Pain Relief

Neural Reflex Therapy is a term created by Dr Vance to describe a group of painless manual techniques that he has learned over the years, used to treat a wide variety of conditions. Generally these therapies invoke a nerve reflex to have a soothing effect on pain and other conditions - often instant and profound.

This is a manual therapy, and generally very light touch is applied to a tender area (trigger point) and possibly another area to relieve it. Depending on which therapy is being done it may need to be held in place for 20-30 seconds. Pain relief is usually instant for each area, and several areas may need to be done with each treatment session. Typically, if this is the only modality used, 2-3 visits per week are needed for a few weeks.

Different Neural Reflex Therapy procedures work by different mechanisms. Some of them relax muscles instantly. Some of them work using acupuncture points and meridians. Some of them stimulate the parasympathetic (relaxing) nervous system, while others relax various nerve centers in the body.

Headaches
Musculoskeletal pain (neck, back, shoulders, etc)
Plantar fasciitis
​Temporomandibular Joint disorder (TMJ)
Abdominal pain
Anxiety / panic
PTSD
Phobias
Emotional heartache
and many more...

As you might expect from the name, Neural Therapy is a collection of treatments that focuses on the nerves. Not exactly the "I feel so stressed and nervous" type, but your physical nerves that transmit information through the body. These are treated with various injections using local anesthetics - usually either procaine (the old "novocaine"), or lidocaine (the stuff they use to numb your mouth at the dentist).

Soon after the discovery of procaine, two German brothers by the names of Ferdinand and Walter Huneke decided to try using it in the 1920's to treat chronic pain. They found that repeated injections into painful areas would in time bring a permanent resolution of their patients' pain. They became very good at treating not only pain, but all sorts of conditions, neurologic and otherwise. A profound breakthrough came one day when treating a woman for shoulder pain and other conditions. Injections into the area of the pain didn't help, but trial and error led them to inject a scar on her leg - which instantly resolved all of her symptoms. They called it the "Lightning Reaction," and this is the basis of the scar therapy we do in the clinic today. Neural therapy became very popular in Germany and remains so to this day, allowing for treatment of all sorts of things that would otherwise be very difficult to treat.

Local anesthetics (like procaine and lidocaine) temporarily reset the nerves they come in contact with - kind of like rebooting a computer. The theory is that after the nerves have been "rebooted," they will function more normally.

Resetting the nerves in an area can relax the smooth muscle cells in the blood vessels in the area, allowing for increased blood flow and assisting with healing.

Injecting around some of the autonomic "automatic" nerves can do things like calm down blood pressure, slow down heart rate to normal, and increase relaxation.

Interestingly, experience suggests that injecting into just the outer layer of the skin can often calm down tissues and organs beneath them, suggestive of some kind of nerve reflex that affects the area.

With regards to scars, the theory is that a scar can interrupt the electrical signals that travel through the skin. Resetting these with procaine or lidocaine can restore the normal electrical flow, allowing for healing to take place. ​

Probably the closest thing to an English version of neural therapy "bible" is the "Manual of Neural Therapy According to Huneke" by Drs Peter and Mathias Dosch. Nearly a third of this textbook-sized tome describes the hundreds of conditions that neural therapy can be used for. It covers everything from arthritic pains to abdominal problems, thyroid issues to snake bites and infections, and so much more.

After reading the text cover to cover, attending the two major neural therapy courses in the United States, and practicing neural therapy for years, Dr. Vance has found this treatment particularly useful in calming down abdominal pains, helping with post-traumatic stress, and soothing radiating or burning pains anywhere in the body (just to name a few).

It has been particularly helpful for easing some of the neural symptoms of Lyme or "Lyme-like" illnesses.

Asthma is another condition treated remarkably well, using both traditional neural therapy as well as the Infraspinatus Respiratory Reflex (IRR) discovered by Dr Philibert from Louisiana.

In neural therapy, procaine or lidocaine is typically used, and injected either into muscles (trigger point injections), into scars (interference field therapy), around nerve roots (ganglion injections), around teeth or tonsils (dental injections), or in the outer layer of the skin (intracutaenous "quaddle" injections).

Dr Vance often makes a slight modification so that there is essentially no pain with the injections - in fact, patients complain of it "tickling" more often than of it hurting. Thus, Dr Vance has dubbed this portion of the procedure, "Tickle Therapy."

Effects are usually immediate. While the duration of the relief is variable, at the very least it tends to last until the anesthetic effect of the injectable wears off, and frequently it lasts MUCH longer. Every patient is different, but repeated treatments are often necessary.

Neural Prolotherapy (also known as Perineurial Injection Treatment) is a therapy in which low concentrations of dextrose (sugar water) are injected around nerves to provide pain relief.

In traditional Prolotherapy, high concentrations of an inflammatory agent (sometimes dextrose) are injected into and around ligaments and tendons to strengthen them. Not too many years ago, Dr John Lyftogt from New Zealand tried injecting much lower concentrations of dextrose around peripheral nerves. He was astonished to find that it stopped pain instantly without numbing the area. Since then, he has been all over the world demonstrating his astonishing treatment therapies.

