Peripheral Neuropathy
Neuropathy Quick Facts:
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Neuropathy destroys nerves and causes numbness, pain, weakness, and balance problems
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Neuropathy and peripheral neuropathy mean the same thing (nerve disease or dysfunction)
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The feet, toes, legs, fingers, and hands are the top areas neuropathy effects
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The root cause of neuropathy is a lack of blood flow to the nerves
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Diabetes is the #1 cause of neuropathy
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The #1 health risk associated with neuropathy are injuries that result from a fall
What Needs to be Done to Reverse Neuropathy?
Recent research has revealed that neuropathy is caused by a lack of blood flow to the nerves. Because of this, specific therapies have been developed to target the root cause and effectively reverse neuropathy in most cases which includes:
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Restoring blood flow to the nerves
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“Waking up” the nerves by stimulating them
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Turning off the pain signals from the nerves to the brain
When these three things are achieved, nerves may heal. It was once thought that once nerves died they could not be regrown, but this is no longer true. Nerves do regrow, they just need blood flow, stimulation, and re-education which allows them to stop sending pain signals and start sending normal feeling signals.
Our Approach To Neuropathy
Step 1
We identify the cause of your neuropathy; diabetes. low back/disc problems, chemotherapy, or idiopathic (unknown cause).
Step 2
We customize a nutrition plan to meet YOUR health goals.
If your goal is to maximize your health and reverse chronic conditions like type II diabetes, then we will customize a plan for you that includes diet, lifestyle changes, supplements, and therapy.
If your goal is to reduce your neuropathy symptoms but you aren't ready to commit to diet and lifestyle changes, then we will customize a plan for you that includes therapies and specific supplements.
Step 3
We Improve Circulation
Increasing circulation in the capillary blood vessels is essential to reversing neuropathy. The capillaries are the smallest blood vessels in our body. These tiny blood vessels deliver the oxygen and nutrient-rich blood that our nerves need to survive and function properly.
Neuropathy typically begins in the hands and feet as they are the last parts of your body to receive oxygen and nutrient-rich blood flow. Therefore, it is imperative to increase blood flow throughout your entire body, not just in your hands and feet.
Figure 1 is an illustration of the circulatory system.
What We Do To Increase Circulation
To increase circulation throughout the entire body we use PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic) therapy, as PEMF therapy is safe to use over any part of your body, including the eyes, brain, and genitals.
Why We Use PEMF Therapy
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Non-invasive
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Safe
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Proven Effective
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Increases capillary circulation
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Increases oxygen and nutrient uptakes into the cells
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Aids in cellular detoxification
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Increases ATP production
PEMF therapy is non-invasive. PEMF therapy is a pain-free, non-invasive therapy that requires no skin penetration or probes.
PEMF therapy is safe. PEMF has no reported long-term side effects.
PEMF therapy is effective. PEMF therapy is an FDA-cleared, NASA-patented therapy that has demonstrated its safety and efficacy for more than 80 conditions, including peripheral neuropathy.
PEMF therapy increases circulation. PEMF therapy has demonstrated its ability to increase blood flow throughout the entire body with adverse effects.
PEMF increases oxygen and nutrient uptake in the nerve cells. Through a process called electroporation, PEMF therapy opens up channels in the cell's membrane to allow more oxygen and nutrients to make their way into the nerve cells.
PEMF therapy aids in cellular detoxification. The process of electroporation also allows toxins that are trapped inside the nerve cells to escape.
PEMF increases ATP production. ATP is our body's energy currency. ATP powers EVERYTHING, our nerves, our organs, our muscles, even our thoughts. If all the ATP was suddenly removed from the body the body would shut down in seconds.
Why We Use The NRG Pro PEMF Therapy Device
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Power and Flexibility
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Effective Penetration
Power and Flexibility. What makes The NRG Pro so unique is its combination of power and flexibility. Generally speaking, low-intensity PEMF therapy devices tend to be more flexible, meaning that they will allow you to select the time, frequency, and intensity, which is important because precision is the key to producing impressive and consistent results with PEMF therapy. However, low-intensity PEMF devices lack the penetrating power of a high-intensity PEMF device, which can be thousands of times more powerful than low-intensity PEMF devices. On the other hand, high-intensity PEMF devices tend to lack the flexibility of low-intensity PEMF devices, as they only allow you to control the time and intensity. What makes the NRG Pro unique is that it allows you to independently control the time, frequency, and intensity. In other words, the NRG pro allows us to set the time and frequency, and then increase the intensity to its desired level.
Effective Penetration. In order to effectively deliver a pulse adequate to stimulate cells deep within the body, especially for deep-seated chronic issues, it has been my experience that higher intensities are needed, and the NRG Pro is one of the most powerful PEMF devices available today.
Are High-Intensity PEMF Devices Safe?
Yes. PEMF therapy has no reported long-term adverse effects, and that applies to both low and high-intensity PEMF devices. A good example of the safety of a high-intensity PEMF device is the FDA-approved Neurostar, which is approved for anxiety and depression. The Neurostar generates up to 15,000 gauss, which is far above the threshold of low-intensity PEM devices, which typically produce around 1 gauss. The Neurostar generates the high-intensities in order to target specific areas of the brain for patients who are unresponsive to medication for depression. The Neurostar, along with other high-intensity PEMF devices has produced an abundance of supporting evidence for the safety of high-intensity PEMF therapy devices.
