On January 28th, this SATURDAY I will guide you through a 4-course dining workshop, cooked by Abby from Abby’s Table, focusing on healthy ways to lose weight while not surrendering to beautiful food. If you have ever thought that eating healthy means eating boring unsatisfying food we will blow that myth out of the water.

Click HERE for the write up in the PORTLAND MONTHLY MAGAZINE!
Click HERE to reserve your seat.

If you are interested in learning about future dinners, including the Feb 25th Heart Healthy Feast with Drs. Shields and Weeks, click HERE.

Open Kitchen is a farm to table organization with the goal of educating the community on how to eat local and cook amazing tasty healthy meals. Click here to learn more about their inspirational concept.

Jan 28th
7pm
Location: Abby’s Table
609 S.E. Ankeny  Portland, OR
Tickets are $45 per person

Menu Sneak Peak

First
Lemon Lentil Cakes with Dandelion Pistou
Served with Radicchio

Second
Healthful “Caesar” Salad with Arugula, Fennel and Two Radishes
Served with Sunflower Seeds

Main
Venison Ragout with Mustard Greens, Sundried Tomatoes, and Turnips
(Vegetarian) White Bean Ragout with Mustard greens, Sundried Tomatoes, and Turnips
Served with Fried Dulse Seaweed and Spicy Sauerkraut

Dessert
Hazelnut-Lavender Coconut Truffles
Served with Spearmint Tea

The #1 way to improve your health is… to reduce the amount of sugar you consume! 

5 Reasons Why You Should Reduce Your Sugar Intake

#1 Sugar suppresses the immune system.

Hence all the colds and flus during or after the Holidays!

#2 Sugar disrupts the mineral balance in the body.

Ahem… osteoporosis!

#3 Sugar causes hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and crankiness in children (and adults).

If you want to have well-behaved, level headed kids, start with eliminating the cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup in their diets.

#4 Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.

Elevated triglycerides are actually more of an indication of sugar consumption and balance than cholesterol.

#5 Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection and infectious diseases.

If you seem to catch every cold that comes around, you ARE eating too much sugar!

5 Hidden Food Sources of Sugar (check the label before you buy!)

#1 Ketchup. Heinz contains high fructose corn syrup and other “natural flavorings”. Try a natural ketchup that doesn’t need to add sugar and flavorings because they use better quality foods.

#2 Salad dressings. Try making your own using 1:1 vinegar and oil of your choosing. It’s cheaper.

#3 Peanut Butter. Peanut butter should have 1 ingredient, peanuts. That’s it.

#4 Energy bars. Look for whole food sourced bars made with honey or dates.

#5 Cereal. The worst possible breakfast, especially for kids, is a bowl full of sugar to start the day. It has a trip to the principals office written all over it.

The January Wellness Dinner at the Open Kitchen in Portland, Oregon is exploring weight loss through nutrition.  In collaboration with Dr. Alexis Shields, the Open Kitchen has designed a four course fine dining meal that will demonstrate how delicious weight loss can be! This WILL NOT be a dinner of carrots and apples with a slice of lemon on the side.

Dr. Shields will moderate the dinner, explaining to the diners the effect these ingredients have on the body and what other nutritional benefits they have.

Please contact daniel@theopenkitchenpdx.com for any special dietery needs (vegetarian, vegan, etc…) and we will be happy to design a menu just for you.

Tickets for this Wellness Dinner are $45 and can be purchased through this link.

Date: January 28th, 2012

Time: 7pm

Location: The Open Kitchen  609 SE Ankeny, Suite A  Portland, Oregon 97214

MENU:

Lemon Lentil Cakes with Dandelion Pistou, served with Radicchio

Healthful “Caesar” Salad with Arugula, Fennel and Two Radishes, served with Sunflower Seeds

Venison Ragout with Mustard Greens, Sundried Tomatoes, and Turnips

(Vegetarian) White Bean Ragout with Mustard greens, Sundried Tomatoes, and Turnips, served with Fried Dulse Seaweed and Spicy Sauerkraut

Hazelnut-Lavender Coconut Truffles, served with Spearmint Tea

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE OPEN KITCHEN.

If you are like me, eating pancakes results in a nap and the feeling of a boulder sitting in your stomach. Well, this is a GREAT and delicious way to make pancakes, yes… pancakes, that do not contain any grains.

The recipe is adapted from my new favorite cookbook called Internal Bliss.

