Enjoy Spring without Neuropathy Pain!
“It started out when my wife and I were
running errands. We were driving on the
beltway when I saw cars ahead slowing down and braking, so I began to move my foot from the gas to the brake like any normal person would. I attempted to brake, however, I couldn't feel my foot. That’s when we heard the car go CRUNCH!
We came to an abrupt stop when I hit the
SUV in front of me.”
At his initial consultation, Michael R. shared this tragic story. Michael described how he suffered for the past five years with tingling and burning in his feet. It eventually led to complete numbness, thus preventing him from properly feeling the brake pedal while driving.
Peripheral Neuropathy starts with dull achy pain. Next there is burning that turns into tingling, sharp pains, or the feeling of walking on tacks or marbles. Some will even report feeling like they are walking on a peg-leg. Once the pain subsides, numbness settles in and brings with it a whole new set of problems.
This was the case with Michael. “I swore I’d never drive again. What if I had killed someone? I’d never be able to live with myself if that happened.”
It is extremely common that peripheral neuropathy and its debilitating symptoms affect a person's quality of life. Michael was now reliant on his wife to drive him around, even the simple pleasure of cruising down Beach Drive or running a quick errand was outside his capabilities. And even more common, Michael’s general practitioner and several specialists told him there was nothing they could do other than prescribe him pills that would ease the pain of his neuropathy. However nothing would bring the feeling back or slow the progression.
Most people are unfamiliar with how Peripheral Neuropathy affects the extremities. Damage is caused by a lack of blood flow to the nerves in the hands and feet, which leads to a lack of nutrients that causes degeneration of the nerves. Once the nerves “die” then you will feel weakness, pain, numbness, tingling, and the most debilitating balance problems.
Neuropathy affects over 3 million people in the US and most people are told they have to live with the pain. Most likely when you are diagnosed with Peripheral Neuropathy, your doctor will suggest a treatment plan that may temporarily reduce your symptoms to address your neuropathy by suggesting various prescription drugs like Gabapentin, Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Neurontin, and an antidepressant or anti-seizure drugs. For some, these have a variety of side effects ranging from feeling uncomfortable to feeling worse than before taking them. Sadly, your doctor, like Michael’s, will tell you to continue taking these drugs, even when you feel miserable, or to just live with the problem because the solutions are quite limited.
The good news is many people are finding the benefits of integrative medicine approaches such as: acupuncture and electron therapy. This is where we come in. While we specialize in acupuncture and it’s definitely part of our protocols in treating neuropathy, the real secret is in more advanced modern medical solutions called ATP Resonance BioTherapy™ and O3 Regenerative Therapy™. Originally developed by NASA, these advanced technologies assist in increasing blood flow, expediting recovery and healing. It’s like watering a plant. These therapies stimulate the blood vessels by providing the necessary nutrients that assist the peripheral nerves to grow back, heal, and repair. The amount of treatment needed to allow the nerves to fully recover varies from person to person and can only be determined after a detailed neurological and vascular evaluation.
It has been established that a nerve can regenerate 1/3 of an inch per month if given the proper blood flow, oxygen and nutrients. We personally share with our patients that as long as they are alive, proper regenerative treatment can effect change and the body has the amazing ability to heal itself no matter how old they are. Even our patients over 90 years old have seen positive changes. Patients have been able to get their lives back. They’ve been able to enjoy daily activities of life without the constant pain. They’ve regained their balance, and many were able to regain their independence.
In our practice, we typically see tremendous progress in 3-4 months of treatment depending on the severity of the nerve damage. Our best advice is seek out a doctor who helps you become pain free using natural and effective treatments with reduced use of medications.
Using a layered approach and a combination of alternative therapies, we get results where others do not. While no two patients are identical, we use over 30 years of combined clinical experience to develop comprehensive plans uniquely crafted to each person. Our typical patient has seen several physicians and specialists, and are often told there’s no hope. Those are the cases that we really excel in.
We like to say we’re in the business of being the last resort with the best results.
Michael confides, “I won’t lie. I was really skeptical, especially when the top neurologist in the Washington DC area told me there was nothing that could be done. Then I find this doctor right here in Kensington that tells me she can help. Turns out she was right! It took about three months of treatment and I can now confidently drive myself to my appointments! It’s hard to put into words how incredible this is, quite frankly [Dr. Johnson] gave me my life back.”
If you, a family member, friend or co-worker are suffering from neuropathy, please do yourself or the loved one a favor and give them this post to read.