This paper presents a
method to verify (for the first time) with "double-blind" placebo controlled
studies, the 2000-year-old Chinese definition of pain.
The Chinese believe that pain is caused by the "blockage of
Chi." - a concept that has never been adequately evaluated in Western
medicine. I submit that "Chi" is the endogenous electrical
potential in living tissue that can be measured and quantified.
I further propose that pain is caused by cut, broken, or suppressed
electrical connections between cells.
In support of the theory, and through my practice of auricular
medicine, I have measured the electrical resistance at the site
of pain, in more than 15,000 patients. Where there is pain,
the electrical resistance is always high, indicating a blockage
or suppression of the body's electrical signals.
To further evaluate the Chinese theory of pain, I developed
a highly conductive, silver membrane to be applied over the site
of pain. Once the membrane is applied, it acts (electrically)
like a living part of the body.
Below are five case studies (from more than 1200 treatments)
in which the membrane was applied to relieve pain. The membrane
(hereafter referred to by the trade name "Biotape") is chemically
inert. No medicine, drugs, or external electricity is used
with or applied by or through the tape.
Lois C.: Excruciating
endless pain since knee surgery in 1987. Biotape applied
12-12-96. Patient reported eight months later that the
relief of pain from one application of the tape "is the greatest
joy in my entire life." After nine years of relentless pain, patient
is still pain free eight months after treatment.
Carolyn A.:
Fibromyalgia. Disabling neck and shoulder pain for six years. Patient
spent more than two hours every night hot packing her shoulder just to be
able to function as the breadwinner for her family. Biotape applied
4-22-97 providing 70% immediate relief. Reapplied tape 5-21-97.
Patient reported two months later that her neck and shoulder were completely
healed.
Marvin W.: Peripheral
Neuropathy. Balls of feet almost too tender to walk on
for five years. Biotape applied 7-7-97. "There was
instant relief and no pain until the tape came off."
Brandon J.:
Back pain and headaches from an auto accident, unable to work for 18 months.
Lumbar spinal surgery scheduled the following week. Pain
reduced 85% with one application of Biotape and auricular therapy
2-25-98. Pain was completely gone the next day. Surgery
canceled.
Tricia M.: Low
back pain so severe she couldn't stand or walk. Used
magnets (that are being touted for pain) for a week. The
magnets had not helped (because magnets are not conductive).
Biotape relieved pain immediately and patient could stand and walk.
Obviously not all
cases are this successful but they are representative of what does
occur more often than could be attributed to a placebo. (More
case studies may be seen at end of page.)
The existence of
minute endogenous electrical potentials in the body is not in question.
It is a measurable phenomenon. If electrical nerve signals
are blocked, cells will die or degenerate, causing muscle wasting.
All muscular movements are controlled by electricity. The
heart works electrically. If the heart's pacemaker (sinus node)
fails, an electrical pacemaker is implanted. We are "brain
dead" when there are no more electrical signals going across the brain.
I submit that this is also true of every other cell in the body.
Western medicine primarily addresses just the chemical and
mechanical functions of the body. Traditional Chinese
medicine deals with electrical processes. Acupuncture points
cannot be seen, but they can be found with modern electronic instruments
called "point finders." The points are areas of low electrical
resistance that are no bigger than the head of a pin. Incredibly, acupuncture
points are precisely where the Chinese have said they were for centuries!
A practice which shows the mechanical orientation of Western
medicine is to look for "the cause of pain" with imaging devices
such as X-ray, CT scans, MRI scans, etc. Imaging instruments
cannot see electricity (Chi) or pain and no imaging device can tell
what is going through a nerve, even if the nerve is pinched.
Nerves can function perfectly even if they are pinched. Nerve
signals can also be impaired and cause excruciating pain when they
are not pinched.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, June
7, 1990, p.1627 on the use of TENS (transcutaneous electric nerve
stimulation) shows how little Western medicine knows about the
electrical functions of the body. The study concluded that,
"for patients with chronic low back pain, treatment with TENS is
no more effective than treatment with a placebo." This is
like learning that a drug is ineffective, and then concluding that
"all drugs are no more effective than treatment with a placebo."
Western medicine dismisses Chinese medicine the same way. Negative
studies are cited and then everything is rejected.
There are potentially as many different kinds of electrical
stimulation, wave forms, frequencies, etc. as there are drugs.
The only thing the above study showed was that one particular TENS
instrument, used as they used it, was ineffective!
Western surgical procedures cannot be proven with "double-blind"
studies, the same as acupuncture cannot be proven, because there
is no placebo for either one. Does this make coronary bypass
surgery, angioplasty, spinal fusions, hysterectomy, and all such
surgery unscientific?
The concept of pain in this paper is important because nearly
everything that is done for pain in Western medicine only masks
the pain by suppressing the pain signal. This is treating
the symptom, not the cause. Masking the pain with medication is harmful
for many reasons: First, pain signals cannot be suppressed without
suppressing other vital functions. Second, aspirin may cause Reye's
syndrome in children. Aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs cause gastrointestinal bleeding. Third, continued use of even
over the counter medications such as Tylenol, Advil (Acetaminophen,
Ibuprofen) etc. may cause kidney failure or liver damage. Adult
doses given to children may cause severe liver damage and even death.
Fourth, narcotics and steroids have harmful side effects in addition
to being addictive. Fifth, pain medication does nothing to repair
the broken circuits which cause the pain.
The International Association for the Study of Pain defines
pain as, "An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated
with actual or potential tissue damage." This tells us little
about the physiology of pain, and nothing about how to heal pain.