Pain tends to be transferred along the smallest of the nerve fibers (the "C" fibers) which tend to reside just under the skin. Injecting low concentrations of dextrose can quickly calm down these fibers, seeming to stop pain in its tracks. Interestingly, it does not actually numb anything (people still have full sensation in the area). With the pain fibers calmed down, the area can have more normal blood flow allowing for increased healing.

With Neural Prolotherapy, low dose dextrose is injected using a very small needle just underneath the skin. Very often it immediately soothes the pain underneath, but sometimes the patient feels some pain in the area due to the actual "poke" of the injection.

Commonly, however, people experience a considerable amount of pain relief and have better range of motion in areas they haven't been able to fully move in a long time.

How long does the pain relief last?
Pain relief typically lasts between 4 hours and 4 days, after which it may come back; however, the area is typically less painful than before.

Does this just stop pain or does it actually heal me?
Kind of both. Pain relief is often instant, and with repeated injections people often become completely better. We suspect that stopping the pain allows for better blood flow to the area, allowing the body to repair the damaged or inflamed area.

I'm a diabetic. Will this increase my blood sugar?
The concentration of dextrose is very low, and it's typically going into the subcutaneous area (just under the skin), so blood sugars are not usually significantly affected.

How many visits are necessary?
Each patient is different, but typically 6-10 visits will significantly help the pain, or even have it go away completely.

Does this work on everyone?
As with anything, there is no 100% guarantee. We have had the occasional patient it did not work well for, but most patients tolerate it just fine and do very well.

Prolozone is a form of non-surgical ligament and joint repair and can be a permanent treatment for many kinds of chronic pain. Prolozone is a connective tissue injection therapy of anti-inflammatory medications, vitamins, and oxygen / ozone gas which can help heal damaged or weakened connective tissue in and around joints. By repairing the connective tissue chronic pain can be permanently reversed.

Pain will persist as long as connective tissue in a joint remains damaged. Connective tissue can be scarred, torn, or overly stretched. Prolozone therapy involves the injection of oxygen and very low doses of ozone into soft tissues, ligaments, and tendons. This causes increased oxygenation and nutrients to these weak areas stimulating the tissue to repair itself.

The response to treatment varies from individual to individual. Some people may only need 1 or 2 treatments, while others may need as many as 8-10. Most people need 3-5 treatments. The injection process is repeated every 1-2 weeks until maximum improvements are noted. Using Prolozone Therapy there is a 60-80% chance that patients can become permanently pain free even in severe pain conditions that have been present for years.

Ozone is a naturally occurring, highly reactive molecule consisting of three atoms of oxygen. Because ozone is so reactive it is able to stimulate fibroblastic and chrondroblastic activity to an almost unbelievable extent. This high level reactivity, combined with the innate safety of oxygen makes ozone the ideal therapeutic molecule.

Earth is a very large magnet (among other things), and there are magnetic currents going through it at a regular basis. It has been theorized that life forms (including humans) have come to use these fields as a way to help cells function better. Unfortunately, in today's society, we are constantly bombarded with other electromagnetic rays and fields which can often disrupt the balance we would get from nature.

​In Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy, magnetic pulses are sent through the body to help regain that balance. The theory is that the cells can absorb some of that energy to assist with function.

In our clinic, we have two Hu-Go brand PEMF machines: one is built directly into the back of our HOCATT (ozone sauna), and provides all of its benefits along with the additional support provided by heat, steam, and ozone.

Our other PEMF is located in the center of our building, and is frequented daily by patients using it prior to receiving an IV treatment, or after they have seen Dr Vance for his Pain Elimination Protocol.

Although magnets have long been used in alternative healthcare, the importance of Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Fields was first discovered with sending astronauts into space. When out of the atmosphere for any significant length of time, they began to get sick for some unknown reason. This was fixed only by setting up magnetic fields and pulses similar to those found on Earth within the spacecraft.

​ Much research has been done regarding the strength and types of PEMF waves to send, and as a result there is a wide variety of PEMF machines on the market. They range in strength from very weak (to simulate the earth's magnetic fields) to much stronger (to allow a greater effect, quicker). ​The latest development is the HUGO, which uses a strong magnetic field in a "sandwich" approach, allowing for even more effectiveness of therapy.

Below is a highly abbreviated list of benefits of PEMF Therapy:


Opening cell membranes
Increased oxygen transport across cell membranes
Increased ability to remove toxins
Increased "energy" available to individual cells
Increased wound healing
Mood improvement
and many more...

When being used before receiving an IV, the patient lays down on top of a mat that contains a set of coils from the PEMF, and has another mat placed over the top of them. By sandwiching the body (apart from the head), it creates the electric field necessary to effectively enhance the transportation of nutrients and waste products across the cell membrane, helping cells to detoxify and absorb nutrients more effectively.

After the patient is situated based on their needs, the machine is turned on and adjusted to patient comfort. At lower power settings, the patient may not feel too much of a sensation, but at higher doses they may feel some of their muscles rhythmically contracting. We do not let the patient stay at a level that is uncomfortable or painful.

The session lasts only 12 minutes, and some effects of reduced pain, increased energy, and improved digestion are often noted soon after, whether immediately or the following day.

