[mrs bouquet]

Without necessarily wanting to pry, have you ever had anything of this kind.  Did you find it helpful.  Is it to do with your mind set.   I had acupuncture once along time ago, for the back problem, but didn't find it made any difference, except that my purse was lighter.  Maybe that is the idea !    If I were ever to consider any now, perhaps reflexology.  Even if it didn't work, it probably is a nice sensation    regards   Mrs Bouquet

[Blackpool rocket]

I tried acupuncture as well many years ago for tennis elbow. It didn't have any effect.
I mainly self medicate now with Chablis.
My current impediment is cracked ribs, alternative therapy definitely doesn't work for that kind of pain.
Alternative therapies that work are called medicine. Co-codamol is the current working alternative therapy.
Alternative therapies that don't work well are called alternative therapies.
Muscle manipulation can be of great benefit. I have been seeing the same osteopath for 30 years, when my shoulder muscles go into stress induced spasm I can feel them twisting up over a few minutes & I know where my next call is going, but that's not really "alternative"
 
Something like reflexology can be of benefit and the routes of referred pain are interesting in the way they travel from one point on the body to another.
Same with Indian head massage. Some of our more regular complaints, head ache, neck ache start lower down, tell someone to relax and watch their shoulders drop!

Give them a go, they probably won't "cure" you but might help you to understand the condition and how best to deal with it.
I don't know of your specific back problem but if it's long term, I doubt "alternative" will be of significant benefit.

Br

P.S. I have just read your procedure topic. I wish you all the best with that.

[Goosegirl]

I've always found Mr Growster a great source of various alternative therapies but they do tend to depend on what sort of mood you're in at the moment.
1) He stands there telling you what do in your garden then he tries to sell you his remedial balm at a an exorbitant price. Been there, done it and got the T-shirt! 
2) He tried to sell a special oil emolument to a massage parlour. Unfortunately he didn't read the text message properly so he found himself in a local butcher's shop who needed some lubrication that was environmentally-friendly, so he promptly got his oil-can out
3) He was later discovered imbibing what can only described as ……………
answers on a beermat please.

[mrs bouquet]

  , yes I really have been sitting here laughing out loud at that Gc, Mrs Bouquet

[Goosegirl]

Trying to be sensible, after various remedial treatments in the past to relieve the pain in my neck due to severe osteoarthritis, I was offered Acupuncture and found it really worked but it was a one-off. Later on, my GP said one of her colleagues did Bowen's treatment so I went for it. It was one of the most strangest experiences I've ever had but it did the trick. I laid on a bed then she just gently lifted one of my legs to the side and back, did it again, then went out to her other patients. She came back and repeated the same thing to my other leg. At that time I thought this is a load of whatsits. After an hour when she did this to my arms and changed my position on the bed she told me to be very careful when I stood up. Very wise advice because I nearly fell over! I walked down the path to go back to work and I felt I was floating on air and had no pain whatsoever.

On the other hand and not being at all sensible, Mr G's ladies' embalming oil container had no specified ingredients on the container so I got him to send me one so I could help him out of a difficult situation because he'd run out of crayons. Having had a sniff I could detect a whiff of dilute formaldehyde, Friar's balsam, cloves, absinth, sea salt, a generous sprinkling of sea salt, pine resin and a slight whiff of 3-in-one oil. Mr G, have you not learnt by now that the best women want to grow old gracefully and would rather spend their savings on a weekly slap-up meal with chums rather than look like someone out of Alien?

I'll send your sample back free of charge if you promise to send it to Mr. Trump with this caveat "Don't put it on your hair!" 

[mrs bouquet]

Were you supposed to rub Growster's stuff in, or drink.    I am going to check out the Bowen's treatment.  Thanks for being serious and another really good laugh.   Mrs B

[Goosegirl]

Bowen's is certainly something to investigate so try asking your GP if they can recommend one. Some therapies work for some and not for others but I'll keep my fingers crossed that it does for you.

As for drinking anything Mr G makes, I would strongly recommend not to have any naked flames in the near vicinity (no, I don't mean ex-lovers) because even if you like your parties to go with a bang, I don't think the neighbours would be too happy if their roofs got blown off in the middle of the night! Yesterday I put on a pair of nitrile gloves and applied a little bit on an old wood and leather chair. After ten minutes all the leather fell off but it didn't half bring the wood up nicely.

