BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES
Hormones that may be taken by the mouth or through the skin that are chemically identical to those that are made by the human body. Bio-identical hormones are most often prescribed as an holistic treatment for symptoms of menopause, and can also improve the vitality of skin and the condition of vaginal tissue. Bio-identical hormones may also help correct arousal and desire problems in sexual dysfunction, which are often caused, at least in part, by hormone imbalances.
CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME
A condition of pain and weakness in the hand and forearm caused by repetitive compression of a nerve that passes through the wrist into the hand. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome requires physical therapy as well as a hydrodissection needle surgery to release the median nerve. There are also regenerative treatments like PRP therapy to help heal the injured median nerve. Extreme interventions for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome includes a risky surgery where the carpal ligament is released (read: cut).
CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
An illness resulting from a severe hit on your body’s resilience, that is characterized by long-term exhaustion, muscle weakness, depression, and sleep disturbance. It is often associated with Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain Syndrome. The onset of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is often precipitated by physical, viral or psychosocial injury or stress. Recovery can involve adrenal gland rehabilitation, detoxifying from environmental and food poisons, intravenous vitamins, ultraviolet blood irradiation with ozone, and keeping a healthy sleep schedule and exercise regimen where possible.
DE QUERVAIN’S SYNDROME
A common repetitive use injury in musicians characterized by inflammation of the tendons that run through the wrist and down to the thumb side of your hand. Much like treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, De Quervain’s Syndrome can be helped by physical therapy and regenerative treatments like stem cell injections to heal the injury in a sustainable way.
DERMAPEN
A small, “pen”-like machine that uses tiny microneedles to injure the skin in a controlled way that barely reaches the dermis. Dermapen treatments, also referred to as microneedling, encourage the body to repair skin and produce new collagen at the treatment site, which could be anything from your face, to neck, hands, or even stretchmarks. Patients most often seek Dermapen treatments for conditions like acne scarring, melasma, and wrinkles.
EEG BIOFEEDBACK
Also known as Neurotherapy and Brain Wave Therapy, EEG Biofeedback is a non-invasive, sophisticated, computerized process for training in the self-regulation and normalization of brain waves in many contexts, psychological and physical. It involves the use of interactive monitoring devices that show how the brain responds to certain stimuli, allowing the subject to observe, analyze, and learn how to create more effective or positive responses to stimuli on a neurological level. EEG Biofeedback can prove useful as a headache treatment, for chronic pain management, a cognitive therapy, and more.
FIBROMYALGIA
A chronic pain disorder associated with aching muscles, sleep disorders and fatigue. Fibromyalgia is what happens when a biology loses resilience over time and then takes one more hit from which it can’t recover – and all body systems start to decompensate. Where there is enough decompensation in the body to have symptoms across different systems, we call it fibromyalgia. That’s why fibromyalgia is characterized by symptoms in several body systems, including widespread musculoskeletal pain, digestive issues, a weakened immune system, and neurological symptoms like skin changes (peripheral) and difficulty thinking clearly (central). Holistic treatment for fibromyalgia pain at the Blatman Health and Wellness Center includes myofascial release, absolute avoidance of inflammatory food, trigger point injections, intravenous vitamins, ozone, and ultraviolet light, detoxification, pain management with medical marijuana, and more.
| SYSTEM | SYMPTOM |
| Musculoskeletal | Wide spread body pain |
| Nervous | Sensation and skin temperature changes |
| Gastrointestinal | Irritable bowel |
| Central nervous system | Brain fog |
| Immune system | Repeated illness |
MIGRAINE HEADACHES
A recurrent, throbbing, very painful headache, often affecting one side of the head and sometimes accompanied by vomiting or by distinct warning signs including visual disturbances. Migraines are often precipitated by pain from myofascial trigger points in musculature of the jaw, head, neck, shoulders and upper back. Comprehensive treatment for migraines might include massage, trigger point injections, PRP therapy, bio-identical hormones, and more.
MYOFASCIAL PAIN
Myofascial Pain Syndromes cause weakness, restriction of motion, acute (sudden) pain, and chronic (long-lasting) pain. Myofascial pain may present as ANY unpleasant sensation you can describe. These include numbness, burning, tingling, itch, tickle, cramping, stabbing, sharp, dull, or aching. The pain typically varies with physical activity, changes in weather, quality of sleep, and emotional stress. Myofascial pain is often caused by repetitive use injuries.