Add to a bowl and mix until smooth: 5 egg yolks, 1c fresh cooked pureed squash or pumpkin, 1/2c almond butter, 1/4 of an avocado, 1Tbl cinnamon, 1/2tsp sea salt, dash of clove and nutmeg.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and then fold them into the yolk mixture (think meringue).

Fry in organic butter using a hot pan. Watch them they burn easily, but get the pan good and hot before adding the batter. Keep the size small.

To make the syrup: heat 1/4c honey, 1/2 lemon juiced, vanilla extract.

YUM!

Minty peas

Heat a couple Tbls of olive oil in a pan, add 1 bag frozen peas, and 1 handful chopped fresh mint. Cover for a few minutes to steam, add a couple pads of organic butter with sea salt and pepper. Serve!

(Jamie Oliver)

Chicken and white bean salad

Combine shredded chicken, white beans, chopped oil packed sundried tomatoes, and sautéed summer squash. Add vinaigrette. Add chopped basil for some extra flavor, but that would make 6 ingredients. Want to make a lettuce wrap? Wrap the above in a romaine lettuce leaf or collard green. (Eating Well)

Ground turkey sausage, tomato & basil

Fry 1 lb ground turkey sausage, add to bowl of halved cherry tomatoes, chopped basil, drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.

Carrot almond salad

Add small carrots sliced in half lengthwise to boiling water for 60 seconds. Remove and strain. Toss with toasted almonds. Drizzle with sauce made from olive oil, garlic, and cilantro. Want to spice it up? Add jalapeno to your sauce. Want another veggie? Add asparagus to the pot with the carrots.

(101 Cookbooks)

Curried egg salad filled cabbage leaves

Make egg salad with chopped onion, organic mayo and curry powder. Add to cabbage leaf and enjoy! Want to add a different flavor? Add chopped apples, toasted pecans and chives to the egg salad. Mouth watering! (101 Cookbooks)

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED! 

** If you have discovered a delicious 5 ingredient or less recipe and would like to share please email the directions to drshieldsnd@gmail.com. We will collect them for our next newsletter! Include a photo if you would like.**  

Are you bored with what you are eating? 

Well bore no more…

I am so excited to share with all of you a book that my dear friends, colleagues, and foodie inspiration have written together. Long ago (or 6 years), I was in the dark about what nutrition and health really meant. As I ate my low fat 100-calorie snack pack of processed yuck, I was introduced to these two spectacular women, Tanda and Sarah. They are responsible for me turning into a serious FOODIE. And not just a lover of food, but a lover of REAL food. If you want to know what I mean by this you need to get their book. It’s not yet in print. But it’s coming. It is the perfect addition to your kitchen. You MUST have it:)

Stay tuned for how to order… click here for more info.

If TUMS is your version of an after dinner mint, this article is for you.

Do you have frequent gas, bloating, heartburn, diarrhea or constipation? No amount of these symptoms are considered normal. Yes it is true they are common. But no, you shouldn’t feel like you have a two ton boulder sitting your stomach after a meal.

Why is it important to improve the digestion? The immune system, as well as chemicals in the brain to stabilize mood, are all made within the digestive system. If your digestion is not working properly, then you may be someone who catches every cold and flu going around. We have all heard the expression, “You are what you eat.” Well that is only partly true. You are what you eat AND digest!

The digestive system includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. It is one large continuous tube with varying pHs and a proper balance of healthy gut flora (or bacteria). The proper pH of the mouth is about 7.0-7.5. If your pH is lower than this, then your body is acidic. It is very likely that you are eating too much sugar and a mineral poor diet. Add this to poor digestion and you are setting yourself up for illness!

Follow these 3 easy steps at each meal to improve your digestion:

1. Drink 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar before each meal

Add the vinegar to a couple ounces of water 5 minutes before eating. This helps to stimulate proper acid and enzyme production in the stomach to allow for complete break down of food. It will also help to prevent unwanted gas, bloating and heartburn after meals. It is best to avoid drinking fluids with meals. All liquids water down vital enzymes needed to digest food. Drink fluids in between meals for optimal digestion.

2. Take 5 deep breaths before taking the first bite

In order to properly digest we must be in parasympathetic mode, or more commonly referred to as the “rest and digest” mode. Many people eat when they are stressed, upset, standing, and driving. All which create a stressed out environment leading to poor digestion of food. To ensure parasympathetic mode before you eat, take 5 deep breaths with the exhale twice as long as the inhale. For example, breathe in for the count of 3, breath out to the count of 6.

