Dr. Na Zhai Clinic Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine

Tim: Free from Pain, Free from Surgery

 

Tim's life changed in an instant.

His head went through the back window of a pickup truck, leaving him with major neck problems. He could not turn his head. He could not sleep at night. He had electric-like sensations shooting down his left arm to his thumb—a shooting, burning pain that never let him rest.

He consulted doctor after doctor.

They gave him a nerve block in his neck. It did not work. They gave him trigger-point injections. They did not work. They put him through physical therapy. That did not work either. He tried a variety of pills. Nothing helped.

An MRI revealed the damage was severe.

His neurologist, Dr. Claude Fortin, recommended a potentially disabling neck surgery that carried a risk of paralysis. But Dr. Fortin also offered another option. He told Tim he was too young for that operation—too young to be paralyzed. And he referred him to Dr. Na Zhai.

The Search That Saved Him

It was Tim's wife, Jane, who started the search.

"I had seen articles on acupuncture and asked Tim to talk to his doctor about her opinion on this," Jane wrote. "Since she is an open-minded doctor, she said go ahead and try— anything that will help a patient, she is for. She gave a reference to Dr. Fortin and he directed us to Dr.Na."

The doctor had one condition. It had to be the right practitioner.

"We asked about the acupuncturist in Decatur, and she said no way, emphatically," Jane wrote. "She wanted us to see someone that had really been trained in acupuncture, not someone who dabbled in it."

So they found Dr. Na.

The First Treatment

Tim went. He told Dr. Na everything: the neck that would not turn, the sleepless nights, the medications that never worked.

At first, he was not sure. He did not believe acupuncture could actually help him.

"In November of 2000, I came to your office for help," Tim wrote. "On my first visit, you said, 'I can fix you.' I thought, 'Yea, right. This is just something to run up the bill some more.'"

Then he had his first treatment.

"After the very first visit of her giving me acupuncture," Tim said, "I knew this lady knew exactly what she was doing. And I knew that she would take care of me."

The Honest Timeline

Tim's story did not resolve overnight.

"As time went by, I was feeling better," he wrote. "It took a long time—nine months, sixty-four visits. Now I am working full time and I feel better. I know this is not a cure-all, but I feel good. My wife said the old bear is gone, thanks to Dr. Na."

Today, Tim is free of the pain that once ruled his life. He is off the medications. He is back at work. He is himself again.

"Today I am totally free of pain," Tim said. "I can do anything I want. I'm not taking no medication. I'm just like I was before I even had an accident. And I thank God that we have a Chinese acupuncture—it's like Dr. Na here in this country. We need more of her in this country."

What Would Have Been Lost

But Tim's story is not only about what he regained. It is about what he was about to lose.

His wife Jane wrote to Dr. Na and described exactly who Tim was—and what the surgery would have taken from him.

"You see, my husband is not the type of man to be content sitting at a desk, pushing papers around. He is a very physical man. He is a window cleaner and janitor by trade. He is also a handyman around the house. He is not the typical 'I'm going to do some little thing, start it and leave it' guy."

She described the house they bought—a wreck when they found it, a rental the previous tenant had torn apart.

"Well, you should see it now. My husband wants to move and start all over again, but I told him no way. This house is beautiful. It is not a big home, but it sure is cozy. The basement, which when we first bought the house was four concrete walls, now has a kitchen, dining area, living room, washroom and a business office."

She described his restlessness—the way he always had to be building something.

"This is a man who in the springtime is looking for projects around the house to do, and they are not piddle projects. Sometimes I almost dread spring, trying to figure out what he wants to build next. He always has to be doing something. Even in the job world, he does not like to be in one place—that is why he makes such an excellent window cleaner. He gets to go from place to place, talk with lots of different people."

Then she wrote the sentence that says everything:

"If he would have had this surgery, his life would no longer be the life that he loved."

She thought about all of it. The projects. The house. The work.

"If his neck would have been paralyzed, he could not have even driven a car, because he would not have been able to turn his head to see the traffic."

And she knew someone who had taken that path.

"He has a friend whose daughter-in-law was in an accident also. She had the surgery that they wanted to do on Tim. She is now paralyzed and in still as much pain as she was before the surgery, and is going to face four or five more surgeries."

She ended her letter with gratitude—and with a promise.

"Thank you Dr. Na for all that you have done for Tim. I am constantly telling people about what you do and how you have helped Tim, and I will continue to do so. I hope you all the happiness and success in your life that you are looking for and deserve."

The Referral That Changed Another Life

Jane was true to her word. She told people.

And years later, Tim and Jane did something that changed another life—the life of their own son.

Their son, Bobby, had been living with Tourette syndrome since he was young. His neck and shoulder moved without his permission—constantly turning his head, rotating his shoulder blade. He had been put on four different medications. None of them controlled his symptoms. The last one nearly killed him—a severe allergic reaction that sent him to the emergency room.

So Tim and Jane sent their son to the same woman who had saved Tim's life.

Dr. Na treated Bobby with acupuncture and herbal medicine. His tics began to quiet. His body, which had been locked in a pattern no medication could break, began to settle. And then something no one expected happened: over four months, Bobby lost 80 pounds.

He has been healthy since 2005. His tics are almost completely gone. He takes no medication. The four drugs that failed him—and the one that endangered his life—are behind him.

What Tim's Story Shows

Tim's case is not just a story about acupuncture. It is a story about a physician who was willing to look beyond surgery, a doctor who insisted on a properly trained practitioner, and a wife who refused to accept the odds she was given.

Dr. Fortin could have operated. The surgery could have left Tim paralyzed. Instead, he referred him to Dr. Na. That referral changed Tim's life.

And then Tim and Jane did something that changed another life. They sent their son.

Father and son. Two lives restored. One referral.

This is not a one-time result. This is the same protocol Dr. Na uses for every patient— listening to the pulse, finding the root, treating the cause. Because the treatment follows a pattern, it can be taught. Because it can be taught, it can be passed on.

This is the system Dr. Na built. This is what she offers.

And it began with a man who could not turn his head—and a wife who would not stop looking for another way.