Acupuncture gives Troy man relief from severe headaches
Traditional treatment hadn't helped, so Paul Weber gave the needles a try; he's happy with the results.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
CENTERVILLE — The headaches came in clusters, hammering Paul Weber into a medical leave of absence and nearly into early retirement from the Ohio Highway Patrol.
"It felt like someone was taking a baseball bat and hitting the side of my head — a strong, throbbing, pounding on the right side of my head," the Troy resident said of the headaches that began in 2003. "It got to the point I couldn't go to any restaurants. I basically stayed at home in my room with the lights out, and my wife and kids basically went on to do other things because I just couldn't really function."
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Paul Weber, 47, of Troy found relief for his severe headaches through acupuncture.
Paul Weber, 47, was suffering from severe headaches but found relief using acupuncture. Acupuncturist Anastasia Christopher, white coat, oversees Weber's session.
Get latest headlines via RSS feedsTraditional medicine provided no relief for Weber, a 47-year-old father of three and sergeant with the highway patrol's Piqua post. So acting on a tip, a skeptical Weber tried medical acupuncture, a family of ancient Chinese procedures involving stimulation of anatomical points on the body, usually with hair-thin, metallic needles.
"That was in April 2005, and I was back to work in June (that year)," Weber said this week from a treatment room at Medical Acupuncture Associates, 7266 Far Hills Ave.
Anastasia Christopher, a nurse practitioner who owns and operates the Centerville practice with her husband, Dr. Charles Christopher, said acupuncture stimulates and "unblocks" the body's electro-magnetic energy pathways, called meridians.
"The Chinese believe if there's a blockage in that flow, it causes disease or pain," she said.
According to the National Institutes of Health, several studies have shown acupuncture's potential usefulness, but results have been mixed because of complexities with study design and size.
Still, promising results have emerged, the NIH reports, and acupuncture is being "widely" practiced by physicians, dentists and other practitioners across the United States for pain relief and as an effective complement to standard care.
Weber, who's treated once every one to three weeks, said he still gets headaches, but they're controllable now and mild compared to the past.
"I'm tickled pink at what this has done for me," he said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7408 or agottschlich@DaytonDailyNews.com.
Think acupuncture might be for you?
Consider these tips from the National Center of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health:
Check the practitioner's credentials. When not delivered properly, acupuncture can cause serious adverse effects, including infections and punctured organs. An acupuncture practitioner who is licensed and credentialed (a requirement in Ohio) may provide better care than one who is not.
Do not rely on a diagnosis of disease by an acupuncture practitioner who does not have substantial conventional medical training.
Check with your insurance company to see if acupuncture is a covered expense.
Source: nccam.nih.gov/health/acupuncture
