Neural therapy defined
Neural therapy is a method of diagnosing and treating illness and pain caused by disturbances of the body's electrophysiology. These
electrical disturbances, called "interference fields," are manifestations of cell membrane instability and typically trigger abnormal
autonomic nervous system responses. Interference fields may be found in scars, autonomic ganglia, teeth, internal organs or other
locations where local tissue irritation exists.
What characterizes interference fields?
Interference fields have lower (or higher) electrical potentials than surrounding tissues. Currents flow from areas of higher voltage
to areas of lower voltage and seem to send confusing signals to the body's nervous system. The body sometimes reacts in inappropriate
ways, resulting in altered autonomic nervous system tone, chronic pain and/or dysfunction.
Interference fields can cause referred pain
Interference fields can be found almost anywhere in the body and are often far from the part of the body experiencing symptoms. For
example, an old appendix scar might cause migraine headache, or a wisdom tooth extraction scar may cause chronic low-back pain. For the
most part, these relationships are totally unpredictable and interference fields must be searched for everywhere in the body.
How to find interference fields
1. Look for an injury, operation or illness preceding the patient's problem.
The traditional way of finding interference fields is by taking a careful history of the patient's problem to look for an injury,
operation or illness in the months preceding the onset of symptoms. Presumably, part of the body's response to the injury or illness was
a local "alarm reaction" involving the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system changes circulation to a body part when an
emergency affects that area of the body. Interference fields seem to develop when the autonomic nervous system control does not return
to normal after the emergency.
2. Palpate possible trouble spots while testing the patient's muscle strength.
Another way of finding interference fields is by making use of the body's electromagnetic field. The electromagnetic field of the body
depends on the generation of electricity by healthy tissue. If tissue is not receiving adequate circulation, as in an interference field,
it will be less vigorous and not have as strong an electromagnetic field over it.
The interference field can be "boosted" temporarily by another person (usually the physician), touching the spot with his or her hand.
When this occurs, there is a generalized inhibition of all the patient's muscles. Thus, the physician can search for interference fields
by touching possible spots while testing the patient's muscle strength.
What conditions are likely to be caused by an interference field?
Any symptom related to bodily functions controlled by the autonomic nervous system, such as palpitations, brochospasm, indigestion,
constipation, sexual dysfunction, dysmenorrhea or even cold hands or feet, may be partially or totally caused by an interference field.
Chronic painespecially migraineoften has an autonomic component such as nausea or sweating. An interference field may also
be suspected if sciatica or any other leg pain is accompanied by coldness or
change in skin color.
How does neural therapy treat interference fields?
If an interference field is found, it can be easily treated by injecting it with a local anaesthetic. Caine anesthetics are cell
membrane stabilizers and act on interference fields in the same way that lidocaine does in treating supraventricular arrhythmias.
The effect of injecting interference fields is immediate. There is sometimes sudden relief of symptomsa "lightning reaction"
but any response typically will occur within the first few days.
In recent years a non-injection therapy has been developed which seems to work as well as the -caine anesthetics. A proprietary
electrical device, called a Tenscam® is held approximately 18 inches from the body and directed at the interference field for a
minute or two.
How long does the relief last?
More often than not, response to treatment of an interference field is temporary, sometimes lasting even less than a day. However, even
a very short response is encouraging and indicates that treatment should be attempted again. Each time an interference field is treated,
there should be a longer response. Treatment is then repeated until it is no longer required.
How safe is neural therapy?
Neural therapy is a remarkably safe medical treatment. The most commonly used anesthetics (procaine and lidocaine) rarely cause allergic
reactions. Allergic reactions to these anesthetics in the past seem to have been caused by preservatives such as methylparaben. These
preservatives are no longer used by most physicians practising neural therapy.
Occasionally, patients will feel faint for a few minutes after neural therapy injections. This may be caused by "needle fright" or by a
short-lasting lowering of the blood pressure caused by the -caine anesthetic itself. Puncture of an internal organ is a theoretical
possibility with certain injections. Because the needles used are of small caliber, this is rarely (if ever) of any consequence. The one
exception is the lung which, if punctured, may cause a pneumothorax. For this reason, special care must be taken with any deep injection
into the chest wall or near the lungs. Another area of injection that carries a slight risk is the head and neck. Injection of a large
volume of anaesthetic into an artery could precipitate a seizure. To avoid this, injections in the head and neck are always performed
slowly, drawing back on the syringe from time to time to make sure the needle has not penetrated an artery.
What conditions may prevent successful treatment?
- Medications. The most common reason for poor response to neural therapy treatment is the presence of medication. Any drug with a
prefix of "anti-" tends to block the autonomic nervous system, e.g., antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, antidepressants, antihypertensives.
Illicit drugs will block it as well.
- Poor nutrition. Inadequate nutrition is much more common than most people realize. Mineral and vitamin deficiencies must be corrected
or interference fields will either recur or the response to treatment will not increase with time.
- Toxins. Drugs, tobacco and alcohol may be considered toxins and can cause a poor response to neural therapy. Environmental toxins such
as organic solvents, herbicides and fungicides also affect some people. The metals in dental amalgam fillings, especially
mercury, poison the autonomic nervous system and may defeat neural therapy.
When and where did neural therapy originate?
Neural therapy was developed in Germany beginning in the 1920s. (See the FAQ for details.) A considerable
body of scientific research supports its basic principles; unfortunately, almost all of the literature is published in German and has never
been translated into English.
Neural therapy is a remarkably safe and simple method of treating many medical problems and is taught in German medical schools. Only in
recent years have some in the English-speaking world of medicine become aware of neural therapy.