CHRONIC PAIN
IN THE UNITED STATES, ACUPUNCTURE HAS MOST COMMONLY BEEN USED FOR THE TREATMENT OF PAINFUL CONDITIONS. ACUPUNCTURE WORKS VERY WELL FOR ACUTE PAINFUL CONDITIONS LIKE BROKEN BONES AND SPRAINED ANKLES. PATIENTS WHO ARE TREATED FOR ACUTE CONDITIONS USE LITTLE OR NO PAIN MEDICATION.
ACUPUNCTURE HAS ALSO BEEN USED TO TREAT PATIENTS WITH SEVERE COMPLEX CHRONIC PAIN. THESE PATIENTS HAVE NOT RESPONDED TO OTHER APPROPRIATE AND SOMETIMES VERY INTENSIVE TREATMENTS. I HAVE TREATED PATIENTS WHO WERE REFERRED TO MY CARE AFTER EXCELLENT TREATMENT AT UNIVERSITY PAIN CLINICS, AFTER UNDERGOING MULTIPLE OPERATIONS, AFTER TREATMENT WITH SOPHISTICATED MEDICATIONS INCLUDING LARGE DOSES OF VERY STRONG NARCOTIC PAIN MEDICATIONS.
IN MY OPINION PROPER TREATMENT of painful condiyions INVOLVES TREATING THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SENSATIONS OF PAIN AND THE TREATING THE ENTIRE PERSON WHO IS SUFFERING WITH THE PAIN. SEVERE CHRONIC PAIN NOT ONLY AFFECTS THE FUNCTION OF THE injured PARTS OF THE BODY BUT USUALLY CAUSES SIGNIFICANT EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL DISTRESS. WHILE THERE MAY BE SIMILARITIES IN TREATING PATIENTS WITH BACK PAIN FOR EXAMPLE, NO TWO PATIENTS ARE IDENTICAL AND EACH MUST BE RESPECTED AS INDIVIDUALS. MANY TIMES I HAVE TOLD PATIENTS WHO I AM TREATING WITH ACUPUNCTURE THAT, THEORETICALLY, I KNOW EXACTLY WHICH SPECIFIC STRATEGIES AND NEEDLE PLACEMENTS THAT WOULD HELP YOU BUT YOU ARE NOT A THEORY BUT YOU ARE A LIVING, BREATHING HUMAN BEING. THE PATIENT NEEDS TO SPEAK UP AND TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THEM. When the patient provides that all important information of their specific problems and responses to acupuncture treatment the treatments can be modified.
THE OPTIMAL TREATMENT SOMETIMES REQUIRES USE OF MEDICATIONS, INJECTIONS OF ANESTHETIC AS WELL AS USING THE FULL CAPABILITIES OF MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE. USUALLY THE USE OF ACUPUNCTURE ALLOWS ME TO PRESCRIBE LESS MEDICATION AND FEWER INJECTION SESSIONS WHICH REDUCES THE POSSIBILITY OF MEDICATION AND PROCEDURE COMPLICATIONS. ACUPUNCTURE HAS A VERY LOW INCIDENCE OF SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS.
PAIN SENSATIONS ARE CARRIED BY THE NERVES. BEING AWARE OF PAIN IDEALLY SHOULD SERVE AS A WARNING SIGN FOR PROTECTION OF A PERSON. IF YOU FEEL THE PAINFUL SENSATION OF A HOT STOVE YOU MOVE YOUR HAND RIGHT AWAY BEFORE THE HAND IS SEVERELY DAMAGED. THIS PROTECTS THE HAND FROM SERIOUS DAMAGE.
THE NERVES ARE EITHER TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT THE PAIN SENSATION (LIKE IN THE HOT STOVE EXAMPLE) OR THE NERVES HAVE BEEN CORRUPTED AND ARE LYING. NEUROPATHIC PAIN IS WHEN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM IS NOT TELLING THE TRUTH BECAUSE THE NERVES ARE NOT FUNCTIONING AS THEY SHOULD. IN NEUROPATHIC PAIN CONDITIONS THE NERVES ARE NOT TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT SENSATIONS, MUSCLE FUNCTION OR OTHER SUBTLE FUNCTIONAL QUALITIES.
ANYONE WITH AN INTACT NERVOUS SYSTEM WHO IS STABBED, CUT, BURNED OR HIT WILL FEEL PAIN. THAT IS STIMULATION OF THE NERVES THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE GIVING PAIN SIGNALS. THIS TYPE OF PAIN SENSATION IS NORMAL AND IS CALLED NOCICEPTIVE PAIN. THESE PAIN SENSATIONS TYPICALLY ARE FELT AFTER TRAUMA OR AN OPERATION.
IN OTHER INSTANCES THE NERVES ARE NOT TELLING THE TRUTH. THE DIABETIC PATIENT WITH DAMAGED NERVES CANNOT FEEL THE HOT BATH WATER THEY ARE STEPPING INTO EVEN THOUGH THE WATER TEMPERATURE IS Hot ENOUGH TO DAMAGE THE SKIN.
IN OTHER NEUROPATHIC CONDITIONS THE PATIENT HAS PAIN ALL THE TIME WITH NO ONGOING PAINFUL PROCESS CAUSING THE PAIN. SOMETIMES A LIGHT TOUCH OR WIND ON THE SKIN WILL FEEL TO THE PATIENT LIKE THEY ARE BEING STABBED OR BURNED. THE NERVOUS SYSTEM IS HIGHJACKED SO THAT NERVES THAT ARE NOT PAIN NERVES GIVE THE SENSATION OF PAIN.
