an IV. He also suggests plasmapheresis, a form of dialysis which involves removing, filtering, and returning a patient’s blood. For more immediate relief, Koszer recommends neuropathic pain medication, such as Gabapentin or Pregabalin, which are safer alternatives to narcotics because they are less addictive, longer lasting, and have less severe side effects. Alampur avoids use of narcotics at all costs. For severe pain in the feet, a common neuropathic complaint, she suggests an ibuprofen gel lubricant. “If that doesn’t help, I go to the next step, which is lidocaine patches”—a stronger topical pain reliever. Alternative Methods: It’s All Connected Even in more conventional medical contexts, health consciousness remains a focus of treating neuropathy. “I always recommend exercise, and especially yoga to improve balance and flexibility,” says Alampur. Acupuncture also focuses on creating balance in the body by stimulating healthy circulation. According to Carolyn Rabiner of High Ridge Traditional Healing Arts in Red Hook, “There is some very encouraging research showing that [acupuncture] can be very helpful, and that it may stimulate nerve-growth factors.” In addition to responses in patients that are often immediate and sustained, Rabiner also notes that the treatment is appealing because “it’s been used for at least 2,500 years, and side effects are extremely rare.” Other treatment methods in Chinese medicine include moxibustion, or heat therapy, and Gua Sha, a type of massage that is done with a Chinese soup spoon. Like acupuncture, these treatments work to promote healthier circulation and reduce blockage and undernourishment of the tissues. Advanced Health & Injury Care, a multidisciplinary practice with locations in Carmel, Mahopac, Middletown, and Pleasant Valley, offers a year-old program that synthesizes conventional and alternative approaches. Medical doctors, chiropractors, and physical and massage therapists all contribute to the AHIC’s 12week neuropathy treatment program. Rehabilitation strategies include soft-tissue massage work and vibration therapy as well as using the ReBuilder—a neuroelectric stimulator that helps regenerate the nerve’s pathways. According to Practice Administrator Dr. Charles Marino, the ReBuilder sends a signal that mimics a nerve’s normal electrical signal and tries to retrain the damaged nerve. “We’re seeing about an 85-percent success rate,” Marino says. “Not just with less pain and tingling, but we see increased functionality.” With no medications or side effects, Marino feels it’s a good alternative for people who aren’t seeing results with other treatments. “The combination of using ReBuilder and doing other modalities is really making it more effective.” Susan Spiegel Solovay, a nationally certified medical hypnotist and instructor with an office in Hudson, incorporates another fundamental healing tool that’s often overlooked: the mind. “One of the underlying facts in medicine and healing is that the mind has a role to play,” says Solovay. By “offering mental pictures and positive healing suggestions,” Solovay says the hypnotic state can be reached, or the state between waking and sleeping which depends on both deep relaxation and focus. Herself a cancer survivor, Solovay’s main neuropathy work involves chemotherapy-induced pain. “When a person is diagnosed with an illness, most go into a state of anxiety, which is all about being strong and fighting, but it’s not about healing.” Though Solovay recommends hypnosis as a complementary treatment for neuropathy, reducing stress is ultimately what’s most important, no matter the method. “Some people say that 80 percent of an illness has a component—not cause—of stress that exacerbates it,” says Solovay. “Things happen in the body, but it’s the mind that interprets them.” “There is no evidence of pain on my body,” Biss writes about her phantom chronic pain in Harper’s. “No marks. No swelling. No terrible tumor. The X-Rays revealed nothing. Two MRIs of my brain and spine revealed nothing. Nothing was infected and festering, as I had suspected and feared. There was no ghastly huge white cloud on the film.” Neuropathy plagues in a similarly enigmatic way. Its forms, causes, and diagnoses are not obvious, but multilayered and sometimes even undetectable. If not fully curable, there are at least methods for alleviating neuropathic pain, as well as many knowledgeable health professionals in the Hudson Valley to help navigate the nervous system’s web of misfiring signals. Resources Advanced Health & Injury Care Advanced-hic.com eRiver Neurology of New York, LLC Eriverneurology.com High Ridge Traditional Healing Arts Highridgeacupuncture.com Kingston Neurological Associates Fromyourdoctor.com/kingstonneurology/health Susan Spiegel Solovay Hypnocoachny.com Topical BioMedics Topicalbiomedics.com
Louis Solis, M.D. Rishi N. Razdan, M.D.
Namasté Sacred Healing Center Personal Growth, Spiritual Healing
Chakra Therapy
Individual Sessions, Workshops, Group and Private Retreats
Dianne WeiSSelberG, lMSW Owner/Director/Healer
WillOW, nY
845-688-7205
www.NamasteSHC.com
Celebrating 10 Years of Fighting Heart Disease in Women
GoFor Red For Women Go Red Women Luncheon Luncheon February February8,8,2013 2013
The Grandview The Grandview 176 Rinaldi Blvd., Poughkeepsie 176 Rinaldi Blvd., Poughkeepsie 9:00am - 2:00pm 9:00am - 2:00pm Call 845.905.2127 tickets. Call 845.905.2127 forfortickets Keynote speaker: Food Network Celebrity Chef, speaker: Food Network Ellie Krieger
Keynote Celebrity Chef, Ellie Krieger www.heart.org/DutchessUlsterGoRedLuncheon
www.heart.org/DutchessUlsterGoRedLuncheon locally sponsored by
Celebrating 10 Years of Fighting Heart Disease in Women
2/13 ChronograM medicine & healing 37
Go Red For Women Luncheon