how acupuncture works for Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia patients can benefit from the use of acupuncture. Treatment can lead to pain relief through the release of the body's natural opioids--endorphins--as well as by altering nerve impulses and brain chemistry to heighten one's tolerance for pain.

video testimony

so pleased with the progress i have made

"My name is Linda Spray and I'm a retired Registered Nurse. I retired early about ten years ago because I had a recurrence of cancer in my left shoulder and I had had chemotherapy and radiation. After I was retired, I experienced the bad effects from an earlier on-the-job injury and heredity. I developed fibromyalgia, which worsened and worsened over the years. I felt helpless and hopeless with it.

"Fifteen months ago, I was at the point of complete despair and ready to completely give up. It seemed there was no hope. Fortunately, I got to the right medical people, got some different medications, and got to see Dr. James Morris at his pain clinic. In his consultation, he recommended that I try a number of different modalities, one at a time. I missed the one at a time and jumped into all of them. I've done massage and Feldenkrais for a lot of years and some reflexology and they kept me going. Then I added physical therapy and, very importantly, I added acupuncture with Tom Williams.

"I am so pleased with the progress I have made with Tom. One of the clearest things that's happened is that when I came to see him, he nor anyone else could touch my left shoulder. That was the area that had brought me to despair. It would feel like somebody had thrown hot grease on me and they kept throwing it. As people with chronic pain know, there can be times when it's just overwhelming. The very first time I saw Tom that pain decreased. I was blown away and so pleased.

"I've continued to see him weekly and that pain has not ever come back like it used to be. If he'd done nothing else for me, that is an incredible gift. In addition, he has helped me with my whole body structure getting stronger. He works very well with the other two or three modalities I do. He's aware of things, very professional, very skilled, very gentle. I am extremely happy that I found Tom."

i have so much energy

“My name is Judy Pinson and I retired from teaching school a year ago. I retired two or three years before I had planned to because I was so exhausted and I had so much pain. I went to a couple of doctors and I was eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

“I had gone to doctors before for my pain and they told me that my symptoms couldn’t be related to each other, that they were just individual symptoms and they weren’t related, so I was treating different things.

“I tried a medication for the fibromyalgia, and the side effects were horrible. It reduced my pain, but I felt really awful. I doubled the medication because I wanted to get rid of the pain. The side effects were, of course, even worse.

“I went to physical therapy for a little while and that helped the pain, but my other symptoms of mental fogginess, depression, anxiety, and fatigue did not go away. So I stopped all of those things and decided to try acupuncture because I was recommended by a friend.

“I’ve been going for a year now and the treatment has been amazing to me. The thing that has impressed me the most is that my symptoms are related. The pain is much reduced. I have so much more energy. I have less anxiety, I am not depressed. I sleep well. My digestion is better. So many things have happened as a result of acupuncture that I didn’t expect.

“I continue to come back once a week. If I miss a week, I begin to feel achy more. Overall, it has just improved my life so much. I am able to work in the garden. I am able to hang out with my grandson and volunteer in his classroom at school, so many things that I wouldn’t feel like I could do a year ago. I appreciate that so much.”

patient review

“I’ve had chronic pain in the form of fibromyalgia [with irritable bowel syndrome] and arthritis for over ten years. I’ve tried multiple disciplines to deal with the many symptoms that go along with these conditions, from exercise and meditation to diet, supplements and pain medication. But I was never really able to find the right combination until I found Tom Williams at the Turning Point Center. I had little to lose and so much to gain. What a difference acupuncture has made in my life!

"From the first visit I started to feel profoundly different, physically, mentally, and spiritually. My world just seemed to get bigger and brighter. For instance, I found that I could see more clearly from colors and light to small details. I didn’t need to wear my reading glasses as often. My glaucoma disappeared. The experience was like being able to breathe fresh air for the first time. The depression I had suffered from for seven years slowly vanished and I had no more use for antidepressants. My memory and mental clarity improved. I started feeling like living out loud for a change.

"Fibromyalgia is a strange animal. It seems to go hand in hand with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), skin hypersensitivity, extreme fatigue, mental fogginess, depression, muscle and joint pain and food/chemical sensitivities. After several months my skin sensitivity went away along with the IBS. My pain levels went down considerably. I found that if I was having a flare-up I could get a treatment with Tom and get immediate relief.

"The Turning Point Center has become a big part of my proactive war against fibromyalgia and arthritis. Some of the other things I have found to be essential in my “war chest” are: Greens First (a supplement from Turning Point that improves my energy level), chiropractic, getting plenty of sleep and exercise, hot baths and eating a well balanced diet void of preservatives and artificial sweeteners. When I have a flare-up, I tell myself, 'this too shall pass' and once again dip into my war chest.

"I would not hesitate to recommend anyone to try acupuncture with Tom Williams at the Turning Point Center.”

–Sherri Palmer, Cottage Grove, OR