I’m always pleased when new patients tell me their relatives or friends recommended me. In May 2021 I met John, whose sister suggested he came to see me. She had lived in Charlottesville several years before, had been my patient, and had benefited from acupuncture treatments. And so John took his sister’s advice—even though “coming to see me” entailed his driving three hours each way through the mountains from West Virginia!
John had been experiencing severe low back pain for over a year. He was an apprentice supervisor and instructor, and he spent hours each day at his workbench repairing computers. “Most people think all the computer jobs have gone overseas,” he told me, “but there are thousands of people in the United States right now who are doing this work. In fact,” he said, “repairing computers is a growth industry in the West Virginia/central Virginia area.” And, he added, “I hear a lot about people’s sore backs.”
John’s pain, which was a 6 on a scale of 10, would start after he had stood in place for 10 minutes. If he stood for more than 10 minutes, his pain would rapidly escalate to an excruciating 10 out of 10. On these occasions, he had to stop working and sit until the pain subsided. This, of course, interfered with his ability to complete his work assignments.
Back pain is one of the most common complaints I see. Weight, sedentary lifestyles, spinal deterioration, and lifting objects incorrectly are frequently the culprits that cause or aggravate this condition, according to the Mayo Clinic [see their website at https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20369906] Sadly, back pain becomes more common as we age; a typical patient begins experiencing back pain at age 30 or 40. John was 68.
I have performed over 70,000 procedures since I was first licensed. (As a medical practitioner I must, of course, keep careful records.) One of the most interesting challenges an acupuncturist faces is determining not only where best to place the needles, but which kinds of needles, for how long at each site, using what timetable. For most patients, two treatments a week work best. But because John lived so far away―and had a day job, after all―it was not practical for him to follow the two-visits-in-one-week schedule. He could only see me on days when he did not work, and he had to return home right after his treatments.
John arrived for his first scheduled session and I explained what I was going to do. Then I used Acupuncture and Lance Therapy. The word “lance” makes this needle sound large and dangerous—like a sword—but it is actually a tiny three-edged needle that pricks acupuncture points. The purpose is to promote the smooth flow of Qi or Chi and blood in the meridians, dispel blood stasis, and/or eliminate the heat. In spite of my preferred protocol of two treatments a week, because of John’s schedule we settled on a second session one week later.
Three weeks after treatment two, John returned for treatment number three. I was unsure as to how this three-week interval would affect the final results, but we were amazed—and I was delighted—when John was free of pain after that third treatment! Of course, if his painful condition had continued, I would have advised him to return for a fourth or fifth visit. But in his case, the old Irish saying was correct: “The third time was the charm.”