[Growster...]

I really don't know where all this opprobrium is coming from...

As I can never lie to my doctor, and have been put on abstention from tinctures for two days a week, (old war wound), Mondays and Tuesdays are spent doing all sorts of things which might never, ever be done!

As for therapies etc, a chum does raiki, abut I don't know why he can, because he's an estate agent! Another pal does some sort of relaxer stuff, and explains that all he's doing is pressing the buttons to restart the joint or whatever, from before it was poorly!

As for homeopathy, I just don't even think about it, although of course, a dose of deadly nightshade, or a rub-down with a foxglove might change my mind...

[mrs bouquet]

  , and please don't mention Estate Agents    Mrs Bouquet

[Goosegirl]

Opprobrium from me? As if GG would do such a thing!

MB, I hope you spotted that he would prefer a rub-down with foxgloves rather then use his unguent so that says something, and I also hope his relaxer pal isn't using any sort of illegal joint manoeuvring nor tampering with Mr G's shirt buttons he tore off when his GP made him tee-total for two days because Mrs. G spent a lot of time sowing them back on with bailing twine in preparation for the following Monday.

As for an estate agent being into Reiki (NOT Raiki Mr. G as that's a Japanese techno producer and DJ to boot) I might just get some training in it so I can influence my estate agent who's rather lacking in his energy fields to get a shift on and get our sales brochure done as we specified because 6 weeks on it's still not been finalised.

[Growster...]

"(NOT Raiki Mr. G as that's a Japanese techno producer and DJ to boot)"

Comes from the word 'creaky', which is what you feel when you walk in for a bit, and walk out several quid lighter...

The two days' abstinence has only been imposed because at nearly 42 years of age, my doctor ( a gorgeous lady), suggested that although the frame is in great shape, the carburettor needs a decoke now and then, so forget bursting buttons, think so much more work done in The Turrets!

Your estate agent needs getting rid of Goosey. That's just lazy, uncommercial non-business, which normally should take no longer than a few days at the most.

The market isn't that fiery at the moment, and they must need sales as a matter of urgency! Give them three days or you're off to a competitor, and don't pay the fees for the energy bits etc.

Growster has spoken in a serious voice!

[Growster...]

Sorry, Mrs B, I seem to have gone off on a tangent!

I'll belt up on 'alternatives' for a bit, as I don't want to make waves...

(and now I can't remember if I've taken the omeprezole and the statins...)!

[mrs bouquet]

Growster, I didn't realise you were 42     Why are your two days Monday and Tuesday,  Wouldn't Monday and Wednesday (say) be less painful.    Or is it because they follow the weekend   
In my serious voice, I agree with what you say about Gc Estate Agent.    About going off on tangents - I love 'em.      Mrs Bouquet

[Goosegirl]

GG's about to kick someone's butt because when I went on the website for our place for some reason half of their pics aren't showing even though they're all there on rightmove and zoopla. There's still no mention that we have over an acre of land so all we're getting that's it's a generous plot. We even asked them to put their Garstang number on our signpost and to add how much land we have but nothing's been done. Bah!

[Growster...]

Growster, I didn't realise you were 42     Why are your two days Monday and Tuesday,  Wouldn't Monday and Wednesday (say) be less painful.    Or is it because they follow the weekend   
In my serious voice, I agree with what you say about Gc Estate Agent.    About going off on tangents - I love 'em.      Mrs Bouquet

You're very kind, Mrs B! In fact, I am doing Mondays and Wednesdays at the moment, the former for obvious reasons, but yesterday (no politics HERE Growster), I wanted to celebrate a little, so put off the evil second day to today! In fact, it's so hot, even tinctures are unwelcome, it's just plenty of water etc!

To celebrate even further, my 'alternative therapy' has been to bike over to The Pinetum near here, but the paths aren't displayed at all well, and after noticing half the power was left, decided to get home in one piece! Now isn't that much better than being poked with a sharp stick, while humming a dirge?

Goosey has some of the best tangents ever, so her estate agent must dread the next call...