C.L from Hewitt

More than 23 years ago I had corrective surgery for scoliosis. I had spinal fusion that required the placement of rods in my back as well as bone grafts.  The bone grafts were harvested from my hip which left me with a lot of pain constantly disturbing my sleep.  My family doctor has at various times over the years prescribed prescription strong pain relievers and medicine that my tense muscles, in an attempt to relieve tension and pain in my right shoulder and left hip.  The prescriptions my doctor gave me would relieve pain for the length of time they were in my system, but when they wore off, I was back to being in pain again. When I turned over in my sleep by accident and stayed on my hip too long or had to sleep on the other side due to pain in my hip, thus causing my shoulder to become stiff and painful.  This situation left me sleepless, with on going pain. Consequentially, my right shoulder has been locked up painfully for years due to having to sleep on my opposite side. 

After the first acupuncture treatment, I felt some improvement in the sensitivity in my hip, and after about three treatments I started sleeping on my left (bad hip) side for the first time in over 20 years, which also allowed my shoulder to release since I was able to sleep on the other side.   I have had about 6 treatments now and am sleeping on my left side for extended periods of time and waking up NOT in pain.

The overall quality of my sleep has improved due to not being woken up tossing and turning with my hip and shoulder aching.  I plan to continue treatments and would recommend that anyone with long term pain, whether from surgery or not, try acupuncture for muscle tension and pain relief.  It has worked very well for me. I have had over 20 years after surgery before I began treatments.

J. H from Waco

In May of 2012, I woke up with red spots on my legs. Spots that itched. Then they were gong. Then a few days later, more spots appeared. At first I thought they were chiggers. I would get up in the mornings and dap alcohol on every spot, trying to stop the itching. The spots would go away by the afternoon, and then more would appear in a few days. I probably spent about a month in this cycle. During this time, I had the exterminator visit my house to check for bed bugs. I had the insurance adjustors check my house for mold. Some mornings I would wake up with red, itchy spots on my legs, and then some days I would not have any of the spots until the afternoon. I was even thinking about getting rid of my beloved cat, thinking it might be an allergy to her. 

After about a month, I finally decided the spots were not going to go away and that I needed to see a doctor. He had me start taking OTC allergy meds and give me a shot of cortisone. And prednisone was prescribed for a week. The spots miraculously went away! But then they came back after about a week. I also had a biopsy taken, which came back negative. So I made another appointment with my PCP and was scheduled for allergy testing June 14th. By this time, I was taking Zyrtec, Singularm Clartin, and Pepcid daily. Along with Prednisone periodically. To have the allergy test, I was told to stop all allergy medicine three days prior to the test. So I did. 

On the night of June13th, I was getting ready for a bath, and I remember my eyes were itching. I had taken Advil for some shoulder pain I had been having, but could not take any allergy medicine for the itchy eyes. I took a warm bath to soothe my skin, and when I got out, I noticed that my face felt different. When I looked in the mirror, one eye was almost swollen shut, and well as half of my bottom lip was swollen. I called one of my colleagues, who has dealt with allergy problems with her son, and she told me to try ice on my face, and to relax. Within 10 minutes, my other side of my face swelled up as well. I could only see through tiny slits in my eyes. My children become very scared and ran to get the neighbors, as I was also trying to call her. Long story short, I ended up in the emergency room for about 6 hour, with them pumping me with lots of fluids, including cortisone, prednisone, and who knows that else.  

So needless to say, I had to reschedule my appointment with the allergist. The doctors gave me an EPI pin to carry around if I had another allergic reaction. After the emergency room visit, I was again on 3 or 4 OTC allergy medications and prednisone. But I had stpooed itching temporarily. I rescheduled the allergy testing for June 21st.

Again I had to stop taking all meds to have the test. This time I did okay, and was so happy to possibly find out what was causing the red spots (hives they were now being called). The allergist did over 60 pricks on my arms, testing me for a wide variety of allergens, from trees to grasses to animals to food. The only thing that came back positive was grass/weeds, basically everything outdoors 12 months of the year. 

