Neural therapy in physiatric settings

Abstract

The algorithmic approach modern medicine uses to diagnose and treat illness has helped it spread rapidly and control responsive ailments. On the other hand, a fair number of problems originate from within the person suffering (as opposed to lifestyle or genetic issues). Some of these manifest in ways that take a person through all the constituent investigations and treatments provided by modern medicine only to end up with a diagnosis that is otherwise taken as untreatable. While the clinicians involved are safe, having followed the evidence-based guidelines, the patient continues to live and suffer. Another set of problems prevails in healthcare. While modern medicine can save lives, once that life is saved, very few are aware of what to do next. Most clinicians either do not know what physiatry is, or assume it is physiotherapy. When families ask “What next,” the most common responses are go home and take care of the patient (wash the hands off), do whatever you want (put responsibility on the family), and get some physiotherapy (when not medically supervised is close to quackery). As the health condition (not the person) has been treated as much as possible, these responses are not wrong. Nor are they helpful to the patient/family. A subsection of these issues may be psychosomatic in nature and not controlled with the three mentioned modalities. This is where interventions such as neural therapy can help.

Keywords

• neural therapy; physiatry; psychosomatization