Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Reviving Hope:
A Breakthrough Approach to Treating Peripheral Neuropathy
“Several years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy treatments. I’m now in remission and blessed to still be here, but I was in so much pain. My feet and hands were constantly burning -- a tingling sensation, almost like when your leg or arm falls asleep,” shared Mary of Abington.
Mary was suffering from ChemotherapyInduced Peripheral Neuropathy, or CIPN. While chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells, they are not exactly discriminating in what they d estroy. The smaller nerves, specifically those in your hands and feet, are some of the first to be harmed. Those suffering from peripheral neuropathy have described this pain as “burning,” tingling,” “like walking on sharp rocks,” or, like Mary explained, that fuzzy, tingling pain you experience during paresthesia (the technical term for when a limb “falls asleep”).
“Standing all day was not just a challenge, it caused me physical agony. Keeping up with my busy schedule - - forget about it. I couldn’t even go for walks in the Wissahickon.” Mary, like so many others, was prescribed Gabapentin to help with the pain and told there was nothing anyone could do. In their words: “There is no treatment for neuropathy.”
Fortunately for Mary, where Western medicine fails, Stillwater Acupuncture of Jenkintown tends to prove itself.
For a over a decade, Ann Mertens has been blending the time-tested science of acupuncture with modern medical technology to design a real solution for peripheral neuropathy that doesn’t involve invasive surgeries or prescription medications with uncomfortable side effects. These Renew Nerve® protocols, specific to Stillwater Acupuncture and a network of certified providers, actually treat neuropathy versus attempting to mask its symptoms.
“Acupuncture is incre dible at restoring blood flow and stimulating damaged nerves. It’s been used for centuries to treat peripheral neuropathy and similar conditions,” tells Ann. “We take our treatments a step further by integrating ATP Resonance BioTherapy™, which targets specific nerves in the body using microcurrent. ATP Resonance BioTherapy™ is akin to watering a plant. This treatment stimulates the blood vessels to grow back around the peripheral nerves and provide them with the pro per nutrients and energy they need to repair and recover.”
ATP Resonance BioTherapy™ was originally designed by NASA to speed healing and recovery. “To have access to this kind of technology has been life changing for our patients,” shares Gwen, one of the incredibly compassionate Patient Care Technicians at Stillwater.
After only four weeks of treatment, Mary is already seeing incredible improvement. “I’ve taken the handicap placard off my rearview mirror, and I’m finally back to walking on the beach. I can’t wait to see how I feel at the end of my program! I used to think that the neuropathy pain was just the price I have to pay for still being alive. Ann has really given me hope for a better life!”
Ann and the staff at Stillwater Acupuncture have a 90% success rate in reversing peripheral neuropathy, and not just that caused by chemotherapy. They also have tremendous success in treating diabetic neuropathy and neur opathy of undetermined origin, otherwise known as idiopathic neuropathy. “I watched my grandmother suffer with neuropathy during her final years, and it broke my heart when she was told there was nothing they could do. This condition is one of the main reasons I went into medicine. Since then, I’ve been on a quest to help people truly thrive in their golden years.”
The number of treatments needed to allow the nerves to fully recover will vary from person to person and can only be determined after a comprehensive consultation and detailed neurological evaluation.
If you or someone you love is suffering from peripheral neuropathy, call 267-627-8035 to schedule, and do so quickly. Stillwater is a very intimate clinic, and they take pride in devoting ample time to each patient, which limits the number of new patients they are able to take on.