Neural therapy

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Neural therapy (neural therapy according to Huneke) is a relatively new method of complementary medicine. With the help of the injection of a local anesthetic, acute and, above all, chronic diseases are to be treated. Read everything you need to know about neural therapy, how it works and the risks it entails.

What is neural therapy?

Neural therapy was developed by the brothers and doctors Ferdinand and Walter Huneke in the 20th century and is one of the so-called regulation therapies. These are intended to solve functional disorders of the entire organism, activate or dampen the nervous system and thus activate the body's self-healing powers.

Basically, neural therapy is divided into segment therapy and interference field therapy.

Segment therapy

In neural therapy it is assumed that the internal organs are represented on certain segments of the skin (dermatomes) and are connected to these via nerves. Gallbladder discomfort can manifest itself in pain in the right shoulder, for example. The neural therapist injects a narcotic (anesthetic) into the skin and also reaches the corresponding organ via the nerve. In the process, small bumps (wheals) often form, which is why one also speaks of wheal therapy. It can also be injected into the subcutaneous tissue or deeper regions of the muscles, tendons, bones, and ligaments.

If the segment therapy is not sufficient to provide relief, the local anesthetic is injected into the so-called border cords, which run parallel to the spine, in the extended segment therapy. This is where the switching points (ganglia) of the autonomic nervous system are located. In this way, larger areas of the body should be treated.

Interference field therapy

This form of neural therapy is based on the theory that interference fields can arise as chronic inflammation foci in the entire body. Previous injuries and scars can also cause irritation. These send continuous stimuli to parts of the body, some of which are far away, and cause illness and pain there. If the neural therapist switches off the interference field using anesthetic, the symptoms should improve suddenly.

When do you perform neural therapy?

Neural therapy can be used for acute complaints such as injuries. Above all, however, they are used for chronic diseases. Common indications are:

• chronic pain, especially back pain and headache
• Nerve pain (neuralgia) such as trigeminal neuralgia
• functional disorders with no physical correlate such as irritable bowel syndrome
• Inflammation
• Joint disease
• hormonal complaints
• depression
• Allergies like hay fever

What do you do with neural therapy?

Before the actual neural therapy begins, the neural therapist asks the patient about his or her health history and the type and duration of the symptoms. In addition, it rules out contraindications that prohibit the use of neural therapy. Then he will examine the patient thoroughly. The sole injection of a local anesthetic such as lidocaine can provide diagnostic information. If this already results in pain relief, this is referred to as a second phenomenon.

Segment therapy is a local treatment. The neural therapist feels painful dermatomes and injects the anesthetic into the skin. This creates wheals. The syringe can also be placed in deeper tissue layers. If an interference field is to be remedied, the therapist injects directly into or around the interference field.

In some cases, a single neural therapy session is sufficient. Sometimes, however, several sessions are necessary. If even then there is no success, other treatment methods must be tried.

What are the risks of neural therapy?

When done correctly, side effects are relatively rare. Bruising and infection may occur at the injection site. Inflammation manifests itself as redness, swelling and possibly pain.

Sometimes procaine is used as a local anesthetic in neural therapy. If it is incorrectly injected, it can cause nerve and vascular injuries as well as systemic effects if the procaine gets into the bloodstream. The side effects range from tingling, numbness and dizziness to seizures and respiratory arrest. In the worst case, the anesthetic leads to a failure of the cardiovascular system and ultimately to death.

An allergy or intolerance to the local anesthetic used should also be considered, as this can result in anaphylactic shock.

What do I have to consider during neural therapy?

Neural therapy should not be used for heart disease. Treatment is also not recommended for bleeding disorders, as deeper injections can lead to heavy bleeding. If the skin is inflamed, you should wait until it has subsided.

If, after neural therapy, a metallic taste on the tongue, tremors, sweating or discomfort occurs, a doctor should be consulted immediately.

The neural therapy is not paid for by the statutory health insurance because its effectiveness has not been proven.

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