Identifying and Treating Blockages to Healing E-Book

Beate Strittmatter

• Herausgeber: Thieme
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 444

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2003

Beschreibung

With chronic illnesses on the rise, many of which are resistant to therapy, attention is increasingly focused on new ways of understanding disease processes. Regions of minimal chronic stress are often neglected as potential causes of disease due to their lack of symptoms, when in fact they may be the actual blockage to the healing process. These blockages are known as focal disturbances. In many cases, where such foci were found and treated with ear acupuncture or neural therapy, chronic ailments that previously resisted conventional treatments subsided. This book addresses the basic concepts and information about this revolutionary approach to healing: The definition of focal disturbances How to diagnose, locate, and treat foci the role of ear acupuncture in treating focal disturbances Profit from the author's years of international teaching experience and learn the basics and application of this important diagnostic tool to expand your treatment and remove blockages to healing.

Leseprobe

Identifying and Treating Blockages to Healing

New Approaches to Therapy-Resistant Patients

Beate Strittmatter, M.D.

ElversbergGermany

150 illustrations

ThiemeStuttgart · New York

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher

This book is an authorized and revised translation of the German edition published and copyrighted 1998 by Hip-pokrates Verlag GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany. Title of the German edition: Das Störfeld in Diagnostik und Therapie: Eine Praxisanleitung für Ärzte und Zahnärzte, Mit den Kontrolltechniken nach BAHR

Translator: Ursula Vielkind, PhD, CTran, Dundas, Ontario, Canada

© 2004 Georg Thieme Verlag,Rüdigerstrasse 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germanyhttp://www.thieme.de

Thieme New York, 333 Seventh Avenue,New York, NY 10001 USAhttp://www.thieme.com

Cover design: Martina Berge, ErbachTypesetting by Satzpunkt Ewert GmbH

Printed in Germany by Druckhaus Götz, Ludwigsburg

ISBN 3-13-127871-4 (GTV)ISBN 1-58890-106-8 (TNY)           1 2 3 4 5

Important note: Medicine is an ever-changing science undergoing continual development. Research and clinical experience are continually expanding our knowledge, in particular our knowledge of proper treatment and drug therapy. Insofar as this book mentions any dosage or application, readers may rest assured that the authors, editors, and publishers have made every effort to ensure that such references are in accordance with the state of knowledge at the time of production of the book.

Nevertheless, this does not involve, imply, or express any guarantee or responsibility on the part of the publishers in respect to any dosage instructions and forms of applications stated in the book. Every user is requested to examine carefully the manufacturers’ leaflets accompanying each drug and to check, if necessary in consultation with a physician or specialist, whether the dosage schedules mentioned therein or the contraindications stated by the manufacturers differ from the statements made in the present book. Such examination is particularly important with drugs that are either rarely used or have been newly released on the market. Every dosage schedule or every form of application used is entirely at the user’s own risk and responsibility. The authors and publishers request every user to report to the publishers any discrepancies or inaccuracies noticed.

Some of the product names, patents, and registered designs referred to in this book are in fact registered trademarks or proprietary names even though specific reference to this fact is not always made in the text. Therefore, the appearance of a name without designation as proprietary is not to be construed as a representation by the publisher that it is in the public domain.

This book, including all parts thereof, is legally protected by copyright. Any use, exploitation, or commercialization outside the narrow limits set by copyright legislation, without the publisher’s consent, is illegal and liable to prosecution. This applies in particular to photostat reproduction, copying, mimeographing, preparation of microfilms, and electronic data processing and storage.

Foreword

Therapists around the world know the following problem from their daily practice: some patients seem to be resistant to treatment despite all diagnostic and therapeutic efforts. Whether it is a young and healthy woman with recurrent inflammation of the bladder or a fit man with tormenting back pain–the symptoms have become chronic, and the key for unlocking the vicious cycle seems to be lost. Quite often the key to solving the health problem is a focus.

Ever since Ferdinand Huneke made his first observations about focal disturbances more than 60 years ago, foci have been investigated from various angles over the last decades by committed medical doctors and scientists. In cases of chronic diseases or resistance to therapy, the many disciplines of complementary medicine–but also conventional medicine–have been paying special attention to the diagnosis and therapy of foci that maintain or promote a disease. Unfortunately, many foci (such as minimal chronic inflammation, scars, devitalized teeth) are still inaccessible to diagnosis by means of imaging procedures or laboratory tests. However, identification of the focus is the key to treating any focal disturbance.

The method of identifying a focus by means of active acupuncture points in the reflex zones of the ear is simple and easy to learn; thus it comes as no surprise that, in Germany and many other European countries, focus diagnosis has now become a widely practiced method of complementary medicine, especially for patients who are resistant to therapy.

The present book is a practical guide to the identification and treatment of foci. It is exemplary in didactic and systematic terms, simple and precise in its writing, and set up with many instructive illustrations. The author never loses sight of the reader, who will directly profit from the many years of the author’s experience in research and teaching as well as in applying the method in her own practice.

During many years of teaching at the University of Nanjing and at the Institute of Applied Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, I experienced that the phenomenon of focal disturbances has no limits in terms of geography or methodology. The traditional schools of acupuncture have accepted with enthusiasm the methods of focus diagnosis that have been developed by Nogi-er, myself, and our co-workers.

In European countries, the German edition of the present book is already part of the standard literature of many therapists. I would like to see this book become an effective guide to focus diagnosis and therapy in the English-speaking world as well, for application is the first step to experience, and only experience can provide evidence. I hope it will be of help to numerous patients who have not yet found relief by even the best evidence-based methods or to those who are already taking good care of their health by prevention.

Frank Bahr, M.D., Prof. mult. h.c./China

Preface

During almost 20 years of intense teaching activities, I have been repeatedly approached by course participants with requests for a specific book dealing with the diagnosis of focal disturbances.

The testing for focal disturbances is an integral part of the ear and body acupuncture training offered by the German Academy for Acupuncture and Auriculomedicine, Munich, and its affiliated societies in Switzerland, Austria, and The Netherlands. Until recently, however, only those of my medical colleagues who where willing to get involved with training in acupuncture, both in terms of time and content, were able to get to know our practical and comparatively less costly procedure of diagnosing focal disturbances. I always regretted this.

