The Experts in CRPS and Chronic Pain
Holistic Treatment for CRPS and Chronic pain
A Holistic Approach to Healing and Hope
Holistic Centered Treatment is redefining the healing experience through the integration of holistic modalities with cutting edge science. A 360° individualized approach to treating CRPS and chronic pain.
Think of it as a blueprint that can be customized to meet each patient’s specific needs and goals.
Our approach focuses on treating the whole person while also addressing co-existing conditions.
The Holistic Centered Treatment protocol is designed to assist you in getting out of 'fight or flight' (sympathetic overload), breaking the pain loop, managing stress and anxiety, and building skills to overcome life's challenges. We do this working with the biology and physiology of the body, the biology of pain, neuroplasticity, and cutting-edge science.
Our multi-modality protocol includes - Laser / LLLT, PEMF, neuroplasticity training, biofeedback, neurofeedback, microcurrent, clinical hypnosis, breathwork, Neurosage, EMDR, working with the vagus nerve, etc.
Our program is individualized to meet your specific needs and goals. Unlike other programs - there is nothing in our protocol that will increase your pain. We believe that causing pain actually pushes the body further into fight/flight. This is what makes us different and allows us to see remarkable changes in our patients.
The CRPS Experts
Holistic Centered Treatment is the premier facility dedicated to those living with CRPS and other chronic pain diagnoses. We have worked with pediatrics, tweens, teens, and adults.
We individualize the program to meet the specific needs of each person. Our belief is - every person is as individualized as their fingerprint - therefore your treatment needs to meet your needs and goals.
Contact us today to learn more about Holistic Centered Treatment and how we can help you reach your goals!
About Dr. Traci Patterson
Traci Patterson
President - Holistic Centered Treatment
Creator - CRPS Hub
A CRPS Survivor!
Author & Motivational Speaker
Dr. Traci Patterson is responsible for the creation of the Holistic Centered Treatment protocol.
She is an internationally renowned clinician, clinical hypnotist, patient advocate, researcher, published author, and a speaker who is chang
President - Holistic Centered Treatment
Creator - CRPS Hub
A CRPS Survivor!
Author & Motivational Speaker
Dr. Traci Patterson is responsible for the creation of the Holistic Centered Treatment protocol.
She is an internationally renowned clinician, clinical hypnotist, patient advocate, researcher, published author, and a speaker who is changing the future for CRPS and chronic pain patients.
Using her own experience as someone that was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) following a foot/ankle surgery, she went through 7 years of hell prior to reaching long-term remission. She has been in remission for over 8 years. Traci has been instrumental in helping CRPS and chronic pain patients regain function and regain their lives through her protocol - Holistic Centered Treatment (HCT).
Patterson holds a Medical Degree from University of California Irvine, a Doctorate in Naturopathy (h.c.), Master of Business Administration, and is Certified /Credentialed as a Clinical Hypnotist and Instructor. She also holds additional certifications and credentials in pain management, cancer patient care, palliative care, and PTSD.
Traci has a dynamic background from a perspective that few if any other physician, clinician, or practitioner can offer. Her background as a chronic pain patient diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and is now treating other chronic pain patients is rare. She has patients (pediatrics to geriatrics) which contact her globally searching for answers and relief.
Traci’s progressive view of pain control has created dramatic results in improving the lives of those who have often exhausted all other options, respect from physicians, and gratitude from patients.
Disclosures
Dr. Traci Patterson earned her Medical Degree from UCI, MBA from University of Phoenix, has an honorary Doctorate in Naturopathy, is a Certified Clinical Hypnotist and Clinical Instructor. She holds additional credentials and certifications in Chronic Pain, Cancer Patient Care, PTSD, and Palliative Care.
No type of work is licensed by the state of Idaho. All work and/or modalities are considered alternative or complementary to healing arts services licensed by the state of Idaho. She is not a licensed or board-certified physician in Idaho.
The modalities and methodologies used work with the biology and physiology of the body, and how the mind and body naturally process information to help you get the results you want.
TREATMENT MODALITIES
Neuroplasticity Training
Neuroplasticity is the brain's amazing capacity to change and adapt. The ability of the nervous system to adapt to trauma or disease; the ability of nerve cells to grow and form new connections to other neurons.
If you think about taking a walk on the beach - you'll notice an imprint in the sand with each foot step. Think of the one imprint as dealing with something once. When we are dealing with chronic pain or other issues over and over - it is like putting your foot in the same imprint over and over - eventually the imprint is very deep. If someone gives you a chair to sit in, eventually the waves coming ashore will even out the sand again regardless of how deep the imprint. Our brain has the same ability to lessen an imprint or rewire itself.