Myofascial pain comes from myofascial trigger points that form in muscle tissue and fascia (connective tissue). Trigger points often feel like small nodules in the muscle; these are places where the fascia has seized up, causing discomfort and restricting function.
More active trigger points are tender and generate referral pain patterns when they are pushed on. They cause varying types of pain that include cramping, burning, aching, numbness and tingling. Less active myofascial trigger points can predispose a person to acute pain attacks and cause muscle weakness and early fatigue (with no sign of muscle wasting), and restriction of motion, with or without pain (i.e. frozen shoulder, tight hamstrings).
The term myofascial pain encompasses so many chronic pain syndromes, that myofascial pain treatment is often tailored to the patient’s specific expression of Myofascial Pain Syndrome. However, there are three key components of effective myofascial pain treatment: trigger point injections, physical therapy, and fascia release via massage techniques.
MYOFASCIAL RELEASE
A form of massage involving the stretching and manipulation of the tough connective tissue (fascia) that intertwines the body. Release Therapy, or Trigger Point Therapy, treats myofascial pain by releasing soft tissue that has contracted and seized up. This type of therapy for myofascial pain may or may not include a medical marijuana prescription to aid in pain management.
MYOFASCIAL TRIGGER POINTS
Knots that form in damaged muscle tissue. Trigger points can be felt as nodules or knots of tightness within a muscle. These trigger points form in muscle tissue as a response to injury; they generate pain patterns that are felt as aching, burning, numbness, tingling, and cramping. This pain pattern may be felt in a muscle or a nearby joint. The trigger point also restricts motion, and may cause weakness and tightness in the soft tissue. Myofascial trigger points can be released via trigger point injections and massage therapy.
PHANTOM LIMB PAIN
Pain that is felt in an amputated limb. It is often caused by myofascial trigger points in muscles that refer pain to the amputated parts. Over ¾ of amputees experience this type of referred myofascial pain. Phantom Limb Pain can be treated with prolotherapy, trigger point injections, PRP therapy at the site of the amputation, or EEG Biofeedback, and it considered quite treatable.
PHOTONIC STIMULATOR
An FDA-approved device that produces a single wavelength of light (900nm). The Photonic Stimulator modulates the sympathetic nervous system, helping the body to normalize skin temperature regulation. Unlike a laser, this light is not focused into a small beam. Instead, it is more like a flashlight, and the energy is applied from a hand-held wand. The infrared light excites electrons in mitochondrial cells and increases blood flow to the area, revitalizing tissue.
This device has been shown to have similar healing properties to low-level laser therapy that has been used in Europe for the last 20 years. Photonic stimulation may increase healing times for soft tissue injuries, and is used as a treatment for myofascial pain from sore joints and syndromes like Carpal Tunnel and De Quervain’s.
PLATELET-RICH-PLASMA INJECTIONS
A regenerative therapy that uses a patient’s own blood as a healing stimulant at the site of an injury or myofascial trigger point. Plasma, which is filled with platelets (healing agents), is separated from the blood using a centrifuge, and the concentration is injected. PRP therapy theory is that the platelet concentration will encourage the body to send more healing resources to the injured area. It is an effective treatment for repetitive use injuries, fibromyalgia, vaginal rejuvenation, and much more.
PROLOTHERAPY
A treatment for chronic pain that uses an innocuous solution injected at the site of injury or pain to irritate the site. This draws healing resources towards the site of the injection. Prolotherapy is an effective treatment for myofascial pain and joint pain.
REFLEX SYMPATHETIC DYSTROPHY
A chronic pain condition under the umbrella of Chronic Regional Pain Syndromes. Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy tends to be progressive, and may or may not result from nerve damage or neuropathy at the site of injury. Characterized by pain responses that far exceed the severity of the injury, therapy for Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy includes regenerative treatments like PRP therapy and stem cell injections, hormone therapy, trigger point injections, and more. Often, being mindful of environmental factors and sticking to a healthy diet can have a positive impact on RSD symptoms as well.
