Massage for relaxation, temporary pain relief. Covered by my employer benefits, 100% up to $1500 per year, and I don't take nearly as much advantage of it as I should.
I voted for acupuncture as it had the most positive result on my leg pain that had driven me crazy for months. As Lulu says it is expensive I had 5 treatments on the NHS but cannotclaim anymore and now have to pay.
I also use massage therapy and reflexology every 2 weeks. The massage helps a lot with muscle tension in my shoulders often triggered by problems with my right arm and shoulder.
The reflex has no basis in science BUT it has helped me for over 5 years as I came through limbo and menopause at the same time. It was one hour a fortnight that was just for me and my therapist now knows me and my body well. She also had a sister who had PPMS the most aggresive type and so knows just how to take care of me.
I also exercise using Pilates methods and use my exercise bike several times a week to exercise without weight bearing due to arthritis in my knee and being overweight - huh!
Pat x
I voted for Acupuncture, just because I can only vote for one. I also use Massage Therapy, and when the Baclofen doesn't deal well enough with my spasticity, I've occasionally used Cannabis. I practice Yoga for 90 minutes 2x/wk.
Cheers,
Guitar_grrrl
I voted for massage because that is the biggest part of the complementary therapy that worked well for me. The woman I went to called what she did energy work. She was unlicensed but had experience with a chiro manipulations, therapeutic massage, acupressure, and the energy meridians of the body. She brought these all together with a unique talent to locate problem areas with light touch.
I met her at the barn where we board our horse. She had been called upon to work on one of the horses there. Without going into details, she worked a miracle of sorts on that mare. After observing her work on my own horse, I decided I had to see what she could do toward relieving the considerable pain I was having at the time. This was prior to my official MS diagnosis.
Many times I could feel tremendous heat in her hands as she worked. She always zeroed in on the areas that needed the most healing without me saying a word. She charged by the treatment rather than the hour. I was seldom there less than 90 minutes and she never took more than $50. Unfortunately for me, she left her husband and the state in search of sunny skies and a longer riding season.
This does remind me though that I have a massage gift certificate from my children waiting for redemption. I think now would be a good time to cash in.
I have also had success with relaxation/hypnosis therapy and Reiki and become a believer in supplements. At the moment I am trying a biofeedback type device that will help me regulate my breathing and hopefully reduce recent cardiac symptoms as well as the considerable stress inflicted by my cardiac physicians. Maybe it will even help with muscle tension/spasms and sleep problems.
It's funny for me to see this long list of successful therapy compliments. For years I was a by the book with drugs and therapy person. When I started experiencing more side effects than therapeutic benefits I starting looking "off label". Finding solutions to my challenges over the years has proven to me that the best answers are usually the least complicated ones in the end.
Mary
These are the alternative treatments I've used:
Chiropractic - the results are always very good. Caution- no forceful twisting of the spine. I've used chiropractic care before my MS. It helps keep me aligned and I feel much better. I could use a visit right now.
Accupuncture: I've had this a few times for painful muscles, not MS related????
Massage: Great way to relax. I always feel good afterwards.
I have had the most significant improvement using alternative, non drug remedies for my ms. I think the detoxification and chelation therapies helped me more than anything else.
Stephanie,
I am all in favor of complimentary therapies - I just wish my insurance felt the same way because it gets pricey coming out of my own money.
I could only vote for one of these, so I picked the massage therapy because that is what I do the most.
The massage therapy I get is positional release, which is based on accupressure points.
She also does some cranial-sacral work. Like you, it does give me relief to my sinuses, which is a definite bonus. I'm not sure I buy into the whole theory of this one, but figure it is doing me no harm.
Accupuncture has been good for me, too. It is something I wish I could do more often. My massage therapist thinks the accupuncture would be very good for my peripheral neuropathy to try to clear those nerve pathways. It is actually a very relaxing treatment - the needles are super thin and you barely feel them. Last year I was able to go repeatedly for accupuncture because there was a school teaching it - the treatment was half-price. Unfortunately they have closed the school. :-(
I would go lightly with the chiropractic work - if I'm remembering correctly this is discouraged for MS patients with spinal leisons - can anyone out there tell us why I'm thinking this?
Hopefully something in this helps - I would be happy to discuss particular treatments if you have a question.
be well,
Lulu