In the present book, I have attempted to explain the concept of focus diagnosis in a way that is not only practice-oriented but also easy to understand for the non-acupuncturist. For this purpose, I have selected only focus-related methods of the standard curriculum on ear acupuncture and have presented them here in detail. They can be used on their own for the sole purpose of focus diagnosis in the medical practice.

The result is a book that can be used as a guide for study, review, and reference even by the experienced ear or body acupuncturist.

I dedicate this book to my mentor, Frank Bahr, M.D., to whom I owe my knowledge of these methods (most of which are his) and the passion for acupuncture in general. He has been urging me for years to write this book.

I wish to thank my family – without their patience and understanding this book would never have been completed.

The success of any book ultimately depends on the quality of the editing and translation process. My special thanks go to Andrea Wülker, M.D., Offenburg, Germany, for editing the 1st German edition, Liane Platt-Rohloff, Ph.D. and Melissa von Rohr, Editors at George Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, and Thieme New York, respectively, for handling the translation project, and Ursula Vielkind, Ph.D., C. Tran., Dundas, Ontario, Canada, for translating the book. They not only showed a perfect command of the tools of their trades but have also acquired great competence for the topic during years of collaboration.

Autumn 2003                                                                Beate Strittmatter

Contents

Foreword

Part A The Basics

Introduction

The Focus

Definition

Clinical Implications

An Example from My Practice

Focal Activity—Some Basics

Huneke’s Phenomenon: The Immediate Reaction

Potential Foci

Paranasal Sinuses

Tonsils

Appendix

Temporomandibular Joint

The Teeth as Foci

Teeth with Inflamed or Decayed Pulp

Root Canal Therapy of Devitalized Teeth

Root Remnants in the Jaw

An Example from My Practice

Displaced Teeth and Impacted Wisdom Teeth

Foreign Bodies

Cysts in the Jaw Region

Chronic Gnathitis Following Tooth Extraction or Surgery

Diseases of the Marginal Periodontium

The Link to Traditional Chinese Medicine

Scars Acting as Foci

Scars Located on a Meridian

Fresh Scars and Meridianitis

An Example from My Practice

Intestinal Dysbiosis

Gastrointestinal Allergy and Migraine

Substance Intolerance

Other Potential Foci

An Example from My Practice

Test Procedures for Focal Disturbances

The Role of Ear Acupuncture in the Testing for Foci

General Remarks Regarding the Testing.

Test Procedure for Foci According to Bahr—An Overview

Focus Diagnosis for Beginners (Level 1)

More Advanced Focus Diagnosis (Level 2)

Where to Start

Comparison of the Various Methods for Focus Diagnosis and Therapy . . .

Part B Practical Application

Learning and Mastering Knowledge Level 1Focus Diagnosis by Means of Ear Reflex Zones

Essential Requirements

Grounding

Finding the Ear Points

Mechanical Search for Points

Locating Points with the Stirrup Probe

Locating Points with the Pressure Probe

Locating Points with an Electrical Device

The Basics of Locating Points Electrically

Procedure for Locating Points with the Electrical Point-Finder

Sources of Error during Electrical Point Measurement

Suitable Point-Finding Devices

Preliminary Examination

Locating Focus Points on the Ear

An Example from My Practice

The Special Case of Amalgam

Mental Fields of Disturbance

Practical Approach at Knowledge Level 1

Summary of Diagnostic Steps at Knowledge Level 1

Focus Therapy Via Ear Reflex Zones

Therapeutic Principle

Needling the Ear Reflex Zone That Corresponds to the Focus

Infiltrating the Focus with a Local Anesthetic

Laser Treatment Using Specific Frequencies

Therapeutic Procedure

Sieve Method

Moxibustion

Additional Ear Points for Focus Therapy

How to Proceed in Case of Amalgam Load

Mental Fields of Disturbance

A Note Regarding Therapy in a Left-handed Person

Practical Tips for Therapy

Measures Supporting the Therapy

Massage of Acupuncture Points by the Patient

Transcutaneous Nerve Stimulation

Improving Muscle Balance and Stability

Diet

Problems during Therapy

No Improvement of Symptoms

The Focus Cannot Be Eliminated

Ear Inflammation Due to a Permanent Needle

Condition after Otoplasty

Uncertain Handedness

Initial Aggravation

Fear of Needles

The Course of Therapy

Summary of Therapeutic Steps at Knowledge Level 1

Notes Regarding Acupuncture Needles

Disposable Needles

Reusable Needles

Permanent Needles

Range of Uses for Permanent Needles

Covering the Permanent Needle

Stimulation of the Permanent Needle

Other Systems of Permanent Needles

Essential Equipment

Learning and Mastering Knowledge Level 2Focus Diagnosis under Vascular Autonomic Signal Control

Overview

The Vascular Autonomic Signal (Nogier’s Reflex)

Discovery of the VAS

The Basics

Technique of Palpating the VAS

Sources of Error When Palpating the VAS

The Electric Hammer (3-Volt Hammer)

The Five Focus Indicator Points According to Bahr

Focus Indicator Point Type 1:Histamine Point(Synonym: Allergy Point 1)

Focus Indicator Point Type 2:Endoxan Point(Synonym: Allergy Point 2)

Focus Indicator Point Type 3:Point PGE1

Focus Indicator Point Type 4:Vitamin C Point

Focus Indicator Point Type 5:Laterality Point (Synonym: Ginseng Point)

Locating the Focus Indicator Points

Assigning the Foci Belonging to the Focus Indicator Points

Cable Method

Other Applications of the Cable

The Phenomenon of Local Resonance

Grounding

Preliminary Examination

Determining Laterality

Obstacle to Diagnosis and Therapy: Oscillation

Examination for Oscillation

Suppression of Oscillation

Method of Detecting the Cause of Oscillation

Focus Therapy under Vascular Autonomic Signal Control

Therapeutic Principle

Needling of the Ear Reflex ZoneThat Corresponds to the Focus

Infiltration of the FocusWith a Local Anesthetic

Dry Needling of the AffectedFocal Site on the Body

Combination of Methods

Sieve Method

Moxibustion

Monitoring the Therapy

Immediate Checking

Monitoring the Course of Therapy

Procedure in Case of Amalgam Load

Additional Points for Focus Therapy

Mental Fields of Disturbance

Problems during Therapy

Measures Supporting the Therapy

Long-Term Course of the Therapy

VAS Method: Case Histories from My Practice

Shoulder Pain Due to a Dental Focus

Chronic Back Pain Due to Impacted Wisdom Teeth

“Meridianitis”