We also use the PEMF as part of our Pain Elimination Protocol (which uses procedures like Neural Therapy and Prolozone, for patients with chronic pain and injured ligaments or joints). We further the efforts of the treatment received by having the patient use a set of wrapped coils to target the painful area like a bullseye. The coils boost circulation and oxygenation, effectively reducing pain and inflammation, aiding healing, recovery, and performance enhancement.

After the patient is situated based on their needs, the machine is turned on and adjusted to patient comfort. At lower power settings, the patient may not feel too much of a sensation, but at higher doses they may feel some of their muscles rhythmically contracting. We do not let the patient stay at a level that is uncomfortable or painful.

The session lasts only 12 minutes, and some effects of reduced pain, increased energy, and improved digestion are often noted soon after, whether immediately or the following day.

Naltrexone is a medicine sometimes used to treat people with narcotic addiction and alcoholism. In very low doses (less than 10% of a usual dose), however, naltrexone is believed to help regulate people's immune systems, helping with several different disease processes.

In the 1980's, naltrexone was developed as a medicine to help heroin addicts. The action of the medication is to block the effect of opiates and opioid medicines, to prevent people from getting high while taking heroin. A researcher by the name of Dr Bihari found that the lowest dose of naltrexone didn't help the addiction, but did prevent his AIDS patients from getting sick. Since then, this therapy has been successfully used not only for HIV but for many other diseases / conditions.

At the regular dose, naltrexone blocks the opioid receptors in the body for a full 24 hours. At a very low dose it blocks them for only 2-4 hours, during which time your body makes more endorphins (the body's natural morphine). When the naltrexone wears off, this new, larger supply of endorphins can help cut down on chronic pain. Endorphins also help modulate the immune system, allowing your body to better fight the things it should be fighting (like infections or disease) and not fight the things it shouldn't (i.e. autoimmune disorders).

(per the Low Dose Naltrexone website)
Neurodegenerative Diseases
ALS, Alzheimer's, Autism, MS, Parkinson's, PTSD, etc
Autoimmune Diseases
AS, Behcet's, Celiac, Chronic Fatigue, Crohn's, Fibromyalgia, Hashimoto's, IBS, MG, Pemphigoid, Psoriasis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, etc.
Cancers
Bladder, Breast, Carcinoid, Colon/Rectal, Liver, Lung, Melanoma, Ovarian, Pancreatic, Prostate, etc.
Other Diseases Common Colds (URI's), Emphysema (COPD), HIV/AIDS, Depression (Major; and Bipolar)

Visit Low Dose Naltrexone Website

Because LDN is a lower dose of a standard medicine, it needs to be specially made at a compounding pharmacy. This can also mean that the cost is higher than what you'd find at a regular pharmacy. Each patient has their own particular dose that works best for them - it's definitely not a "one size fits all."

LDN is usually taken at night time just before going to bed. Occasionally patients take it in the morning. Most people tolerate it very well, with the only common side effects being:

--decreased sleep for the first couple of nights (after that patients often sleep better than they've slept in years)
--vivid, "funky" dreams (not nightmares). These may or may not go away after a while, but are typically not bothersome to patients.

Lately, it's been hard to go far without hearing something about "Stem Cells," and how they have the potential to do amazing things in medicine. So what are they? Stem Cells are cells that have the ability to not only reproduce themselves, but to also turn into other cells. You could say that the fertilized egg is the ultimate stem cell since it can turn into all the different tissues of the body. During development, your body retains other stem cells, some of which can have the ability to turn into pretty much any kind of tissue in the human body.

Once the stem cells have been harvested and processed, they are injected into the area which is in need of repair. The cells can then help to repair the tissue to allow for recovery. We use the umbilical stem cells, as we feel this gives the very highest concentration and numbers of stem cells and growth factors for the very best results possible. Some people feel improvement quickly, although it's more common for people to not notice too much for the first two weeks or so, and then start to see results. There can be continued additional benefit for 8 weeks or even longer from the stem cell injections. Oftentimes one injection is all you need, although certain cases may need more.

While it's true that we all have stem cells which have the ability to turn into any kind of needed cell, many of our body tissues have very few of these cells - and not enough to regrow or repair damaged tissue. Tissues like nerve cells have very limited ability for self-repair, and other tissues like tendons, ligaments and cartilage get very limited blood supply (which can bring stem cells as well as other things). By giving stem cells, you could potentially have the ability to regrow tissue that otherwise would not be able to repair itself.

There are only four ways to legally obtain stem cells in the United States today:

1. Bone Marrow (obtained from your own body and relatively easily processed)
2. Fat Cells (obtained from your own body - it has higher concentration of cells, but is harder to process and the FDA has made doing this more difficult)
3. Amniotic (sometimes called "placental") Stem Cells (obtained from the amniotic fluid in the sac of a newborn baby. Not your own cells, but are "fresh," and theoretically might be able to divide better)
4. Umbilical stem cells (obtained from the umbilical cord attached to a newborn's placenta. Same advantages as with Amniotic, but much higher concentrations of stem cells and growth factors)