I was picking cherries from a ladder. That night I felt a slight pain in my neck and shoulder. The next morning I was in quite a bit of pain. Over the next few days the pain went from worse  to excruciating.  

Over the next few weeks I went to a chiropractor, my doctor, an osteopath had an MRI and even went to a surgeon for a consultation.

A bone spur in the neck impinging on a nerve was the cause. This was now a week later and I had only slept about 2-4 hours a night because of the pain. Next step was a surgeon who told me surgery was in order - removing a disk and fusing some vertebrae in my neck. Now several weeks later, still in pain, still not sleeping, and now facing major surgery I just wanted it all over with. I just could not take the pain any longer and nothing they gave me worked except codeine 3.  Even with that I still felt the pain but the drug was able to knock me out.  Surgery -  they told me would be in 2 1/2 weeks...

A friend of mine suggested I try acupuncture to relieve the pain and recommended a Dr Ho Tsang in Napa California. I had nothing to lose, and even though my HMO wouldn't pay for it, $50 per visit it was little to pay to be out of pain if it worked.

The first visit didn't do much good as far as I could tell. The second visit, 2 days later, was a tremendous help however. My symptoms were cut in half  and I actually slept 6 hours without drugs.  Six visits later I had no pain except a little residual tightness in my neck and shoulder. Two more visits and the problem was all gone.

I didn't have surgery. I cancelled it against the recommendation of the surgeon and osteopath although they did admit that if there was no pain there might not be need for surgery - at least not then and there.

That was 8 years ago. I did have one relapse about 10 months ago and it took 8 treatments to handle it - without surgery or drugs.   

I highly recommend acupuncture for pain relief and Dr Ho Tsang as the practitioner for the treatment if you are in the Napa - Sonoma Counties area in California.

Steve Howard,   Napa California Resident.