Migraine Therapy—A 5-Year Follow-up

Posttraumatic Migraine

Optimizing the Methods

Tools to Improve the Diagnostic Procedure

The Three Tissue Layers

Deep Tissue Layer

Intermediate Tissue Layer

Superficial Tissue Layer

Examining the Tissue Layers

Examining the Deep Tissue Layer

Examining the Intermediate Tissue Layer

Examining the Superficial Tissue Layer

Checking for Inversion

Checking for Inversion on the Right Side

Checking for Inversion on the Left Side

Procedure in Case of Inversion

Monitoring the Treatment for Inversion

Determining Laterality

Preliminary Examination with the 9-Volt Rod

Examination Procedure

The Laser in Focus Diagnosis and Therapy

Application of the Laser

Finding Focus Indicator Points with the Laser

Focus Diagnosis with the Laser

Focus Therapy with the Laser

Hidden Dental Foci

Complete Examination Procedure

Therapy of a Dental Focus

Equipment

Other Applications of the Vascular Autonomic Signal

VAS in Orthopedics

VAS in Neural Therapy

VAS in Allergy Treatment

VAS in Dentistry

Other Applications of Ear Acupuncture

Symptomatic Therapy

Focus Diagnosis and Therapy

Functional or Constitutional Therapy

Indications for Ear Acupuncture Therapy

Contraindications for Ear Acupuncture Therapy

Ear Acupuncture: Case Histories From My Practice

Back Pain Following Ankle Surgery

Hay Fever in a Child

Unclear Pain in the Knee

Focus-Relevant Reflex Localizations on the Auricle

Overview

Locomotor System

Vertebral Column

Thorax

Pelvis

Upper Limb

Lower Limb

Head

Part C Training, Equipment, and Practical Aids

Training

Courses for Focus Therapists at the German Academy of Acupuncture and Auriculomedicine

Level 0—Introductory Course on Ear, Body, and Scalp Acupuncture

Level 1—Crash Course on Ear, Body, and Scalp Acupuncture for Beginners

Level 2—Crash Course on Scientific Ear Acupuncture for the Moderately Advanced

Level 3—Crash Course on Scientific Ear Acupuncture for the More Advanced

Level 4—Crash Course on Scientific Ear Acupuncture for the Most Advanced

Clinical Courses under Supervision

Level 2—Crash Course on Scientific Body/Scalp Acupuncture for the Moderately Advanced

Level 3—Crash Course on Scientific Body/Scalp Acupuncture for the More Advanced

Training Institutions

Supply Sources

Acupuncture Supplies

Point-Finders, Ear Models Made of Rubber

Acupuncture Needles

Focus Indicator Ampoules

Laser and TNS Equipment

Market for Second-Hand Equipment

Experienced Acupuncturists

Patient Information Leaflets

Patient Information Leaflet:What Is Acupuncture?

Ear Acupuncture

Patient Information Leaflet:Permanent Needles

Patient Information Leaflet:What Is Laser Acupuncture?

The Importance of Focal Disturbances

Who Benefits from Laser Acupuncture?

Patient Information Leaflet: What Is Neural Therapy?

Index

Part A

The Basics

“The value of an important phenomenon can only be recognized by using it. This is why the truth—once revealed and, at first, only secretly admitted—begins to spread further and further until that which has been persistently denied finally appears as something natural.”

Wolfgang von Goethe

Introduction

The diagnosis of foci is receiving more and more attention, even among those of my colleagues who are working exclusively in the field of conventional medicine. One of the main reasons for this growing interest is perhaps the frustration with therapy resistance, a phenomenon frequently observed in hospitals and private practice.

With chronic illnesses on the rise, many of which are resistant to therapy, attention is increasingly focused on new ways of understanding disease processes. Regions of minor chronic stress are often neglected as potential causes of disease due to their lack of symptoms, when in fact they may be the actual blockage to the healing process. These blockages are known as focal disturbances. In many cases, where such foci were found and treated with ear acupuncture or neural therapy, chronic ailments that previously resisted conventional treatments subsided.

The Holistic Approach

The increase in chronic illnesses in recent decades called for new approaches in the field of diagnostics which, together with the established methods of conventional medicine, would lead to a better understanding of the causes of certain disease processes. In 1975, the Viennese professor of histology and embryology, Pischinger, presented his findings on the system of homeostasis. Ever since, the holistic view that a human being is a highly connected, energetically open system has become indispensable (4).

According to Virchow’s cellular pathology, illness is caused by pathological changes of certain cells or organs. However, this view of the pathological process is no longer sufficient as the exclusive explanation. The center of attention is now shifting to regions of minor chronic stress; such a region is called a field of disturbance (German: “Störfeld”), focal disturbance, or focus. Often neglected due to their lack of symptoms, these foci can over many years lead to cell damage in remote organs because they act on the cellular, tissue, humoral, and neural levels. Hence, a focus is regarded as the chief center of a morbid process.

The high rate of therapeutic failure in both general and specialized medicine is due to the lack of knowledge about such fields of disturbance. No matter what medical specialty or method of treatment a therapist practices, long-term success will only be achieved when all possible causes of an illness are considered and comprehensive action is taken.

Focal Processes

Every physician engaged in neural therapy, acupuncture, electroacupuncture, homeopathy, and other complementary methods should deal with the focal process as a primary obstacle to healing. Why, for instance, does a knee injury in patient A heal within a few weeks without complications, while all therapeutic efforts seem to be useless in knee patient B? Both patients have similar injuries, both are about the same age, and both seem to be in a similar physical condition. However, patient B had been suffering from a focal disturbance prior to the injury, and this is now interfering with the body’s power to heal itself. The body is no longer able to control the severe stimulus coming from the knee injury. This book describes in detail the mechanisms of such disturbances.

But where should we search for such foci that interfere with the healing process? In the field of internal medicine, the screening for foci is already standard procedure, and all available techniques are enlisted in the search for foci. Inflammatory processes are considered first of all, for example, affections of the paranasal sinuses, gallbladder, pancreas, urogenital system, or teeth. Unfortunately, many foci escape detection even by today’s highly sophisticated medical imaging procedures and modern laboratory diagnostics. Quite a few teeth have been extracted based on suspicion — without any effect on the symptoms. Up to now, only few therapists consider tissue scars as potential fields of disturbance.

