LOCAL CLINIC SPECIALIZES IN HOPE!

“In 2020 I was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and went through months of radiation and chemotherapy. I have to start by saying I feel blessed to still be here,” shares Sue M.

Chemotherapy can save lives. And for that we are grateful. Unfortunately, it can also have a negative impact on your quality of life, even long after you’ve completed treatment. While chemotherapy kills cancer cells, it doesn’t exactly discriminate between cancerous and healthy tissue. Which is why 68% of individuals who undergo chemotherapy suffer damage to the delicate nerves in their hands and feet, known to the medical community as chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy or CIPN.

For some, those nerves will begin to heal and repair upon completion of chemo treatments, but a substantial number of people will continue to experience debilitating pain long after their cancer is gone. Described as burning, itching, pins and needles’ and “akin to walking on glass,” peripheral neuropathy pain is excruciating…until it isn’t.

Peripheral neuropathy can be degenerative. In a glaring majority of patients, the nerves will eventually die and then the numbness sets in.

“When my neuropathy got really bad, I could no longer go to the beach. I couldn’t feel my feet or legs. Between the sand moving beneath my feet and the waves, I would fall,” said Sue. “I’m a beach girl so it was really upsetting. A huge part of my life had been taken away.”

Sue’s other doctors and specialists told her that “there was no actual treatment for neuropathy” and this was ‘just something you’re going to have to live with.”

Sue explains, “I was on medications that dulled the pain some and helped with the cramps, but it wasn’t going to fix the problem. I thought I was going to have to be on these pills for the rest of my life.”

Her family and friends were familiar with her struggles, so she was beyond hopeful when her boss brought her an article featuring Dr. Rebecca Gibbons and Achieve Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine (AAIM)

AAIM has been successfully treating all variations of peripheral neuropathy, including CIPN, “We have treated hundreds of neuropathy cases in that time,” shares Dr. Gibbons. “And everyone comes to us with a similar story; that they’ve been everywhere else and have essentially given up hope, they tell us we are their last resort. That’s kind of how the community has come to know us – “the last resort with the best results.”

Sue was no exception!

“I went through three months of treatment and could tell a huge difference in my hands and feet. I remember the exact moment I knew the treatments were helping - I took a risk and went to the beach with my girlfriends. I hadn’t walked into the water by myself in almost 3 years out of fear I might fall, but I walked into the waves, waded about came back out all by myself, without falling! It was a huge win for me,” cried Sue.

When asked what someone like Sue could expect out of their time at AAIM, Dr. Gibbons replied, “We do things a little differently here. We design personalized treatment programs for each of our patients. No two people are the same so why would we treat them as such? Obviously, Dr. Gibbons starts with a foundation that’s two decades in the making but we consider a number of factors including the severity of their neuropathy, how long they’ve had it, what underlying issues or causes we’re up against and make adjustments based on our findings. Our tailored approach and attention to detail - that’s why we have an 80% success rate in treating neuropathy!”

If you’re living a life of suffering or if your pain has prevented you from doing the things you love with the people you love, if your doctor has told you there’s nothing else they can do, it’s time to visit Achieve Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine.