Hi Annie,

Thank you for such a thoughtful, elegant, and useful comment. I am sorry for your chronic pain, but your attitude and beliefs about it are inspiring.

One line really stuck with me:

"Live in gratitude for small things..."

Sometimes I completely miss the small things, the kindness or courtesy of a stranger, The kindness of my wife to make dinner for us every night, the marvelous surgeons I've had over the years, and on.

I recently tried acupuncture (on a lark, really) for my lower and upper back and was amazed at the great results. I'm going to pursue acupuncture as a means of creating clear energy flow in my body, and dry needling to address specific and tight muscles in my back.

I agree there is a lot to learn from Eastern medicine. And it's been practiced since at least 500 BC, if not longer, by the Chinese and elsewhere in Asia. Eastern medicine, to me, is results oriented, while Western medicine is proof oriented. They can both be put to great use.

I've had both knees, right hip and left shoulder replaced - all by brilliant surgeons and then with the help of gifted PTs. It's amazing to me that these replacements are even possible - much less the degree of accuracy and pain reduction achieved.

After my first acupuncture session, I immediately felt relief in my back, and an overall sense of calm. It was terrific!

Thanks again Annie.

Joe