Melinda and all pain sufferers

I wanted to tell you that I came across an acupuncture mat today on Amazon and ordered it. I'd never heard of those and the reviews were fantastic. I ordered the mat and pillow, speedy delivery, so I should have them soon. I will let you all know if it works. It's basically a mat with over 6,000 plastic spikes that apply pressure to all areas of your body. People with all sorts of problems were stating that it helped tremendously....it helped with disk pain, fibro pain, muscle knots and tension, injuries, numbness, aided relaxation and sleep....all problems that a lot of us have. I got to another desperate place this week and started looking for miracles again. Some people were able to get off of pain meds. OH, and some people used it to walk on, so I think it would probably help neuropathy also.

So - I try once again to find some magic! I'll keep you updated. It was $54 plus shipping.

Sandi that is really interesting - I will be very interested in what you think. You know me - I love my acupuncture and it has helped some with my neuropathy. So I'd certainly be willing to try this.

I missed acupuncture last week because of snow and rescheduled it for next week - I'm going to ask her about these mats.

You may not get a miracle but you probably will get some relief!

One or two people said in their reviews that it was as good as acupuncture and they were able to stop going and save the money. That's right up my alley - something I can do at home and I don't have to pay each time.

My mat should be delivered tomorrow. I'm tracking it!

It's here!

Well, my husband tried it first (no shirt). He laid on it for 3 minutes and whined for 20 minutes after that. He said it hurt too much and he felt stabbed. He was sure he was bleeding from thousands of holes.

Then I tried it (also no shirt). It was a little weird for the first few minutes, but after that I did feel very relaxed and could have fallen asleep. I was on for about half an hour.

Today wasn't a bad pain day because I bumped my Prednisone up to 40 the past few days. It will be interesting to see what happens when I taper down. I think I will like it even more.

I would never give up my acupuncture sessions!

Winter isn't good for me - symptoms worse in cold weather.

Do instructions say to not wear a shirt?

So far so good it sounds like! Keep me posted!

Winter is worse for me too. I hate it.

Yes, it does say to wear it with no shirt. It is advised that some people should start with a thin shirt and work up to bare skin, but I knew I wouldn't need that break-in time.

Watching this space with interest, looking forward to see if helps Sandi. I have already found a supplier in Australia.

Okay, Mil! I'll keep you updated!

Hey, Sandi, can you post a picture of it? I'd like to see what it looks like.

You can see it here:

www.amazon.com/Complete-Acupuncture-Acupressure-Back-Relief/dp/B0049Q0P9M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321195990&sr=8-2

I'm smiling at your husband - don't ever waste any money getting him acupuncture or acupressure

Thanks - wasn't sure if it was recommended to or not to wear a shirt during treatment.

Thought that was the one you bought - looks very interesting!

I'm curious to hear how well this works for you Sandi. I have a couple of relatives in mind who aren't open to trying homeopathy but they might try this, if it seems to work for you. I must admit, I am a little skeptical of all the "fantastic reviews" that this product seems to have. Only a very few have "Amazon Verified Purchase" listed at the bottom. A review that doesn't have that may have been placed there by the seller or their friends, without actually purchasing the item. That's not true of every one without that caption, because a gift purchase would not show up. But, most of these rave reviews make it sound like they bought it themselves. Somehow, they seem a little too slick, a little too much like an ad to me--makes me more skeptical.

I never really paid attention to that kind of stuff before. But, one of my sons just recently put his Mandala Coloring Book on Amazon and we are slowly beginning to realize how much of selling even a good product is in the marketing. It's easy for things to be manipulated.

So, waiting to see what you think after a few weeks of use. I do hope it helps you!
April

I am usually wary of reviews and testamonials, but I've given many reviews myself on Amazon so I tend to believe them more. I also see a lot of bad reviews sometimes and in that case, I stay away from the product. I tend to think that with that many good reviews for the mat, a lot of people would buy the product. If they didn't like it, there would then be a lot more bad reviews.

I haven't had a lot of time this weekend to try it out...I'll let you guys know more as the week goes on.

