This episode focuses on neuropathic pain, for example following a herpes zoster infection, etc. The doctor and neurophysiologist, Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. habil. Rüdiger Schellenberg, has been using microcurrent therapy very successfully on his patients for many years and describes – from his clinical perspective – the treatment of pain patients with neuropathies.

Whilst microcurrent therapy is a key pillar of this approach, Dr Schellenberg believes it is also important to provide patients with clear explanations of their symptoms and the therapy itself.

“… because the aim must be to stabilise the peripheral nervous system at its terminal ends to such an extent that the stimuli caused by the underlying condition can no longer cause any significant damage there …”

Neuropathic pain often occurs following damage to the nerves or to the nerve endings. Inflammation, infections or injuries are frequently the cause. In addition to the head, the symptoms often affect the upper and lower limbs.

In this podcast, Dr Schellenberg explains how he uses microcurrent therapy, his approach to applying the adhesive electrodes and his criteria for selecting the appropriate frequency-specific programme.

Contact Dr Schellenberg: https://www.schellenberg-med.de/

00:00:00
Dr Rüdiger Schellenberg: Patients currently undergoing treatment with me for pain seem to be increasingly concentrated in the area of neuropathic pain. After all, the aim must be to stabilise the peripheral nervous system at its peripheral ends to such an extent that the stimuli caused by the underlying condition can no longer cause such severe damage there.

00:00:28
Patrick Walitschek: And with that, a warm welcome to a new episode of the LuXXaMed podcast. My name is Patrick Walitschek and, as you heard at the start of this episode, I’ve brought you something very special once again. Namely, an interview with Dr Rüdiger Schellenberg. Dr Schellenberg has been practising microcurrent therapy for many years and specialises in areas such as neuropathic and neurological pain, right through to the treatment of migraines, tension headaches and so on. So I thought to myself: ‘Let’s do an interview on the subject of neuropathic pain, neuropathy and so on.’ And I wanted to find out from Dr Schellenberg what his approach is. What his explanatory model is behind it all, and, of course, what the results are for him in practical therapy. This episode has turned out to be a bit longer, as towards the end we also touch on the topic of migraines again, though we’ll be broadcasting that part in the next episode. So don’t be surprised if the whole thing feels a bit disjointed at the end. There’s also a second part, focusing on stress-related migraines, migraines in general and tension-type headaches. Right, I hope you enjoy the interview with Dr Schellenberg. We’ll be back very briefly at the end of the interview.

00:02:02
Patrick Walitschek: Hello, Rüdiger. It’s lovely to be back here in Hüttenwerk near Wetzlar. I’m delighted that we’re seeing each other again. I think we’ve done two podcasts in total, and we’ve also recorded quite a few videos together. Or rather, you’ve been involved in an interview where you’ve given interviews or made statements. So I’m delighted that we’ve come together here today for a new episode.

