BIOPUNCTURE: What is it?

I offer biopunture at my clinic and wanted to share what it is.

What is Biopuncture?

Biopuncture is a therapy whereby specific locations on the body are injected with biological products. Most of these injections are given under the skin or into the muscles and possibly into tendons, ligaments or joint capsules.

What kinds of products are being injected?

Most ampoules contain low doses of plant extracts. Products commonly used in Biopuncture are, for example, arnica, echinacea, nux vomica and chamomile. Arnica is used for muscle pain, nux vomica is injected for digestive problems, echinacea is used to increase the natural defense system of the body. Biopuncturists always inject cocktails of natural products. Traumeel for example is used for inflammations and sports injuries, Spascupreel is used for muscular cramps and Lymphomyosot for lymphatic drainage. Hundreds of different cocktails are available these days.

Are these products safe for me?

The ampoules do not contain high concentrations of the active substances. As only low doses are injected, toxic side effects are very unlikely. Additionally, the ampoules used in Biopuncture are manufactured by companies that guarantee the production quality of their products. Clinical studies on thousands of patients have confirmed the safety of ampoules like for example Traumeel.

How can these dilutions actually have an effect on my body?

The fact that most ampoules only contain very low concentrations of plant extracts is often a reason for conventional physicians to criticize the possible effects of these products. But one has to add here that the products used in Biopuncture are not diluted to the extent that an ampoule contains no active products any more (as in traditional homeopathy). That’s why we call them micro-doses. So, it is more than just injecting water.
How does this small dose influence the body then? When you receive a tetanus vaccination, only small amounts of a product are necessary to stimulate the immune system (= your defense system) against lockjaw. A few injections can protect your body for several years against such a serious disease! Biopuncture injections are not real vaccinations, of course, but the idea of the mechanism of action is similar: small doses of the right product can have a huge effect. And Biopuncture produces its clinical effects because it stimulates your immune system to restart its healing capacities.

Has it been proven that Biopuncture works by stimulating my immune system?

Physicians around the world have experienced the effects of these injections for decades. But the problem was to prove to other colleagues how it really worked. Recent research on Biopuncture has given new insights as to how these products seem to do the job. A scientific investigation has illustrated that Traumeel indeed works via the immune system. (Your physician will be surprised to hear that the mechanisms of action of Traumeel include both inhibition of IL-1ß and inhibition of TNF-alpha Secretion.) In June 2004 an article about Traumeel was published in an important medical journal “Clinical & Developmental Immunology” which is a highly respected journal in conventional medicine. If your doctor really wants to know more about this study or is interested in other clinical studies about Biopuncture, he or she can find more information in the textbooks on Biopuncture”.

But how does Biopuncture work then to help me with my pain or inflammations?

In conventional medicine, the actual drug you take suppresses your symptoms immediately. That is why you need to take high doses of chemical substances in order to suppress for example pain. And as soon as the medication stops working, you have to take another pill to kill the pain again. The same goes for anti-inflammatories, medication to control your blood pressure or pills for high cholesterol. That’s how these drugs are designed. However, in Biopuncture small doses of products are injected in order to stimulate the natural healing processes. These micro doses “wake up” mechanisms which are available anyway. So, the healing effect comes from “inside” your body - not from the products themselves. It’s the reaction of your immune system which will produce the proper reactions to regain natural healing. The reaction of the body may vary from better local blood circulation to relaxation of muscles or a local detoxification of tissues.

Will Biopuncture help me as quickly as conventional therapies?

The goal of Biopuncture is to stimulate the natural inflammatory processes in order to get complete and natural healing of the injured tissues – not to suppress them. So, we do exactly the opposite of conventional drugs. As a result, the symptomatic relief may take a while, especially for chronic cases. But when dealing with acute injuries, the effects of the injections are apparent almost immediately.

Where are these injections given?

Most people - especially those who are apprehensive about injections because they may have had bad experiences with injections in their childhood - are surprised how easily and quickly these injections are given. The needle used is very fine and the quantity injected is very small. Indeed, they look more like little pinpricks. Most of them are given into or just under the skin, others are given into specific muscle points or into your ligaments. The place where the doctor injects the product is as important as the product itself. It’s different for each patient. During the Biopuncture course, doctors are instructed what techniques to use and what products to inject.

How many injections will I receive each session and how many sessions do I need?

A lot of these injections are given at more than one spot during each session. For example, if your doctor wants to work on your liver, he or she will give about 7 little injections under the skin on your abdomen. When you have pain in your elbow, your physician will look for several painful spots in your arm muscles or elbow ligaments, and inject each of them in one session. In such a case, you may receive anything from three to ten little injections in your elbow, neck or arm. So in most cases, several injections are given in a specific zone (or in several areas) of the body at each session.

The fact that your doctor uses small doses of natural products instead of cortisone injections means that you have to be more patient. If you have had problems for several months or even years, your doctor must work on different layers. If it is a complicated case, your health care provider must sometimes also look for deeper causes of your complaints and work on these. Sometimes your hormonal system has to be regulated. Or he or she must do a detoxification first before even starting to work on your symptoms. As a result, you may need five sessions or even more to feel better. In the long run, however, the results of Biopuncture are longer lasting because the healing comes from within and does not depend on the pills you take every day to take away the symptoms.

Is there an element of risk with such injections?

As you signed the informed consent you realize there is a inherent risk in these injection procedure. It is clear that the physician who decides to use Biopuncture, will always do so according to the latest technical standards. That is his or her duty as a medical professional. You may end up with a blue spot at the site of injection the next day.

When could I utilize or my physician suggest Biopuncture?

Biopuncture cannot heal all your medical problems. This is not a miracle therapy. It is up to your family physician to decide what can be treated, and what can't. The majority of patients choose to be treated with Biopuncture because they are in pain and they do not support the use of conventional painkillers. However, it is important to realize that Biopuncture isn’t designed to ‘take away' the pain as with conventional medication. Pain is seen as an important ‘signal' from your body that something is going wrong. It is similar to a red light on the dashboard of your car: the aim is not to just ‘take it away' but to look for the deeper cause. This means that if pain can be alleviated with Biopuncture - without prescribing painkillers - there is good reason to conclude that the deeper cause of that particular pain has been eliminated.

Use mainly for orthopedic problems in areas listed: neck, shoulder, hands, wrists, arms, low back, hips, knees, ankles and feet. Biopuncture can also be used for detoxification and healing of upper respiratory problems and gastrointestinal problems. Some conditions are called Achilles tendonitis, ankle sprain, neck spasm, low back spasm, headaches, knee strain, sciatica.

I’ve heard that things can get worse immediately after my first treatment. Is that correct?

Sometimes you improve immediately after the injection. Sometimes there is a temporary worsening. This temporary worsening of complaints usually means that the healing processes are being activated. The body is working on the problem, and that is exactly what we want. In Biopuncture it is called the “reaction phase”. But when you understand that this means that real healing is on its way, you will be willing to accept these minor reactions in the beginning of the treatment.

When is Biopuncture not appropriate?

Let us be clear about it: Biopuncture cannot heal you from cancer, diabetes, a heart attack or AIDS. Nor is it an appropriate treatment for high blood pressure, fibromyalgia, Parkinson, depression or epilepsy.

Biopuncture is a safe and efficient technique in complementary medicine. It uses biotherapeutic injections to stimulate the natural self-healing capacities of your body. It is worth considering if it can help you with your personal health problems.

How much does each session cost?

This form of treatment is not covered by insurance and so you will have to pay out pocket. Each area of the body costs $40.