Marcos Hsu, Lac
University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine

I recently treated a 58-year-old African American patient with Multiple Sclerosis as well as arthritis in multiple joints. She presented with symptoms such as blurred vision, jerky eye movements, and lack of coordination between 2 eyes, muscle weakness with loss of strength in her right hemisphere, involuntary contractions of her muscles, lower limb spasms, severe neuralgia as well as loss of coordination & general fatigue. An initial cycle of acupuncture therapy consisting of 15 treatments was prescribed, consisting of 2 treatment sessions per week. At the 15th treatment the patient reported great improvement in her joint pain, in conjunction with improved motor movements and functions, as well as improved energy level. Initially she was not able to perform any type of exercises but after 15 sessions, she was able to indulge in her favorite activities such as horseback riding and swimming. Her overall pain scale decreased from the initial 8/10 overall to a mere 2/10.