Tag: Alternative medicine

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Novel magnet treatment for trigeminal neuralgia used at Lifestyle Therapies

This article creates awareness of how magnet treatment for trigeminal neuralgia may help in pain management.  Please consult your medical team for advice.

Magnetic therapy for trigeminal neuralgia.

Article published on lifestyle.physio

Since 1999, we have used Quadrapolar magnets as an adjunctive therapy in combination with conventional treatments. For some conditions such as trigeminal neuralgia, there is not a lot physiotherapy can offer. On the recommendation from a neurologist, we were able to treat trigeminal neuralgia with Q magnets and began seeing encouraging results.

If you live outside of Brisbane, the Q magnets can be easily purchased from the manufacturer, Neuromagnetics Australia and shipped all over the world. For treatment we used the QF28-3 and have written up an explanation and treatment protocol based on over 20 patients we have treated. Click on the following link to download the notes…

Novel Treatment for Trigeminal Neuralgia: January, 2016
Some of the smaller trigeminal neuralgia support groups such as the Western Australian group have been open minded and actively seek out and investigate new drug free and non-invasive treatments in the interest of their members.

Page three of the Western Australian support groups April 2011 Newsletter describes a number of their member’s experiences with Q magnets, some of which were very encouraging. The following in an excerpt from page 1 of the December, 2011 Newsletter 192…

“…asked if there was any news on magnet therapy trials which led to a brief discussion on the subject. Although we know that the research and the trials have not proven absolute success, it has been of some benefit to several members and is deemed worthy of a trial. As Julie Russell pointed out, medications also do not work for everybody and have side effects. Julie has experienced more pain relief with magnets than with medications. Beverly and Julie have both found that the magnets help in minimising hyperactivity of the nerves.”

See our medico newsletter that provides a description and two case studies.

Lifestyle Physiotherapyℱ is our signature style of physiotherapy treatment and you will learn the power of laser therapy, magnetic therapy and trigger point therapy in treating pain.

Nutrition, diet, herbs and nutritional supplementation can also play a key role in treating and preventing pain. There are many foods and food additives that increase our inflammatory responses. This can lead to increased joint pain and even more concerning increased risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.

Our nutritionist/naturopathand Lifestyle Medicine doctors can all assist in the arena. If you are looking for the right advice with herbs and nutritional supplements, then see our nutritionist/naturopath. In our report you will learn what to do, what to take and what to avoid.

Pain can be very complex and ones perception of how strong pain is can vary greatly from person to person. We tend to have a much greater tolerance to pain when we are well balanced psychologically and emotionally. Conversely, we have a much lower tolerance to pain if suffering from depression or anxiety.

Lifestyle Medicine addresses issues such as life balance, habits, lifestyle issues, relationships, nutrition, medication, attitudes to aging, advice on bodily changes with aging, can request blood tests and offers a whole of person approach in a comprehensive medical context.

So for example, the management of menopause with bio-identical natural hormone replacement can play an important role in general wellbeing and pain relief. Hormone treatment may alter the perception of pain, particularly after anxiety and depression are under control.

Remember, look at pain as a message from your body that something is not right. Don’t just put up with it or find a way mask the symptoms such as anti-inflammatory drugs. Listen to your body, read the report we have produced, it will get you started.

If you are ready for professional support right now, call us on 3821 7300 and make an appointment with one of our professional team at Lifestyle Therapies so we can assist you on your journey to living pain free.

With a whole of body approach, the greatest benefit of addressing the causes of your pain, possibly even greater than living pain free is reducing your risk factors for contracting all the major lifestyle diseases such as heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes and dementia.

Now that has to be worth the effort.

Lifestyle Therapies | 209 Manly Road | Manly Qld 4179 | Phone: (07) 3396 9111
yourhealth@lifestyle.physio | © 2011 Lifestyle 100 PTY Ltd. t/a Lifestyle Therapies ABN 93 109 050 008
Posted on by — 1 Comment

Inflammation – Friend or Foe; Q Magnets for Acupuncturists, Sports Injuries & More!

There is some anecdotal evidence that some people living with trigeminal neuralgia have found pain relief from using medical magnets.

James Hermans of Q Magnets based in Victoria has a special interest in trigeminal neuralgia and how magnets can help with pain relief.  The below general article has been taken from newsletter articles provided by QMagnets.

Our association does not endorse any product we highlight in our articles, we aim to provide information on treatments that may help manage chronic pain.  Please consult with your health team about these options

Research paper Static magnets – what are they and what do they do?

