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The
Pain is Gone
Imagine
spending thousands of dollars trying to find out why you can't
walk. It happened to one Central Ohio man... but after a
simple treatment, Anthony Sneary is walking again.
NewsCenter's Maria Durant is on your side to explain what made
the difference.
The
doctor's couldn't help him. In fact one doctor told him if he
ever found out what caused his leg to stop moving to give him
a call. But an ancient healing treatment -- made the
difference. Something as simple as walking many of us take for
granted. But Anthony Sneary knows what it feels like when you
can't stand on your own two feet. "I woke up, I went to get
out of bed and went to stand up and ended up falling because
my leg was still in bed. I couldn't feel or move my left leg."
Five years
ago Anthony was involved in a car accident. After that, he
never felt the same. He had chronic back pain -- troubles
lifting -- "It was a real difficult time." And then last
September things got worse. "My first thought was I'm never
going to walk again." Anthony spent three months in a wheel
chair -- visiting doctor after doctor trying to find out why
he couldn't move his left leg. "One doctor even told me I
don't now what's wrong, but when you find out give me a call."
At his
wits ends-- a coworker told him to try acupuncture. Anthony
didn't have anything to lose. "I was nervous-- the thought of
needles in your back-- how do you figure that."
While
acupuncture is a fairly new procedure in the United States --
compared to China, where it's been used for thousands of
years. The ancient healing technique is China's primary form
of medicine.
Dr.
Xuguang Gao, Registered Acupuncturist: "In china there are
more than 400 diseases we can use acupuncture."
The
Chinese believe that different points on the body are
connected to different illnesses you may encounter. When the
needle is placed in the point-- it helps circulate blocked
energy. "Let's say if I pick a point, like this one right here
what would that do? This point can help with the tennis elbow
the point on the feet we can use for hypertension. For smoking
we use the point on the wrist."
To treat
Anthony's problem -- doctor Gao used four needles. "I put a
needle in the back of the leg and several points and I use the
traditional rotating technique where we use the finger to
rotate the needle it's a special technique."
"And then
he moved the one in my leg and I could feel it. I could feel
it turning in my leg." Sensations he thought he'd never feel
again. " It wasn't painful, but I could feel it moving in my
leg." Just one simple treatment changed his life. "When I left
that first day I was walking."
It's been
four months since Anthony took those first steps --- and he
says he's never felt better. "If I never tried this I could be
sitting right here, right now in a wheel chair or using my
crutches to get in." Amazingly, Anthony can walk again.
To see an
acupuncturist here in Ohio -- you must first have a doctor's
referral. But you can meet doctor Gao at this year's Asian
Festival -- NewsCenter is a proud sponsor of the event.
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