FORTUNATELY, ACUPUNCTURE CAN BE PART of the successful treatment of all types of painful conditions.
ACUPUNCTURE HAS ALSO BEEN USED TO TREAT PATIENTS WITH SEVERE COMPLEX CHRONIC PAIN. THESE PATIENTS HAVE NOT RESPONDED TO OTHER APPROPRIATE AND SOMETIMES VERY INTENSIVE TREATMENTS. I HAVE TREATED PATIENTS WHO WERE REFERRED TO MY CARE AFTER EXCELLENT TREATMENT AT UNIVERSITY PAIN CLINICS, AFTER UNDERGOING MULTIPLE OPERATIONS, AFTER TREATMENT WITH SOPHISTICATED MEDICATIONS INCLUDING LARGE DOSES OF VERY STRONG NARCOTIC PAIN MEDICATIONS.
IN MY OPINION PROPER TREATMENT of painful condiyions INVOLVES TREATING THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SENSATIONS OF PAIN AND THE TREATING THE ENTIRE PERSON WHO IS SUFFERING WITH THE PAIN. SEVERE CHRONIC PAIN NOT ONLY AFFECTS THE FUNCTION OF THE injured PARTS OF THE BODY BUT USUALLY CAUSES SIGNIFICANT EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL DISTRESS. WHILE THERE MAY BE SIMILARITIES IN TREATING PATIENTS WITH BACK PAIN FOR EXAMPLE, NO TWO PATIENTS ARE IDENTICAL AND EACH MUST BE RESPECTED AS INDIVIDUALS. MANY TIMES I HAVE TOLD PATIENTS WHO I AM TREATING WITH ACUPUNCTURE THAT, THEORETICALLY, I KNOW EXACTLY WHICH SPECIFIC STRATEGIES AND NEEDLE PLACEMENTS THAT WOULD HELP YOU BUT YOU ARE NOT A THEORY BUT YOU ARE A LIVING, BREATHING HUMAN BEING. THE PATIENT NEEDS TO SPEAK UP AND TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THEM. When the patient provides that all important information of their specific problems and responses to acupuncture treatment the treatments can be modified.
THE OPTIMAL TREATMENT SOMETIMES REQUIRES USE OF MEDICATIONS, INJECTIONS OF ANESTHETIC AS WELL AS USING THE FULL CAPABILITIES OF MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE. USUALLY THE USE OF ACUPUNCTURE ALLOWS ME TO PRESCRIBE LESS MEDICATION AND FEWER INJECTION SESSIONS WHICH REDUCES THE POSSIBILITY OF MEDICATION AND PROCEDURE COMPLICATIONS. ACUPUNCTURE HAS A VERY LOW INCIDENCE OF SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS.
PAIN SENSATIONS ARE CARRIED BY THE NERVES. BEING AWARE OF PAIN IDEALLY SHOULD SERVE AS A WARNING SIGN FOR PROTECTION OF A PERSON. IF YOU FEEL THE PAINFUL SENSATION OF A HOT STOVE YOU MOVE YOUR HAND RIGHT AWAY BEFORE THE HAND IS SEVERELY DAMAGED. THIS PROTECTS THE HAND FROM SERIOUS DAMAGE.
THE NERVES ARE EITHER TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT THE PAIN SENSATION (LIKE IN THE HOT STOVE EXAMPLE) OR THE NERVES HAVE BEEN CORRUPTED AND ARE LYING. NEUROPATHIC PAIN IS WHEN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM IS NOT TELLING THE TRUTH BECAUSE THE NERVES ARE NOT FUNCTIONING AS THEY SHOULD. IN NEUROPATHIC PAIN CONDITIONS THE NERVES ARE NOT TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT SENSATIONS, MUSCLE FUNCTION OR OTHER SUBTLE FUNCTIONAL QUALITIES.
ANYONE WITH AN INTACT NERVOUS SYSTEM WHO IS STABBED, CUT, BURNED OR HIT WILL FEEL PAIN. THAT IS STIMULATION OF THE NERVES THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE GIVING PAIN SIGNALS. THIS TYPE OF PAIN SENSATION IS NORMAL AND IS CALLED NOCICEPTIVE PAIN. THESE PAIN SENSATIONS TYPICALLY ARE FELT AFTER TRAUMA OR AN OPERATION.
IN OTHER INSTANCES THE NERVES ARE NOT TELLING THE TRUTH. THE DIABETIC PATIENT WITH DAMAGED NERVES CANNOT FEEL THE HOT BATH WATER THEY ARE STEPPING INTO EVEN THOUGH THE WATER TEMPERATURE IS Hot ENOUGH TO DAMAGE THE SKIN.
IN OTHER NEUROPATHIC CONDITIONS THE PATIENT HAS PAIN ALL THE TIME WITH NO ONGOING PAINFUL PROCESS CAUSING THE PAIN. SOMETIMES A LIGHT TOUCH OR WIND ON THE SKIN WILL FEEL TO THE PATIENT LIKE THEY ARE BEING STABBED OR BURNED. THE NERVOUS SYSTEM IS HIGHJACKED SO THAT NERVES THAT ARE NOT PAIN NERVES GIVE THE SENSATION OF PAIN.
FORTUNATELY, ACUPUNCTURE CAN BE PART of the successful treatment of all types of painful conditions.
