Patient Name: Alan XXXXX
Patient Number: 200912XXXX
Feedback - 03/11/2010:
I have suffered from debilitating headaches since 1962. I can remember the first time my headaches started. It was during my French class in high school. I never did well in French since languages were never my forte. I thought they were just from the stress of trying to learn a new language. I suffered silently from these headaches for a couple of years before finally seeing a doctor.
The headaches were concentrated around the sinus area and the right temple. The pain would become excruciating and there was very little I could do to relieve it. The doctors, over the next several years, would prescribe a myriad of pain killers, including such drugs as florinal and codeine. Unfortunately these drugs did very little to relieve the pain but would make me drowsy.
The headaches would last for several hours until the drug would eventually "kick" in and make me drowsy. When I awoke I felt weak and tired but the pain would have subsided. I remember one time when I was driving home after a day of skiing. I had to pull off the highway and let one of my friends drive my vehicle since I could feel the headache starting. It wasn't very long before the pain became really intense. The headaches can occur almost anytime or anywhere. I did not seem to have them when I was under pressure but only after the pressure of the job, or school or social activity had subsided. The doctors really didn't know what caused them.
I was diagnosed at one time with sleep apnea. Unfortunately, it appeared to me that all they wanted to do was part some of my money from me for equipment that was noisy and would have probably kept my wife awake at night.
Eventually I would see a neurologist. At first he also prescribed pain killers but after seeing they were not working, he suggested bio-feedback. I went to the clinic for the testing and was told I was too relaxed for it to work. The neurologist then suggested I try a drug which was fairly new at the time. He diagnosed my headaches as a cluster headache. It is nicknamed "suicide headache" since one of its most prominent features is an immense degree of pain. It affects about 0.1% of the population. It has also been suggested by experts that it may be the most painful condition known to medical science. It was somewhat of a relief to know what it was but it is not known what causes them.
The new drug, Gabapentin, seemed to work at first. I took it for several years with good results. The headaches then turned to a chronic state and I was up to the maximum dosage with very little relief. My doctor then prescribed a decreasing dosage of prednisone followed by lithium. This also had favorable results for a couple of years but the headaches would always return. I have been on and off a variety of drugs for over 45 years.
I have tried a form of Acupuncture in the past which utilized suction cups but it did nothing for me. This first experience with Acupuncture made me skeptical of the procedure so it was not until 2009 that my wife was able to convince me to try it again. She told me that Dr. Zheng is one of the best in this field. I decided that I would try it again, but if he used suction cups on me, then I would not go back. My wife and I had a brief 20 minute consultation with him and I have continued to see him on a regular basis. I was pleasantly surprised to be feeling better after a few sessions.
I have not required my medication for a few weeks and because of it I am not feeling as tired. However, one side effect I have experienced is that I do not require as much sleep as I required when I was on medication. I spoke to my family doctor to let him know I was seeing Dr. Zheng and he said he has heard of Acupuncture relieving headaches and shoulder-pain. Although I have not discarded my medication and keep it as a backup, I am very pleased with the results I have thus far experienced.
Dr. Zheng and his staff are very professional but they are also friendly. They will answer all your questions concerning Acupuncture and various herbal medicines which are available.
The procedure is quite painless and the results have been remarkable. After 45 years of suffering from headaches I am finally experiencing relief. My energy levels are up since I am no longer on medication.
Please do not hesitate to give Acupuncture and Dr. Zheng's Clinic a try.
Alan
