Success: Sciatica & Knee Pain

*The condition that Dawn Balusik helped me with: Intense sciatic pain, including pain from the hip to calf and numbness in the left foot. Secondary pain in both knees from torn meniscus and osteoarthritis.

How long I had this condition before seeing Dawn: eight months.

How severe it was: I have a high tolerance for pain; however, this was an 8-10 on a scale of 10 at some point in each day, with the lowest constant pain at 2-3 on a scale of 10. There was no relief throughout the eight months.

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Did it limit me from activities: When the high pain levels hit, I was immobile. At times there was no comfortable position that I could tolerate. It had an adverse impact on my job, as I could not sit for long periods [I am an author who writes 8-10 hour daily] and had trouble traveling through airports to fulfill my teaching schedule.

Other treatments I had tried before seeing Dawn: My primary doctor prescribed nerve-inhibitor medication, which I was hesitant to take, as my belief is that such meds do nothing but mask the symptoms and do nothing to treat the underlying cause. I also had weeks of physical therapy, including nerve stimulation; however that only provided temporary relief for a few hours to a day or two.

How Dawn has helped me: I intuitively felt the right answer for me would be acupuncture and Chinese herbs, although I had never tried either in the past. A friend recommended another acupuncturist, where I had three treatments, but was uneasy with the practitioner who was very abrupt and tried to up-sell Western vitamins in lieu of Chinese herbs. I then did an internet search and found Dawn. We both hail from Ohio, so I took that as a “sign” and scheduled my first appointment.

Dawn is a genuinely caring person, who asks the right questions and is responsive to patients’ needs. I began with twice-weekly sessions for two weeks, then reduced to weekly, and no go bi-weekly. The sciatic pain completely receded within 6-8 treatments.

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We are now working on my knees, which are also much better. Due to the nature of my job, I spend protracted periods at the computer – in peak periods, as much as 16-18 hours per day, 7 days a week of non-stop legal research and textbook writing. Because of that, I plan on continuing bi-weekly treatments throughout the peak period, to keep on top of any residual pain that might want to reappear. I am also taking Chinese herbs for a couple of conditions – inflammation and pre-hypertension, as well as a daily probiotic.

I would heartily recommend that others give Dawn a try.

– Karen K., Palm Harbor, FL

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*Individual results may vary.

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