The reason I called my original website DESTROY CHRONIC PAIN, is because that is really what I am about --- helping people who are in Chronic Pain get their lives back.  Because I know what it is like to suffer with at least some small degree of CHRONIC PAIN, I can empathize with others going through similar.  Unfortunately, there are many people out there whose pain level makes anything I have ever experienced look like a frolic in the park.  The following is one such story I recently received via email.

Hi there!

I've been scouring the internet for a long time looking for any kind of help I can get for my partner and love of my life. We live in the UK, so setting up a free consultation in your office is not going to be possible, but I was wondering if you could give me some advice?

Here's a bit about his medical history.

He broke his back when he was 17 (he is now in his 40's). He has had four spinal surgeries which have left him in constant agony. He is at the point where he wants to end his life as he cannot live like this anymore. I am doing everything in my power to try and find help for him!

•  Surgery one - Spinal fusion - Failed

• Surgery two - Spinal fusion with steffi plates and bolts - Failed

• Surgery three - removal of plates and bolts and another fusion - Failed

• Surgery four - 2008, they removed part of his spine and replaced it with a steel cage - Failed

Now the doctors wont do anything except give him tablets and new pain medication. His surgeon is refusing any more surgeries.

His back is deteriorating and he is physically changing shape (he says it feels like his spine is splitting apart and the weight of the top half of his body is pushing out his stomach and feels like the spine is moving forward. He also feels that his pelvis is shifting and tilting forward). After all his latest MRI's and x-rays, the doctors are claiming there is no change.

I love this man deeply with all my heart and he now spends 97% of his time laying on his stomach on the living room floor. Walking causes him extreme pain, and sitting is practically impossible for him.

I am at a loss! I don't know what else to do and I was wondering if you could, by what I've told you, let me know if you think any of your treatments would work for him? I would be willing to sell my house to get us over to America - we are extremely poor at the moment as he cannot work, and I also suffer from a herniated disk and bilateral sciatica which limits how much work I can do. Or even if you could recommend any similar therapists in the UK. I know I shouldn't ask that as I don't want to take business away from you or anything of the sort, I'm just at a loss as to what else I can do to help him!

Eagerly awaiting your reply, and thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

Wow!  Absolutely heartbreaking.  I often weep as I read stories like this.  The problem is that change the names, the dates, and stories just a little bit, and this sort of thing is common ---- way too common!  The first thing I can tell you is that it would do no good for you to sell your house. The solution is not coming to America.  Although there are some people over there who can undoubtedly help you, as much as anything, you are going to have to help yourself while you are searching.  I realize that this is going to be difficult, but it is your only real hope.  If I or a family member were in your shoes, here is what I would do.  Understand that I am not giving medical advice here or telling you to do these things.  The information in this post is just that ---- information only; and should not be construed as medical advice or a diagnosis.  Do not try any of this without first consulting your physician.  Now that that's out of the way........

• YOUR SOLUTION WILL NOT BE PERFECTION:  No doubt you already know this.  With a problem like yours, I am not really sure how much better it can get; I just know that if you do the right things, it can get better.

• DO NOT GIVE UP HOPE / KEEP SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS:  I completely believe that for every problem out there, someone somewhere has the solution.  The internet is a great source for finding these answers.  If you put all your trust in EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE, you will likely never achieve the results you are looking for.
  

• UNDERSTAND INFLAMMATION:  If you do not understand what INFLAMMATION really is (as well as what drives it), you have no real hope at finding a long-lasting solution to your problem.
  

• UNDERSTAND THE LINK BETWEEN GUT HEALTH AND OVERALL HEALTH:  Inflammation is often driven by LEAKY GUT SYNDROME and visa versa.  Understanding GUT HEALTH is critical to getting healthy enough for your body to begin to heal itself.  The old adage from the practice of Natural Medicine is "Heal the Gut, Heal the Body". 
  

• CONTROL YOUR BLOOD SUGAR:  I just wrote about this the other day (HERE).  No matter what sort of health problem you are dealing with, this is big-time critical!  The really cool thing about eating a diet that controls Blood Sugar is that it is just a short leap to a GLUTEN FREE DIET. If you do not understand how much Gluten affects Inflammation, you have not been clicking the links.
  

• TRY INVERSION:  Get a decent INVERSION TABLE and do what I call "hovering" (read the link).  With the right kind of Inversion Table, you can actually do this on your belly if that is what is comfortable for you. You might even try Spinal Decompression Therapy, but finding someone to (gently) work on a person who has been through multiple spinal surgeries could be a challenge.
  

• TRY COLD LASER THERAPY:  COLD LASER THERAPY is awesome because like most of the other bullet points above, there is absolutely no potential for it to make you worse. 
  

Don't get me wrong, there are many others that could be put on this list.  The thing is, since most health problems have at least some degree of COMMON ORIGIN (and HERE), they naturally must have to at least some degree, a COMMON SOLUTION as well.  Begin by radically changing your diet (HERE) to decrease Inflammation, and see what happens.  And never stop searching for answers.  Oh; one more thing.  See if there is a Functional Neurologist in your area who has been trained by DR TED CARRICK.

