage her condition.

It was wonderful to see the shift in Maria's energy levels in a short space of time. She was grateful because she hasn't felt this well in 10 years. But I was also grateful to have had an opportunity to see how intensive treatment can work with someone so committed to getting better.

Photo by Christian Fregnan on Unsplash

Six weeks ago, I went to bed with an achey left shoulder, felt the pain getting more intense through the night, and woke up the next day to a frozen shoulder. Also known as adhesive capsulitis, frozen shoulder is exactly what it says on the tin — the shoulder gets stiffer and achier over a period of 2-9 months (freezing phase); the pain gradually subsides but the shoulder is stiff and movement is restricted, which lasts about 4-12 months (frozen phase); the shoulder becomes less stiff and range of movement increases, which takes 1-3 years (thawing phase).
 
No one knows why shoulders freeze, although previous shoulder injury or trauma plays a part. More women than men are afflicted. The incidence of frozen shoulder is 2 to 4 times higher in those with diabetes than in the general population. What I do know is: a) it is very painful, and b) everyday activities like washing your hair, putting on a shirt, and driving a manual car become impossible.
 
The irony is not lost on me that I spend a large part of my working day treating patients with painful necks, shoulders and backs, when I myself can hardly lift my left hand without grimacing!
 
But here is the upside (and because I am an inveterate optimist, there is ALWAYS an upside). I know that for me, regular acupuncture, osteopathic treatment, stretching/strengthening exercises, as well as my tai chi practice, are key to getting more movement and reducing pain and inflammation. I also have more empathy with patients in pain. Let’s face it, pain makes you grumpy. It has a way of reducing even the sunniest personality into a blubbering mess, I get that. 
 
I also understood that there is an emotional component to a frozen shoulder. When you are going through a difficult time — whether at work or at home — you might hold yourself tight and stiff without realising it. When this goes on for years and years, this means less blood and qi (energy) circulating, which means less nourishment for muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints. Over a period of time, a vulnerable shoulder freezes. 
 
During the very painful stage, my wise osteopath advised me to see my frozen shoulder not as a problem to be fixed but rather as a healing journey that I have to go on. I know now that it helps to have patience (it might takes years to resolve), be kinder to myself (what’s the use of asking what could have been done to prevent it), and rediscover my sense of humour (the advantages of not being able to do certain chores!).