J. W.'s Story - Acupuncture and Stroke Rehab

A little more than a year ago, 25-year old J.W. Kim was driving a car when his left arm started tingling. The sensation didn't subside, so he pulled the vehicle to the side of the road. It wasn't until he cut the ignition and telephoned his mother that he realized he couldn't move his left leg. J. W. was suffering from a hemorrhagic stroke. His brain was bleeding internally.

The next few hours were a blur. He was admitted to the emergency room at North Fulton Regional Hospital, airlifted to Emory Johns Creek Hospital, and within two hours, J.W. was on an operating room table receiving the first of two brain surgeries to remove and prevent clots in his right cerebral hemisphere. When J.W. woke up in the recovery room, the left side of his body was completely paralyzed.

These days J.W., a former University of Georgia psychology student and "Bulldawg" fan, spends a lot of time focusing on his recovery. In addition to traditional Western medicine, J.W. receives acupuncture once a week. Acupuncture is the ancient Asian practice of inserting tiny needles into various points in the body to alleviate pain or stimulate healing.

"It definitely helps," said J.W., who has regained most of his mobility. In the 15 months since his stroke, he has graduated from wheelchair to walker to cane to walking independently.

J.W. receives acupuncture treatments once a week at the GD Institute of Integrated Medicine in Duluth. "It definitely helps," the 25 year old says.

According to J.W.'s acupuncturist, Sung C. Cho with the GD Institute of Integrated Medicine in Duluth, acupuncture treatments help patients like J.W. by increasing circulation, removing blockages, and encouraging the body to return to a state of balance and harmony. He said many American patients discover relief and healing from acupuncture after exhausting more traditional forms of medical treatment.

Sung C. Cho, licensed acupuncturist with the GD Institute of Integrated Medicine, works alongside medical doctors, physical therapists, and other health care professionals to "deliver an integrated approach" to healing and pain relief. "The goal is to maximize results and minimize side effects," he said.

According to the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH), the federal agency that conducts and supports medical research, an estimated 3.1 million adults and 150,000 children in the United States received acupunture in 2006, the latest year for which data is available. In a consensus statement issued in 1997, NIH stated that acupuncture is "useful as an adjunct treatment" for the following conditions: stroke rehabilitation, asthma, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, addiction, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, myofascial pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Acupuncture is a promising primary treatment for general pain relief and nausea caused by chemotherapy, the NIH statement said.

J.W. said he started acupuncture treatments at the recommendation of his chiropractor. "It's kind of addicting," he said of the treatments. "It feels hot at first, but then soothing."