...I have full use of my left arm...

...my doctor studied the MRI and showed me where I was almost completely missing two discs in my neck. This caused the vertebrae to sit on the nerves going to my arm and resulted in the virtual paralysis of my left arm... Today, after much practice (LCUPCD, Six Directions La Chi, three Centers Merge and Crane's Neck/Dragons Head), I have full use of my left arm.

In May of 1999, my left shoulder became very painful, and motion became

increasingly restricted over time even with the wonderful treatment and

understanding of my husband who is a chiropractor. Upon consultation with

and orthopedist, I was sent to physical therapy. After one round (12

sessions) I returned to the doctor who injected cortisone into the shoulder

capsule in the hopes of reducing the pain. I returned to physical therapy

and did achieve some benefits in that the range of motion seemed to increase

somewhat. However, by September I had lost all motion in my left arm and was

in chronic pain. I changed to a physical therapist recommended by our friend

and Rolfer-extraordinary who also had worked on my shoulder. The new

physical therapist thought the problem was in my neck, not my shoulder and

recommended x-rays of the neck.

With neck x-rays in hand, I returned to the orthopedist. After a yelling

match with the doctor (he did not like the fact that I had gotten a physical

therapist "out of the gutter" and even consulted a chiropractor), an MRI was

prescribed along with nerve conduction studies. Both were duly performed. I

then took myself to a doctor recommended by my physical therapist because he

was ultra conservative trying to avoid surgery unless there appeared to be no

alternative. He also was not a surgeon. However, he studied the MRI and

showed me where I was almost completely missing two discs in my neck. This

caused the vertebrae to sit on the nerves going to my arm and resulted in the

virtual paralysis of my left arm. He recommended surgery.

A couple of weeks later my husband and I saw the surgeon to go over exactly

what was needed and what would be done to correct the problem. The

"correction" would consist of replacing what was left of the two discs with

cadaver bones, titanium plates and screws. Needless to say, the idea did not

excite either of us; however, I was seriously considering the surgery. (As

an interesting aside, I was told I would be a couple of inches taller after

the surgery; I measured myself and discovered I had lost 1 3/4 inches in

height!) The surgeon advised us there was an opening on December 6th.

Luck came my way in the form of a friend who gave me a copy 101 Miracles of

Natural Healing. This was just before Thanksgiving. All I could do was La

Chi, but that helped me to control the pain. I attempted to learn LCUPCD from

the pictures at the back of the book and finally ordered the video tape.

Once that arrived, I discovered I could not do the push pulls, and forget

trying to lift my arm past my waist! I had written to Luke asking for an

instructor in the Los Angeles area, but there were none. I e-mailed Nancy

Parker who is in Orange County, and she responded many times to my questions

and was a wonderful supporter. The next step was to attend the retreat at

Glen Ivy, California in March of 2000. When I arrived there, I could only

lift my left hand to shoulder height with the elbow bent, but I could get it

over my head if I lifted it with my right hand. At the end of that retreat I

could almost get my left arm over my head. There was still a ways to go, but

there had been major improvement!

Today, after much practice (LCUPCD, Six Directions La Chi, three Centers

Merge and Crane's Neck/Dragons Head), I have full use of my left arm. The

residual numbness and "falling asleep" of both my hands has cleared up almost

completely, and there are only rare occurrences in mild form. I practice

daily and in March of 2001 I was honored to become a certified Chi-Lel

instructor--in Los Angeles! My gratitude and blessings go out to Dr. Pang,

Luke Chan and Frank Chan without whom I would not have the use of my arm.

Hao la!