The nationwide opioid crisis has brought a new focus on the way we treat pain. As it has become clear that the medical industry has been over-reliant on surgeries and addictive drugs to manage pain, and that most drugs only mask symptoms rather than heal or cure, thus deepening the cause and contributing to development of more chronic conditions, a new emphasis has arisen on offering more effective and less harmful approaches. Among them, regenerative therapy has emerged as a holistic alternative to traditional pain management strategies.
Regenerative therapy is about signaling the body to heal itself naturally. Unlike drugs and surgery, regenerative therapy not only mitigates pain but is designed to get at the root of the problem (chronic inflammation, in most cases), with the ultimate goal to restore function of joints, nerves, muscles, and ligaments, pain-free.
To truly understand how regenerative therapy works, it’s instructive to know how the human body heals itself normally. For the tissues to heal, the body requires good nutrients, oxygen, and healthy blood flow. For this reason, the first question a health practitioner should ask a patient presenting with joint or back pain is “how’s your diet?” Although this may seem counterintuitive, lifestyle has A LOT to do with chronic inflammation, which is most often the source of the disease and pain.
Regenerative therapy is about taking a step back and seeing the individual as a whole, rather than viewing pain as an isolated problem needing a quick fix.
Receiving an injection or taking a multi-vitamin once after the body has experienced long term malnutrition or degeneration is shortsighted and ultimately ineffective. Once the body begins a degenerative process, no drug or surgery can reverse this course. However, regenerative therapies have shown the ability to not only ease pain, but also put the body BACK on course in healing itself.
Regenerative therapy is not a magic one-step solution, though. It’s a PROCESS whereby a person receives care with a team deeply committed to long-term health outcomes AND commits to making lifestyle changes to reduce the influence of external factors such as poor nutrition or harmful chemicals. It doesn’t work for every client and every problem. Nevertheless, holistic, noninvasive options should be everybody’s first attempt at healing.
Understanding the “why” behind the pain is the key focus of regenerative therapy.
The treatment should begin with an overall health and diet assessment in order to get at the “why” of the pain. Issues like arthritis and neuropathy have a range of causes and contributing factors. In general, there are five roadblocks that contribute to chronic pain and joint degeneration:
- Blood sugar irregularities
- Thyroid dysfunction
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Chronic infections
- Systemic inflammation
These are all signs that the client’s body is no longer healing itself. Regenerative therapy shall attempt to signal the body to counteract these conditions by providing the body with the correct nutrients, lowering inflammation, balancing hormones, and educating the client on how to eat and manage stress. For the best results, this should be a joint effort between a primary care physician, a specialist, and a provider of non-medical holistic wellness services. A variety of treatments can be administered and synergize, depending on the issue.
Nature-based treatments that have demonstrated numerous health benefits include cold and heat therapies, ozone and oxygen, light, and float. They can be effectively combined with vitamin injections, stem cell therapies, and many other treatments increasingly offered by integrative health practitioners. Normal function of the body is then restored because of the interactive nature of the treatments, signaling the body to heal itself.
It should be remembered that, when functioning properly, the body’s natural inclination is to reduce inflammation and regenerate cell tissue. Due to the damage caused by lifestyle, inflammatory diet, pollution and mistreated or overlooked health conditions, the body may need a boost to jumpstart the natural regenerative process.
The power and benefit of a regenerative approach is clear. Clients can begin to live a healthier, pain-free life without resorting to drugs and surgery. The best regenerative therapies evoke a deep sense of renewal as the client returns to living the life they love.
The key is to find a team of practitioners who will put client’s interests first and seek the best option for each individual. A cryotherapy center nearby maybe a good start.
PRESENTED BY CRYOPROSUNITED, 2019
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