Testimonials - Spinal issues

January 23, 2009

In April of 2006, at the age of 25, I was fortunate enough to meet Anna Dolopo. A dear friend, who had never been to her, saw her card at Dr. Whelan’s office and suggested I go and see if acupuncture could help with my neck pain. I must tell you that I was not necessarily a believer in acupuncture. After much deliberation I figured, why not? It could only help.

The Issue

One night, four years earlier, I was fighting a head cold and decided to sleep with pillows propped under my neck to keep my nasal passage somewhat clear. The next morning I awoke with a pain in my neck like no other. I was unable to sit for more than a few minutes without crying out in pain. At times my pinkie and ring finger on my left hand often became tingly or numb. I went to a physical therapist for months. He did a number of different exercises which seemed to lessen the pain, although it never went away. Finally, I had and MRI that revealed I had a slipped disc between my C-5 and C-6 vertebrae in my neck. Eventually I bought a Saunders Home Traction Unit so that I could put my neck in traction everyday…this helped to manage the pain and eventually I could sit for long periods of time.

The Solution

Skip forward to April 2006. I explained all of my neck history to Anna who basically said, “Come see me 3 times a week and I will hopefully be able to get rid of your neck pain.” Like many non-believers, I thought she was nuts! I was compliant but not expecting anything. I saw Anna 3 times a week for a couple of months, slowly dwindling down to a couple times a week and then once a week for a total of about a year. It only took a week or two for my neck pain to reduce by at least half. While I was seeing Anna regularly, very rarely did I ever feel neck pain. As of today I no longer use the traction unit and see her on occasion for a “tune up”. I am now a firm believer in acupuncture and will tell anyone who will listen that Anna is a great healer and we are all lucky to have her services.

- Samantha Klassen

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