3. Chew each bite 32 times

Eating is NOT a race! Thirty-two times is about thirty times more than the average person chews each bite. Many of us chew the average bite about 2-3 times as if we are in some sort of eating contest. When you do not chew your food thoroughly, your food skips the first and crucial part of digestion, the mouth! Salivary enzymes begin the breakdown process of food which allows for complete digestion when the food reaches your stomach. Not to mention all the air you are swallowing when you eat that fast. So the next logical question is, do you have to count to 32 with each bite? Of course not. But if you try it for several meals you will train yourself to slow down and to chew your food completely.

Incorporate these 3 easy step into your daily routine and in two weeks you will be amazed with the results. If you have severe or chronic digestive complaints and they are not completely gone, you may need to take additional digestive enzymes when you eat. I recommend two products from Thorne Research. My favorites are called Biogest and Plantizyme. Start with taking 1 of each before each meal.

Click here to find out how you can create your own personal account with Thorne, who normally only sells their high quality supplements to health professionals.

Research continues to reveal more uses and indications for vitamin D. We are finding that it has a much broader action in the body and behaves much like a hormone. Vitamin D deficiency is implicated in many modern diseases. It was originally thought that its only function was the regulation of calcium levels in the body, making it extremely important for bone health. However, research continues to reveal its complexity. For example, vitamin D directly controls gene expression, it prevents cancer growth, and deficiency is linked to autism, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disorders, asthma, diabetes, mental disorders, macular degeneration, chronic pain, periodontal disease and multiple sclerosis.

Why are we so deficient in Vitamin D? It all goes back to the way that it is manufactured in the body. Pre-vitamin D is manufactured when UVB rays hit the skin. These are also the so-called “burning” rays with excessive exposure. The pre-hormone travels in the lymph to the liver and the kidneys, which then transforms the pre-vitamin into an active form of vitamin D in the body. The vitamin is stored in muscle and fat tissue. Clothing, sunscreen, dark skin pigmentation, distance from the equator, cloud cover (hello Portland!), air pollution, percentage body fat, and age all play a part in ability to get adequate levels of UVB radiation from the sun.

We have been led to believe that sun is bad and should be avoided at all costs by using SPF lotions, makeup, clothing, etc. As a result, we are severely depleting our bodies of this vital nutrient. There is nothing more natural and supporting to life than the sun. It is not the enemy. However, spending too much time in the sun and getting sunburned will increase your risk for skin cancer! But avoiding the sun, also raises your risk for skin cancer. Luckily, the exposure time needed for optimal levels of vitamin D is fairly short. The best place to get the nutrients that provide the skin with natural sunscreen are antioxidants from vegetables!

Optimal levels and dosage

Many researchers conclude that vitamin D deficiency has reached epidemic proportions. There may be a significant difference between the “recommended dosage” and the “optimal dosage” for health and disease prevention. An afternoon in the sun can produce more than 10,000IU of endogenous vitamin D! The current upper limit is 2,000IU/day; however, this is hotly debated. It is important to note that this current recommendation is only based on the requirements for bones.

The amount of sun that produces a light pinking of the skin on the face, chest and arms results in approximately 600IU, with whole body exposure resulting in the equivalent of 10,000IU. For light pigmented skin, this dose can take from 4-10 minutes. For darker pigmented skin this can take 60-80 minutes. The optimal time for sun exposure is around noon, when the ratio of UVB to UVA is highest.  This is also the time when your chance of getting sunburned is the highest. So the key is limiting exposure. The sun challenged Pacific Northwest may not be able to reach adequate exposure from late fall to early spring. People without personal or family history of skin cancer may choose to do 5-10minutes each week in an artificial UVB tanning booth during the winter months. In fact, a trip to the tanning bed can actually help with seasonal depression. The “old” style tanning beds with the higher percentage of UVB rays are what is needed. The new fancy beds are mostly UVA rays because these are the rays responsible for more tanning of the skin and less burning. The benefits far outweigh the risks to this controlled use of artificial UVB radiation in most individuals.

The average healthy person who doesn’t get daily sun exposure should take 2,000-7,000IU of vitamin D3. It is important to check your levels yearly. Ask your doctor for this simple blood test. A great time of year to test is in January/February, after the body’s stores of vitamin D from the summer months are long gone.  From a naturopathic perspective, optimal levels of vitamin D in the serum are 60-80ng/mL. At this level the vitamin D is not only sufficient, but also optimal. When illness occurs, a naturopath may choose to use levels much higher than the recommended daily dose for a short period of time.

