PAIN CONTROL – A SPECIFIC NUTRITIONAL APPROACH

Pain is chemical in nature.  Regardless of the physical, thermal or emotional factors that are causative in a particular patient’s pain, the irritation of pain nerve receptors is a chemical process.  Therefore, the most expeditious control of a patient’s pain must consider the chemistry of the lesioned tissues.

There are three important considerations with respect to the chemical nature of pain:

1)       Pain reflects a chemical imbalance at the tissue level of biological organization.

2)       Pain involves a pH imbalance in the lesioned tissues.  Furthermore, the pH imbalance can involve either of two fundamental biochemical balance systems – the acid-alkaline balance system, or the anaerobic/dysaerobic balance system.

3)       The occurrence of pain follows a dualistic pattern, which means that either an acid tissue or an alkaline tissue has elevated pain sensitivity.

Simply, there are two types of pain – acid pain and alkaline pain.  Acid pain has one of two causes, an acid patient or an anaerobic patient.  Alkaline pain has one of two causes, an alkaline patient or a dysaerobic patient.  Control of the pain is frequently as simple as controlling tissue pH.  For acid pain, sodium or potassium bicarbonate will be effective, as will Oxygenic A-plus.  For alkaline pain, use phosphoric acid or ammonium chloride, or Oxygenic D-plus.

Making a differential diagnosis between acid and alkaline pain requires an evaluation of five clinical tests: urine pH, saliva pH, urine surface tension, respiratory rate and breath-holding time.  Let us look now at each of the four biochemical imbalances underlying pain sensitivity in terms of these five tests.

An acid pain associated with an acidosis will be typified by an accelerated respiratory rate and/or a decreased breath-holding capacity.  The urine pH is usually (though not always) acid, depending upon the type of acidosis.  The saliva pH is frequently acid, though quite variable.  The surface tension will likely be near normal.  Pain control in a patient who approximates this pattern of test results will be achieved by alkalizing with sodium bicarbonate.  Potassium bicarbonate is an alternative when sodium restriction is advised as in cases of hypertension or interstitial edema.  An initial dose of five grams of bicarbonate in a twelve once glass of water is recommended.  If indeed this is an acid pain, there should be noticeable improvement within one hour.  The dosage may be repeated at three to four hour intervals as needed, never exceeding six doses in twenty-four hours.  If your diagnosis of an acid imbalance was in error, the pain will be noticeably exacerbated within thirty minutes.  Re-administer the five tests and the true pattern of biochemical imbalance will be evident.  Change your therapy accordingly.

An anaerobic patient also has an acid pain.  Upon testing, the saliva is found to be acid, and the surface tension elevated.  The urine pH is usually alkaline but may vary.  Respiratory rate and breath-holding time are normal.  Bicarbonate is administered for pain control (as described above for acidosis) when the urine pH is 5.6 or less.  If the urine pH is above 5.6 administer Oxygenic A-plus.  A dosage from 30 to 80 drops is recommended (higher dosage for higher urine pH), and may be repeated every three to four hours, as needed.

An alkaline pain may be associated with an alkalosis.  In such a patient the respiratory rate will be slow and/or the breath-holding time will be long.  The urine pH is usually (though not always) alkaline, depending upon the type of alkalosis.  The saliva pH is quite variable, and the urine surface tension will likely be near normal.  Pain control is achieved through acidification.  If the patient's gag reflex is exaggerated or elicited very easily then use phosphoric acid.  Otherwise, ammonium chloride is recommended.  Three hundred milligrams of phosphoric acid or five hundred milligrams of ammonium chloride are suggested as an initial dosage.  The pain should abate within one hour.  If not, and if the alkalosis test pattern persists, the dosage may be increased to as much as double that used initially.  The effective dosage may be repeated at three to four hour intervals as needed, never exceeding six doses in twenty-four hours.  If your diagnosis of an alkaline imbalance was in error the pain will be noticeably exacerbated within thirty minutes.  Re-administer the five tests and the true pattern of biochemical imbalance will be evident.  Change your therapy accordingly.

In a dysaerobic patient the pain will be alkaline in character.  The saliva is alkaline and urine surface tension is low.  Urine pH is often acid, but may vary.  Respiratory rate and breath-holding time are within normal limits.  Acidification for pain control is achieved (as described above for an alkalosis) with phosphoric acid or ammonium chloride when the urine pH is 6.7 or more.  If the urine pH is below 6.7 administer Oxygenic D-plus.  A dosage from 15 to 40 drops is recommended (higher dosage for lower urine pH), and may be repeated every three to four hours, as needed.

There is only one "catch" to our specific nutritional approach to pain control – the character of a patient's pain may change frequently.  For chronic conditions this generally is not a problem.  If a patient has the same recurring headache for ten years, the underlying pattern of biochemical imbalances is likely always the same.  In acute conditions, however, changes may occur rapidly.  In cases of sciatica, for instance, it is not uncommon to see rapid and frequent changes in the acid-alkaline pattern.  Obviously then, the doctor must carefully and repeatedly monitor the patient.

With very little practice, this nutritional approach to pain should yield gratifying results.  Both the patient evaluation and the nutritional supplementation are amazingly simple, and the five clinical tests give the doctor an objective standard by which to monitor the patient’s progress.