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.