Some naturopathic procedures, such as neural therapy and therapeutic local anesthesia, do consider various potential foci, but they do not allow unambiguous identification of foci or the grading of their intensity prior to treatment. The multitude of possible foci in inflammatory and degenerative regions may render treatment difficult, time-consuming, and painful for the patient if all suspected foci are to be included in the treatment plan by way of trial. For example, all scars present are injected tentatively, and injections are applied to the prostate, pelvic region, tonsils, or suspected teeth— for the purpose of eliminating a possible focus in this way.

The merit of having discovered the phenomenon of focal processes certainly belongs to Ferdinand Huneke, the founder of focus theory and neural therapy (see p. 11ff.). The significance of his discovery cannot be overestimated. Within the methods available to him, however, even Huneke was unable to diagnose foci in a targeted way; in particular, he could not diagnose the primary focus which plays such a key role in focal processes. Like most of today’s neural therapists, he had to rely on a detailed patient history, perhaps on a finding by palpation within the respective segment and, apart from that, on injections by trial and error.

Targeted Search for Foci

An obstacle to healing that does not show up in the patient’s history or during clinical examination is easily overlooked. Internal scars (resulting, for example, from appendectomy or cesarean section) fail to be diagnosed as interfering with healing and are therefore not treated. Huneke’s findings, however, created the foundation on which Nogier, the founder of ear acupuncture, took the first steps toward a targeted search for foci more than 40 years ago (3). On this basis, Bahr then developed the differentiated and practical focus diagnosis described in this book (1, 2).

Focus diagnosis does not require extensive technical equipment and can be performed by every physician in his/her practice. The topic of focus therapy, especially the treatment of internal foci which are difficult to get at, will also be discussed within the scope of this book.

References

1 Bahr, F.: Systematik und Praktikum der wissenschaftlichen Ohrakupunktur für mäßig Fortgeschrittene. Self-published, Munich 1989

2 Bahr, F.: Systematik und Praktikum der wissenschaftlichen Ohrakupunktur für Fortgeschrittene (Stufe 3). Self-published, Munich 1994

3 Nogier, P.: Lehrbuch der Aurikulotherapie. Maisonneuve, Sainte Ruffine 1969

4 Pischinger, A.: Das System der Grundregulation. Haug, Heidelberg 1990

The Focus

Definition

A focus is a harmful influence which interferes with the body's system of self-regulation, especially with the control of stimuli that disturb the body's order.

Obstacle to Healing

The definition above already includes the essential features of focal activity. The body normally endures and tolerates a wide range of stimuli that temporarily disturb its order: the knocked knee, the strained shoulder, the common cold in the family, noxious substances (pollutants) in food and the environment. Although the duration of an illness correlates with the intensity of the stimulus, the processes of healing and defense start on day one. Once the body has overcome the negative stimulus, a state of equilibrium sets in. However, if a focus is present in the body, the healing process is hampered or, in serious cases, even prevented.

Based on the observation that bacterial inflammation can have a disseminating effect and can affect other organ systems of the body, classic somatic medicine coined the term “focus” many years ago (e. g., a focus in the tonsils, teeth, or appendix).

Overload of the Feedback System

In view of today's knowledge, the idea that bacterial dissemination or the release of toxins is the sole cause of a focus has become untenable. Today, we define a focus as a disturbed site anywhere in the body. Through nonphysiological tissue changes and abnormal reactions, a focus subjects the complex feedback mechanism to stress by overstimulation and induces disturbances of remote structures that are already under stress.

The terms “field of disturbance,” “focal disturbance,” and “focus” are synonyms. They apply to all inflammatory changes (i. e., foci in the original sense) as well as disturbing scars and an overload of the body by substances and toxins.

An acute inflammatory process can usually be diagnosed by the conventional imaging techniques or laboratory tests and, hence, can be treated. The following discussion will deal primarily with those foci that cannot be easily discovered with the common diagnostic tools. These foci, in particular, may be responsible for the fact that a disease does not respond to therapy or has become chronic, just because the underlying foci cannot be discovered by the usual methods. In many cases, the detection and treatment of such foci may lead to long-term healing or relief, especially in disorders that cannot be treated at all or only symptomatically, such as migraine.

In conventional medicine, the search for foci usually begins when there are already symptoms of mostly unknown origin. Once and again, our focus diagnosis (the diagnosis of fields of disturbance, according to Bahr) is an eye-opener; an altered body structure is often already a focus before it causes noticeable symptoms for the patient. Complaints often begin with a disturbed state of health and in such a small area that a person is not yet declared ill. Hence, a focal disturbance that goes unnoticed is like a smoldering fire which threatens to flare up with the next gust of wind.

First Strike, Second Strike

The fire analogy nicely illustrates the theory of neural therapists of the first strike (this may be a focus of any kind that has been discussed here), where there are no symptoms or none can be detected and where the body still copes well with the blow. The second strike—an unfavorable, weaker influence (wind, cold, accident, dietary error, mental trauma, repeat surgery)—leads to activation of the dormant focus, and the illness triggered through the weakening influence (common cold, injury, etc.) does not heal.

Hence, the body only falls ill when it is no longer able to ward off a chronic focal activity or when a second blow strikes.

In my practice, I like to explain this relationship to my patients by using the example of a shopping bag that already contains a heavy weight (a focus). By adding bread, butter, and vegetables (normal daily stress) during the shopping trip, the weight of the bag becomes a burden. If another heavy item is then added on top of that, the bag might become too heavy to be carried (any additional strain to the body, e.g., an injury or the common cold, may cause disease).

Another way of explaining this is the image of a bucket that is slowly filling up. Genetic predisposition, environmental factors, foci, substance sensitivity, and psychological stress can be compensated individually by the body's innate potential to heal. It is the sum of all loads that causes the bucket to overflow; the result is disease.

Resistance to Treatment

A focus may render the body largely unresponsive to regulatory therapies like acupuncture, homeopathy, or neural therapy. Thus, when repeated chiropractic treatments remain unsuccessful or neural therapy treatments bring only a few hours of relief, it must be assumed that the blocked vertebral joint or the irritated rotator cuff of the shoulder is not the primary impairment itself, but that these conditions are the result of a primary impairment, which is in most cases a focus.

