There is an old adage that when you have a hammer everything looks like a nail. Acupuncture has been shown to have benefits in specific areas of treatment but no reputable acupuncturist would advise treating cancer with anything other than standard medical treatments. Dupuytren's because it is not life threatening only severely debilitating, results in a lot of human guinea pigs who pay good money to be experimental test subjects.

One also has to realize that acupuncture was developed in Asia where Dupuytren's, a genetic disorder, does not exist. So there has been absolutely no development of treatments as compared to say France where Dupuytren's is prevalent and where NA treatment originated.

The world is not flat my friend. Just because you have not personally experienced something does not mean it does not exist. Treatments developed in one country also work when practised in other countries. I am shocked at such an ignorant and racist remark from you. Please do not communicate any further with me on this or any other subject.

I have been receiving acupuncture treatments for about 6 years now with almost no further progression since we began treatments. I only began this experiment after much research and speaking to other Dupytren's patients who also had successful results with acupuncture. Although I began acupuncture as an experiment, I stayed with it because the results have been fantastic for me. I have no idea if it works for everyone; but I KNOW it works for me. My doctor and surgeon are all very impressed and are very supportive of my continuing this if it continues to work. I am also investigating radiation treatments which research shows to be very promising for some people.

Don't be blind to new, or proven old, treatments. Nobody knows everything and this forum is to help us communicate our experiences good and bad and to explore treatment options. Treatments are affordable and well worth trying for anyone and if they work for you, like they have for me, continuing.

Quote:

---

There is an old adage that when you have a hammer everything looks like a nail. Acupuncture has been shown to have benefits in specific areas of treatment but no reputable acupuncturist would advise treating cancer with anything other than standard medical treatments. Dupuytren's because it is not life threatening only severely debilitating, results in a lot of human guinea pigs who pay good money to be experimental test subjects.

One also has to realize that acupuncture was developed in Asia where Dupuytren's, a genetic disorder, does not exist. So there has been absolutely no development of treatments as compared to say France where Dupuytren's is prevalent and where NA treatment originated.

Hi Roger , Australia Calling. I tried acupunture 20 years ago but it did not work for me. I would be interested on where the needles were placed and were they conventional acupunture needles? Did you have any electrical current attached ? I believe that some therapist have electronic machines to deliver acupunture.
We now have many Chinese practitioners now in OZ. Please tell us more. Regards.

Edited 01/26/10 07:32

I received acupuncture from a licensed practitioner who also is a licensed MD in California. The net effect of the acupuncture was to delay my receiving XRT which actually did help but after the disease had progressed a lot further than it needed to and for which I pay the price daily.

Acupuncture has it uses for pain as has been demonstrated. I know of no doctor who would proscribe it for a person with cancer or malaria or an ulcer or a broken arm. Everything has its place and it is foolish to think that acupuncture is a cure all for a degenerative disease.

If you can find a single licensed medical doctor who advises acupuncture for Dupuytren's please share their name and location.

My GP, Dr. Dawn Motyka, recommended acupuncture for my Dupuytren's and all it did was delay my getting NA and a XRT by 6 months during which time the disease progressed significantly. My Dupuytren's progression was not linear at all and one hand progressed far faster than the other. Saying acupuncture slowed the progression is meaningless What is important is restoring the range of motion and use of your hands.

Before my NA procedure I had difficulty getting my keys out of my jeans pocket with my right hand and opening my left hand up wide enough to grab onto a ladder. Minutes after the NA I had full use of both hands and my recovery time was 24 hours.

XRT is most effective at halting the progression of Dupuytren's and does not to my knowledge reverse the condition. For that a surgical procedure of some type is required. The problem with the procedures like acupuncture and herbal remedies and such is that treatment is delayed and the disease gets worse and the benefits of XRT are much reduced.

NA works 100 out of 100 times and it appears that the same is true for collagenase injections. There is a history of decades of use of XRT for Dupuytren's with thousands of cases. I have come across no similar results for any other treatment.

I paid $150 for a single acupuncture session that was worthless. I paid $1100 for a NA procedure that was 100% effective and I walked out of the doctor's office and a day later I could do anything with my hands will full range of motion restored.

No where in the world is acupuncture recommended for Dupuytren's which is a European genetic disorder and not something people in China would have any experience with at all. Instead we have people in the USA with hammers in search of nails and willing to try acupuncture on anything and never in a controlled setting with research subject to scientific review. The waste of money is much less a concern than the delay in getting effective treatment.