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A Personal Message
From Dr. Ara Elmajian
Dear Friends
The topic of this newsletter is regulation. It is a topic close to my heart and the main premise on which our clinics are based. Regulation is the continual internal effort of our bodies' numerous sophisticated systems to find balance or homeostasis.
Homeostasis is the state of equilibrium of the internal environment of the body maintained by the dynamic process of feedback and regulation between our internal and external terrains. The autonomic nervous system - that part of our nervous system that regulates essential functions such as heartbeat and breathing (functions that occur without conscious involvement) is paramount in regulating or balancing many of our bodies' intricate systems.
These days everyone is talking about "balance" and yet our lifestyles are such that throw our internal systems totally out of balance - what with our responsibilities, our stress levels, our emotional issues and our heavy exposure to toxins to name a few. We try to balance our lives with yoga classes, cleansing programs and fun activities but is it really enough? Our bodies are very sensitive to even the slightest things that might throw off the balance and they respond internally even though we might not be aware of it. Chronic burdening of the systems of the body eventually creates disregulation of the autonomic nervous system despite its desperate attempt to maintain homeostasis. In this situation different degrees of break down occur and illness, pain and even disease can manifest.
We have several scientific, diagnostic tests in office as well as reputable labs we utilize to gather as much vital information as possible in regards to a patient and their unique situation. Two very different diagnostic tests we carry out in our clinic both measure and evaluate the body's regulatory response. Read more about our Computer Regulation Thermography (CRT) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) tests on our website and how they assist us in providing a more accurate "early" diagnosis of irregularity of the body to maintain regulation and a preventative plan for treatment.
In discussing regulation we must mention a powerful treatment protocol we utilize called "Neural Therapy". In many situations where the body's nervous (electrical) system is in disregulation Neural Therapy is the treatment of choice. It re-establishes the normal regulatory function of the autonomic nervous system by using injections of local anesthetics and often homeopathic remedies. It helps the nervous system reset and detoxify. There are many different applications of Neural Therapy and often there is an immediate improvement in the function of the treated area. Neural Therapy alone or when combined with other treatment modalities has proven to be very successful in breaking chronic patterns of pain and illness.
Jeff Ostheimer, who has recently joined our medical team has written about "Whiplash and Neural Therapy" below and there is an article called "Regulation and Homeostasis" written by myself on our website providing more in depth information on the topic of regulation.
Ara
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| Neural Therapy and Whiplash - Jeff Ostheimer
All whiplash injuries have a neurological component. Whiplash injury also involves trauma to soft tissue, including muscles, ligaments and tendons. It is specifically the injury to the neurons that regulate the structural tissues of the spine - complicating recovery and healing and greatly contributing to long-term neck pain and headaches.
The answer is Neural Therapy.
How does Neural Therapy work?
Neural Therapy, which involves the injection of local anesthetics (LAs), resets sympathetic nerves. Resetting means that Neural Therapy down-regulates sympathetic activity, having a calming effect. When sympathetic neurons are strongly stimulated, they secrete excitatory neuropeptides which causes vasoconstriction, increases muscle tonus (muscle contraction) and sensitizes nociceptors that increase the sensation of pain.
The musculo-skeletal structures of the spinal column have dense sympathetic neuronal innervation. The facet joints, the intervertebral discs, the spinal ligaments and the periosteum of the vertebrae all have vast potential to communicate sensory information back to the limbic brain, the center of the autonomic nervous system. If there is a problem or injury in these areas, we feel pain!
Pain is not the whole story. If we look at the cervical spine x-rays or MRI of an individual who just incurred a whiplash injury, we may find some minor soft tissue injury, but everything else seems to be intact. The ligaments, the vertebrae and the intervertebral discs look normal. However, in looking at x'rays three years later, it has been my observation with these whiplash situations that we usually find significant degenerative changes to the intervertebral discs and bony changes to the vertebrae. It is often the case that these changes are diagnosed as normal wear-and-tear, but in our experience, these changes translate back to the original, neurological injury of the whiplash.
