So angry, need to vent!

[odydnas]

Hi everyone,
I'm just so angry, i need to vent it out to people who would understand. Today, I went to the acupuncturist to help release the stress and built up muscle tension that comes from living with chronic eye pain and other strange health problems. And she had the nerve to tell me that because medicine is already so advanced that if doctors don't know what is wrong with me, and I grew up with a sick mom, then all signs point that I am suffering from a psychosomatic disease! I was so angry I wanted to punch her, except I couldnt move with all these needles in me.

If anything is causing my condition(s) to worsen, it is people and so-called medical professionals telling me that it's all in my head! ARGHHHHHHHHHH

[irish eyes]

Odydnas

I'm across the pond fuming as well! The last person who suggested that to me was a homoeopath about 3 years ago.

I see acupuncturists from time to time - always at the same practice. That kind of comment would be familiar to them but they wouldn't expect it to have come from a fellow practitioner.

What made her such an expert in psychosomatic disorders? Leaving sarcasm aside, I am wondering now how my kids will fare - having been around a person with health problems (me).

Vent away. I'm with you on this one.

[Guest]

Hi everyone,
I'm just so angry, i need to vent it out to people who would understand. Today, I went to the acupuncturist to help release the stress and built up muscle tension that comes from living with chronic eye pain and other strange health problems. And she had the nerve to tell me that because medicine is already so advanced that if doctors don't know what is wrong with me, and I grew up with a sick mom, then all signs point that I am suffering from a psychosomatic disease! I was so angry I wanted to punch her, except I couldnt move with all these needles in me.

If anything is causing my condition(s) to worsen, it is people and so-called medical professionals telling me that it's all in my head! ARGHHHHHHHHHH

OMG!!! That is brutal! I can't stand know-it-alls who assume that stuff like this is all in our heads, or exaggerated or whatever.... grrrrrr!

Add me to the fuming-right-along-with-you list!

[odydnas]

Thank you Irish Eyes and SAAG for your support. People like that are so frustrating and it is so helpful to have such wonderful supportive people on this forum who simply understand!

[N7ZZT]

an acupuncturist is NOT a medical professional in the "vetted" sense. Also, they are not qualified to make medical judgements based on your past history. Now, if they have a real MD following their name (and at least 8 years of med school behind them) then I might take what they have to say a little more seriously.

personally, I would ask them point blank if they have a medical or psychology degree. if they don't, I would inform them to take their money and do their job with no extra comment.
Sounds like its time to find another acupuncturist (preferably one with a real degree).

I live with eye pain as well (part from dry eye and part from retinal pain (which is far worse)). They dry eye I can handle with dry eye formulated drops (they seem to work ok) but the retinal pain, thats a whole different monster. I also wear scleral shells when I have to go outside (they are designed for ZERO light transmission and cosmetic look only). they work well enough as my eye pain increases exponentially with exposure to light. This means I am totally blind when I walk outside, but i don't care. It saves what I have for inside and the computer (and sometimes, I just have to turn on speech and braille because they hurt too much then).

I have never been to an acupuncturist before. does it help?

[irish eyes]

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and its Member States cooperate to promote the use of traditional medicine for health care.

The chap I go to for acupuncture originally trained as a pharmacist. He had a mid-life career change and trained alongside those practising traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture was just one of those skills.

I would be wary of choosing anyone just on the basis of them having done a degree in acupuncture alone. Here in the UK, the integrity of the practice has been compromised by the expansion of degrees in areas such as this; the term `trained to legally required standard' is preferable. (Acupuncture has been around a very long time - how did people train centuries ago?)

I haven't been for acupuncture for several months but it certainly helps restore my energy levels when the pain & misery of the eye pain is getting me down. This isn't instead of seeing conventional doctors, it's alongside.