Posted by William Bray (158.169.9.30) on August 30, 1999 at 06:53:45:
Being new to the site I may be going over old ground here, but if I am, please forgive me. I suffered CH for over 10 years, 4 or 5 a week without remission. A migraine sufferer I knew had been helped by acupuncture so feeling that I had nothing to lose, I made an appointment with a practitioner. He was an anesthiologist at a local hospital who ran an acupuncture clinic at his home in the evenings. I described my symptoms and he gave me a thorough examination. He said he thought he could help me but that, of course, there were no guarantees. My course of treatment was 3 visits a week for the first few weeks, then two visits, then 1 visit, then an occasional visit. The first session triggered a CH, so did the second. It took a lot of courage to go back for the third, but this time no pain was triggered. I completed the course and was overjoyed to be pain free for the first time in years. I had a remission lasting 5 months. The next CH attack was only a few weeks and the pain was much less. The remissions have got longer and longer and I now have remissions of 13 months. The last was 18 months. I am now in a CH episode with the clusters coming mainly after I have been asleep for 1 or 2 hours. For anyone who is wary of acupuncture all I can say is go ahead, it is nothing like getting shots as the needs are so fine you barely feel anything. And I must also say I was sceptical of success before I began, but I am now convinced. Another help I have found when the pain hits during the day is to go for a really brisk walk at the first sign. I find that walking as fast as I can for 10 or 15 minutes usually aborts it. It doesn't seem to help, though, if the headache is already well established. Sorry if this is a bit on the long side.