The neurological treatment of whiplash injury involves the injection of local anesthetics into the site of injury as well as related regulatory ganglia (nerve bundles) of the cervical spine. This is Neural Therapy. The Neural Therapy effect of these procedures far outlasts the anesthetizing (numbing) effect. One of the more important benefits of Neural Therapy is stopping chronic pain cycles. When this occurs, sympathetic nervous activity becomes calm, blood vessels expand, muscles elongate, ligaments relax and real healing occurs in the injured region.
Jeff Ostheimer is a registered acupuncturist and traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. He offers a unique combination of different modalities of treatment based on an individual's needs incorporating acupuncture, neural therapy, various types of massage and homeopathic remedies to name a few. His vast experience in pain management, physical injuries, neurological disorders and emotional trauma is the perfect complement to the multidisciplinary approach of the clinic of Dr. Elmajian and Associates.
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I.O.N.T. - Intraosseous Neural Therapy
This Neural Therapy technique I discovered in the early 90's has many applications in the field of Dental Medicine. It is performed in the mouth and it can be utilized to treat various dental conditions such as the sensitivity of a hyperemic tooth following the trauma of a large restoration or cementation of a crown. I.O.N.T. in these situations could prevent the inevitability of a root canal. It can also be very effective in stimulating healing in post jawbone cavitational surgery.
I.O.N.T. can be used in conjunction with organ/dental points to determine if there is a dental disturbance field in relation to and affecting a specific organ. We touched briefly on this in our last newsletter discussing the relationship between wisdom teeth and the heart. Every tooth in our upper and lower jaw corresponds to an organ or group of organs and I.O.N.T. can be a valuable tool in diagnosing the possibility of a tooth creating a problem with a distant organ. If a disturbance is diagnosed utilizing the I.O.N.T. method a specific treatment plan can be implemented.
We have seen many different cases of teeth creating a disturbance field in relation to an organ in the body. In one situation we had a patient who presented with upper central incisors that had been endodontically treated (root canalled). Her and her husband had been trying unsuccessfully to conceive for some time. By utilizing I.O.N.T. we were able to ascertain that these two front teeth were creating a disturbance field. Interestingly these teeth are linked to the urogenital (urinary and reproductive) organs. Eventually the woman decided to have the two root canalled teeth extracted and replaced with a bridge. It was not long after that she announced her pregnancy. Obviously not all fertility problems are related to dental problems but in this case there was strong evidence that there was a connection.
Check out our new interactive tooth meridian chart on our website to discover the energetic connection between specific teeth and corresponding organs.
For more detailed information on I.O.N.T. you can read an article I wrote for Explore magazine in 2003.
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Herb of the Month - Dr. Jennie Weisenburger
Rosemarianus officinalis
Hopefully your Rosemary survived the winter! This fragrant herb that is used so commonly in our kitchens also confers some great health benefits. After reading this you might be encouraged to find more ways to use it in your cooking, include it in your garden, or even make your own herbal extracts.
Rosemary has anti-inflammatory, immunostimulatory and anti-spasmodic qualities. The herb can relax smooth muscle spasms of capillaries and arteries, thus enhancing blood flow to vital organs. Rosemary will increase circulation to the head improving mental clarity, memory, and vision.
Ancient Greek students would place sprigs of rosemary in their hair when writing examinations to improve recall. It can increase blood flow to the heart muscle enhancing its ability to pump blood more efficiently.
Herbal extracts of rosemary contain a constituent that has been shown to protect the brain from stroke and neurodegenerative conditions resulting from damage caused by free radicals. These free radicals are thought to contribute not only to stroke and Alzheimer's, but also to the ill effects of normal aging on the brain. And finally, in addition to the fact that it is a culinary delight, a benefit of adding rosemary to your dishes is that it tones and calms digestion.
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