Hi,
Have had pmr since January 2014, and now down to 8mg since the beginning of this year. The last 5/6 weeks have been quite trying as the pmr pains have come back again at the top of my arms, and I have been wondering about having to increase the preds a bit.
However, last week our shiatsu therapist said he wanted to try some acupuncture with moxa to try to help my adrenal glands to get going again, and this he did. He told my wife to expect me to be grumpy fo a couple of days, and my wife tells me I was!! Anyway, by Sunday, I realised that I was almost out of pain, and I felt miles better.
This could have been because the pmr had waned a bit ( it does seem to have waxed and waned quite a bit over the past year), or it might have been 'cos I changed to taking 5mg at breakfast, and 3mg at lunchtime. Whatever, it has been a change to the good.
Has anyone else experienced this type of treatment? When I googled moxa, I saw that it a very very old Chinese treatment for, amongst other ailments, arthritis and rheumatism. Maybe we have things to learn from them?!
Anything that helps, I say.
What is moxa? What was the exact procedure? Will you get periodic treatment? It does seem like more than a coincidence that your pains have eased - I agree, anything that works!
I have had moxa in the past with acupuncture, but not for PMR or GCA. It is a special herbal? Chinese blend that is kind of like an incense. It is heated by a match, so gets warm in the places the acupuncturist places it on your body. It has a very distinctive odor. The acupuncturist can increase or decrease the amount of heat the moxa penetrates in to the body. It's kind of difficult to describe. I don't remember feeling grumpy after the treatments, but I was given it for other reasons. The heat is not painful, however, I would only want someone that I really trust to do this procedure.