Positive Health Online

by Jonathan Lawrence BA DO Cert Ed Osteopath

I have been using Homoeopathic Mesotherapy or Biopuncture since 2009. I have found it useful as an adjunctive therapy to my osteopathic work.

Patients with arthritis, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow and low back pain have benefited from this therapy.[1] It can even be used in aesthetic medicine.

Fig 1. Biopuncture Technique

There are a number of injectable homoeopathic preparations that can be used. Some of them are formulated to promote lymphatic drainage, immunomodulation, and organ support. These are the fundamentals of Homotoxicology.

When I find first started using Homoeopathic Mesotherapy, I found that many patients would experience an acceleration in their healing. In addition to this I found that other existing issues would also improve. For example, I had a patient who used to come and see me with low back pain every six weeks or so. Any longer than this and her pain would become more acute. On one occasion she presented with a severely restricted left shoulder. I treated her in a conventional osteopathic manner which didn't help. She had physiotherapy which also didn't help. I then suggested that she try my new therapy to which she agreed.

After one administration of the immunomodulatory preparation, she found significant improvement. After the third session the shoulder was completely better. In addition to this her low back improved as well, which suggests that there is a systemic as well as a local effect to this therapy. Subsequently she required fewer maintenance treatments.

Another patient who came to see me for maintenance treatment for a low back problem which was caused by chronic disc irritation, elected to try the Mesotherapy. I used a preparation containing a mixture of classical homoeopathic remedies and an intervertebral disc sarcode. A sarcode Is a remedy made from healthy pig disc tissue. The purpose of this is to stimulate the healing of damaged human tissue. The reason porcine tissue is used is because of the similarity of pig and human tissue. This obeys the ‘Law of Similars’ which is a fundamental principle of homoeopathy.

The outcome was an immediate and significant improvement in symptoms which meant that maintenance treatments needed to be less frequent.

Subsequently, I have treated patients with disc degeneration who have shown improvements with before and after MRI scans.

I have now been working with Homoeopathic Mesotherapy for more than 15 years. I find that the combination of osteopathic manipulation affecting structural relationships and neurological feedback alongside the remedies can prove to be synergistic.

Recently, I have been undertaking training to use a set of injectables which are based on porcine collagen.[2] There are a number of these preparations that are designed for specific tissues. In addition to collagen, they contain one or more homoeopathic remedies that are used for the target tissue. Unusually for homoeopathic products there is an extensive independent research portfolio to support the use of these products.

Collagen is a key component of the musculoskeletal system and the extracellular matrix (ECM) representing approximately 5% of the total body weight. These tissues will be damaged by overuse, senescence and trauma.

This damage is characterized by loss of integrity of the collagen fibres which can become deranged and lacerated. The body attempts to repair this but often there may be deposition of scar tissue and imperfections in the orientation of collagen fibres. Excessive use of anti-inflammatory medications can also impair the process of repair.

Fig 2. Progressive Stages of Collagen Degeneration

The form of collagen in the medications is tropocollagen, the smallest subunit of collagen and from which normal collagen is synthesised. Injection of this substance does not exert any pharmacological action as it does not interfere with normal metabolism.[3]

Research indicates that these products are effective in stimulating fibroblast activity in collagen production and in orientating the fibres produced in a normal manner allowing normal tensile forces to be deployed in the tissues and to subsequently feedback accurate information to the fibroblasts thus regulating their activity.[4]

Fig 3. Restoration of Collagen Structure and Function

One of the first patients I have used these products on originally came to see me for osteopathic treatment. In addition, I did some mesotherapy using the original non collagen products. We resolved to give the new products to see whether they could increase the effectiveness of the treatment.

Maria is in her mid 40s; she has always been very fit competing in a number of extreme running and fitness events. Just over two years ago she developed cauda equina syndrome which was characterized by pain, loss of function and paraesthesia in the legs. The left leg was particularly affected with foot drop and wasting in the gastrocnemius.

She underwent two emergency operations and has been in rehabilitation ever since. She came to see me 18 months after her last operation and had recovered to the point where she was able to do significant exercise but with weakness persisting in her left leg following exercise she required a lot of rest.

On examination, it was found that the sacrum and coccyx were compressed. L5 on the left-hand side was restricted articulating with the sacrum and the sacroiliac joint on the right-hand side was restricted. All the pivot points in the spine were under strain.

Cranial osteopathic techniques were used to address these mechanical issues and remedies injected in the symptom area to promote lymphatic drainage, immunomodulation and disc healing.

Slow improvement took place over three sessions, with less discomfort, more mobility and improving strength in the left leg. We then decided to use the collagen-based remedies to see whether improvement could be accelerated. I used the formulation for the lumbar spine and another formulation for the nervous system.

Improvement seems to have accelerated. The calf muscle on the left-hand side is almost normal size. Foot drop which was a problem especially when she was fatigued following exercise is much better and there is more ability to push off on the left foot when running and jumping. There is no paraesthesia and the tenderness on palpation in the calf is much less.

Fig 4 Restoration of Muscle Bulk in L Gastrocnemius Following Nerve Damage

My experience using this method indicate are encouraging. What I have noticed is that the combination of manipulation and the use of the remedies appears to be even more effective than using one or other on their own.

The advantage of this approach is that it is cheap, appears to be encouragingly effective and there are very few contraindications or side effects. In addition, it can be used alongside conventional methods.

Using these natural methods could save the healthcare system significant money, freeing up resources in a stressed system.

References

1. Kersschot, J. (2014). Biopuncture. Thieme.
2. Milani L. A new and refined injectable treatment for musculoskeletal disorder. Bioscaffold properties of collagen and its clinical use. Physiological Regulating Medicine. 2010/1; 3-15
3. Tsai KS. Type 1 collagen promotes proliferation and osteo genesis of human mesenchymal stem cells via activation of ERK and Akt pathways .J Biomed Mater Res A. 2010 Sep 1;94(3):673-82.
4. Injection treatment for osteo-arthro-myo-dash fascial pathologies. GUNA Collagen Medical Devices Handbook 2015/5