Information Report 7 Facts About Medical Magnets

Q Magnets Newsletter – MagnaBlog – 14 MAR 2023

Dear friends & colleagues,

Some of today’s most widespread health problems find their origins in the unintended consequences of evolution. A taste preference for sugar and fat, for example, staved off starvation by motivating our ancestors to eat calorie-dense foods. In the context of today’s standard Western diet, of course, that same type of addiction can lead to chronic health problems like diabetes and obesity.

Another example of an important, life-saving physiological process that can turn from health friend to health foe when context changes is inflammation.

Inflammation as a First Response Against Infection

Inflammation is a first-responder for our finely tuned immune system. Whereas other aspects of the immune response utilize a complex process of learning and directed action to identify and target pathogens, acute inflammation is an emergency, non-targeted, blunt-tool approach to simply and rapidly get a breach of security under control.

For example, imagine you accidentally cut yourself while chopping vegetables. This breach of the skin can be highly dangerous, and must be immediately addressed by the immune system. There will be time later to identify the exact nature of any pathogens that gained entry, but at the moment of the injury, the body needs to act rapidly. Within seconds, chemicals are released and cells rush in to infiltrate the area with nonspecific agents that neutralize any threats. These nonspecific agents include immune cells like mast cells, macrophages, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs, also known as granulocytes).

The rapid inflammatory response steps these agents take to protect against invaders include eating bacteria or virus-infected cells, releasing chemicals that fight the invaders, and releasing signals to recruit more sophisticated immune agents to the area.

Among the most important substances involved in this process are the cytokines and chemokines, substances that both engage in direct defense and serve as communication chemicals to coordinate the larger immune response. For example, interleukins, which attract other immune elements to the site of injury and stimulate further immune response steps.

What this looks like from the outside is a reddening and swelling of your cut into a painful welt. It’s a good thing, though: this local inflammation will serve to deny pathogens access into the body — it’s there to protect your body, and will go away with time.

Chronic Inflammation

Although acute inflammation can be annoying (mosquito bites, for example), it is rarely a physiological troublemaker. If swelling causes discomfort, it can be easily mitigated with Q Magnets; for example, inflammation in an injured knee can be countered by Q Magnets placement for knee pain. There’s another type of inflammation, though, that can cause serious problems in the body: chronic inflammation.

Unlike acute inflammation, chronic inflammation does not go away with time. In the absence of a true target, the immune cells involved in the inflammatory response can end up injuring nearby healthy tissue. The resulting injury can trigger a cycle of further inflammation that can escalate into a number of well-known chronic diseases, including diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and heart disease. Chronic inflammation can also work hand in hand with repeated minor injuries, transforming them into major health problems. This process is seen in repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Acute vs. Chronic Inflammation in the Body

Chronic inflammation is somewhat different in character from acute inflammation; whereas acute inflammation is dominated by nonspecific cells, chronic inflammation is dominated by later-acting cells that mount a defense that employs recognition of and response to antigens. For this reason, acute and chronic inflammation are often characterized as two stages of inflammation, although this is not an accurate characterization, since most cases of acute inflammation may never evolve into chronic inflammation.

So, when and why does chronic inflammation develop? Chronic inflammation can result from several causes, including the failure to eliminate a pathogen, the inability to get rid of an irritant, or the mistaken recognition of a part of one’s own body as a pathogen, known as an autoimmune disorder. Diseases associated with chronic inflammation include rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, allergies, and the deadly syndrome known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.

Q Magnets as an Anti-Inflammatory Agent

Q Magnets are based on the premise that static magnetic fields can be optimised for therapeutic pain relieving effects and there are ample cell studies, animal studies, case studies and clinical trials to support this.

Studies have demonstrated that exposure to a strong, inhomogeneous static magnetic field for up to 24 hours has a significant inhibitory effect on the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α from macrophages as compared to negative, untreated control.

Researchers suggest that the biological effects on the cells could be attributed to the static magnetic field’s effect on the molecular structure of cell membranes and Na+ and Ca2+ flow. These signals are then taken from the membrane (by way of mechanotransduction) and transmitted to the cytoskeleton inside of the cell and thereby affect its functionality.

Just like context-dependent drugs, Q Magnets appear to work on C-fibre nerves in a way that only effects “pathological” pain transmission and not “normal” pain transmission and without the side-effects.

Q Magnets are simple, drug-free, non-addictive, non-invasive and safe; providing immediate pain relief; can be used at home by anyone and based on scientific evidence. Further, Q Magnets have a long-term use and do not require any “servicing” like electronic products and are relatively inexpensive.

Shop Now

We enjoy working with sports players, physiotherapists, acupuncturists, natural medicine doctors and many varied health professionals as well as home users and families to help mitigate pain with our products and possibly having the honor of making a difference.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, we look forward to hearing from you! 🙂

Kind Regards,
James Hermans
Co-inventor & Managing Director

PS – If you’re an existing customer, did you know we provide a 20% discount on your next purchase for completing our feedback process?

