A complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modality that can be helpful for reducing chronic pain and inflammation is biopuncture—a botanical injection therapy whereby specific body zones, or points, are injected with highly diluted natural products to support the immune system, regulate inflammatory processes and support natural repair mechanisms. Although a variety of injection-based therapies have been available for decades in Europe, Asia and the United States, biopuncture was introduced in this country in 2008, and has become an increasingly accepted tool for reducing chronic pain and inflammation.

Based on several decades of clinical experience and research, biopuncture is established as a safe and effective, nonpharmacological alternative to pain therapy. It has actively been practiced in both China and Europe for more than 50 years, under names like “bioregulation”; however, biopuncture was originally coined in 1991 by the renowned medical doctor, Jan Kersschot.

Biologically active solutions, including nutrients, homeopathic remedies and local anesthetic, are injected intradermally/ subcutaneously to boost repair and restoration. A good example of a body zone that is commonly identified by a treating clinician includes post-surgical scars and post-inflammatory adhesions, which may lead to a persistent state of regional tension and torsion. Additionally, a particular technique of radial pulse taking allows for greater precision in identifying blockages on the surface of the body, including acupuncture points. This technique is particularly helpful in treating subacute and chronic soft tissue pain, via muscle relaxation and enhanced microcirculation/ drainage.

Biopuncture is typically well-tolerated and oftentimes patients report 30 to 40 percent improvement in their symptoms by the end of the session. Typically not a stand-alone treatment, biopuncture helps identify pain-generating locations and points to appropriate therapies that could potentiate the benefit of biopuncture. For instance, in sports medicine, best results occur when including biopuncture as part of a comprehensive pain management approach. In fact, biopuncture is quite synergistic with bodywork and physical therapy, enabling the affected body zones to be more responsive to stretching, soft tissue mobilization, myofascial release, CranioSacral therapy and physical medicine modalities like infrared light and low-level laser therapy. Likewise, biopuncture works well with such energy and mind-body medicine modalities as reiki, chi gong, biofeedback and medical hypnotherapy.

Leonid Gordin, M.D., is a Diplomate of the American Board of Integrative Medicine and the American Board of Medical Acupuncture. He has been practicing holistic medicine for more than 35 years, and currently practices at Mount Auburn Hospital, in Cambridge. He may be reached at [email protected].