BIOPUNCTURE
What is it?
Biopuncture is a new therapy consisting
of injecting biological products (herbs and homeopathic
products) into specific areas. The name Biopuncture
originated from combining the word biotherapeutics
[ bio- ] with acupuncture [ -puncture ].
Most of these injections are given under the skin
or in the muscles. Examples of products commonly
used in biopuncture for many years are: Arnica,
Calendula, Echinacea, Nux vomica and Chamomilla.
Arnica is used for haematomas, and muscle pain,
Nux vomica is injected for digestive problems, Ignatia
is used for stress related symptoms, Echinacea is
used to increase the natural defense system of the
body. One can also inject cocktails of natural products.
These cocktails contain several biotherapeutic products
in one ampoule. Several such diluted products are
mixed together in one ampoule, which has its own
specific therapeutic characteristics. Traumeel for
example is used for inflammations and sports injuries,
and Zeel is used for tennis elbow, whiplash and
arthrosis,
Where are these injections given?
Most people - especially those
who are apprehensive about injections because they
may have had bad experiences with injections in
their childhood - are surprised how easily and quickly
these injections are given. In fact, these injections
cannot be compared with the usual injections given
in conventional medicine. They are not as painful
as a normal injection because the needle used is
very fine and the quantity injected is very small.
Most of them are given into or just under the skin,
others are given into specific muscle points or
into and around joints. In most cases, several little
injections are given in a specific zone (or in several
areas) of the body at each session.
It is important to be aware that the products used
in biopuncture are not as strong as conventional
medication (e.g. painkillers, cortisone), and that
they may not be as rapidly effective in the short
term. This means that you may need 3 or more sessions
before any improvement is noted. If you have had
problems for several months or even years, it means
looking for deeper causes and working on these.
As a result, you may need ten or more sessions to
feel better. When you realise that these products
are natural products that do not have any major
side effects, you may be motivated to be more patient
than usual. In the long run, however, the results
of this form of natural medicine are longer lasting
because your physician tries to work on a deeper
level. For example, by encouraging the body's own
defense mechanism to make the necessary repairs.
What about the safety and efficacy
of this technique?
Biopuncture will always be performed
according to the latest technical and safety standards.
This includes a correct injection technique, and
of course the use of sterile disposable material,
so that transmission of disease (e.g. hepatitis,
AIDS) is impossible.
The low dose herbal and homeopathic content of the
injection ampoules mean that the side-effects are
negligible. Most of the ampoules used for injection
are made in Germany and are submitted to very strict
quality control regulations and systems. In other
words, both the technique and the products match
today's standards of quality and safety.
Many of these products used have also been tested
in double blind tests and drug monitoring. This
means that many patients have received these products
with good results before you.
How does Biopuncture work?
These natural products are injected
with the primary aim of stimulating your own defense
systems, i.e. the body is invited to start healing
itself. In many cases, this is sufficient to get
the body in balance again. You may receive injections
in your neck for whiplash, on your chest for bronchitis,
on your abdomen for gastro-enteritis, in your knee
for joint pain, etc.
But there is much more to it than that. Local injections
can also be given to stimulate the local blood circulation,
and to support the ongoing inflammatory processes,
if indicated, such as when treating sports injuries.
Some of the products are designed to relax muscles.
They are used, for example, when dealing with neck
pain and low back pain. Even pain in the knee or
in the hip region can have a muscular origin and
can sometimes be treated without injecting the joint
itself.
One can also approach the issues by working on the
nervous system and the ground regulation system
(the matrix of the body). When working on that level,
biopuncture can actually regulate the neural reflexes.
Another important issue is the
detoxification of the body. It literally means cleaning
the body. All the toxins that have accumulated in
your body, for example from the environment, from
bad nutrition, or from medication (e.g. antibiotic
and steroid pollution) can block your immune defense
system. They are called homo toxins because they
are toxic for the homo sapiens. They can also disturb
the reflex responses of your nervous system. All
these toxins in your body are the reason why your
body may not be functioning optimally, as it did
when you were younger. Eliminating all these toxins
is an important strategy, especially when dealing
with chronic diseases. Biopuncture can help you
enormously with that. Some products (so-called anti-homotoxic
products) are designed for this purpose: they eliminate
or neutralize the homotoxins in your body. Some
work specifically on the liver (Hepar compositum),
and others on the kidneys (Solidago compositum)
or on the lymphatic system (Lymphomyosot).
