Alternative Diagnosis & Treatment Options
Alternative Diagnosis & Treatment Options
People have become all to accustomed to going to the doctor and getting medicine to treat their pain with little attempt to get to the source of the problem. This approach, in combination with a growing awareness that prescription medication is not without risk, has prompted more people have taken it upon themselves to seek alternatives. While hundreds of unproven over the counter supplements or treatments exist, there are numerous alternatives that do work and are readily available.
Simply by becoming engaged in your own care is the first step. While some patients fear that a shared decision making model will somehow alienate their doctor, for the most part doctors welcome a patient who takes ownership it getting well. It helps assure that both the patient and doctor have the same objective. If for some reason you feel like you can’t talk to your doctor either let him know with the hopes of repairing the relationship, or find another doctor.
When researching different diagnostic or treatment options the internet can be a wonderful resource. Keep in mind that not everything you read is true. One helpful concept is almost always true is to “reduce total load”. Total load refers to the total number of factors that prevent you from getting well or staying well.
Let’s start out with some of the basics: enhancing proper nutrition and reducing harmful environmental factors. Without proper nutrition, your body cannot function properly. On the surface this seems obvious enough, but it takes a little extra knowledge to understand that low magnesium levels can lead to blood vessel spasm, result in migraines, vasomotor abnormalities (such as cold hands and feet or Reynaud’s syndrome), peripheral vascular disease (hardening of the arteries), and even heart attacks.
Next, try and think a little bit out side of the box. Has an X-ray been taken? Was it normal? Keep in mind that just because you can’t see something does not mean it isn’t there. For example you can take a photograph of your phone, but that not at all useful in determining whether it actually works or not. To evaluate that you would actually have to listen. For nerve damage the test that does this is referred to as EMG & NCV. If you have weather sensitive pain one of the easiest tests that can assess for it is called Thermography.
Many people believe that an MRI is the “gold standard” for finding out what might be wrong. While MRI is a very valuable tool, it is not an end all. For example in volunteers who never had pain in their life over half were told MRI’s of their back were abnormal. There are other tests such as Diagnostic Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography cost much less and are in many instances better then MRI to evaluate muscle, tendon or ligament injuries.
Medications, including opiates, are frequently prescribed for pain patients. Many people are afraid of their addicting potential and prefer to reserve the use of them for acute and severe, short term problems. Various non steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAID’S) have been shown to provide up to 40% of the pain relief provided by opiates, without any addicting potential. “Receptor” driven pharmacology (providing more then one medicine, each with a different function) allows for an additive effect that be more effective then opiates as well. Sometimes the combination is not intuitive; for example medicines that increase blood flow can be the most effective choice for relieving pain, especially if there is a vascular component. When there is hidden infection pain relief from antibiotics will far surpass that of any pain medicine.
Numerous self help techniques can be extremely effective in pain relief and management. Exercise is one such example. There is no alternative to stretching what is tight, re educating what is inhibited and strengthening what is weak 9 in that order). Ice for 20 minutes is more effective then heat for pain relief, but heat is more relaxing and improves blood flow. Contrast baths consists of showers that alternate between 4 minutes hot, 1 minute cold, 4 minutes hot and 1 minute cold can provide dramatic pain relief, especially in combination with exercise.
Massage, mobilization, acupuncture and water therapy have all been show to reduce pain when properly applied. In cases where the primary reason for pain is muscle, they can even be curative. Correcting posture, wearing different foot gear and eliminating environmental toxins (as much as reasonably possible) can also produce surprising results. Electrical treatments on the skin such as TENS (transcutaneous nerve stimulation) and muscle stimulators have demonstrated effectiveness.
Numerous non surgical alternatives for pain treatment exist. For those holistically inclined, a simple rule to remember is to always exercise the choice that is least invasive first. If an intervention exists where tissue is removed (and therefore can’t be undone) put it at the end of the list. Injections (such as nerve blocks or steroids) frequently can relieve pain (and address the underlying source) when surgery is being considered. Newer techniques such as Prolotherapy (injections that regrow ligament), Percutaneous Tenotomy (tendon repair without open surgery) and PRP (platelet rich plasma treatments that make use of someone own growth factors) are all exciting examples.
As medicine becomes more regulated and regimented it is more important for people of all walks of life to take a more active role in their own health care. As long as you have the privilege of exercising personal choice, and responsibly do so, there are numerous traditional and alternative treatment options. Find a doctor that listens, become more engaged in your own health care, and feel better.