Neuroplasticity can be harnessed as a tool for positive change. Through various techniques and practices that are specially designed and incredibly effective you have the ability to rewire the brain. To put it simply, we utilize the same process that caused the pain to become all-consuming in order to lessen its effects on us and our lives.
Science has proven beyond doubt that we can retrain our brains to experience less pain. We can therefore prevent pain from taking control of our world. We can also build new positive habits to replace the old problematic ones that result in negative automatic reactions.
Laser - LLLT
What is it?
Laser and LED beams of light can stimulate the cells in the body that repair tissue, reduce inflammation and transmit pain.
How Photobiomodulation Therapy works
Light can stimulate or inhibit cellular function according to it's intensity and the time applied.
Lasers and LED's produce intense beams of light at specific wavelengths. When the right wavelength at the right intensity is used at the correct anatomical location for the right amount of time you can stimulate repair, resolve inflammation and reduce pain.
One of the primary mechanisms is the effect of light on cytochrome c oxidase and the consequently the unbinding of nitric oxide and release of ATP leading to improved cellular function. For anti-inflammatory effects we have found a measurable reduction in PGE2, TNF Alpha and IL-6 in the synovia surrounding damaged tendons and for analgesia high intensity lasers over nerve supply can inhibit fast axonal flow.
In addition, high intensity single point lasers can release trigger points and treat acupuncture points instead of needles.
PULSED ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD (PEMF)
Science and medicine are continuously changing, but what if some of the most modern technology is back to the basics from thousands of years ago?
PEMF stands for Pulsed Electromagnetic Field and has been recorded as used from as far back as 2000 B.C. in which magnetic stones were used and described in a book called, “The Yellow Emperor’s Book of Internal Medicine”.
So, how does PEMF work?
According to the Pulse Center Website: “We can think of PEMF as a battery charger for our cells.”
“The voltage of a healthy cell is about -20 to -25 millivolts. We start to get sick when that voltage drops below -15 millivolts or less. Once our cells’ voltage drops below that level, they are unable to heal and become dysfunctional. By inducing a mild electrical magnetic current into damaged cells, PEMF therapy slows or stops the release of pain and inflammatory mediators, increases blood flow of the cells, and re-establishes normal cell interaction. With reduced inflammation, pain decreases, energy increases, and faster tissue healing occurs.”
“Chronic disease and loss of well-being is always defined by low electrical charge. With enough voltage and raw materials, the body can heal almost anything”, Jerry Tennant, MD, Healing is Voltage.
Dr. Tennant also states, “The cells in the body are designed to run at -20 to -25 millivolts. To heal we must achieve -50 millivolts. We experience chronic illness when voltage drops below -20 millivolts. ”PEMF is not intended to treat a specific condition, however, it is more as an optimizer for the body’s natural functions of self-healing and self-regulation.
There are over 2,000 medical studies that evaluate the effect of PEMF on the body—studies ranging from arthritis, cell regeneration, circulation, skin would healing, and pain. They also state: “One of the biggest barriers to a person’s healing is good cellular health! You are only as healthy as your cells.”
Microcurrent
Have you tried everything but are still experiencing pain? At Holistic Centered Treatment we use a modality called Microcurrent to help target specific issues in the body, especially in the immune system and nervous system. With small frequencies that your body doesn’t even feel we increase the ATP, or energy production, in the cells of your body. This process dramatically increases the tissue’s healing rate. Our patients often notice that scars will soften, trigger points become less painful and swelling drains within minutes. In most situations the changes seen seem to be long lasting and, in many cases, even permanent. Nutritional support may also help you maintain the improvement by supporting cellular health and detoxification of the tissues.
What is Microcurrent?
Microcurrent is a faint electric current that is so small it is measured in millionths of an amp. By comparison a TENS unit and most other electro-therapies produce milliamps, 1000 times greater. Your own cells generate a current in the microamp range and this is why you can’t feel it – the current is so low it doesn’t stimulate sensory nerves. Microcurrent therapy has been in use for over 75 years.
How It Works
In simplest terms, it increases the tissues’ healing rates on a cellular level. In addition, Microcurrent shows a dramatic increase in the amount of blood circulation, collagen and elastin production. Microcurrent blocks the chemical pain responses by stimulating the area as it “numbs” the chemical pain signals. Microcurrent reduces pain by decreasing inflammation, flooding your cells with ATP which is what they use for energy. Needless to say, energy heals and helps the body repair to its natural state.
Vagus Nerve Toning
Do you ever feel knots in your stomach or your pain increasing when stressed? That’s the vagus nerve in action. This cranial nerve allows the main organs of the body to communicate and is often called the gut-brain superhighway. The vagus nerve is responsible for the way your body reacts to stress, so toning this important nerve can play an important role in improving your digestion, heart health, breathing rate and managing chronic pain.
