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Holistic Resources
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Peripheral Neuropathy: The Number One Doctor-Ignored Condition
By James D. Skaug
Too often in our office, we hear our clients say that their doctors have told them, “Sorry, nothing can be done,” for the pain, numbness, and burning associated with their peripheral neuropathy. Or “learn to live with it; it’s only going to get worse. Here, take some Vicodin.”
Unfortunately, too many people believe this. Why are doctors telling their clients that “nothing can be done”—when those of us in the massage, homeopathic, or nutritional fields know and have proven that there are alternatives to living with pain? Like most of us, doctors do not take the time to keep up with advances in every field. And neuropathies are too easily handled with a simple prescription for an addictive drug and a pat on the back while ushering the patient out the door.
But let’s step back a bit: What exactly is peripheral neuropathy—and what can be done for it besides addictive drugs? Simply put, peripheral neuropathy is damage to the long nerves radiating from the spine to the arms and/or legs from poor circulation.
There are many types of neuropathies—with many different causes. However, the bottom line is that nerves have “gone to sleep,” so to speak, because they have been deprived of oxygen … or, in other words, hypoxia (decreased blood flow/poor circulation) has occurred.
Diabetes leads the causes of hypoxia, with its high sugar levels causing the outer sheathing of the nerve cells to degenerate. Lower-back inflammations can also decrease oxygen to the extremities. In addition, many other factors, such as drugs for blood pressure, cholesterol, and arthritis, chemotherapy or toxins and free radicals, or complications from surgeries, food allergies, alcoholism, frostbite, repeated trauma, or simple aging can cause neuropathy. In my case, neuropathy was caused by damage to the L5 disc and piriformis (muscle) entrapment.
So what can be done? Of course, nutrition plays a major role. With all the processed foods we eat daily, it is no wonder that poor nutrition or food allergies could be at the root of a neuropathy. Today, in fact, it is almost impossible to eat as well as one should. This is where holistic treatments can help. But holistic treatment, although helpful in improving the immune system and removing toxins—can rarely address the cause of peripheral neuropathy.
Another alternative, vitamins, such as thiamine (B-1), can be very effective in reversing diabetic neuropathy. However, some vitamins cannot be stored in the body as they’re water soluble. B-6 is also helpful when used with certain neuropathy drugs. Vitamin B-12, B-3, folic acid, and Vitamins K and E have also shown usefulness in reducing pain and numbness. But some vitamins have actually been found to worsen a condition if taken in insufficient amounts. And unfortunately, a vitamin regimen is often “too long-term in continuation” for results. While vitamins help, they still do not come close enough in treating the pain, burning, and numbness of neuropathies.
So, what else can be done? Are there any physical treatments that might work as well or faster than vitamin or a holistic approach? Yes. Nerve rebuilding and muscle toning—a form of electronic massage.
Many have heard of TENS units to control pain, while others have heard of EMS units to help tone muscle. However, there are electronic-massage devices specifically designed for diabetics, which, while similar to the above-mentioned devices, actually “rebuild” the nerves’ synoptic junctions by bringing them closer together. At the same time, they reduce the myelin coatings, which may thicken through neuropathy and block healthy transmission of nerve signals. In addition, a pain-relieving and muscle-building signal is overlaid to relieve pain; it can have longer-lasting effects the more it is used. This signal emulates that of a healthy nerve signal—amplified many times so it can “jump,” so to speak, the widened/thickened synoptic junctions. It travels through the foot, up the leg, across the hips and lower back, and back down the other leg and into the opposite foot 7.83 times per second—before reversing direction. Numbness and pain relief is often felt immediately, and edema (swelling) is visually reduced.
Again, these effects accumulate through use—to reach a point at which pain medications may be reduced or eliminated, walking is easier because of less pain, and most important, falling is less likely as the calf muscles are strengthened through time.
More information on neuropathy and other conditions may be found at www.amassageplace.com
How Patient Power Is Changing Breast-Cancer Care
By Barbara Brennan May 2006
The integration of energy/spiritual healing into general medicine is a slow and often arduous process. Traditional positions in the medical world can be rather inflexible and are best moved by continual education.
They will shift more, I firmly believe, as a new generation of doctors, nurses, and administrators edge toward embracing a more holistic approach to health care. Of course, already there are shining examples of acceptance and understanding in hospitals and clinics across the globe, even if growth could be faster.
What may be the primary catalyst today in altering viewpoints is something relatively new—patient power. Evidence is growing of patients’ demanding that alternative treatments be considered by the medical profession, not so much to replace existing methods, but to support them.
Something of a breakthrough —one that can be directly related to patient power—occurred in late March in the French Riviera town of Nice, where the Fifth European Breast Cancer Conference welcomed the use of complementary treatments and medicines as support for cancer patients.
The gathering of leading breast-cancer specialists from throughout Europe was told that its delegates can no longer ignore the importance of alternative treatments in view of their popularity among patients.
The conference adopted new guidelines after hearing that studies had found that up to 90 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer now turn to alternative remedies of some kind. Treatments favored by patients varied from spiritual and energy healing to yoga and aromatherapy, the specialists were told.
This may well be the first time that an international body of medical experts has not only officially endorsed but directed such action. Even the delegates who resisted this new approach were largely persuaded by the argument that, on safety grounds alone, doctors needed to know what their patients were taking or doing.
The new guidelines call for a single standard of evaluation of therapies and urge doctors to have “open and factual” discussions about their use.
This is an exciting development. The next step may be that the breast-cancer specialists entertain a presentation from representatives of “alternative” healing methods, particularly in the area of postoperative care.
No one would be better to explain this than one of their own, a European breast-reconstruction surgeon and one of many doctors who are graduates of the Barbara Brennan School of Healing.
This particular surgeon normally does three energy healings on a cancer patient—one before he operates and two after. For his graduation-year paper, he carried out a survey in which patients were divided into two groups —those who received healings and those who did not.
The findings showed a considerable difference between the two groups in the relationship these patients have with their newly constructed breasts.
Many of the women who did not receive healings said the new breast felt heavy, like something hanging on their chest, while those in the other group (on whom he did the surgery) said they could all feel the breast, that it felt sexual, and that it felt like their breast to the touch. So for self-esteem and confidence alone, the healings appear to have had a tremendous effect.
In addition, the patients who received healings needed much less post-op pain medication, if any. That and faster recovery time were also regular features of pilot studies by other doctor graduates.
This could have major implications not just in the treatment of mastectomy patients but in all postoperative care. Of course, findings such as these are not entirely new. They have been known among healers for a few years but have had virtually no circulation in the medical world.
One of the issues, as I have said before, is the absence of funding for large-scale research. Studies by individuals and among small groups, while highly relevant, go unrecognized by the medical profession.
The new guidelines set by the European breast-cancer conference may help to change all that. If the specialists follow the directive for open discussion, the results of their studies can only be positive. Add the patient-power factor, and we may be seeing the start of a new dawn.
