“I’m finally free from pain!”
For years, Gail Sideman, 56, suffered from chronic back spasms that had her missing out on life—until she discovered the ancient solution that eliminated her pain
Gail Sideman woke up, rolled over and started thinking about the day ahead. When she tried to get out of bed, though, she felt a twinge in her back and a shock wave of pain went through her body. “I couldn’t move. I’d never felt pain like that before. Every move made it worse. It was scary. I struggled to get myself up, and the pain didn’t go away when I got out of bed. I immediately scheduled a massage, thinking that would stop what seemed to be spasms in my back.
Feeling powerless
“While the massage provided short-term relief, I continued to get random, severely painful back spasms. I tried going to a chiropractor, but the adjustments made my pain far worse. I couldn’t just live with the debilitating pain. I knew I had to find a treatment that worked, so I decided to try again with a different chiropractor.
“This time, the doctor recommended X-rays, which showed I had a narrowing of the spine that was causing my problems. He told me I shouldn’t get chiropractic adjustments because they could really hurt me—which I’d already learned the hard way—and referred me to a neurologist. The neurologist said I was too young for surgery and recommended ibuprofen, stretching and strengthening exercises. None of those worked completely or for long.
“I was working as a sports publicist, where I was regularly running up and down arena stairs, among other things. The work requires being here, there and everywhere and you go as needed, and I was in agonizing pain after active days, as well as after sitting for long business meetings. When the pain was flaring up, I’d take ibuprofen and bear it, but life was less enjoyable. The pain impacted everything I did because the spine is involved in every movement.
“I kept going to the chiropractor for non-adjustment-based therapies like electrical muscle stimulation and massage because they helped a little, and I’d take any relief I could get. The chiropractor recommended I also try acupuncture. I’m the kind of person who only goes to a doctor when I absolutely need to, and I’m not a fan of needles, but nothing had really worked yet so I was open to ideas.
Surprising relief
“Acupuncture was the best remedy up to that point, and my acupuncturist had one more trick up her sleeve: One day, she used something called ‘cupping therapy’ in addition to the needles. She applied small cups to various spots on my back. The cups were hooked up to tubes that removed air from the cups to create suction. The suction draws blood up through the muscles, and this is believed to help repair damage. Most people know of cupping by the dark circles it leaves; they’re seen a lot on Olympic athletes, and I had them afterward too. The cupping worked tremendously, and the relief was wonderful. I continued with cupping therapy once or twice a week because it helped so much, but it was expensive.
“When my acupuncturist closed her business due to health problems, I went looking for a new therapist, but before I could find someone new, I had another bout of spasms. I was desperate, and I read somewhere that you could get cupping kits online. So I did some research and found the Sunlit Life Kit with washable plastic cups on Amazon for $15.
“When the cups arrived in the mail, I was so relieved to have something to tide me over between practitioners. I simply attached a tube to a cup and put the cup over the painful area, then flipped a lever to create suction. As the pressure naturally reduced, the cup popped off my skin, releasing like the suction-cup novelty toys that ‘jump’ after you press them down. I felt relief immediately, and I kept using them as needed.
“I haven’t had a spasm in several months, thankfully. But when I do, I just use the cups, and I get as much relief from the kit at home as I did at the acupuncturist’s office. For really bad spasms, I sometimes have to use the cups twice to get complete relief. Sure, sometimes it’s hard to reach just the right area or get the same amount of pressure as the acupuncturist, but I can usually pull on the tubes to help guide the cups where they need to go.
“After I spent thousands on other therapies, this inexpensive kit is wonderful! Now, not only can I easily get out of bed in the morning, but I go to the gym or take walks every day and use a treadmill desk at work. My day is full of pain-free movement!”
—As told to Cindy McVey
“I felt relief immediately—and now my days are full of pain-free movement”