Well it's not that much money and I don't see how anything bad can happen - unless someone gets a picture of you on the mat and posts it online
Erica

I can top that scenario - My husband seems to think that I'll fall asleep and be on it all night. Then I'll wake up with the thing embedded in my skin and have to walk around with it stuck to me all day. Ha, yeah.

FYI - I laid on the mat last night in bed and fell asleep within 10 minutes. I was so relaxed. I usually have problems falling asleep, but not last night. I'm hoping for a repeat performance tonight.

Night 2 - Fell asleep in minutes - again. Only problem is that both nights, I had graphic nightmares shortly after falling asleep. I was so comfortable I could have slept on it all night, but I was afraid of more bad dreams even though I know there isn't any real connection unless they put some weird medication in those spikes! I can never sleep on my back all night, but I could have with the mat.

I also woke up this morning without an intense burning on one side of my back that has been there for weeks and weeks.

Night 3 - fell asleep relatively fast, maybe 20 minutes. No nightmares that I was aware of. I woke up this morning still on my back on the mat - unheard of for me. It was not stuck to my skin nor did I have to peel it off or wear it to work. The burn in my left shoulder blade is still gone.

Aside - my husband woke up 10 minutes after I went to bed last night, reached over and felt the mat. He then decided to tell me that he felt a pool of blood seeping over to him. Ha ha. He obviously doesn't like the thing.

Sounding good Sandi - I like getting the updates!

Starting to get interesting, maybe it does work. The nightmares sound as though they may have jumped to your husband.

Hey Sandi,

That's awesome! It sounds like it's really helping. Gonna wait for a few more good reports, but I just might have those hard to buy for Christmas gifts figured out.
Has your husband given it a second go, wearing a shirt? I was also thinking it sounded like it might really hurt, so some of the same concerns he had. But, then again, I LOVE getting acupuncture, and was always surprised how it didn't hurt. But, the expense and the time makes it not such a good option for me.
Thanks for the continued updates.
April

I just had acupuncture today - April I LOVE it too! I make the time for it, it is a treat to myself, which I deserve
I don't get it as often as I would like, but I can tell my symptoms get worse when I have gone over 4 weeks between visits.

My daughter tried the mat this evening because she has muscle tension. She wasn't all that crazy about it, so apparently it's not for everyone. I'm thinking that it might work better for people who have more intense pain.

I was seeing a massage therapist last year who specialized in myofascial and myalgia pain. I always told him to massage as hard as he could, otherwise I couldn't feel it. After every session, he would tell me that he didn't have many clients who could tolerate that. For me, I need something strong to distract from the usual pain and any other sort of pain is actually pleasant. I know that doesn't make sense, but some of you might get it. I'd rather have Capzasin burning my back than the usual myalgia pain. My husband hates all of the warming creams and says I might as well dump lighter fluid on myself and start a fire. I guess the concept behind it is sort of like what a TENS does.

Have to agree with y'all on the acupuncture. Definitely like it for myself. Only time I couldn't "tolerate" it was when my gal went for my pinky toe. OUCH!!! Then she had the nerve to tell me she never told me it would be painless. :laugh: :blink: :ohmy:

I'm actually a bit like you Sandy. The harder the massage the better - in most cases. There are times or parts of my body that can't handle it (where my leg broke last year is one), but mostly I need harder massage.

Glad the mat feels good. It's probably like everything else in life. Works for some, not for others.

Last two nights: I couldn't fall asleep on the mat. Two problems though - we've had a death in the family that I have been upset about, and couldn't sleep due to RLS, so started taking iron again. I'll try again tonight.

Sandi, you might get some Biochemic Phosphates to help with your restless legs. They are a combination of 5 phosphate cell salts that really nourish both the physical and mental nervous system.
Amazon sells them, as do many health food stores (found with the other single cell salts in the homeopathic section.
April

I'll take a look, thanks April. Usually though, a few days of iron does the trick. I've been going through this for 4 years now.

Yes, low iron is one cause. The Calc phos and Ferrum phos cell salts in the above can help reverse the low iron, as they're very easily assimilated in this form.
April

So how is it going?