What form do I take?

Both vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol) raise serum levels of 25(OH)D initially, but only D3 maintains sustained elevation. This suggests that the current 50,000IU dosage form of D2 used in conventional medicine may be no more than 5,000-15,000IU when it is actually in the body. The preferred form for raising serum levels is Vitamin D3 that has undergone a micro-emulsion process for maximal absorption.

Naturally occurring vitamin D in food sources is limited. It can be found in small amounts in fatty fish such as herring, mackerel, sardines, and tuna. It is also contained in salmon, egg, shrimp, milk and cod. Cod liver oil and supplementation is the main source for those not receiving sun exposure. Artificial vitamin D is also added to foods such as dairy products, juices, cereals and some breads.

Vitamin D toxicity

There are significant dangers associated with vitamin D levels that are too high. This reiterates the importance of getting your vitamin D levels tested. It is recommended that you not do high dose vitamin D supplementation without the recommendation and supervision of your healthcare provider. However, the levels that cause toxicity may be much higher than is currently suspected. It is important to note that actual vitamin D toxicity is very rare. This may become less so with the rising popularity of high dose supplementation. Symptoms of vitamin D overdose come from the increased level of calcium in the blood and include decrease in appetite, weight loss, frequent urination, constipation, fever, chills, abdominal pain, and a disruption in kidney function.

If you enjoyed this article please retweet and share on Facebook to help me spread the word-Thanks!

Medical hydrotherapy is any treatment that uses water for the treatment of disease and maintenance of health. Water as a healing agent has a long and rich history. Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, used hydrotherapy in combination with diet, herbs, exercise and spinal manipulation back in 460BC!

In the early 20^th century, OG Carroll pioneered constitutional hydrotherapy, the system used in our office. This method combines the application of hot and cold wet towels to the front and back of the body in combination with physiotherapy machines to specific organs or spinal levels. Constitutional hydrotherapy is clinically proven to detoxify the digestive tract, reduce inflammation, and improve the composition of the circulating blood. It is commonly used to treat infections, digestive disorders, skin conditions, childhood complaints, hormonal imbalance, fatigue, chronic pain, autoimmune disorders, mood disorders, asthma/allergies, thyroid and adrenal disorders, liver disease, stress disorders, and many more.

What do I wear?

In order to apply the towels to your upper torso and back, you will undress from the waist up and wear a robe that we will provide for you when you arrive to your appointment.

How long does it take?

Each session is typically 45-mins to 1-hour

What does it feel like?

The treatment feels like a relaxing spa treatment. Many people fall asleep during the session. It is very gentle but has deep acting effects on your health.

How does it work?

Approximately 60% of the body and 70% of the brain is made up of water. Water is vital for life and health. The properties that make it an excellent healing agent is its ability to store and give off large amounts of heat. When the body comes in contact with the change in temperature, the nervous system responds and the body moves the blood between the internal organs and external body. This has both cleansing and tonifying long-term effects. Gentle electrical stimulation to the spine and abdomen is used to enhance digestion. In addition, a high frequency or diathermy machine may be used to increase blood flow and fight microbial infections.

Can non-patients come in for hydro treatments?

In order to apply the treatment correctly it is required to have a health workup before your first hydro. However, if you are already being seen by a healthcare professional, they can refer you for hydro treatments only.

A note to patients: If hydrotherapy is not currently a part of your treatment plan and you become ill with a cold, flu, sinus infection, etc you should call our office immediately to schedule a hydrotherapy session. The hydrotherapy session will help to stop the infection from progressing and greatly reduce the amount of discomfort and duration of the illness!

If you enjoyed this article please retweet and share on Facebook to help me spread the word-Thanks!

I am writing this article in response to questions I have been getting about the safety of the sweetener, stevia. Let me start by giving a little background on the issue. Stevia is a non-caloric herb that is native to South America. It is 300 times sweeter than sugar and has been used for more than 1,500 years around the globe.  (This alone says a lot about the safety of the plant in question—people have been consuming it for 1,500 YEARS!)

