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Pain is one of the most common conditions for which patients seek medical attention.
The cause of pain can be due to trauma such as motor vehicle accidents, inflammatory and degenerative conditions such as rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, or metabolic problems such as headaches, cancer and organ disease. There are literally hundreds of illnesses associated with pain.

Conventional treatment usually consists of analgesics (painkillers), anti-inflammatories, antidepressants, physiotherapy and (occasionally) surgical intervention. Alternative methods may include massage therapy, chiropractic manipulation, acupuncture, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, cranial sacral therapy and various supplement/herbal remedies.

A therapy you may not have heard of, but which is nevertheless extremely effective for pain relief, is neural therapy.

A gentle healing technique developed in Germany, neural therapy involves the injection of local anaesthetics, nutrients, homeopathic medicines or some combination of the above into nerves, scars, glands, acupuncture points, trigger points or other tissues.

Neural therapy is based on the theory that physical or emotional trauma can produce long-standing disturbances in the electrochemical function of tissues and cells.

Such trauma can cause changes in involuntary nervous system function, leading to altered cell membrane dynamics. Also, circulatory, lymphatic and connective tissue disruption can occur.

A disturbed area is called a “field of disturbance” or “interference field.” Virtually any area of the body can act as a disturbance field and produce dysfunction both locally and at sites remote from the original area. Common disturbance fields are scars (surgical and/or traumatic), sinuses, tonsils, teeth (especially root canal-filled teeth and incompatible tooth restoration materials), intestines, prostate gland, ovaries and uterus, thyroid gland and nerves.

In neural therapy, the injection of local anaesthetic restores cell membrane function for the duration of the anaesthesia. This short period of time allows the cell to eliminate sufficient amounts of waste material to re-establish normal function. Enhanced microcirculation and lymphatic drainage also take place as a result of the injection. The anaesthetic is not given for the conventional purpose of freezing or numbing the local region. The addition of vitamins, minerals or homeopathic remedies to the injection allows an enhanced therapeutic effect.

Neural therapy techniques involve a multitude of injection approaches. Some are very shallow, only skin deep. Others are much deeper. Surprisingly, this therapy is not painful and is well tolerated by most individuals. Naturally, those phobic of needles would probably not appreciate this procedure. However, neural therapy can be effectively performed with the use of a soft laser, particularly for children and needle-sensitive people.

The doctor’s role is to accurately determine the cause of a patient’s pain and apply the appropriate injection to the correct structure. The degree of success is often high in chronic pain conditions that fail to respond to conservative treatment. Disturbances starting in childhood can accumulate to the point that they produce problems in adulthood. Thusly, neural therapy takes into consideration a patient’s entire life experience prior to treatment.

As with any medical procedure, there is always the risk of complication. However, in the hands of a competent and experienced practitioner, this modality is very safe. When used accordingly, many pain syndromes can be effectively and permanently treated. For more information on this therapy, browse the Internet.

Dr. Garrett Swetlikoff is a naturopathic physician who lives and practices in Kelowna, BC. He focuses on progressive and interventional natural medicine. He can be reached at 250-868-2205 or at gswetlikoff@shaw.ca

Source: alive #250, August 2003