Mike Menke

On Wendesday, October 6, I woke up with a sharp pain in my lower back. About 8 years previous to this, I had a kidney stone. The pain felt as if I had another stone. I let it go a day to see if it would get worse or if the stone would pass. On Thursday morning, I woke up in more pain than the previous day. I made an appointment with my doctor for later that day. After missing a full day of work and many X-rays later, I found out that the pain was not being caused by kidney stones, but rather a degenerating disc in my lower back. I was prescribed Flexaril (muscle relaxant) and high dose Ibuprofen (analgesic, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory).

I went to work the next day in a lot of pain. Even though I was now on medication, the pain became worse throughout the day. On Friday night at 11 PM, the pain was so bad I went to the emergency room to get a morphine shot and a prescription for Vicadin (pain pill). Over the weekend, the pain became worse and worse, even though I was on three medications.

Through the recommendation of a couple of friends of mine that have been to see acupuncturists for pain, I decided to try this for the first time in my life. On Monday, I called around to get an appointment for later that day, if possible. Fortunately, I was able to see Lee Shaw. She was very pleasant on the phone and later in person. She took a thorough history of the condition and performed acupuncture and cupping on my lower back.

Miraculously, I have felt absolutely no pain for the following two weeks. I am now a strong believer in the healing power of acupuncture and strongly recommend it for anyone who has issues with pain. It was the only effective treatment, other than morphine, that I could find for my condition. It is a treatment that lasts and has no negative side effects.