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Spinal Surgery is a leading surgical procedure in America, with the total number in the U.S. approaching half a million per year.  About 150,000 of those surgeries are spinal fusions. Unfortunately, at least 50 percent of all spinal surgery patients will ultimately fail to to achieve their desired outcome.  In fact, research says that a minimum of 10% of patients will be worse after the initial surgery (I think this number is at least 15% too low).   And then comes the suggestion for yet another spinal surgery.

Spinal structures including bones, nerves, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels, are packed in very close to one another.  Because surgery in the spine is itself physically stressful, it can weaken and destabilize the area even further.   As a result of surgery, structures that have not been removed can become damaged or mechanically stressed, frequently becoming a new source of pain and degeneration.

Surgery will always result in some amount of scar tissue build up (HERE). If the scar tissue itself forms near any nerves, it becomes still another source of pressure and pain.  This does not even take into account that scar tissue has the potential to be 1,000 times more pain sensitive than normal tissue!  Since disc surgery takes place near inflamed and irritated nerves, there is a great possibility that the nerves will be damaged further during the procedure. If this happens, there will be even more pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, stiffness, and other problems ---- even beyond what you are already dealing with now.

Low back surgery also requires the use of anesthesia which can result in other medical risks including death.

One of the huge problems facing patients today is infection.  Due to ANTIBIOTIC OVERUSE, superbugs roam the hallways and operating rooms of America's hospitals.  My brother (an MD) thought he was going to have to have a Lumbar Fusion Surgery a few years ago.  He and his wife (also an MD) were genuinely freaked out at the prospect of having hardware inserted in his spine.  When questioned about this, their answer was "infection".

Spinal surgeries also require large recovery times...   time away from work, which most patients cannot afford. Recovery time can be anywhere from 6 weeks for a laminectomy to over a year for Spinal Fusion.

Even if the surgery is successful in and of itself, and even if no procedure-related problems actually occur; there is a high probability that within 2 to 5 years, another surgery will be needed to fix the levels above and below the targeted levels of the first surgery (a fact that any doctor will verify).  Once you go down this road of surgery, you will increase the chance that you will need further surgeries in the future.  And if you have studied this issue out and realize the odds are not great for your first spinal surgery to work well, go online and look at the odds of doing well with a second or third spinal surgery.  They're literally in the toilet!


What does an Honest Spinal Surgeon have to say about Spinal Surgery?

What does that same Surgeon have to say about Spinal Decompression Therapy?

"I make my living doing surgery but the answer I give my patient is you do not need surgery. In fact, if you look at the literature on herniated discs, patients who don't have surgery and patients who do have surgery feel about the same after one year. There is no significant difference between the two group.......   As a surgeon, I only want to do surgery when I absolutely have to. Spinal Decompression Therapy gives my patients a more conservative treatment option that can eliminate the need for surgery altogether, and that's a very good thing".  Pain management pioneer, Dr. Hubert Rosomoff, MD, discussing the 50,000 Failed Back Surgery Syndrome cases seen each year in America.  During this lecture to the American Academy of Pain Management Symposium, he gave his opinion on Spinal Surgery.  Dr. Rosomoff believes that Spinal Surgery is warranted in only 1 in 500 cases.  Gulp!



As Dr. Rosomoff (a neurosurgeon) stated, surgery may be appropriate for a selected few patients ---- 1 in 500.  If you are considering surgery, I would literally beg you to first exhaust the alternatives, including Spinal Decompression Therapy. 

If you think that I am over-hyping the large numbers of potential problems that people have with spinal surgery, I would issue you a simple challenge.  Search the internet message boards concerning back surgery (HERE).  Better yet, find 10 people who have had the same spinal surgery that doctors are pushing you to have and talk with them.  If you find 3 out of 10 who are happy with their surgery, I will be surprised. 

To find out if you are a candidate for Spinal Decompression Therapy, simply CONTACT OUR OFFICE at (417) 934-6337 to schedule a free consultation with Doctor Schierling.  He will sit down with you, talk with you, review your medical records, evaluate your unique situation, and determine whether or not Spinal Decompression Therapy could possibly help you.

Spinal Decompression Therapy is a viable option to surgery for many spinal problems, including the following...

• RUPTURED or HERNIATED DISCS (HERE)
  
• SCIATICA (HERE)
  
• DEGENERATIVE DISCS (HERE)
  
• SPINAL STENOSIS (HERE)
  
• FACET SYNDROME (HERE)
  
• RADICULOPATHY
  
• CHRONIC SPINE PAIN

Listen, in over two decades of practice, I have seen more people completely ruin their lives with Spinal Surgery than you could shake a stick at!  But don't take my word for it.  Talk to people who have had the same surgery that doctors are recommending for you.  Get on the internet message boards.  Go to "Google" and do the research yourself ---- it's not difficult. 

Call (417) 934-6337 to set up a completely free, no-obligation consultation with Dr. Schierling to find out whether or not Spinal Decompression Therapy MIGHT BE RIGHT FOR YOU.