It clearly follows from the above statement that focus diagnosis and therapy can be worthwhile also in a clinically healthy, symptom-free person. Treatment may free the organism from the strain of a potentially existing focus so that it can respond with full strength to new stimuli.

Clinical Implications

It is certainly not a matter of chance which organ is negatively affected by the primary disturbance (focal process). We rather must assume that the organ affected by disturbance or malfunction just happened to show some weakness during the period in which the disease developed. Such a weakness may have a genetic basis (check the family history regarding lungs, liver, stomach, spinal column), but it may also be caused by overload (e. g., heavy lifting, physical overexertion, stress, climatic changes, malnutrition, infection).

Chronicity of Symptoms

In an otherwise healthy person (without foci), an organ showing signs of weakness usually means a short period of illness. The patient goes through an acute phase and reaches the stage of healing, usually without any aftereffect. However, if the patient is under the influence of a chronic focus, the disturbing stimulus of the focus will affect the currently weakened organ, causing chronicity or worsening of symptoms in most cases. The source of disturbance has usually been present in the body before the patient noticed the illness (e. g., symptom-free chronic inflammation of the paranasal sinuses). Or it may have been acquired after the onset of the illness (e. g., a scar from injury) and now interferes with the healing process which has so far been normal.

Preferred Target Organs

In principle, whether preexisting or acquired later, a focus is able to interfere everywhere, that is, wherever there happens to be a weak spot in the body. Depending on their location, however, some foci have preferred target organs. A good example is teeth where the target direction is more or less known for each tooth. For example, experience has shown that the front teeth often target the urogenital system if they harbor a focus. Women then suffer from an irritable bladder that is resistant to treatment, while men have prostate problems.

An Example from My Practice

Devitalized Tooth – Irritable Bladder

In one of my courses, I demonstrated this on a colleague who had volunteered to be a patient because she suffered from an irritable bladder. I was able to identify a devitalized frontal tooth as the disturbing focus. As I was going to explain to the other course participants that, in such a case, one often finds an episode of pyelonephritis in the patient's history, my colleague lifted her hand and informed us that she had, indeed, suffered from pyelonephritis on several(!) occasions. Because of the irritable bladder, she had also undergone hysterectomy several years ago, without any improvement in her symptoms (such scars, of course, may themselves turn into additional fields of disturbance).

Focal Activity—Some Basics

The body normally responds to structural damages with a nonspecific mesenchyme reaction which runs a typical course. The initial release of enzymes is followed by a histiocytic period, during which macrophages degrade and remove damaged tissue, and a temporary involvement of glycosaminoglycans (acid mucopolysaccharides) in the repair process. This creates a cell-rich granulation tissue in which numerous collagen fibers are embedded. The various stages of healing should take no more than six weeks. If inflammatory, traumatic, metabolic, or iatrogenic harmful factors interfere with this normal sequence of events and nondegradable material remains in the tissue, a series of abnormal regulatory processes are triggered which finally lead to abnormal function.

Role of the Connective Tissue

Pischinger was the first to recognize the overwhelming importance of the connective tissue for the human body (12). For a long time, anatomically oriented conventional medicine regarded the entire connective tissue of the organism as a kind of glue, the only function of which was to hold the organs together. The tissue does, however, play a vital role by acting as a “transit system” which facilitates the many functions of the cells in the body. Every molecule that needs to be transferred to a cell, the specific unit of the body's functions, must pass through the connective tissue because the body's distribution channels—the arteries for supply and the veins for removal—do not reach the cells directly.

This task of precision distribution within the body is performed by the connective tissue. Through partially still unknown mechanisms, each cell receives its supply and eliminates its waste. Neural stimuli and hormonal controls are also mediated by the connective tissue which Pischinger therefore regards as an organ in its own right. As long as the routes through this tissue (mesenchyme) are not blocked, all systems will function. If for any reason the body loses its equilibrium or its feedback regulation, this fine-tuned system no longer functions. The reasons for this include:

poor or unbalanced nutrition,

insufficient fluid intake,

inappropriate allopathic medication,

lack of exercise,

fields of disturbance(!),

stressful conditions as precursors of possible fields of disturbance (e. g., amalgam, palladium, other biologically unsuitable fillings and denture materials, pollutants).

Starting Point of a Focus

The pathological mesenchyme reaction, which may also be the starting point of a focal disturbance, is characterized by perivascular round-cell infiltrates, permanence of glycosaminoglycans, and decompensation of neurovascular regulation (22). In a pathophysiological sense, the disaggregation of ground substance associated with increased colloidal swelling interferes with the continuous decrease in blood pressure from the arterial to the venous portion of the capillaries. Compensation is achieved by neurovascular regulatory impulses for permanent stimulation of the arteriovenous anastomoses. This pressure equalization initially covers up the localized pathological area, but it induces feedback in tissue regions that no longer need an increased capillary pressure. These regions, in turn, have a negative effect on the capillary pressure in the inflammatory surroundings of the focal disturbance.

As the irritation increases, regulatory systems of a higher order are affected and finally lead to neurovascular dystonia. The disaggregation of ground substance ultimately leads to the incorporation of glycosaminoglycans into the vascular walls and subsequent loss of vascular flexibility. A primary functional disorder thus turns into a fixed pathological change of the organ. The focal disturbance (or focus) thus creates the inflammatory surroundings which, in turn, form the basis for the development of clinical symptoms.

Energy Level

Apart from these pathophysiological considerations, there is the question of whether there may also be a disturbance at a higher level, the energy level. Here, we have to draw on the ancient wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine which is based on the assumption that there is a so-called life energy, or Qi, which moves through the body along specific pathways. On its way through the energetic body, it preferably stays for two hours daily in one of the twelve classic meridians (Lung Meridian, Large Intestine Meridian, Stomach Meridian, etc.). These meridians are imaginary channels, each belonging to a specific organ (both in energetic and medical terms) and connecting different parts of the body. At first glance, they have nothing to do with one another. However, they seem to share a common pattern of oscillating energy, or resonance in modern technical terminology.

Fig. 1 Resonance chain (from: 23).

