Are those radishes growing out of your ears?

Last weekend, I had radish seeds in my ears.

It had nothing to do with hygiene or gardening. Instead, it's an extension of my acupuncture treatments.

My acupuncturist Savannah conducted a standard treatment Friday and then asked if I wanted to extend it over the weekend. No needles, she promised, but plenty of radish seeds. They are attached to tiny sticky pads. She put four of them on each ear. She said they have the same effect as the needles. I can gently massage them a few times each day to duplicate acupuncture. Thus far, I can't tell if they make a difference. Acupuncture itself is working, though, which is a pleasant surprise. 

I used to group all alternative medical treatments into the New Age Netherworld of crystals, aromatherapy, chanting. I always put my health care into the hands of the medical establishment. Its members had done a pretty good getting me to 68. I think of antibiotics, which may have saved my life multiple times in childhood. Those inoculations against smallpox, measles and polio. All the miracle drugs of the post-war period that kept a generation alive into obnoxious old age. Our children and grandchildren, too, whom we rely on to explain tech to us.

Minds can change.

I fell in the spring of 2018. A stupid fall, but aren't they all? Four days later, I had terrible back pain. A few days later, I experienced some trouble walking. First I needed a cane and soon after, I was using a walker. A month later, I underwent spinal surgery.

My problems were just beginning. Recovering from spinal surgery takes a long time. Sixteen months, so far. I recovered the feeling in my hands and right leg within a few months. The left leg was a problem. My balance was off and the nerves in my ankle and foot didn't respond to two rounds of physical therapy. I had hoped I could retire my walker by the beginning of this summer but that didn't happen. The bottom of my feet were numb and my toes, traumatized, so said my podiatrist. My bowels and bladder misbehaved and I developed a prostate infection. A urologist conducted some tests and prescribed some antibiotics and prostate pills. I found a new neurologist. She conducted some tests and diagnosed me with neuropathy. She did some blood tests and said she had no idea why I had neuropathy but it could be an outcome to my spinal surgery. She suggested I return to physical therapy, work out in the YMCA pool, and wear compression socks. She suggested that I change my diet and take food supplements with nerve-energizing properties.

I did all those things and still have trouble getting around. I decided to try something new. I contacted acupuncturists in Cheyenne and none of them accepted my private insurance. And forget about Medicare -- acupuncture not covered. I found a clinic in Fort Collins that does take CIGNA. I am five treatments in, and I'm beginning to make progress.

Which brings me back to the radish seeds. I haven't noticed much difference in my gait. But it's no worse. Next week, if the weather allows. I return to Fort Collins for more acupuncture and possibly an earseeds' recharge.

After 16 months letting traditional medicine have its way with me, I am open to all new venues. A writer friend in Louisiana said he was attended to by a witch doctor during a recent injury. He said her treatments helped. He also gave me her email. It's been tempting to contact her. I know up front that witch doctoring is not covered by Medicare. CIGNA, or other traditional health plans.

But who knows?

My eyes (and ears) have been opened to alternatives.