A facet of the broad modality of neural therapy is “scar therapy”. Scar therapy is based on the observation that tissue damaged by injury can create an “interference field” or “focus”. This interference field can lead to disturbances of the central nervous system, autonomic nervous system and hormonal system.

Once this interference field is found it is treated with the use of local anesthetics, which can restore membrane potentials in nerve cells thus quieting the abnormal signaling and the various symptoms created from them. I suggested this approach with Joe and, odd as it may have sounded to his experience and expectation, he was quite receptive to the idea.

I treated his scar and finished our visit. One week later he returned for a follow-up visit and a repeat of the treatment. He greeted me in the waiting room and bore an eager expression. He excitedly revealed that he had slept well every night for the week following the treatment. Although equally excited by the response I suspended equal relief. Experience has taught me that early results are not always lasting; “fool’s gold” it has been called. Over several weeks the insomnia returned to some degree but has remained much improved since the first treatment. He now uses a single sleep-aid and routinely experiences satisfying sleep.

In more complex cases with multiple complaints and an unclear beginning point, I will often resort to the most fundamental of therapies, drainage or detoxification. This incorporates the principle of “removing the obstacles to cure” and to “treat the patient, not the disease”. Samuel had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia but this is not a particularly helpful diagnosis in that it may simply lead to treating pain with analgesics without much expectation of cure. Samuel’s history didn’t clearly suggest a particular event that lead to his muscle and joint pain and so I decided to begin to clarify the case with an elimination/cleansing diet for seven days along with nutrients for aiding the liver and gut to encourage detoxifying the body.

The “elimination” part entails temporarily withdrawing commonly allergenic food such as gluten-containing grains and dairy products as well as foods taxing to the adrenals or immune system, like sugar and caffeine. The first two days are clear liquids only, including herbal teas, water and vegetable broth. Following this, the cleansing/elimination diet begins, composed of virtually any aboveground vegetable, non-gluten grains, no meats or dairy for five days along with the liver support and gut support. What I hope to see is a clarifying of the symptoms so that if I need to focus my therapy it will be more evident where to focus.

I happened to see Samuel at the athletic club where we both are members after the two-day fast. He somewhat hesitantly asked if the program could have worked on the pain already. I commented that, although I wouldn’t have necessarily anticipated it, it could help quickly. He was already experiencing great relief from his aches and pains and in this case his relief has continued. It has become clear that among the insults to his health was sensitivity to gluten. As long as he avoids it he does well overall.

My reaction to the kinds of responses described here is one of a contained thrill. I know the sometimes fleeting relief that can be elusive in maintaining for the long haul. But what is being glimpsed is the tendency for the ill body to right itself when the proper conditions are present. Because I have seen that response, I tend to expect the tale of improvement and that is what I feel obliged to try to facilitate. When it works out as planned I do feel some satisfaction, but it’s the patient’s that don’t respond as expected that can plague me. The cases that I remember best are often the ones that ended without relief for me or for the patient. These disappointments help to winnow the chaff from my therapeutic options and hopefully guide me to greater effectiveness in the course of a long practice.