Prolotherapy, Diet, and Hormones A Case History
Living with chronic pain day in and day out can cause discouragement and hopelessness in many people. Fortunately for the people who come to see us at Caring Medical, we can put some hope back into their life. While many people benefit from Prolotherapy alone, there are some that need to correct some physiological imbalances in order to reach a pain-free life. Below is the story of Brittany, a young mother who had been battling chronic pain since the birth of her child. With the help of Prolotherapy, the Hauser Diet, natural hormone replacement therapy, and supplements, she was able to reach significant improvement in just a few short months.
Brittany came to see us after two and a half years of pain and therapies that provided no relief. It was two and a half years ago that she gave birth to her first child and pain in her Back Pain and hips started immediately after childbirth.
She had an intense labor, delivering a 9 pound baby after 14 hours of labor ending in a C-section, but Brittany had always been very athletic and healthy and expected to recover and get back to her active lifestyle. Six months later, however, she was still in pain and experiencing chronic fatigue that made it hard to get through each day. She consulted some doctors when the pain started but she went undiagnosed and was given cortisone shots and referred to physical therapy. She tried to begin running but that only made the pain worse. Eventually Brittany had to stop work because her pain was so severe. She tried chiropractic treatments and those did not help. She saw a few more doctors who still could not give her any relief. She was told she would need surgery and seriously considered fusion of her pubic symphysis, but she wanted to know all of her options and did some research where she came across information on Prolotherapy. She found a Prolotherapist in her home town and received three treatments from him. During these treatments she only received 2 injections to her lumbar and 3 to her pubic symphysis (this is a minimal number of injections). Her pain did decrease slightly, but it was still present and interfering with her daily life. Looking further into Prolotherapy, she found out about Caring Medical in Oak Park, IL and decided to make a trip to see us in hopes of a more thorough Prolotherapy technique.
When we first met with Brittany she was having pain with standing, walking, and being in any vertical position. The only relief she had was when taking hot showers. When we asked her what her goals were, she told us that she wanted to get back to a normal life, to live pain free, to be able to swim, run and be active, and to have another baby. We told her that these were all attainable goals and that Prolotherapy could certainly help. She appreciated how Dr. Hauser explained her diagnosis and cause of pain the fact that the pain originated with childbirth made perfect sense. During pregnancy a woman's body secretes a hormone called relaxin which causes ligaments to loosen (ligament laxity) allowing the baby to pass through the birth canal. Ligament laxity is normal during pregnancy and when combined with the baby's position in the pelvic region during pregnancy the potential for low back and pelvic pain to develop is increased. The treatment for pain caused by loose ligaments is Prolotherapy. Unfortunately, the cortisone shots and chiropractic manipulations that Brittany had received were the exact opposite of what she needed to heal.
 A lot of shots
Brittany was ready for the treatment to begin. We told her that unlike her previous Prolotherapy treatments, she would be receiving a lot of shots with Comprehensive Prolotherapy! Instead of 2 injections to her lumbar region she would be receiving 80, and instead of 3 injections to her pelvis, she would be receiving 28. Brittany was ok with this and was ready to get going. She had her low back and pelvis treated and was told to return in four weeks for another treatment. Brittany had already started a fantastic supplement regime, on her own, which we just encouraged her to continue.
When Brittany returned for her second treatment she reported a 10% improvement in pain. She decided to get her hips treated in addition to her low back and pelvis. She also asked if there was anything else she could do to bring about healing. Dr. Hauser told her about the importance of diet and eating healthy as it relates to chronic pain. He told her about Diet Typing, Caring Medical's approach to diet and how our diet looks at everyone's unique physiology to determine proper diet. Brittany said that she would plan to have Diet Typing and food allergy testing done at her next visit. Dr. Hauser also discussed hormone balance and the importance of having hormones at optimal levels to promote healing. She decided to have her hormones tested as well and would wait until the next visit to review the results. As you can see, Brittany was determined to regain her health and vitality as a young mother.
 Getting Diet Typing
When Brittany returned for her third treatment she was still at about 10% improvement in pain. But at this visit, she had gone through Diet Typing and hormone testing. We immediately saw upon review of these test results that her body was not in a proper state to heal. The glucose tolerance test that is done during Diet Typing revealed a low fasting blood sugar and a "flat line" curve, well below the gradual rise and fall of blood sugars we like to see after the sugar drink is consumed. This type of "flat line" points toward adrenal exhaustion, or hypocortisolism; she would need a combination of a high protein /low carbohydrate diet, supplements, and cortisol to help her body with this exhaustion.
Diet Typing Results in Action- What did Brittany have to do?
Brittany's current diet was the exact opposite of what her body needed. Her typical breakfast was fruit juice and yogurt every morning, a sandwich with fruit for lunch, deviled eggs and milk for snacks and dinners such as chicken or beef with French bread and vegetables. All these carbohydrates did nothing for Brittany's body no wonder fatigue was a problem for her! The high carbohydrate diet was similar to the juice that she drank during the glucose tolerance test they are not what she needs in order for her blood sugars to reach normal levels. She was feeding herself a "Monkey" Diet when she needed to eat like an "Otter!" So, her first instruction was to change to a higher protein diet- The Hauser Otter Diet.
In addition to her Diet Typing results, Brittany also had a number of food allergies, including eggs, dairy, and wheat, three common components of her diet. With the consumption of food allergies, her body was creating immune responses to these foods and causing inflammation that inhibits healing. After meeting with the nutritionist Brittany was confident in all of the diet changes she would need to make and left determined to make these changes. She was an Otter Diet Type® with food sensitivities. We see this very often and people see how easily food allergies can be avoided with just a little know-
how! Additionally, Brittany started on supplements from Beulah Land Nutritionals.
Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy
In addition to the need for the Otter Diet and cortisol supplementation, Brittany would also need to take progesterone, testosterone and DHEA (an adrenal hormone) to balance her hormones so that her body could reach a healing state. Her blood hormone tests showed that she was low in the anabolic, or tissue building, hormones testosterone and DHEA. She also showed signs of hypothyroidism, so a thyroid medication would be needed as well. Overall Brittany had some changes to make, but she was more than willing to make them.
Total Treatment
After a fourth Prolotherapy treatment we received a very encouraging email from Brittany. We will let her words say it all:
Dr. Hauser and team,
I just wanted to write a quick note and let you know that I am happy to report a HUGE difference in pain since my last visit! I am very encouraged and excited that we are finally getting somewhere!
I went undiagnosed for so long but I just knew something major was not right. No doctor could describe the ligament loosening process that happens during childbirth to me as you all have done, nor could they relate it to my pain nearly 2.5 years later! Just to know that I have a problem that has a diagnosis AND a cure provides a peace of mind that I cannot put into words. I could write a book on all of the things I did wrong as a chronic pain patient some things self-induced, some things at the doctor's discretion. I now see the dire importance of a healthy diet, balanced hormone levels, a corrected thyroid, no chiropractic treatments, and Prolotherapy. Thank you again, I look forward to my next treatment and I look forward to getting my life back! I am forever grateful.
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