In discussing any sugar substitute, we must first consider what effects consuming sugar has had on the population. Obesity rates are skyrocketing in the US, which has led to an increase of heart disease, type II diabetes, and cancer. What is responsible for the obesity epidemic? Many causes come into play—from too much fast food, the quality of our food in general,  and the toxicity of our environment to a more sedentary lifestyle. But one key factor is the excessive amount of SUGAR we consume. This totals about 180 lbs per year for the average person to be exact!

Many people are concerned about lowering their blood sugar count. So you can imagine that commercial use of a non-caloricnatural herb 300 times sweeter than sugar that doesn’t have the same effect as sugar in raising the blood sugar count would be BIG business. And it is; Coca-cola and Pepsi even have their hands on stevia for some of their products. However, this was not always so.

In 1991, an anonymous complaint resulted in the FDA adding stevia to its “unsafe food additive” list. It is thought that this decision was made based on pressure from the artificial sweetener industry, although it is in direct violation with the ruling that a food that has been used before1958, with no reported adverse effects, should be GRAS (generally recognized as safe). Why might the artificial sugar industry apply this pressure? Well, because stevia occurs naturally, thus requiring no patent to produce it. In other words, no one stands to make as much money for a compound that occurs naturally. If stevia continues to become a popular and healthier choice for sweetening food and drink and people can grow it in their backyard, the negative impact on the artificial sweetener business profits would be severe.

In 1995, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act forced the FDA to revise its stance and to permit stevia to be sold as a dietary supplement. The double standard was created, and stevia could now be sold as a supplement but not as a food additive. This demonstrates that the FDA’s ruling clearly had nothing to do with the consumers’ health or the safety of stevia. In 2008, the Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo came out with their new line of stevia-sweetened sodas, and the FDA gave “no objection” to the approval of Truvia and PureVia, both which use rebaudioside A, a compound derived from the stevia plant.

Safety

Two of the sweet steviol glycosides include stevioside and rebaudioside. Studies that have been conducted (mostly in lab rats) suggest that certain compounds of stevia may, in fact, be carcinogenic and possibly affect testosterone levels and fertility. However, these studies are flawed in several ways and it is important to note these few key points. Humans are not rats and sometimes when a rat is fed very high quantities of foods completely outside of their natural diet, problems will arise. Also, when compounds are tested in the lab, they are normally individual isolates found within the study compound, otherwise known as the “active compound.” What this means is, the best way to consume stevia is in its whole form found in nature. When compounds are isolated and altered in the laboratory, problems often arise. (One example of laboratories interfering with nature is the production of trans fats.) Stevioside and rebaudioside, however, DO NOT appear in nature in the isolated form. They are part of a whole compound called stevia. It appears in nature this way for a reason and we shouldn’t try to interfere with nature. Nature always wins!

Therefore, when using stevia as a sweetener, use it in its whole form. The ingredient list should have one thing in it: stevia. Period. Or, stevia rebaudiana, which is the herbal name. I prefer that my patients use it in a tincture form, or liquid, which can be found in the nutritional supplement aisle of your grocery store.

How much is too much?

I believe that people should not replace their yearly 180 lbs of sugar with 180 lbs of stevia. This is not the point and NOT a healthy use of stevia! The goal is to reduce the total amount of sugar intake but, when you do want a sweetener, use a healthier option. Cane sugar triggers weight gain, directly assaults your immune system, and leads to chronic disease and premature aging.

Sugar is a very, very addicting substance. If you want to know if you have an addiction to sugar, go without it for 1 week. What this means is that you cannot eat ANYTHING that contains added sugar for 1 whole week. For example, fruit sugar is different because this is naturally derived; however, all sugar in processed foods, condiments, dressings, sauces, snack foods, drinks, baked goods, etc would be off limits. Honey, maple syrup, agave, are also included in this off-limit list for the week. If you can go the entire week without any negative symptoms, cravings, or improvements in health, then you likely do not have a sugar addiction. Most people will find it difficult to go one day without sugar and even have difficulty in choosing what to eat. If this is you, then you need to see a naturopath for nutritional help! For a really interesting and informational article on the dangers of fructose, click HERE.

In conclusion

Under no circumstance would I recommend that anyone use these artificial sweeteners: aspartame, Splenda, Equal, Sweet’N Low, and NutraSweet. These sweeteners are neurotoxins and are responsible for hundreds of negative symptoms. (This is a huge topic for another post, but for now read the book  Sweet Deception or watch the documentary, Sweet Misery, for more information.)