Western medicine can name many conditions believed to cause
pain. It is known in nanoseconds how fast pain signals
travel to the brain. Pain control chemicals that are produced
by the body have been discovered in the brain and spinal column.
Blocking the pain signal with drugs is a highly developed science.
Still Western medicine does not fully understand the physiology of
pain. Pain is caused by injured tissue, but what causes pain when
there has been no injury? How does the body heal pain? The
extolled "Gate Theory of Pain" revealed how pain signals are transmitted,
not what pain is.
Traditional Chinese medicine has understood what pain is for
more than two thousand years. We now offer a simple method
anyone can use to relieve pain or verify the Chinese definition
of pain. "Double-blind" placebo controlled studies could easily
be done using the conductive tape and tape with an identical appearance
that is not conductive. Unlike research on acupuncture, neither
the doctor or the patient would know who is getting the real thing
and who is getting the placebo.
The reason we do not do our own double-blind study is because
the outcome would be questioned. Such a study should be completely
independent of the Pain Research Institute. We will provide
materials and training without charge to any independent researcher
who has designed, conducted, and published double-blind placebo
controlled studies. A positive outcome from such a study
would be evidence for what is almost inconceivable, that Western
medicine has never learned the underlying cause of pain!
Note: The following case studies were not included
in the above published article.
More Biotape Case Studies:
Case studies given are best-case
examples. Not all patients respond equally well or permanently. No medical claims are made for
Biotape. The evidence presented and the case studies
given are only anecdotal, until established by "double-blind"
placebo controlled medical studies.
Dorothy S.: Arthritis in knees "swelled up as big as
cabbages." So painful it was almost impossible to walk.
Biotape applied 10-22-96 around both knees. Pain relieved
almost 100% immediately. Swelling gone in two days and has not
returned. Tape reapplied for pain without swelling 10-29-96,
11-25-96, 12-10-96, 1- 7-97, 2-11-97. Received total relief
of pain lasting about a month each time.
Jane R.:
Very painful "frozen shoulder."
Biotape applied 10-29-96 Received near 100% instant relief.
Royola A.:
Grandma with severe
low back pain from injury jumping on trampoline. Biotape
applied right side of lumbar spine 11-11-96. Ninety-five percent
relief within seconds. Tape reapplied 1-6-97. Pain
still 75% better six months later.
Hope P.:
Arm and shoulder ached like a
toothache all night. Possibly lymph edema after mastectomy. Biotape
applied over shoulder and down to hand 10-7-96. Pain 100% better the
next night with no reoccurrence in eleven months.
Terry G.: Pain so severe in low back that patient
couldn't walk. Biotape applied 2-11-97. There was
almost immediate "miraculous relief." Biotape reapplied 5-2-97
when the pain started to return. Patient reported four months
later that the pain never come back.
Elizabeth S.: Back pain, "unending for years."
Biotape applied 1-15-97. Patient reported six months later that
"It helped a lot. The Pain is just starting to come back
but not near as bad as before."
Mary E.: Sciatic pain. Biotape applied 6-18-97.
Patient bent over immediately after and said "That's the first
time I have been able to bend over without pain in 10 years!"
Pain a month later still only about 10% of what it was before treatment.
Lisa R.: Low back pain with pregnancy. Biotape
applied down both sides of lumbar spine resulting in 95% relief.
Joleen S.: Thoracic pain so severe that she couldn't
sleep lying down for six months. Biotape applied 4-28-97.
Patient reported three months later that "It was extremely successful.
Doesn't hurt at all now."
Fredrick C.: Peripheral neuropathy. Severe burning
in the soles of feet. Significant relief came with application
of Biotape that stayed on for only three or four days. Still
50% better a month later with no more tape. Biotape applied to soles
of feet 7-16- 97. Burning "gone" immediately.
Mary Jo S.: Post polio syndrome. Severely disabled.
Biotape applied over swollen knee 1-3-97. Patient reported
2-13-97, "It helped tremendously. I was able to walk through
the grocery store for the first time in years and was not crippled
after doing it!"
Summer D.: Unending pain from cheer leading accident
two years before. Biotape applied on left side of lumbar
spine 9-18-96 for Pain gone until 10-23-96. Reapplied tape
10-24- 96. Pain has still not returned 7-13-97.
Ben C.: Osgood-Schlatter's Disease. Biotape
applied 6-18-97 around knee. "Pain gone" immediately.
Has not returned in more than a year.
Anne C.: Heel and Achilles tendon pain for six
months. Biotape applied 4-22-97. Pain still completely
gone 7-11-97.
Glen A.: "Drop foot." Biotape applied down
leg 11-4-96. Definitely improved eight months later.
Can now move toes.
Colleen M.: Rheumatoid arthritis pain in hands.
Three strips Biotape applied down arm to hand 10-8-96.
Received 90% relief within minutes.
Paul S.: Low back pain so severe patient couldn't
stand up. Applied Biotape. Relief was immediate.
Pain completely gone for more than a year.
Helen S.: Ninety-year-old with pain that came three
years after knee joint replacement surgery, so severe that she
couldn't walk. Biotape applied to knee and within 15 minutes
she was walking and 90-100% of the pain was gone. "Completely
better" a month after the tape came off.
E-mail: stoddard@healpain.net
Website: http://www.healpain.net
To
purchase Biotape go to: www.biotape.net
on the Internet
Return to Homepage of The Pain Research
Institute
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