Posted on by

6.4 Pharmacology of Cannabis

FACIAL PAIN: A 21st CENTURY GUIDE For People with Trigeminal Neuralgia Neuropathic Pain 6.4 Pharmacology of Cannabis Thomas P. Donia, (consulting pharmacist at TerraVida Holistic Centers in the USA and former Vice President of the American Society of Cannabis Pharmacists.) Medical cannabis has provided a safe and effective alternative for thousands of chronic pain sufferers […]
To access this post, you must purchase TNA Australia Full Member.
Posted on by

6.3 Medical Marijuana: Past, Present, and Future

Medical MarijuanaFACIAL PAIN: A 21st CENTURY GUIDE For People with Trigeminal Neuralgia Neuropathic Pain 6.3 Medical Marijuana: Past, Present, and Future Medical marijuana is a treatment that could potentially help hundreds of thousands of people who are living with daily pain. To deny them the opportunity to potentially obtain relief from a drug that is effective […]
To access this post, you must purchase TNA Australia Full Member.
Posted on by — 1 Comment

Medical Cannabis and Chronic Pain

The last few years has seen some movement in thinking and research on whether medical cannabis and chronic pain management can work together.   However the  Australian Federal governments last update on the subject was in 2017

Medical Cannabis has been widely accepted by the medical professions in America however the subject is highly politicised and permitted usage is State based – see an article from the Facial Pain Association below

Read article here

The FPA produced two extensive articles in their Fall/Winter 2018 and Spring/Summer 2019 which contain a huge amount of information, although based around American laws, the content and issues are very relevant.

FPA Medical Cannabis Part 1

FPA Medical Cannabis Part 2

***

The Australian Government advise was issued in 2017  – see below for a portion of the advise.  The full article can be downloaded below

Medical Cannabis: Patient Information

Medicinal cannabis: patient information

Over the past few years, a number of Australians have expressed interest in the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. The Commonwealth and State and Territory governments have either used their current laws or passed specific laws to allow the prescribing and dispensing of medicinal cannabis products. The Commonwealth, and in some cases, State and Territory governments, have also passed laws allowing cannabis cultivation and manufacture for medicinal purposes.

Currently there is limited evidence about the effectiveness of medicinal cannabis for use in different medical conditions. There is also little known about the most suitable doses of individual cannabis products.

For a particular product to be registered on the ARTG, a sponsor (usually a company) would need to submit a dossier of evidence on the clinical efficacy, safety and manufacturing quality of a particular medicinal cannabis product to the Therapeutic Goods Administration. At this time, the Australian Government does not subsidise the cost of medicinal cannabis products through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

The Australian Government Department of Health and the NSW, Victorian and Queensland state governments commissioned a team from the Universities of New South Wales, Sydney and Queensland under the co-ordination of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) to review the available clinical evidence for using medicinal cannabis. The team focused on the five areas for which the largest numbers of studies have been carried out – palliative care, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy in paediatric and adult patients.

The researchers conducted a review of previously published reviews from multiple databases such as Medline, Embase, PsychINFO and EBM Reviews. Searches were guided by a specialist Librarian using specific search terms and were limited to studies published between 1980 and early 2017. Two reviewers independently examined titles and abstracts for relevance and the GRADE (grading of recommendations, assessment, development and evaluation) approach to evaluating the quality of evidence was also applied. The GRADE[1] method is the international standard that applies to weighting of evidence in scientific and medical literature and gives weight to certain evidence based on the level of evidence and strength of recommendation. For example, evidence as a result of randomised control trials (RCTs) are given priority because this study method typically yields more reliable results. RCTs are at the top of the hierarchy of evidence.

This brochure provides a broad overview of the current evidence to support using medicinal cannabis for the above conditions. It also highlights the cautions surrounding treatment, how medicinal cannabis can be prescribed and future research.

The Department of Health will update this brochure as new evidence emerges.

***

There are companies who have invested in the business of providing Medical Cannabis in Australia.  These companies work within the guidelines of the laws governing the product.

An example is https://www.alternaleaf.com.au

Our mission is simple. We want to help people feel better.

We believe everyone should have the option to access natural alternatives over conventional medicines, and yet only 5% of Australian doctors are currently prescribing cannabis. We are here to help you get the right care so you can manage pain, anxiety, insomnia, mental health and other conditions, and live a better life. We are setting new standards in cannabis care by connecting thousands of Australians to qualified doctors and support you through our dedicated patient care team.

It is important to educate yourself on the subject and evaluate if Medical Cannabis could be of benefit to you, and always discuss your options with your primary medical practitioners.