Which conditions are best treated
with Biopuncture?
Biopuncture is mostly used for
minor orthopaedic and musculo-skeletal problems,
whether they are acute or chronic. Neck pain, back
pain, sciatica, sprained joints, frozen shoulder
and Achilles tendonitis all respond well to this
treatment. Biopuncture is also very successful in
treating sports injuries, tennis elbow, and repetitive
strain injuries.
However, Biopuncture is not just used for pain problems,
but other conditions such as allergies and inflammations
respond well, e.g. asthma, eczema and hay fever.
Patients with arthritis, bronchitis, cystitis and
sinusitis can also be treated with this technique.
The use of biopuncture should be considered by those
patients who have tried conventional medicine but
have had no success, or those who have had to stop
taking conventional medication because of side effects.
It is an interesting healing technique for those
patients who want to avoid an operation (for example
for sciatica or sinusitis). In some patients it
may be advantageous to combine the conventional
approach together with biopuncture. Many people
still believe that one has to stop conventional
treatments when choosing natural medicine. This
is not true. When you are being treated with biopuncture,
you just continue the medication you were already
taking. In case of doubt, always contact your physician
first for professional advice. Each case should
be considered individually.
What to expect with treatment
Biopuncture cannot heal all your
medical problems. This is not a miracle therapy
and your health practitioner must decide what can
be treated, and what can't. The majority of patients
choose to be treated with biopuncture because they
are in pain and do not support the use of conventional
painkillers. However, it is important to realise
that biopuncture cannot take away the pain as with
conventional medication. Pain is seen as an important
signal from your body that something is going wrong.
It is similar to a red light in the dashboard of
your car: the aim is not to just take it away but
to look for the deeper cause. This means that, if
pain can be alleviated without prescribing painkillers,
there is good reason to conclude that the deeper
cause of that particular pain has been eliminated.
However, it may take a few treatments before you
actually feel better. If your pain is recent, it
may be treated in two or three sessions. If the
pain has been there for months or years, it may
take 10 or 20 sessions.
You may notice that after the first
treatments (especially the day after the injection)
you feel a little worse. This can be due to the
traumatic effect of the needle injecting your soft
tissues, but in most cases this happens because
the healing processes are being activated. This
is called the reaction phase. In other words, your
body is working on the cause of the problem and
that may produce some discomfort. One may experience
even more pain than before treatment during the
two or three first sessions, until a gradual recovery
of the body defense systems and healing systems
brings the functions of that area back to normal.
Only then will the pain be better. But when you
understand that this means that real healing is
on its way, you will be more accepting of these
minor reactions in the beginning of the treatment.
When is Biopuncture not appropriate?
Biopuncture cannot heal you from
cancer, a heart attack or AIDS. Nor is it appropriate
to treat you when you have high blood pressure,
diabetes, depression or epilepsy. In some cases,
the disease is too serious or too aggressive, and
can only be stopped through conventional medication
or surgery. Your physician will confirm this. When
serious damage has already occurred, biopuncture
will be simply too late to reverse the damage and
bring the body back into balance again. For example,
a viral hepatitis can be treated with biopuncture
in order to support the healing mechanism of the
body, but liver cirrhosis is a phase where cells
are damaged beyond repair and healing is impossible.
The same goes for chronic bronchitis. Biopuncture
can help a lot here as long as there is no emphysema
or lung cancer involved. That is why it is so important
to first have a diagnosis before starting with biopuncture.
Conclusion
Biopuncture is a safe and efficient
technique in complementary medicine. It uses biotherapeutic
injections to stimulate the natural self-healing
capacities of your body. It is worth considering
if it can help you with your personal health problems.
Contact the Greenhouse Holistic
Health Centre for an appointment or more information.
Tel: 021-4473123
www.greenhousehealth.com
