Neural Therapy
Painful conditions caused and maintained by the vicious circle of pain – muscular tension – poor circulation – pain can be relieved with precise injections (often near nerves or ganglia) of a local anaesthetic such as procaine.
There are other specific courses of treatment, e.g. neural-fascial therapy, in which normal functions can be restored by injecting scars and other interference fields.
Occasionally, spontaneous relief (flash phenomena) occurs, whereby long-standing pain that has resisted all therapy ceases immediately when the local anaesthetic is injected into the painful lesion or area.
The term ‘neural therapy’ originates from the Huneke brothers. In the 1920s they discovered that local anaesthetics such as procaine or lidocaine could be used not only to anaesthetise, but also to heal. There are a number of different ways of treating patients with neural therapy.
Segmental therapy
Pain causes muscles to cramp, blood circulation to the area deteriorates, and metabolic waste builds up. This intensifies pain, and regulatory disturbances increase even further until they are finally transmitted from the affected area to other areas, causing further diffuse medical conditions. In such cases, procaine is injected directly into the affected segment of the body to stabilise the cells. They are then reintegrated into normal physiological processes, and the vicious circle is interrupted. The method offers good chances of healing, for example in cases of neuralgia, rheumatism, sciatica, lumbago, and chronic headaches. A subcutaneous injection known as neural therapy has also proved to be particularly simple and effective in treating chronic rheumatic pain. The patient quickly experiences pain relief or elimination as well as a better general physical condition.
Interference zone (Störfeld) therapy
Research has shown that inflammation, scars, unhealthy teeth, injuries, foreign bodies, or pockets of bacteria can cause bodily dysfunctions that upset the entire balance of the body. It is assumed that an interference zone in the body will someday become active and, via the nerve paths, cause irritation and secondary ailments in other regions of the body. Weakened organs are particularly affected. If the interference zone is neutralised, the distant dysfunction is also eliminated. The Huneke brothers had already discovered and verified what is known as the ‘flash phenomenon’, a condition in which bodily dysfunctions immediately disappear upon the injection of a local anaesthetic into the causal interference zone.
The patient is spontaneously pain-free without ever having suspected a connection between the interference zone and the secondary ailment. Neural therapy according to Huneke is a holistic therapy. The vegetative system, along the paths of which both sickness and healing processes take place, responds to the healing stimulus activated by the local anaesthetic. Segmental therapy according to Huneke involves the pinpointed use of procaine or lidocaine in the affected area. Improvement increases with repeated injections and can lead to complete recovery. This particularly applies to chronic ailments, but also to those caused by an interference area, whereby every area of the body can become an interference area. Injections into the interference area heal disorders, as far as anatomically possible, through the ‘Huneke phenomenon’.