I'm not sure if anyone has tried this and I dont remember ever seeing it mentioned on any of these MS forums so I thought I would mention it.

I've been getting Anodyne Physical Therapy for my PN (Perpheral Neuropathy). It is a 12 week therapy. Usually 3 times a week for 4 weeks. I will type out from the paper what Anodyne Therapy is and how it works...

RESULTS MATTER, and here's how Anodyne works.
Up to 3,200% increased circulation within 20 minutes
Anodyne Therapy (Monochromatic Infrared Photo Energy or MIRE) is designed to maximize the effectiveness of infrared photo energy to increase circulation and reduce pain in the area to which it is applied.

The hypothesis of mechanism of action of MIRE is that the infrared photo energy causes the photo-dissociation of Nitic Oxide (NO) from the endothelial cells at the site of treatment and from hemoglobin in the red blood cells (RBC's). The continuous delivery of RBCs sustains the local increase of NO during delivery of Anodyne Therapy, resulting in vasodilation which can indirectly relieve pain caused by lack of blood flow. NO release may also directly contribute to the pain relief documented to occur during treatment.


ALSO..
Dr. Neil J. Goldberg MD, endocrinologist - Associate Professor of Medicine, UCLA states:
" During my 27 years in practice, I have cared for thousands of patients suffering from painful, microvascular problems caused by chronic conditions such as diabetes. When Anodyne Therapy is utilized as part of a comprehensive rehab plan of care, I have seen significant improvements in my patients' level of comfort and thier quality of life. Anodyne Therapy is the first treatment is the first treatment I have found that treats not just the symptoms, but also one of the underlying causes of the pain - poor microvascular blood flow."

NOW... When looking for Anodyne therapy.. You have to make sure you ask for ANODYNE THERAPY.. Some places say they have LIGHT therapy.. ITS NOT THE SAME...The Anodyne machine is different and MORE expensive. Only a FEW places have it. The machine cost $6,000.

It has helped my PN.. It hasnt gone totally but isnt nearly as bad as it was. One of my neurologists say I have Compression neuropathy. Anytime I put pressure on my feet, hands, elbows or things like that, THEN I get the neuropathy pain. Since the Anodyne, it hasnt been as frequent or strong.

I hope I have helped some. THOOOOOOO I also do excercises with the Anodyne..to get the circulation moving in my feet and hands.

HUGS to all,
Gina marie

Is there a reaonably priced home unit anybody can recommend?

http://www.anodynetherapy.com/Products.htm

Here is a site where it shows the proffessional kit and the home set I'm not sure if the doctor has to order it or not. You can email the company. You might want to try it thru Physical therapy. I read on another post that the home kit cost 3,000. The professional kit cost 6,000 my P/T therapist told me. Your insurance might cover it.

Gina Marie

That's so funny. Maybe they'll also by me a nice boat for my mental health.

But I'm not complaining. My insurance the past six month paid for four CT scans, two chest x-rays, a thin needle lung biopsy, a bronchospy biopsy, associated pathology reports, a three day hospital stay, multiple doctor visits, and a full torso PET scan which determined that in all probability I do NOT have cancer, but still have a dead area in my right upper lung and some lingering pneumonia.

After years of not costing the insurance companies much at all, the past six months have cost them a small fortune. CT scans alone cost about $3,000 each at Scripps Clinics and the PET scan about $12,000. I hope this will soon be the minimal coverage for all Americans. Thank you HealthNet.

Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me but I'm almost certain when the Anodyne Therapy machines came out just a few short years ago, they could be bought for a few hundred dollars! Don't some of you old time members here remember that? Now I see they have a slick new site that is strictly uptown....they even have listed hundreds of places where you can get treatment. I seem to remember when there was just a relatively few places in the whole country where you could get the treatment and now it's virtually everywhere. And also, if memory serves, only about half the folks that got the treatments said it worked for them...and most of those were diabetic PNers. I think it's wonderful when it works and the only way to know for sure is to try it.

Anodyne has always been very expensive. It's the Rebuilder that was and still is a few hundred bucks.

There have been a fair number of posters who have reported their experiences with Anodyne, including myself, on OBT (Old BrainTalk) - again it is too bad that all that info is not available right now. Still hoping it might be.

I think 50% reporting at least some improvement sounds about right - whatever such a percentage might mean. I was one who tried an extra-long trial which unfortunately produced no changes at all.

David, and others who might be interested: I strongly agree that the old saw again applies. Nobody should go out and buy one without undergoing a proper clinical trial first. I do believe that Medicare does provide coverage for a home unit with evidence of a successful trial. And I believe they will also cover the trial sessions - the problem may be finding a Medicare provider who will do the trial and accept Medicare. I searched for a long time and ultimately had no success - I would have had to go too far to do it. However, I did work out a deal with a local provider so I have no regrets trying it.

I am still not aware of any downside to the procedure, as long as a proper protocol is followed (if a session is too long, burning of the skin could occur). I would hope that those of you who have had many treatment failures and/or who are looking for non-pharmaceutical interventions would strongly consider a trial.

And don't forget to post your results if you do!

rfinney