Shoulder Pain caused by Medications?

In today’s blog post, I’d like share Janet’s story.

Janet came to see me because her right shoulder was is tremendous pain. She couldn’t move it to brush her hair or teeth. Even getting dressed caused her to be in a lot of pain. This had been going on for several months and none of the doctors she went to see could help her. They tried shots, pain medications, physical therapy and it all fell short of giving her the relief she needed to resume her life’s activities. She was especially upset that her interactions with her grandson had to be put on hold because of her pain and inability to handle a toddler for more than an hour.

Living like this was causing her to be more and more frustrated as the weeks flew by, “What can be done?” She would cry to herself. All of this happened due to side-effects of her cholesterol medication, and even though she stopped taking the medication per her doctor’s order, the pain continued.

On one of many desperate attempts to find a supplement or herbal pill to help her pain, she ran into a young man who was passing out information about acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. After telling him about her sad tale of pain and suffering, and then hearing about some of the possibilities that acupuncture and oriental medicine could offer, she decided to consider this option. The next day, however, after giving it more thought, she had decided that her condition was way too complicated to discuss with anyone other than an MD. Taking a vitamin was one thing, but trusting her health to someone other than an MD was something she thought irresponsible.

Janet’s hesitance and uncertainty about going outside the normal medical community caused her to put the card for the acupuncturist aside. She thought to herself “if that’s the answer to my problem, why didn’t my primary doctor recommend it?” And with that thought, she dismissed the possibility of that being the answer to her problem, for many more months.

Then, one day, as she was cleaning out her desk drawer, she found the card with the acupuncture information on it and took another look. It had been months since she had the conversation with that “nice young man at the vitamin store” and decided that since she was STILL struggling with pain, she would give it a try. After discussing it with her doctor, and getting his approval, she made the appointment.

After an extensive health history evaluation, and an initial trial of 3 visits, Janet’s response to the treatment was miraculous. Her shoulder was finally feeling better! Her range of motion was improving, her energy level was coming back, and her overall body felt more relaxed and normal. She was thrilled; nearly 70% of the pain was gone and she finally had hope of a full recovery!

During her initial three visits, Janet also received an education in how Oriental Medicine can be used as a form of primary healthcare that can be used to achieve and maintain optimal health. She was amazed that not only could she get pain relief, but she now had the opportunity to actually fix the cause of the pain. It made so much sense to her when I explained that Oriental Medicine uses the symptoms as an indicator of a deeper problem. When that deeper imbalance is treated, even when there are no symptoms, the body’s ability to heal, mend and repair is enhanced. So, over the course of several months, we worked on correcting the cause of the symptoms; again, not based on Western Medicine’s parameters, but using Oriental Medicine’s ancient diagnostic techniques and treatment principles.

Once that aspect of her program was completed, she continued with maintenance treatments, and even facial rejuvenation treatments to fade lines, lift eye lids and the chin.

By staying proactive in her healthcare program over the course of years, she’s entering her 70th year with more vibrancy than ever.

I do need to say though; Janet’s results were based on a combination of methods. I could do the amazing work using acupressure/acupuncture/bodywork, to address the body’s imbalances and blockages, but addressing the behavior that caused the problem in the first place gets you the best results. Patients that don’t do their homework still get a result, but it’s more “up and down” and ends up requiring more ongoing treatments. I believe we all need to make our own decisions, and I try to respect everyone’s choices. My job is to educate you, so you understand the effects of actions that are contributing to the degeneration of the body’s organs and systems.

Now Janet really “got it” and made a 180 degree turn around with her food once she became educated. As I said you can get results without self-care and following the food guidelines, but overall results will be WAY better if you do your homework and follow the food guidelines and fitness guidelines I recommend.

Until next time, remember, your body was designed to: Heal Mend and Repair - it just needs to the right environment!