[John V Twork]

I  learned, several years ago, about the use of acupuncture as a treatment technique primarily for dealing with chronic pain. There is, however, a considerable amount of literature dealing with acupuncture as a primary method in the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease as well. After some discussion with the certified acupuncture instructors, it was decided to conduct some preliminary testing and, if these tests proved promising, to expand the testing.

The actual procedures in the treatment were fairly straight forward and required roughly 30 – 45 min. The instructor places about 10 to 12 small diameter needles in predetermined locations in the patient. One or more of these needles can then be connected to a low-voltage power supply. The patient during this phase of treatment the patient is typically lying down and once the needles have been removed will sit back up.
In my initial test the result was short time elimination of all my PD symptoms (balance, freeze up, and stiffness) for about 20-30 min only to return. Subsequent testing following relocation of the needles yielded the same results.
I’ve asked several neurologists if they could explain why an entirely different treatment method could provide the same result as the pharma (i.e., carbidopa/levidopa) and none of them had a ready answer.