Finally—Effective Natural Treatment for Pain
by Jacob E. Teitelbaum, M.D.
Sadly, pain relief has been a neglected
stepchild in American medical education.
When I was in medical school, we were
basically taught to use either aspirin, family medications
or narcotics—with the latter only to be
used in cancer patients or for acute pain lasting
less than one to two weeks. Even in the latter case
it became a game of making sure no narcotics
addict could fool you to get the medications.
Except for hot compresses and ice packs, natural
therapies were largely ignored.
Fortunately, our understanding of pain management
has now moved way beyond this
“aspirin/narcotics” stage. By understanding that
there are many different types of pain and thoroughly
evaluating the patient for the pain’s underlying
causes, we have found that almost everyone
can have their pain eliminated or at least adequately
controlled so that they’re comfortable. No
longer do patients have to suffer from what seems
to be some doctor’s motto that “all pain is tolerable
– as long as it is somebody else’s.”
How Do I Get Rid of My Pain?
The first step is to determine what is the source of
the pain. Although there are many different types,
pain generally breaks down into several categories,
each of which requires different treatments.
The most common type of poorly treated
pain comes from shortening of the body’s muscles
and ligaments. This includes fibromyalgia (FMS),
myofascial pain syndrome (MPS), tendinitis and
other related pains. Our recently published
placebo-controlled study shows that 91 percent of
fibromyalgia patients get significant and often
complete pain relief by treating the underlying
metabolic factors that contribute to muscle shortening.
The study was so effective that a recent editorial
in the Journal of the American Academy of
Pain Management notes that this treatment is “an
excellent and highly effective part of the standard
of practice for treating fibromyalgia and MPS.”
Treatment of muscle pain’s underlying causes
includes four key categories: 1) nutritional deficiencies,
2) poor sleep, 3) hormonal deficiencies
(despite normal blood tests) and 4) underlying
infections.
Research has shown that the common
denominator behind these problems is often a
malfunction in a major regulatory system in the
brain called the hypothalamus. Because these four
broad categories include over 100 different problems,
a thorough evaluation is generally required.
We see people from all over the world in our clinic
and research center in Annapolis, Maryland.
Despite having effectively treated 2000
fibromyalgia patients, our new patient visit takes
approximately four hours. As most physicians do
not have the time or training to do this evaluation,
we have also created a “computerized
fibromyalgia/MPS specialist” program that can be
found at www.endfatigue.com. This online expert
can analyze a patient’s history and blood tests to
create a complete medical record of his/her case
and determine exactly which treatments are
needed to effectively treat the problem. Although
prescription medications can be helpful, these
problems can be treated entirely with natural
remedies. All of this is discussed at length in my
book From Fatigued to Fantastic! (Avery/Penguin
Putnam 2001).
Proper Nutrition and Adequate Sleep:
A Good First Step
Supplying your muscles with optimum amounts
of the nutrients they need is a critical start. This
can be done simply by using an excellent and
good-tasting powdered formula which I created
(Daily Energy Enfusion). One drink replaces 25
vitamin tablets a day. For pain to go away, it is also
critical that you get eight to nine hours of sleep a
night. The best natural remedy for sleep is a mix
of the six herbs that are found in “Revitalizing
Sleep Formula.” One to four capsules are taken an
hour before bedtime. These can be found in most
health food stores or on my Web site. Taking the “Revitalizing Sleep Formula” with (or without)
calcium, magnesium, melatonin (1/2 to 1 mg)
and 5-HTP 300 mg (the 5-HTP takes 12 weeks to
work) at bedtime can be dramatically effective in
improving sleep and decreasing pain. Natural hormones
in the form of glandulars (especially thyroid)
can also improve vitality and relieve pain.
Effective Treatment for Other Types of Pain
Another type of poorly treated pain is nerve pain.
Although there are many causes for this problem,
they often also respond very well to treatment tailored
to the cause. Carpal tunnel syndrome, for
example, generally responds to using a splint that
keeps the wrist in a neutral position, plus vitamin
B6 (250 milligrams a day) and natural thyroid
hormone or glandulars (despite normal blood
tests). Unless it is being caused by continuing
trauma (e.g. typing or using a jackhammer), the
carpal tunnel syndrome usually resolves within six
weeks on this treatment without surgery.
Disc pain also can be eliminated approximately
75 percent of the time without surgery by
simply using an herb that was turned into a gout
medication (colchicine). This has been demonstrated
to be effective in several studies but is so
inexpensive that no one has paid to make doctors
aware of its effectiveness for disc pain (medical
advertising is quite expensive). In addition, chiropractic,
body work and osteopathic manipulation
and acupuncture can be highly effective for this
and many other types of pain. Other kinds of
nerve pain respond to high dose vitamin vitamin
B12, vitamin vitamin B6 (200 milligrams/day),
lipoic acid and inositol (500–1500 mg/day).
Other natural remedies are effective for the
treatment of inflammatory and degenerative
arthritis and connective tissue diseases. For
arthritis, glucosamine sulfate 500 mg three times
a day, special kinds of concentrated ginger (e.g.
FlexAgility), proteolytic enzymes and MSM can
be very helpful. It usually takes six weeks to see
the full effect of these four treatments. For Lupus,
DHEA 200 mg/day has been proven to help significantly.
As in all illness, the mind-body connection is
important in pain relief. For example, work by
Dr. John Sarno has shown that the mind can
decrease blood flow to muscles to distract us from
uncomfortable emotional feelings. When you feel
pain, tell your mind you will use the pain as a
signal to look for and feel uncomfortable feelings
for 10–15 minutes—then do so. The pain will
often leave within six weeks.
Although we have talked mostly about
treating the underlying causes of pain, there are
many other treatments for pain that can keep
people comfortable while we go after the pain’s
causes. Although space does not allow a full discussion
of these, many of the more effective ones
can be seen in my book From Fatigued to
Fantastic! or on my Web site at www.endfatigue.
com. Click on “Treatment Protocol” and
scroll down to the “Pain Treatments” section.
In summary, it is unusual to have pain that
cannot be eliminated or adequately controlled, if
one takes the time to evaluate it thoroughly and
treat it properly. When possible, we prefer to use a
combination of natural remedies, saving prescriptions
for symptomatic pain control when needed.
Simply put, you don’t have to be in pain
anymore. TH
Jacob Teitelbaum M.D. is a board-certified internist and director of the Annapolis Research Center for Effective CFS/Fibromyalgia Therapies (410-266-6958). Having suffered with and overcome these illnesses
in 1975, he spent the next 27 years creating, researching and teaching about effective therapies. He is senior author of the recently published landmark study, “Effective Treatment of CFS and Fibromyalgia-A Placebo Controlled Study” (visit his Web site listed below). Dr. Teitelbaum lectures and gives two-day
practitioner workshops internationally. He is the author of the best-selling book From Fatigued to Fantastic! His newest book is Three Steps to Happiness: Healing through Joy (Deva Press, 2003).
For more information visit:
www.endfatigue.com
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