The system of energetically coupled organs can be visualized as a resonance chain (23). Figure 1 illustrates the principle of mutual dependency in the human body (and of course also in the animal body). All the beads are parts of the chain, and it would be impossible to set a single bead in motion without setting the other ones in resonance as well. The intensity of the resonance depends on the intensity of the impulse.

Based on the principle of interconnection in analogy to the resonance chain, a severely disturbed organ will upset other organs, with the disturbance being the more intense the closer the organ lies to the troublemaker in the chain.

For an example of how the resonance chain works see also the example on page 7.

The model of energetic coupling also helps us to visualize the so-called energetic order of the meridians. A disturbance or weakness in one part (meridian) of the entire energetic body (the system of twelve paired meridians coupled in tandem) may cause a disturbance or weakness in other regions (subsequent and previous meridians in-line). The effects can be regularly observed in practice. For example, a disturbance in the region of the large intestine (Large Intestine Meridian) may lead to a weakness in the region of the lungs (Lung Meridian), and vice versa, with the respective clinical symptoms. Frequently, even the time of day during which the symptoms seem to be particularly severe corresponds to the time of peak energy in the respective meridian (Fig. 2; see also example on p. 29f.).

In this resonance chain, a field of disturbance may act like a hook holding the chain at a specific site (change in oscillation pattern, interference with the physiological resonance). It may also act like a persistently active, additional disturbance due to an external impulse, which may also lead to interference with or alteration of the physiological resonance.

Fig. 2 Meridian clock.

Expansion of Focal Stimulation

In many cases, the spread of information derived from a focus, or from stimuli produced by a focus, becomes clear when studying the autonomic nervous system in detail, in particular, the autonomic neural coupling spreading from segment to segment (15). Diseased segments may render distant zones hyperalgesic and later pathological because their nutrition is disturbed. This often happens only after the symptoms have been present for a long time. It is assumed that the long visceral sensory fibers, which can affect the cervical plexus and cranial ganglia, are responsible for the clinically known phenomena (16). These include, for example, referred pain in head and shoulder in case of intestinal diseases.

Hyperalgesia Spreading from Segment to Segment

The spread of hyperalgesia from one segment to the next occurs not only in front of the spinal cord through visceral sensory fibers but also inside the spinal cord. Depending on the segment, inhibitory mechanisms of various strengths are being discussed as the origin of this spread, and certain regions of a segment seem to be particularly prone to the spread of pathological information. For example, it has been reported that the T10 region easily becomes hyperalgesic in connection with a secondary affection (16). From here, the pain often and easily spreads to segments T6 and T7.

The relationships between the cervical and thoracic dermatomes and the cranial regions have already been studied by Head, and they may provide useful diagnostic clues when searching for a focus. For example, irritation of regions T5 and T6 may be accompanied by frontotemporal headache. These segments include, among others, the lungs and the heart. Irritation of the T10 region (liver, intestine, ovaries, testes) may cause occipital headache.

Myokinetic Chains

Bergsmann has explained the pathways of the focus-induced spread of stimulation not only by autonomic coupling from segment to segment but also by myokinetic chains (3). Because muscular coupling is organized in kinetic chains, a muscle cannot be activated on its own but only within the activity of a kinetic chain spreading from one segment to the next. The connections between the kinetic chains are established during postembryonic development and serve the preprogrammed, automatic performance of complex movements.

However, muscle tension also follows these kinetic chains. During segmental reflex stimulation of a muscle, the entire kinetic chain is set under tension by means of a visceromotor reflex (e. g., as a result of a focus). On the one hand, this ensures that the spread of a stimulus from one segment to the next takes place along these functional myokinetic chains. On the other hand, increased muscle tension is the basis of tono-algesic symptoms which may occur in the area of the entire kinetic chain and, hence, far away from the source of stimulation. This easily explains the frequent observation that symptoms caused by a focus are usually not near the focus itself and not always on the same side of the body.

The Course of Meridians

In this connection, it is interesting to have a look at the system of meridians. Most of the meridians run along a functional myokinetic chain, in the same way as many acupuncture points happen to correspond to the classic trigger and infiltration points of neural therapy. In practice, we often realize that the site of the symptoms caused by a focus can be explained by the course of the disturbed meridian (see p. 29). This does not contradict the above comments regarding myokinetic chains. On the contrary, there are amazing similarities.

Huneke's Phenomenon:The Immediate Reaction

As already mentioned, the discovery of focal disturbances is entirely due to Ferdinand Huneke. In 1928, F. and W. Huneke reported them for the first time in a paper entitled Unbekannte Fernwirkungen der Lokalanästhesie (Unknown Distal Effects of Local Anesthesia) (see ref. 4). In this study they pointed out the importance of the segmental relationships and the resulting possibilities of influencing the segment. They first called their therapy “Heilanästhesie” (healing anesthesia), while Kibler suggested the term still in use today: “Segmenttherapie” (segment therapy) (10). In the English literature, it is known as viscerocutaneous reflex therapy.

Leriche, a French surgeon, observed in 1928 that distant pain disappeared “within seconds” after procaine infiltration of surgical scars. However, he did not draw any conclusions from this observation because he did not recognize its implications (11).

An Historical Example: The Immediate Reaction

In 1940, Ferdinand Huneke treated a woman with capsular arthritis of the left shoulder joint which, so far, had resisted all treatment (4). Based on the prevailing view that a “focus” would disseminate bacteria and toxins through the blood vessels and that this would cause the painful symptoms, she had already undergone the removal of most of her teeth as well as her tonsils. Now she was supposed to have her lower leg amputated because the focus was suspected to reside here. As a child, 35 years previously, the patient had suffered from osteomyelitis at this site.

Huneke infiltrated the tissue around the shoulder joint with a procaine preparation mixed with caffeine. He also performed peri-articular and intra-articular injections, injections into the stellate ganglion, and even intravenous injections on the side of the diseased shoulder (a regimen previously effective in many cases like this), but nothing helped. He had to send this woman home without being cured.

Fortunately, she returned two weeks later because of an inflammation around the old osteomyelitis scar on her right leg. Now, Huneke just wanted to treat this inflammation above the tibia by infiltration. While he was still treating the patient, the shoulder pain suddenly disappeared and she was able to move her arm again without pain. After this single treatment the shoulder joint was permanently cured. (The body obviously had interpreted the injections during the first session as a provocation and responded with an exacerbation of the underlying focus.)

