Health Brief

ACUPUNCTURE HELPS HEART TRANSPLANT PATIENT SURVIVE HER DIFICULT RECOVERY

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Acupuncture has long been known in the East for improving headaches, anxiety, joint pain and digestive problems. It has also made a striking difference in the survival of a young heart transplant patient.

Michiko Mills was just 22 when she needed a heart transplant as a result of a heart muscle disease called cardiomyopathy. Michiko Mills says, "Both my mother and brother had died from the same disease. So to learn that, it was very scary, you know, that I was the next one that would eventually die."

Her heart muscle had become weak and her heart couldn't pump blood efficiently. Thankfully, a donor heart became available. But right after surviving the transplant surgery, Michiko's home was hit by back-to-back hurricanes.

Because of the storms, Michiko missed some of her follow-up appointments. As a result, she found out late that her body was rejecting her new heart. She would need another transplant.
Mills says, "The first one was pretty difficult, but the second one was a lot worse." After that surgery, Mills became very ill. Nausea and vomiting kept her from gaining the strength she needed to get better. That's when neurosurgeon Ronald Reimer decided to try Acupuncture.
Dr. Reimer, a Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon, says that with acupuncture treatment, "many people who have been in bed, nauseous, vomiting or retching for weeks on end will have cessation of these symptoms and develop an appetite fairly soon after treatment."

Four months later, Mills is thriving, enjoying her second gift of life. Acupuncture can reduce nausea and vomiting by restoring balance to the nervous system. While everyone responds differently to Acupuncture, nearly everyone sees improvement after Acupuncture when other medications fail.

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SOURCE:: http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail2820.cfm?Id=0,41680