Again, I was put on more prednisone, and the OTC allergy meds were doubled daily. So you can imagine how tired I was ALL THE TIME. By this time, the hives had worsened. I had them 24 hours a day. What started on my legs had now spread to my arms, back, stomach, feet and sometimes face as well. And the hives were much bigger in size. The hives would come and go, but they were on my body, somewhere, 24 hours a day. The prednisone gave me only brief periods of relief from the intense itching. For the next 6 months, I was constantly itching. I gained 30 pounds from the prednisone very quickly, and was too embarrassed to go anywhere because I had huge, red spots everywhere on my body. 

I was now having an allergic reaction about every three weeks. I missed work at times because of this. It would start as a tingling sensation in my lips and within a few minutes, the swelling would move to half of my face. I had begun carrying benedryl with me, and would take this to stop the allergic reaction from intensifying. At one point, the allergist also prescribed Doxepin, which is an anti-depressant drug, but had been tested in weeks, intensified my itchiness. I stopped taking in on my own.

I continued going to the allergist monthly, getting no relief. Each time, he would just increase my medication. I was trying to wean off the prednisone, so my periods of relief from itching were very slim. By January of 2013, I was not sleeping more than a few hours a night. Everytime I would lie down, covered in anti-itching lotion, I would wake up miserable from itching either on my back or my feet. 
I researched an researched others that had this problem, and could find no answers. I did not believe that just going outdoors was causing the hives, because they also seemed to worsen at night, when I was indoors. I asked to be tested for auto-immune disease, because it made sense to me that my own body was fighting something. All the tests came back negative. 

Then, mid-January, I was discussing my hives with one of my patients, who told me about a friend of hers that had similar problems with hives. She had ended up going to see an acupuncturist, and had been hive-free for over two years. Now, bear in mind, I am terrified of needles, but I was at the end of my rope. I was miserable, and wanted my life back!

On January 17, 2013, I called and made an appointment with Dr. Cui in Waco Acupuncture Clinic. Though skeptical as I may have been, I was willing to try anything. Laying on that table for the first treatment, was the first time in over six months that I would lie still without ONE itch. This was a huge turning point for me. I may have even cried for joy that night. After about four treatments, the hives had stopped over most of my body, and were only located on the bottom portion of my legs. And I had only one allergic reaction with swollen lips. 

As of mid-April, I am now hive-free and had had no allergic reactions. I am down to only two OTC meds a day, mainly just for seasonal allergies. And I am slowly but surely losing that ‘prednisone’ weight. Dr. Cui gave me my life back! So if any of my story relates to you or someone you know, please keep an open mind and make an appointment to see Dr. Cui.  

R. D. from Crawford

I’m a retired Probation Officer that started experiencing muscle pain and severe spasms in 2010.

My Pain seemed to be related to herbicides and pesticides I encountered on my farm.  In my attempt to figure out why I had pain and spasms, I saw my general practitioner, and later a rheumatologist.

After being diagnosed initially with a muscle disease, which was not verified, I sought treatment at an environmental health clinic in Dallas where a high level of chemicals was found when my blood was tested.  I was treated with oral and IV vitamins and minerals, saunas and massage to detoxify  my system.

I improved but still had some muscle pain and problems only with a lower level. In March, I came to Waco Acupuncture Clinic and tried a detoxification treatment used for weight loss through sweating out toxins. While at the clinic was introduced to the idea that acupuncture could help with the pain and spasms, as well as strengthen my body encouraging it rid itself of toxins.  I went home and did my research and found that Acupuncture was recommended to help reduce sensitivities to chemicals. I have continued my regime prescribed by the clinic in Dallas, and have added Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Herbs.  After about 6 weeks my pain is gone.  I’m very happy with my results.

M. D. from Clifton

After having this severe chronic back pain for more than 40 years, I never think that oneday, my back pain will stop. For these forty more years, I went to chiropractors and neurologists, the cause of the pain still a mistery. Of course, no pain medicine nor other therapis helped. I was referred to Dr. Cui at Waco Acupuncture Clinic in April, 2014, and that changed my life through his treatments. My back pain get controlled, and now I can drive and go shopping again!! I highly recommend Dr. Cui and if you have any conditions like me, try Acupuncture!!