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Other common
name(s): none
Scientific/medical
name(s): none
Description
Neural therapy involves the injection of anesthetics (drugs
that normally cause numbness or reduce pain) into various places in the
body to eliminate pain and cure illness.
Overview
Research into neural therapy has been done mainly in Germany,
where the therapy is widely used. No reports of clinical research on
the effectiveness of neural therapy for pain management or any other
health problems could be found in the available U.S. scientific
journals.
How is it promoted for use?
The practice of neural therapy is based on the belief that
energy flows freely through the body of a healthy person. Proponents
claim injury, disease, malnutrition, stress, and even scar tissue
disrupt this flow, creating energy imbalances called "interference
fields." Some proponents of this theory in Germany have stated that 40
percent of all illness and chronic pain may be caused by interference
fields in the body.
There are other explanations for how neural therapy works,
including the electrical disturbance theory, the restricted lymphatic
system theory, and the idea that illness is caused by distortion in the
connective tissue of the body. All of these theories assume that any
interference in structure, lymphatic flow, or electrical conduction can
cause illness. The goal of neural therapy is to correct the
interference and heal the illness or symptom. However, even those who
practice neural therapy acknowledge that the process is not well
understood.
Neural therapy is promoted mainly to relieve chronic pain. It
is also thought to be helpful for people with allergies; hay fever;
headaches; arthritis; asthma; hormone imbalances; sports or muscle
injuries; gallbladder, heart, or liver disease; dizziness; depression;
menstrual cramps; and skin and circulation problems.
There are conflicting beliefs about the usefulness of neural
therapy for easing cancer-related pain. Proponents of the therapy for
other uses generally suggest that people who have cancer should not use
neural therapy. They say that it is unlikely to help and may even cause
the cancer to spread. Finally, they maintain that neural therapy is not
helpful in genetic diseases, nutritional deficiencies, end-stage
chronic diseases, and mental health disorders other than depression.
This method is not to be confused with the nerve blocks and
local anesthesia used in conventional medicine. Nerve blocks involve
injections of medication to relieve pain caused by stimulation of a
peripheral nerve. Local anesthesia is medication given at a local site
to relieve localized pain. For example, a local anesthetic may be given
before a tooth is removed, before removing a small skin lesion, or to
help chronic pain in cancer. This type of anesthetic use has been
proven to be effective.
What does it involve?
Practitioners begin by asking questions about the current
problem and any past illnesses and injuries. They decide what is most
likely to be the cause of the energy flow disturbance in the body and
then inject anesthetics such as lidocaine and procaine at key points,
which may be far from the pain source. These injections are meant to
eliminate the interference and restore the body's natural energy flow.
The injections may be given into nerves, acupuncture points, glands,
scars, and trigger points (abnormally sensitive knots of tight muscle
tissue that may cause pain or limit range of motion). A course of
treatment may involve one or more injections spread over several weeks.
A few practitioners use electrical current and lasers instead of
injected drugs. The patient may be asked to keep a log of changes in
the body for a day or two after injections are done. This may be used
to guide future treatments.
Some practitioners combine neural therapy with other types of
treatment, such as homeopathy, applied kinesiology, and biological
dentistry. In fact, some practitioners believe that root canals, metal
tooth fillings, and even jewelry can cause interference fields.
What is the history behind it?
The idea behind neural therapy -- that the nervous system
influences all bodily functions -- originated in Germany in the late
1800s with a Russian physiologist named Ivan Petrov. In the 1940s,
Ferdinand and Walter Huneke, both physicians, carried this idea
further. They believed that injecting local anesthetics could affect
distant parts of the body, a theory based on a clinical experience with
a patient who complained of shoulder pain. When Ferdinand Huneke
injected an anesthetic drug directly into an existing scar on the
patient's leg, the patient's shoulder pain reportedly disappeared in
minutes. From this experience arose the notion of interference fields
and the development of neural therapy.
Today, neural therapy is only practiced at a few clinics in
the United States. However, it is widely used in Europe and South
America.
What is the evidence?
Most articles on neural therapy have been published in
Germany, where neural therapy is popular and most of the literature
focuses on pain relief. Many of the promoters have claimed positive
results, but no clinical studies have been done in the United States. A
study done in Scotland in 1999 seemed to suggest that neural therapy
might be helpful for people with multiple sclerosis. However, it was an
uncontrolled study, so no reliable conclusions can be drawn. Available
scientific evidence does not support claims that neural therapy is
effective in treating cancer or any other disease.
Are there any possible problems or
complications?
Since there are few studies done on the use of neural therapy,
information about side effects is limited. At least one person had
bleeding on the brain while undergoing neural therapy, which was
reported in German medical literature. Neural therapy practitioners
suggest that people who have cancer, kidney failure, blood clotting
disorders, or myasthenia gravis (a condition in which muscles are very
weak) should not use neural therapy. Patients taking blood-thinning
medications may have problems with this treatment, as might those
taking morphine or heart rhythm drugs that may be somewhat similar to
the anesthetic drugs used in neural therapy. People with allergies to
the anesthetic drugs are not candidates for the therapy.
Relying on this treatment alone and delaying or avoiding
conventional medical care for cancer may have serious health
consequences.
Additional Resources
More information from your American Cancer
Society
The following information on complementary and alternative
therapies may also be helpful to you. These materials may be found on
our Web site (www.cancer.org)
or ordered from our toll-free number (1-800-ACS-2345).
References
Cassileth B. The
Alternative Medicine Handbook: The Complete Reference Guide to
Alternative and Complementary Therapies. New York, NY: W.
W. Norton; 1998.
Gibson RG, Gibson SL. Neural therapy in the treatment of
multiple sclerosis. J
Altern Complement Med. 1999;5:543-552.
Heyll U, Ziegenhagen DJ. Subarachnoid hemorrhage as
life-threatening complication of neural therapy. Case report [in
German]. Versicherungsmedizin.
2000;52:33-36.
Kaslow JE. Neural therapy. Dr. Kaslow Web site. Accessed at
http://www.drkaslow.com/html/neural_therapy.html on June 2, 2008.
Kennedy R. Neural therapy. The Doctors’ Medical
Library Web site. Accessed at
http://www.medical-library.net/content/view/63/45/ on June 2, 2008.
Klinghardt D. Neural therapy and the brain. Neural Therapy Web
site. Accessed at
http://www.neuraltherapy.com/a_neural_therapy_brain.asp on May 30,
2008.
NCCN clinical practice guidelines in oncology: adult cancer
pain, v 1.2006. National Comprehensive Cancer Network Web site.
Accessed at
http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/pain.pdf on March
30, 2007.
Neural therapy. American Association of Orthopedic Medicine
Web site. Accessed at
http://www.aaomed.org/page.asp?id=93&name=Neural+Therapy on
June 2, 2008.
Raso J. The expanded dictionary of metaphysical healthcare,
alternative medicine, paranormal healing, and related methods.
Quackwatch Web site. Accessed at
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/dictionary/md00.html
on May 30, 2008.
Note: This information may not cover
all possible claims, uses, actions, precautions, side effects or
interactions. It is not intended as medical advice, and should not be
relied upon as a substitute for consultation with your doctor, who is
familiar with your medical situation.
Last Medical Review: 11/01/2008
Last Revised: 11/01/2008
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