FYI: The Neurostar uses up to 15,000 gauss directly over the brain, which is enough power or intensity to cause involuntary movement in the hand. Keep in mind that these high intensities are being used in close proximity to two of the most sensitive areas of our body, the eyes and the brain, with no reported adverse side effects.
Step 4
How We 'Wake Up' The Nerves & Stop The Pain Signals To The Brain
We 'wake up' the nerves and stop the pain signals to the brain using our PRO ElecDT 2000 Bioelectric Horizontal Therapy device from Hako-Med.
Bioelectric Horizontal Therapy: How it works and why it is unique
The human body is made up of cells that constantly undergo electrical and chemical processes in order for the body to function properly as a whole. These processes go hand in hand, propagating, or inhibiting each other when necessary. Some examples include energy production, muscular contractions, and the transmission of nerve signals. At a cellular level, electrotherapy is ultimately used to stimulate these electrical and chemical processes to relieve pain or prompt tissue healing.
Horizontal Therapy is a revolutionary form of treatment because it results in successful stimulation of these electrical and chemical processes at the applied area, whereas traditional electrotherapies are able to result in only one of these effects at a time (5). Peripheral nerves transmit sensory information from our limbs and organs to our central nervous system (i.e. spinal cord and brain), allowing us to interpret and understand experiences from the outside world through the phenomenon of sensations. This is how we perceive pain. The basis for electrotherapy, called the Gate Control Theory, states “pain signals are not free to reach the brain as soon as they are generated at the injured tissues or sites. They need to encounter certain ‘neurological gates’ at the spinal cord level and these gates determine whether the pain signals should reach the brain or not.”
In other words, during Horizontal Therapy, the electricity generated and applied at the site of injury overrides the pain signals with “non-pain” signals, thus “closing” the gateway to the brain that would otherwise perceive pain (6).
PRO ElecDT 2000 differentiates itself from traditional electrotherapy devices in its ability to maintain a constant intensity while simultaneously varying the frequencies of its currents. By varying its alternating, medium-frequency currents, electrical changes occur at the skin and within the body, resulting in the alleviation of pain. In conjunction with the fluctuations of frequency, a constant intensity allows for stimulation at a biochemical level and thus furthering the healing process (5,7).
HT has also been shown to promote healing within damaged tissues by stimulating the release of natural enzymes and other tissue-building cells in the body.
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A study conducted to verify the efficacy of Horizontal Therapy found that, in addition to the significant decrease in pain, 89.2% of cases experienced a visible decrease of swelling (5).
Studies suggest Horizontal Therapy results in pain relief and in the endogenous release of anti-inflammatory cells, notably, in the absence of anti-inflammatory drugs (5).
After one treatment of Horizontal Therapy, patients have often likened its effects to an “oil change” due to its promotion of cellular metabolism, tissue repair properties, and blood circulation (3).
With Hako-Med’s novel electromedical device, we give patients top-tier treatment that is not common to most physical therapy, chiropractic, or orthopedic groups. Horizontal Therapy is a safe, effective treatment that is preferred over traditional forms of electrotherapy (1,7,8).
References:
1 Di Sante I, Paoloni M, Dimaggio M, et al. Ultrasound-guided aspiration and corticosteroid injection compared to Horizontal therapy for treatment of knee osteoarthritis complicated with Baker’s cyst: a randomized, controlled trial. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 2012;48:561-7.
2 Hako-Med BIO. Hako-Med Web site. http://www.electromedicine.com. Accessed November 5, 2014.
3 Joki? A, Hansjürgens K, Srem?evi? N, Hansjürgens A, Jovanovi? T, Markovi? Treatment of gonarthrosis with balneo and horizontal therapy (HT). MD-Medical Data. 2012;4(1):029-032.
4 Saggini R, Carniel R, Cancelli F. Treatment of shoulder injuries with associated arthrosynovitis using horizontal therapy. Eur Med Phys. 2006;42(Suppl. 1 to No.2):669-72.
5 Saggini R, Carniel R, Coco V, Cancelli F, Ianieri M, Maccanti D. Gonarthrosis: treatment with horizontal therapy electrotherapy. Multicenter study. Eur Med Phys. 2004;40(Supp. 1 to No. 3):594-8.
6 Wlassoff V. Gate control theory and pain management. Brain Blogger web site. June 23, 2014. http://brainblogger.com/2014/06/23/gate-control-theory-and-pain-management/. Accessed November 10, 2014.
7 Zambito A, Bianchini B, Adami S, et al. Horizontal therapy in the treatment of lower back pain caused by a recent osteoporotic vertebral fracture. Eur Med Phys. 2005;41(Suppl. 1 to No. 4):923-4.
8 Zambito A, Bianchini D, Gatti D, Rossini M, Adami S, Viapiana O. Interferential and horizontal therapies in chronic low back pain due to multiple vertebral fractures: a randomized, double-blind, clinical study. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2006;24(5):534-9.