The vagus nerve regulates sympathetic and parasympathetic responses. The sympathetic nervous system drives the "fight or flight" response in stressful situations, while the parasympathetic nervous system manages our “rest and digest” state.
"Think of the vagus nerve as the brake pedal that helps the body and mind slowdown in order to counter the harmful effects of a chronic and unmanaged stress response.” - Stephen Porges, Kinsey Institute
Working with the vagus nerve allows us to work with the parasympathetic side of your autonomic nervous system.
Clinical Hypnosis
Many people think hypnosis is like the stage hypnosis shows they’ve seen where people seem to be unable to control themselves, act goofy and provide entertainment for the audience.
In reality it is a state of focused concentration where the body and mind relax together. Hypnosis is very simply - a natural state of mind in which the body and mind are extremely relaxed and yet the mind is also highly aware and focused. We are all in states of hypnosis many times a day automatically (driving a car, reading, listening to music, gaming, zoning out, etc.), so hypnosis is a very normal state of being that along with it’s ability to provide emotional and physical healing, has been widely and successfully used within the medical community for pain relief and hypno-anesthesia.
Hypnosis allows us to access a part of the brain that allows chronic pain patients to lower the intensity of the pain, often to the point of making it disappear. PET scans have shown that hypnotic states can alter cortical and subcortical structures involved in different aspects of pain processing which in turn, allows sensations that would normally be experienced as pain to no longer have the suffering emotions associated with them.
In the last 15 years, hypnosis for pain management has been exhaustively researched. With modern technology, MRIs, PET scans, etc., researchers have been able to prove that changes take place in the brain while under hypnosis. The evidence is compelling that hypnosis can be extremely successful in helping people reduce pain.
Breathwork
Diaphragmatic breathing (also referred to as "slow abdominal breathing") is something you can do anytime and anywhere to instantly stimulate your vagus nerve and lower stress responses associated with "fight-or-flight" mechanisms. Deep breathing also improves heart rate variability (HRV), which is the measurement of variations within beat-to-beat intervals.
In 2010, an international study reaffirmed this timeless wisdom by showing that slow abdominal breathing reduced the "fight-or-flight" response of the sympathetic nervous system and could enhance vagal activity. These findings were published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
The Heart–Brain Connection
Most of us have been taught in school that the heart is constantly responding to “orders” sent by the brain in the form of neural signals. However, it is not as commonly known that the heart actually sends more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart! Moreover, these heart signals have a significant effect on brain function – influencing emotional processing as well as higher cognitive faculties such as attention, perception, memory, and problem-solving. In other words, not only does the heart respond to the brain, but the brain continuously responds to the heart.
The effect of heart activity on brain function has been researched extensively over about the past 40 years. Earlier research mainly examined the effects of heart activity occurring on a very short time scale – over several consecutive heartbeats at maximum. Scientists at the HeartMath Institute have extended this body of scientific research by looking at how larger-scale patterns of heart activity affect the brain’s functioning.
HeartMath research has demonstrated that different patterns of heart activity (which accompany different emotional states) have distinct effects on cognitive and emotional function. During stress and negative emotions, when the heart rhythm pattern is erratic and disordered, the corresponding pattern of neural signals traveling from the heart to the brain inhibits higher cognitive functions. This limits our ability to think clearly, remember, learn, reason, and make effective decisions. (This helps explain why we may often act impulsively and unwisely when we’re under stress.) The heart’s input to the brain during stressful or negative emotions also has a profound effect on the brain’s emotional processes—actually serving to reinforce the emotional experience of stress.
In contrast, the more ordered and stable pattern of the heart’s input to the brain during positive emotional states has the opposite effect – it facilitates cognitive function and reinforces positive feelings and emotional stability. This means that learning to generate increased heart rhythm coherence, by sustaining positive emotions, not only benefits the entire body, but also profoundly affects how we perceive, think, feel, and perform.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and is used as a psychological treatment for various conditions including CRPS and chronic pain. It can enable people to heal from symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. This can include treatments and trauma that chronic pain patients endure.
EMDR therapy shows the mind can in fact heal from trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma.
When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound. If a foreign object or repeat injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain. Once the irritant is removed, healing resumes. EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occur with the mental process. The brain's information processing system naturally moves toward mental health. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. Using the detailed protocols and procedures learned in EMDR therapy sessions, clinicians help clients activate their natural healing process.
More than 30 positive controlled outcome studies have been done on EMDR therapy. Some of the studies show 85-90% of single-trauma victims no longer have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after only three (3) 90-minute sessions.