LIVING WELL

treatment can provide relief from neuropathy pain

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For those in pain, daily life can be a constant struggle. And when the agony becomes too great, they have to give up the things they love. But at Wellman Family Healthcare, patients are given something they’ve often been missing — hope.

Dr. Amber and Dr. Jason Wellman, a brother-sister duo, and their staff do everything they can to help patients find a way back to living a full life. The Wellmans’ facility provides treatment for a variety of ailments through conventional chiropractic care and massage therapy, but they also have enlisted innovative treatments to combat conditions like knee pain and neuropathy.

Neuropathy, Dr. Amber Wellman says, is a deep-rooted and complex condition. It results when a lack of blood supply, oxygen, and nutrients causes damage to the protective covering around a nerve, resulting in loss of sensation and function.

“There are over 100 different causes, but the most common causes of neuropathy are chemotherapy, diabetes, or injury resulting in sensory loss, numbness, pins and needles, and in many cases, severe pain in the feet and legs. Some patients even experience symptoms in their hands,” she says.

“Neuropathy can affect a variety of patients and does not discriminate by gender, age, or race.”

Dr. Wellman says hundreds of millions of people suffer with peripheral neuropathy, and most of them have been told there is nothing that can be done. But the Wellmans weren’t going to sit back and accept that.

Instead, they dove into countless hours of training, becoming proficient in treating neuropathy. They also engaged cutting-edge technology in the fight, enlisting the help of NASA-developed lower level light therapy, known as LLLT.

“(LLLT) was discovered by NASA by treating wounds in space, and was approved by the FDA in 2001. It is at the forefront of neuropathy treatments,” Dr. Wellman explains. “The low level light therapy creates a process called angiogenesis. Angiogenesis means ‘new blood vessels.’ It’s like watering a plant. The more LLLT a nerve gets, the more it repairs itself, just like a plant would by getting more water, sunlight, and nutrients.”

The Nobel Prize-winning concept allows for an increase in circulation to the extremities. That, she says, is a crucial step — creating healing by flushing the nerves with fresh blood.

Beyond LLLT, the practice takes a multipronged approach to treating neuropathy and has seen excellent results. The three steps are to 1) increase blood flow, 2) educate small-fiber nerves, and 3) decrease pain signals.

“We focus each component affected by the condition — nerves, blood supply, oxygenation, and nutrients,” Dr. Wellman says.

While medication can bring varying levels of success, many patients believe that this treatment alone will make them better. Dr. Wellman says that is not necessarily the case and treating the root cause is paramount.

“Doing this for long periods can cause you to reach a point of no return,” she says.

“Unfortunately, we see this happen more often than not. Our goal is to help as many patients as possible live life to its fullest instead of being limited on the things they love doing such as playing with their grandkids, taking a walk, driving, gardening, or simple daily household chores.”

Helping their patients gain a new lease on life is the daily goal at Wellman Family Healthcare. And it’s something that they take great pride in doing.

“When you enter our office you are greeted by the words ‘Welcome to Our Family,’ and we truly want you to feel that way,” she says. “We spend time educating patients on understanding their treatment so they can make an informed decision about their health.”