From now on, Huneke was able to observe this phenomenon repeatedly because he was specifically looking for it. When injecting a local anesthetic into chronic sites of irritation (e.g., scars), persistent or even refractory symptoms far away from the injection site suddenly disappeared. Because this effect set in within seconds of the injection, Huneke chose the term “Sekundenphänomen,” the phenomenon of the immediate reaction. He concluded that there is a causal relationship between the infiltrated focus (field of disturbance, focal disturbance) and the symptoms of the patient.

A Controversial Phenomenon

This phenomenon of the immediate reaction is difficult to explain and understand. Also, it often cannot be reproduced in individual cases when the symptoms have disappeared after a single treatment. Huneke's phenomenon therefore still remains an academic bone of contention. However, it is not important whether or not one “believes” in the phenomenon. Anyone serious enough about learning how to diagnose focal disturbances and regularly applying this knowledge in practice, will every once in a while experience the immediate alleviation of symptoms if:

the main focus has been successfully found,

the focus has been completely inactivated (e.g., by neural therapy, therapeutic local anesthesia, acupuncture, surgery), and

the illness has indeed been maintained by this focus (this is essential).

In my experience, Huneke's phenomenon is real, even though it cannot be observed very often. A demonstration by using objective parameters is possible (see p. 41ff.), and neither placebo effect nor suggestions play a significant role (22).

Causes of Failed Treatment

If symptoms do not improve following the infiltration of scars, this does not mean that Huneke's phenomenon does not exist. Failure might be due to a number of factors: the focus responsible for the illness has not been found, or it has been found but infiltration was not deep or accurate enough, or the illness was not induced by a focus at all.

It is widespread practice to infiltrate various suspected foci in a single session and without detailed testing. This approach should be criticized because it blurs the overall picture and interferes with the therapist's ability to interpret potential results, especially when delayed improvement needs to be evaluated.

It is unrealistic to expect an immediate reaction through focus inactivation in polypathic patients who no longer present a clear clinical picture after years of failed attempts of treatment and resistance to therapy. Similarly, a complete recovery may be hampered by processes that have become irreversible during the illness. For example, a focus-supported muscular trigger point may itself have assumed focal activity, or many diseases of civilization may have accumulated over the years, or an organ weakened by the focus may show advanced signs of wear and tear. However, even in cases like these, targeted focus diagnosis and therapy together with a thorough support of the affected organs or feedback circuits (e. g., through targeted acupuncture or neural therapy) may yield surprising results.

Studies by various investigators confirm that Huneke's phenomenon is real and that the focus can be demonstrated by means of parameters used to determine the regulatory situation (1, 2, 5–9, 13, 14, 17–21).

References

Bergsmann, O.: Asymmetrische Leukozytenbefunde bei Lungentuberkulose. Wien, klin. Wschr. 77 (1965) 618–621

Bergsmann, O.: Herdwirkung in der Pulmologie. Therapiewoche 15 (1965) 1284–1287

Bergsmann, O.: Pathogenetische Aktivität der Störfelder. Der informierte Arzt 20 (1980) 41–48

Dosch, P.: Lehrbuch der Neuraltherapie nach Huneke, Haug. Heidelberg 1989

Gross, D.: Innervierte Strombahn, Gefäßzone, Quadrant und ihre Bedeutung für die Therapie. Acta neuroveg. 39 (1967) 522–535

Kellner, G.: Wirkung des Herdes auf die Labilität des humoralen Systems. Öst. Z. Stomatol. 60 (1963) 312

Kellner, G.: Nachweismethoden der Herderkrankungen und ihre Grundlagen. Therapiewoche 15 (1965) 1267–1274

Kellner, G.: Zur Histochemie der Narbe. Hippokrates 36 (1965) 777–785

Kellner, G., Klenkhart, E.: Zur Differenzierung der Serumjodometrie nach A. Pischinger (Elektrometrische Titration). Österr. Zschr. f. Erf. u. Bek. Krebskrankh. 25 (1970) 81–88

Kibler, M.: Segment-Therapie. Hippokrates, Stuttgart 1950

Leriche, R.: Die Chirurgie des Schmerzes. Masson, Paris 1949

Pischinger, A.: Das System der Grundregulation. Haug, Heidelberg 1990

Rost, A.: Verifizierung der Wirksamkeit der Neuraltherapie durch die Thermographie. Ärztez. Naturheilverf. 23 (1982) 713–719

Rost, A.: Objektivierung der Neuraltherapie nach Huneke durch die Thermographie. In: Feudenstädter Vorträge 1986, vol. 11, editor P. Dosch. Haug, Heidelberg 1987

Schiffter, R.: Neurologie des vegetativen Systems. Springer, Berlin 1985

Schmid, J.: Neuraltherapie. Springer, Berlin 1988

Schoeler, H.: Zur elektrischen Untersuchung von Narben. In: Therapie über das Nervensystem, vol. 2, editor D. Gross. Hippokrates, Stuttgart 1965

Schwamm, E.: Thermographischer Bericht über das Infrarot-Symposium 1969 in Feudenstadt. Verlag für Physikalische Medizin, Heidelberg 1971,

Schwamm, E.: Thermographische Störfelddiagnostik. In: Freudenstädter Vorträge 1974, vol. 2, editor P. Dosch. Haug, Heidelberg 1974

Stacher A.: Die Wirkung der Neuraltherapie auf das Blutbild. Ärztl. Prax. 18 (1966) 827–829

Steinhäusler, F. et al.: Membrane resting potential (MRP) as indicator of cell transformation in human lung biopsy samples (preliminary report). 2nd International Workshop on Experimental Oncology. Madison, Wisconsin USA, May 29 and 30, 1981

Tilscher, H., Eder, M.: Therapeutische Lokalanästhesie. Hippokrates, Stuttgart 1989

Volkmer, D.: Eigener Herd, Goldes wert, Energetik, Sulzbach 1993

Potential Foci

It is certainly very interesting to study the scientific aspects of focal disturbances. For the medical practice, however, it is even more important to have a general understanding of what a potential focus is, how to identify the primary focus by using proper diagnostics, and how to eliminate it specifically (1).

Based on what we know today, the following classification of foci is used:

chronically inflamed foci,

foci in the mouth, teeth, and jaw region (they sometimes include chronically inflamed foci),

scars acting as foci,

intestinal dysbiosis,

substance intolerance, foreign bodies (dental materials, prostheses, implants, suture material, etc.), and

toxic loads (food toxins, indoor and outdoor pollution, etc.).

