A 75-year-old male, osteoarthritis in his left shoulder for several years. During the past few months, he has experienced level 7-8 pain and limited range of motion when lifting his arm and difficulty with sleeping due to pain. He does not want to take any western drugs or Chinese herbal formulas or any other supplements for this condition. He was also diagnosed with diabetes last year and is on insulin. His daily exercise is walking on a treadmill for 20 minutes daily at a relaxed pace, as he has tremors in his upper extremities and his balance is slightly impaired.
He came to my office for acupuncture treatment only because his wife encouraged him (she is also a patient at the clinic) and he wanted me to know that he is quite skeptical of this type of treatment. Treated on left shoulder/arm acupuncture 15 minutes with TDP lamp and liquid moxa sprayed on the shoulder joint. QGM [Latest Version is CHI Palm] was used for 5 minutes in the left shoulder and sweeping down the arm and finally on the palm of the left hand for about one minute. After the first treatment, he experienced a reduction in pain to level 5 with a slight increase in range of motion. At his second appointment, which was five days later, he stated his pain had stayed level 5 until his second appointment and it had risen slightly, but not as much as before his first treatment. His range of motion had not improved.
Using the same protocol and increasing the QGM to 10 minutes, he had greater range of motion and no pain when he left after the second treatment. He was scheduled for a follow-up in two days. However, he called the day of his treatment and stated he was still pain free and his range of motion was improving. He cancelled his appointment and we agreed he should schedule follow-up appointments as needed and that he would continue some light stretching exercises to help his shoulder. His sleeping has improved, also. He is no longer skeptical of the QGM or acupuncture.
-Pamela Price (Salem, OR)
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