Pain is the #1 reason people go to the doctor, and one of the top reasons they seek out an alternative practitioner. It is easy to find treatment for pain symptoms, but when pain becomes chronic, lasting several weeks or more, people want answers and will seek out practitioners who will listen and help.

Pain is a symptom, or effect of something wrong. For effective resolution of pain, treatment should be directed at the root causes. A common root cause of chronic pain is dys-oxygenosis, the inability of the tissues to properly utilize oxygen, accompanied with acidosis and oxidation and the bodily compensation mechanisms to accommodate the condition, (i.e. the neurological restriction of proper blood flow to properly heal the compromised tissues).

NIHA’S Integrative Approach to Chronic Pain

There are two ways to approach chronic pain. One is to treat the symptoms (cover it) and the other is to treat the root cause (fix it). At NIHA we focus on fixing the problem. When the root cause of pain is properly addressed, the symptoms often disappear. The symptoms may appear as muscle/joint pain, fatigue, headache or other dysfunction. The actual problem may be infection, nutritional, structural, or toxicity.

Integrative doctors look at the whole body to locate the cause of pain. Pain may be local, but can often be referred; that is, your knee pain may be a symptom of something else going on in your body, like a back problem or a chronic dental infection. The knee may hurt but the source of the pain may be elsewhere. The mind/body connection may need to be addressed as part of your healing.

The doctors at NIHA will develop a comprehensive integrated medical strategy for your condition with consideration of the four components: Structural, Biochemical, Neurological regulation, and Psycho-emotional/mental/spiritual therapies. The best treatment plan may be a multi-faceted approach and incorporate many therapies to address the cause of pain on a physical, spiritual, and emotional level. Integrated medicine incorporates the use of drugs and surgery when appropriate but also strives to understand the root cause of the pain and facilitate natural healing.

Alternative healing therapies we have to address pain and improve function include:

Acupuncture

Prolotherapy
Infrared sauna
Oxygen therapies: Hyperbaric chamber, Steam Bath
I.V. therapies
Erchonia Laser therapy
Osteopathic manual therapy
Massage/bodywork therapies: Reflexology, Deep Tissue, Lymphatic Drainage, Energy Balancing, Swedish
Emotional Transformation Therapy
Neural therapy
Dental evaluation
Nutritional Supplementation
Detoxification
Hormone replacement, and many more...

Integrative Medicine strategies for chronic pain can be very effective. An Integrative Medical system requires the patient be actively engaged, because an active and reciprocal relationship with the doctor is part of the assessment and successful treatment process. Integrative Medicine views that the body is usually self-healing; the doctor merely helps remove the blocks and enhances the process. This is the miracle of healing.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Integrative Medicine has developed successful models to navigate efficient and effective treatment strategies to treat the many painful conditions. NIHA utilizes a four-component model in its approach. Pain is a threshold problem that typically involves more than one component and usually all four when the problem is complex. Multiple therapies directed at only one component usually net a poorer result and is ultimately more costly. NIHA can assess, treat and coordinate all four components of chronic pain simultaneously.

Phase I

At your initial evaluation we do a complete history and clinical evaluation, lab work and functional assessments to determine the contributing causes of pain. We assess the four components, which can be addressed simultaneously for optimal efficiency and effectiveness:

Physical/Structural component:consisting of therapies that primarily treat the muscles, joints, ligaments, bones and other connective tissues.

Metabolic/ Biochemical /Immunological component: represents therapies that suppress, enhance or supplement biochemical, metabolic and immunological reactions in the body.

Neurological/ Electro-magnetic component: represents therapies that focus on the autonomic nervous system, the energetic,functional nervous system which regulates the biochemical reactions of the cells and physical structures of the body.

Psycho-emotional, Mental, Bio-energetic, Intuitive component:represents therapies that focus on the emotional, spiritual, mind/body connection to healing on the many different levels.

Phase I treatment strategy may include single or multilevel therapies such as:

Physical/Structural therapies:

Chiropractic, physical therapy, osteopathic manual therapy in-office program
Home program: exercise, training
Refer to Feldenkries or other home neuro-muscular retraining
Refer to Dental if appropriate
Refer to Neural therapy if appropriate

Biochemical therapies:

Nutrition, supplements, lifestyle modification with food, water, and other habits
Bowel program
I.V. therapies: nutrition/anti-inflammation:colchicine, relox
Membrane rehabilitation: fish oils, good oils, phosphatidly choline, coconut oil
Hormonal support : adrenal, thyroid
Oxygen therapies
D L phenylalinine, for pain
Evaluation and treatment for neurotransmitters
Evaluation and treatment for hypoglycemia

Neuro-biologic therapies:

ETPS - in office or at home training
Anodyne - if healing is impaired; in office or at home
Erchonia laser
Acupuncture refer if Chinese medicine is being employed
Referral to Neural therapy if appropriate: scars, prolotherapy, trigger point injections, ganglia blocks, Bier block
Evaluation for Allergy program if indicated

Psycho-emotional, mental, and spiritual therapies:

ADHD -at home mind-ful meditation
EFT -at home training
Meditation/Qi gong training
Neurotransmitters therapy
Evaluation and treatment for depression or other mental problems (Phase II)
Refer to Psycho-emotional for unresolved Psycho-emotional reprogramming, Emotional Transformation Therapy if indicated

Phase II treatment can include referrals for :

Chronic infection/neurotoxins evaluation and treatment
Heavy Metal detoxification/toxic chemical detox evaluation and treatment
Mental health program evaluation and treatment
Neural therapy evaluation and treatment
Allergy program evaluation and treatment

RELATED TOPICS

Pain Management Therapies
Nutritional Supplementation

PRACTITIONERS

Mark McClure D.D.S., F.A.G.D.
Biography
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Heavy Metal Detoxification Program, Dental, Neural therapy, ETPS

Paul V. Beals M.D., C.C.N.
Biography
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I.V Therapy
Infrared sauna, Oxygen steam bath, Detoxification, Rejuvenation & Detoxification Health Program

Bruce Rind, M.D.
Biography
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Osteopathic Manual Therapy, Prolotherapy, Hyperbaric Oxygen, I.V.Therapy, Metabolic/Hormonal Balance Program

Barbara Solomon, M.D., M.A.
Biography
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Allergy Health Program

Peter Jun Wu, O.M.D.
Biography
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Accupuncture

Ralph Wilson N.D., M.S.
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S CENAR, Family Systems

Charlene Kannankeril, N.D.
Biography
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Heidi Sankofa, P.A.-C
Biography
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Erchonia Laser, Emotional Transformation Therapy

Scott Richards
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Erchonia Laser

Brigitte Everett, L.M.T.
Biography
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Massage Therapies