REFLEXOLOGY
A form of massage in which pressure is applied to certain parts of the feet and hands in order to promote relaxation and healing elsewhere in the body. Reflexology theory is based on the belief that each part of the body is interconnected through the nervous system, and can be affected by manipulating endpoints at the hands and feet. Stimulating specific reflex points in the feet can bring needed nutrients to poorly functioning areas of the body. This can help restore balance throughout the body.
REPETITIVE STRAIN INJURY
A painful condition affecting people who overuse muscles as a result of, for example, regularly operating a computer keyboard and mouse, or playing the piano. Repetitive Strain Injuries are usually caused by some combination of inflammation and activation of myofascial trigger points in the painful areas. Repetitive strain injuries are best treated as myofascial pain symptoms, with a combination of physical therapy and regenerative therapies like platelet-rich-plasma injections, trigger point or prolotherapy treatments.
SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION
A problem with one or more stages in the sex cycle that prevent someone from enjoying sex. Symptoms include an inability to become aroused, stay aroused, climax, or desire sex at all. Sexual Dysfunction in men and women can be caused by anything from medications (SSRI’s lower libido and lessen a woman’s ability to self-lubricate) to psychological disorders (depression can cause a lack of desire or orgasm issues like premature ejaculation in men). Treatment for Sexual Dysfunction include O-Shot or P-Shot injections, therapy, bioidentical hormones, peptides, herbal medicine, and more.
STEM CELL THERAPY
A regenerative treatment where an area of damaged tissue is injected with a concentration of stem cells. Stem cells for therapy are usually sourced from birth products from healthy C-section live babies. With low safety risks and promising efficacy, the idea of Stem Cell Therapy is for the injected stem cells to proliferate and differentiate, aiding the body in repairing the injured tissue.
TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT DYSFUNCTION (TMJ SYNDROME)
A painful condition involving the temporomandibular joint and the muscles used for chewing. TMJ sometimes causes clicking sounds, head, jaw and neck pain, and restricted jaw movement. It is a common and sometimes overlooked cause of chronic headaches. TMJ Syndromes are often treated first dentally, then with physical and psychological therapies.
THOUGHT FIELD THERAPY (TFT)
An innovative and remarkable therapy employed as part of psychotherapy for psychological problems, Thought Field Therapy was developed out of extensive knowledge of the body’s energy system. TFT was developed about 20 years ago by Dr. Roger J. Callahan, Ph.D.
Dr. Callahan discovered that by tapping on certain points on the body, one can affect the body’s energy in specific ways that lessen or eliminate distressing emotions via rebalancing the body’s chemical signals. Thought Field Therapy has shown an effective treatment for PTSD and anxiety disorders.
THYROID DISORDERS
Disorders characterized by the malfunctioning of the thyroid, which regulates the body’s metabolism. Now a days, this dysfunction can also be in the receptors that are activated by the thyroid hormone. This can be caused by hormone disrupting farming chemicals. Hypothyroidism (low function) and hyperthyroidism (over function) are two main types of this disorder. Thyroid Disorders can range from harmless enlarged glands to dangerous cancers. It can be caused by something as simple as an iodine deficiency, to complicated conditions of the gland itself.
Traditional Western treatments for disordered thyroid activity include medication regimens and surgeries. Holistic medicine considers environmental and dietary factors, with treatment regimens that regulate thyroid activity via dietary and lifestyle changes. We also prescribe thyroid medicine that contains T3, T4, and most times, pig parts.
TRIGGER POINT INJECTION
The process where most doctors inject a local anesthetic (often Novocain) into muscle trigger points to help them release. Dr. Blatman almost always uses a gas and not a liquid. This release opens and separates the stuck glued together fibers of muscle and fascia, restoring blood supply to the deeper muscle and allowing the muscle fibers to fine adjust themselves. Once the trigger points are unlocked and pain is stabilized, physical conditioning and strengthening become possible. Trigger point injection therapy is an effective treatment for chronic pain caused by damaged joints or pain caused by seized muscle tissue.
URINARY STRESS INCONTINENCE
The inability to effectively control bladder muscles, leading to unwanted leakage. Urinary Stress Incontinence is usually caused by weakened bladder, urethral and pelvic floor muscles, resulting from age, childbirth, injury or pelvic surgery. This condition can be helped with targeted exercises for pelvic floor muscles, Kegel exercises, TempSure Vitalia treatments, and O-Shot or P-Shot platelet-rich-plasma injections.