Psychological strain and emotional stress may also be regarded as focal disturbances in a wider sense, or as adverse stimuli that tend to disturb the functioning of the body (mental foci). External fields of disturbance, such as electromagnetic radiation (electrosmog) are not discussed in this book.

Chronically Inflamed Foci

Chronically inflamed foci, such as an afflicted maxillary sinus, may render the body permanently susceptible to inflammation, thereby increasing the susceptibility to illness as discussed previously:

maxillary and frontal sinuses,

chronically inflamed tonsils,

teeth (for a detailed discussion, see

p. 18ff

.),

temporomandibular joint syndrome (inflammatory reaction to malocclusion),

chronic adnexitis (pelvic inflammation disease),

chronic prostatitis,

chronic appendicitis,

chronic irritation of the uterine mucosa due to an intrauterine device,

chronically inflamed gallbladder,

possibly also biliary stones with concomitant inflammation,

chronic pancreatitis,

inflamed hemorrhoids, and

chronic immune defense reactions, such as granuloma, tuberculosis tubercles.

Most of the potential foci listed above are not noticed by the patient. They are therefore not normally recorded in the patient’s history. However, they can be discovered by proper focal diagnosis.

Paranasal Sinuses

Maxillary Sinuses

The anatomically unfortunate shape of the maxillary sinuses, with their exits lying above the floor and the resulting “cul-de-sac effect,” often causes chronic infection, which may or may not manifest itself clinically and, quite often, is not visible on a radiograph either (according to Lechner, only 30–40% of the afflicted maxillary sinuses can be seen on a radiograph) (22, 23). Indeed, many patients suffer from nothing else than an undiagnosed problem of the maxillary sinuses and the resulting severe focal activity.

There is an energetic connection between the intestine and the maxillary sinuses. In the medical practice, this connection is frequently observed and plays a special role in children with a persistent runny nose and frequent otitis: almost all of them have an intestinal focus (p. 33ff.). A possible explanation lies in the fact that the Large Intestine Meridian runs through the maxillary sinuses. On the other hand, chronically irritated maxillary sinuses (e. g., due to amalgam load) may themselves cause a disturbance of the gastrointestinal tract. This ping-pong effect creates a vicious circle.

Ethmoidal Sinuses

In newborns, the maxillary and ethmoidal sinuses are still small, and the frontal and sphenoidal sinuses have not yet developed. In infants and children, a focal process in the paranasal sinuses manifests itself primarily in the ethmoidal sinuses. Growth of the paranasal sinuses comes to an end between age 15 and 20. An understanding of this development is helpful in the diagnosis and therapy of a focus in this region.

Tonsils

At this point, I would like to cite the following (perhaps slightly exaggerated) passage by Volkmer: “The tonsils are not an organ designed by nature for the sole purpose of filling the hospital beds of ear, nose, and throat specialists. Evolution cannot afford to hold on to useless organs.” (49)

The palatine tonsils and their lymphocyte-producing crypts are a part of the body’s defense system. Furthermore, they come into contact with the breath and respiratory air as well as the chyme, where they have a direct control function.

Chronically Inflamed Tonsils

When an acute tonsillitis constantly relapses or does not heal completely, we are dealing with a focus (chronically inflamed tonsils). Chronicity always includes time as a factor:

long period of development,

constant demands on the body’s defense mechanisms,

delimitation problems,

blockage of the energy flow through the body,

deposition of toxins, etc.

All these phenomena are closely related to the concept of a focus (field of disturbance, focal disturbance).

In cases like these, tonsillectomy was still performed in the 1960s, whereby only the protruding part of the tonsils was excised. However, this method had several serious disadvantages, and has not been standard practice for quite some time now. Tonsillectomy leads to scarring and hinders the stream of secretion coming from the depth of the crypts. Apart from this, streptococcal foci still remain deep down. When searching for a focus, one should ask the patient how much of the tonsils were removed (if the patient still remembers).

Appendix

Stasis Increases the Risk of Infection

Like the tonsils, the vermiform appendix is a lymphatic organ located at a strategically important site of passage or transition. At the transition of the small intestine to the large intestine, Bauhin’s valve (ileocecal valve) does in fact prevent a reflux of the intestinal contents, but the renewed upward transport may cause standstill and stagnation. Like a backwater, this site is where the risk of infection is the greatest. It is thus especially in this region that increased immune system activity is required.

Chronic Affliction of the Appendix

Once in a while, and much to the surprise of the patient, the search for a focus will yield an affliction in the region of the appendix, although appendectomy has never been performed (and no scars are therefore present). These findings must be regarded as chronic, though clinically silent, appendicitis. When questioned directly, about 50 % of these patients report that they had been in the care of a doctor because of suspected appendicitis during adolescence or childhood, or they remember having had colicky pain in this region. Such a chronic inflammatory process may be responsible for all kinds of disturbances, for example, disorders of the internal organs or of the locomotor system. In many cases it is very difficult, or even impossible, to diagnose a chronic appendicitis with the usual imaging methods and laboratory tests.

Temporomandibular Joint

The temporomandibular joints are used and overworked more than any other movable junctions of the body. In contrast to all other joints, the temporomandibular joint is always active together with its partner, the contralateral temporomandibular joint, and the functions of the two joints are coordinated.

Heavy Use

A state of constant irritation can be provoked, or maintained, not only by the continuous movements of the jaws during speaking but also by mastication, nightly grinding, loss of occlusion resulting in an insecure resting position, as well as any preexisting obstacles to articulation and gliding, even daily tension of the masticatory muscles during stress. Once the inflamed temporomandibular joints have been diagnosed as foci, it is essential to look also for the possible mechanical causes, such as gnathological problems (orthodontic treatment in the patient’s history), insufficient restorative fillings, or inadequate prostheses.

The Teeth as Foci

Excessive Exodontics

At the beginning of the twentieth century is was observed that tooth extraction sometimes had a positive effect on other diseased parts of the body. This prompted many dentists and physicians to suspect a tooth—or even worse, all teeth—of being at the root of any unexplained symptom. A true exodentism took place as countless teeth (both diseased and healthy ones) were extracted, usually without the desired effect.