I got sick about 4 months ago. I didn’t know what it was. I had itching sensations all over my body, but there was no rash or any other visible sign. The itching was so bad that I could not sleep at night. I was staying up all night itching myself and only pass out early in the morning for a couple of hours. I went to my doctor, did some blood tests and found out that the bilirubin level in my blood was increasing at an alarming rate. I did an MRI that showed my biliary duct was narrowing. My doctor tried to dilate it with ERCP; while he could open it slightly, he said there wasn’t enough room for more dilation. He also said that it looked like PSC. Out of desperation, I started searching online to see what people with similar symptoms and complications said about their experience. It was then that I came across a video of someone with PSC who was treated at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine. He was very happy with his experience and said that he could get his normal life back. I contacted the center and scheduled an appointment without knowing anything about integrative medicine and acupuncture. I have to admit, being a scientist and working with numbers and data my whole life, I was a little skeptical. However, after the first session, I couldn’t wait for my next appointment. The doctors were extremely nice, listened to me carefully, and treated me with the utmost compassion. When I got home after my first acupuncture session, I felt much better; I was more relaxed. That night was the first night I slept around 7 hours in almost two months. Over time, I got my energy and appetite back, and my symptoms started to improve. While I continued monitoring my symptoms with my GI doctor (who was also extremely nice, knowledgeable, and compassionate), I kept my weekly appointments with the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine at Torrance until all my test results were all back to normal. Because of what Dr. Taw and Dr. Maciasz did for me, I now sleep better at night and have more energy during the day. I can’t thank them enough. They changed my perception of integrative medicine. I have been recommending it to my friends and family. Although it’s partly based on traditional eastern medicine, I have no doubt that this holistic approach to treating patients is going to be the future of medical sciences.

Tags: acupuncture, biliary duct, bilirubin level, blood tests, Dr. Lawrence Taw, Dr. Rachael Maciasz, eastern medicine, energy, ERCP, integrative medicine, itching, itching sensations, MRI, patient stories, sleep, UCLA Center for East-West Medicine, UCLA Center for East-West Medicine at Torrance, Uncategorized