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Connective
Tissue Healing Involves Many Factors
Prolotherapy stimulates the body to repair painful areas. It starts the
normal inflammatory healing reaction, but the body’s immune system must
respond and grow the collagen that is necessary to repair the injured ligaments,
tendons, or cartilage. If a person has lost the ability to heal, the response
to Prolotherapy will not be optimal. This person is said to have connective
tissue deficiency, defined
as a disorder characterized by a weakening of the connective tissues and a
deficiency in the amount, strength, or functioning of the connective tissues
leading to a myriad of painful and chronic symptoms. Since there are many factors
that affect connective tissue healing, the condition may have many causes. (See
Figure 9.)
| Factors
Affecting Healing of
Connective Tissues |
| Age |
Overall health status |
| Blood Supply |
pH and lactate concentration |
| Degree of hypoxia (systemic and local) |
Pharmacological agents (drugs) |
| Dietary intake |
Psychological influences (placebo
effects and psychoneuroimmunological
links) |
| Electrical fields |
Severity of injury |
| Growth factors, cytokines, eicosanoids |
Structural (physical) deformities |
| Hormonal influences |
Temperature |
| Mechanical load forces |
Timing and return to physical activity |
Metabolic and cell turnover rates of
connective tissue |
Type of injury |
| Mobility (local & whole body) |
Type of onset (acute or chronic) |
| Muscular strength and forces |
Type of tissue(s) affected |
| Nutritional status |
Underlying disease processes |
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Figure
9: Connective tissue deficiency has many causes.
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The cause of the connective
tissue deficiency is very often due to the actual traditional treatment the
person received, including NSAIDs and corti-sone
shots. Other common causes include nutritional factors and hormone deficiencies.
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| Figure
10: Collagen
synthesis is inhibited by increased estradiol levels. |
Women are much more
likely than men to suffer from the effects of connective tissue
deficiency, and thus chronic pain, because of their high estrogen
levels, which inhibit collagen synthesis. (See figure 10.) When
tested at Caring Medical in Oak Park, Illinois, most people with
chronic pain are found to have low levels of hormones, such as
Growth Hormone, testosterone, DHEA, and progesterone, all of which
are necessary for connective tissue health and healing. For the
person with a suspected systemic connective tissue deficiency problem,
we recommend a formal evaluation by a doctor who not only does
Prolotherapy, but natural medicine as well.
For more on Prolotherapy,
check out these helpful resources:
www.beulahlandpress.com
Disclaimer: Certain
persons considered experts may disagree with one or more statements
made. Nevertheless, what is stated is based on sound authority,
medical experience, and actual treatments of patients.
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