Stevia is a great way to sweeten foods, drinks, sauces, dressings, etc; however, as in any food additive, it should be used in moderation. Too much of anything can have a negative impact. For the generally healthy individual, I recommend using stevia, raw organic honey, and organic maple syrup in small amounts for sweetening foods and drink.

If you enjoyed this article please retweet and share on Facebook to help me spread the word- Thanks!

Neural Therapy for Pain, Musculoskeletal Imbalance and

Nervous System Dysfunction

Neural therapy is a comprehensive healing system that focuses on the relief of chronic pain and long-term illness. These symptoms can be stopped by injecting local anesthetics into painful areas or at the site of previous injury such as a scar. This corrects “short circuits”, re-sets the pain response and restores electrical conductivity in the body.

Benefits

Neural therapy has been used in the treatment of hundreds of conditions. These include chronic pain, depression, hormonal imbalances, dizziness, allergies, asthma, skin diseases, hemorrhoids, ulcers, chronic bowel problems, prostrate and bladder problems, headache (including migraine), kidney disease, arthritis, back pain, as well as whiplash and other soft-tissue injuries.

Origins

The earliest known use of neural therapy was in 1925, when two German doctors treated migraine headaches by injecting a local anesthetic into the veins. The injections immediately aborted not only the headaches but also a number of other symptoms (dizziness, nausea, a visual “flashing” sensation) also associated with migraine. In 1940, Dr. Ferdinand Huneke, a German physician, found that injecting procaine into an osteomyelitis scar on a patient’s leg

seemed to instantly cure chronic pain in her shoulder. Now called the lightning reaction or Huneke phenomenon, it showed that injuries in one part of the body may cause symptoms elsewhere in the body. Neural therapy has been widely practiced since the 1940s in both Europe and South America. An estimated 35% of all German physicians use neural therapy with their patients and is one of the most widely used modalities to treat chronic pain.

How it Works

Neural therapy is the therapeutic normalization of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system controls all the non-conscious aspects of body function. Breathing, blood flow, heart rate, skin temperature, etc. are all under the control of the autonomic nervous system. The most relevant portion of the autonomic system to neural therapy, however, is located in the skin. The Chinese first recognized the importance of the autonomic nervous system and mapped the acupuncture points that control various phases of the autonomic nervous system on the surface of the body. They organized the autonomic nervous system into a series of meridians, still used today.

Injuries and other trauma may disrupt or put pressure on the autonomic nervous system resulting in dysfunction of organs controlled by that part of the autonomic nervous system. For example a bad tooth located in the same acupuncture meridian as the gall bladder can cause the gall bladder to dysfunction. Scars are one of the most common causes of autonomic dysfunction because they can generate a small electrical signal, which sends false signals to the autonomic nervous system causing dysfunction. A scar on the abdomen can cause pain in the leg or refer pain to the shoulder. Local anesthetics injected into the scars of old injuries or in painful areas can restore normal function and current flow in the autonomic nervous system. Injecting a small area may result in complete clearing of long standing leg or hip pain, headaches, etc. If the relief from an injection lasts more than twenty hours then re-injecting the area will usually result in more long lasting relief of pain. With each successive injection the pain relief becomes more enduring.

The Procedure

The most common procedures used by practitioners of neural therapy involve injections of local anesthetics (1% preservative free procaine) just under the skin surface (intradermal) over a painful area or scar. These injections are intended to correct abnormal electrical signaling caused by injuries, or to detoxify tissues or enhance the effectiveness of drugs or nutrients. It is argued that all scars cause problems and must be injected at least once. A typical course of treatment may involve around three to six sessions at a frequency of once every week. The number of injections varies, as does their location. The treatment is done either sitting or lying down. Loose fitting clothes make the treatment process easier while maintaining modesty.

Precautions

We use a preservative free solution made for neural therapy. Neural therapy can usually safely be done for patients with allergies to local anesthetics. Anyone with serious illness should avoid using neural therapy as a sole method of treatment. Even those patients with an intense fear of needles come back for this treatment, as it is so effective. Tell us ahead of time if you really are uncomfortable around needles.

Side Effects

Neural therapy is considered generally free of adverse side effects. You will feel relaxed and tired after a session, and most patients prefer to go home for a nap after the first treatment. Subsequent treatments may also require a relaxation period afterwards. Seriously ill patients may want to have someone drive them home.

If you enjoyed this article please retweet and share on Facebook to help me spread the word- Thanks!