00:02:28
Dr Rüdiger Schellenberg: Thank you, Patrick, for coming to see me again. It’s no secret that I’ve been gaining experience with methods involving microcurrent treatments for, I believe, over 20 years now. From the very first devices developed by Urschleim right through to the modern high-tech devices currently in use. And it never ceases to amaze me to see just how effectively we can help patients who sometimes arrive in a state of despair. Despair caused by chronic ailments and chronic pain. Patients who are sometimes even seen as a nuisance by GPs and turned away, simply because doctors sometimes don’t know what else to do. And, fortunately, there are also an increasing number of patients who have no great interest in trying yet another painkiller or antidepressant. They are well aware that the side effects may well be far more severe than any potential therapeutic benefit. And it is precisely these patients – some of whom have exhausted all other treatment options, particularly those suffering from pain – who can be helped very effectively using microcurrent and the application methods that these modern systems have now incorporated. The experiences of patients currently undergoing treatment with me for pain seem to be increasingly concentrated in the area of neuropathic pain. And neuropathic pain arises in the tissue – to put it simply – as a result of irritation in the peripheral nervous system, specifically irritation of the nociceptors in the periphery, which can arise through various mechanisms. There are patients who, for example, develop diabetic neuropathy at some point as a result of underlying diabetic conditions. There are patients who develop neuropathic pain following herpes zoster infections, right through to alcoholics who suffer from alcohol-induced neuropathies. I have seen fewer patients in this category so far. However, in the case of patients with herpes or diabetes, pain perception is severely impaired and tends to worsen as the underlying condition progresses. This significantly affects these patients’ quality of life. Some of them find it very difficult to fall asleep. Because no matter how you lie, at some point the mere mechanical pressure of the body on the mattress stimulates the sensors – the nociceptors – which make this pain felt again, and this leads to poor sleep quality. Patients wake up the very next morning feeling exhausted, not well-rested and listless. It is well known that the longer the pain persists, the more likely patients with chronic pain are to become depressed. This creates a whole cycle, a sort of vicious circle. Pain, a depressed mood – and it all builds up. In my experience, it is helpful to start by providing such patients with an easily understandable model. A model that allows the patient to say: ‘Ah, if that’s the case, then I can really visualise why this pain is there. Or why I don’t feel like getting up early in the morning and going to work.’ And once the patient can recall such models in their mind, they have already created the ideal conditions for achieving much more using methods that simply work. Namely, to change their entire mindset regarding this condition so that they are able to say: ‘I am not chronically ill; rather, I have explainable symptoms. I can explain them to myself. And anything I can now do myself to influence this must simply be helpful.’ If, in addition, a technique such as this microcurrent application can be used to actually influence metabolic processes at the site of the event – or at the site where the pain is triggered – namely in the periphery, at the nociceptors, in the regions where the patient says, ‘It hurts here’, to influence metabolic processes in the tissue—so that one assumes this can lead to a normalisation, or at least an attenuation, of pathological metabolic regulatory processes towards normality—and the patient then says: “Ah, if it works like this, then that would mean that the underlying condition – be it diabetes or the herpes reaction – would no longer affect the peripheral nervous system so severely. Consequently, I should experience less pain.” And this is the mechanism whereby the technique, on the one hand, combined with the patient’s own self-healing powers – which they now understand – helps to significantly improve their quality of life. And experience shows that with these patients, one can range from whole-body leads or the application of these stimulation electrodes right through to local stimulation points where they experience their main symptoms, flooding these regions criss-cross and applying the electrodes accordingly. That is my philosophy behind it: to apply the electrodes criss-cross across the areas where it hurts and let the current flow there. And then one can either use pre-selected programmes included in the systems specifically for pain management, specifically targeting the peripheral nervous system. Or simply use the options included in the microcurrent devices’ software package under the heading ‘Regeneration’. After all, the aim must be to stabilise the peripheral nervous system at its peripheral ends to such an extent that the stimuli—which will continue to be present due to the underlying condition—can no longer cause such severe damage there. And that, in effect, a protective shield is created around the nociceptors, which can ultimately regulate themselves stably. This is because their mechanisms are stabilised at the metabolic level. As we know from basic research, high-energy phosphates are formed in the tissue, which are necessary for transmembrane transport processes. And the patient thus suddenly learns to trigger normal regulatory processes in their peripheral tissues. The result will be that everything which previously triggered pain no longer arises, is no longer transmitted and, ultimately, is no longer perceived as pain. And that, I believe, is the principle behind it, which is gaining ever greater popularity. It is certainly leading to more new patients for me, too. Because word is getting round that patients who have been treated not only enjoy a better quality of life, but also say: ‘It doesn’t hurt any more. I can sleep better. I feel fit and well-rested in the mornings.’ And when this is achieved at this level, it’s not just about having satisfied patients. I, too, find myself delighted time and time again and am constantly inspired when I witness how this high-tech electrical stimulation brings about a change within the body that revives our genetically innate state of normality. And in the end, the patient says: “I’m feeling fine.” That’s exactly why this method needs to be publicised much more widely. Simply to give more and more patients the chance to get their chronic conditions well under control.

00:11:09
Patrick Walitschek: Yes, brilliant. I’ve got one or two more questions. You’ve just mentioned two programmes. Firstly, the Peripheral Nerves and Regeneration programme. Do you use both locally – you did say that’s one of your preferred methods – as well as in the whole-body system? Or do you, for example, tend to use the regeneration programme for whole-body treatment and the other one locally?

00:11:31
Dr Rüdiger Schellenberg: That’s exactly how I do it, actually. I usually start with local treatment on the areas where the patient knows – or where their experience tells them – that they’re in pain. And I do that using the specific programme elements for pain therapy. And if the patient feels that this is helping them, I very quickly extend it to whole-body drainage, from the wrists to the ankles and criss-crossing throughout the body. And that’s where elements relating to general regeneration come into play.

00:12:02
Patrick Walitschek: Okay. A completely different question, actually, because you just said something I found absolutely fascinating and which no one has ever explained to me like that before. Explaining what’s happening – the condition – to the patient in a way they can understand, so that they can form a picture of it, their own mental representation of the whole thing. I find that really fascinating. I can totally see your point. Is that, amongst other things, something you work on in clinical hypnosis – using imagery with the patient? Or how should I picture that?

00:12:28
Dr Rüdiger Schellenberg: Yes. It’s no secret that all patients suffering from chronic pain can easily become despondent. Or simply become depressed and dissatisfied with the treatments they’ve had so far. These can range from conventional drug therapy to psychotherapeutic approaches in pain management. If a patient doesn’t know why they have a symptom, it’s harder for any therapy to be effective than if the patient develops an understanding of it: why does it hurt here and there? Why do I have limitations in my life here and there that not only cause pain but can also weigh heavily on my mind? And giving the patient this opportunity seems to be a key to success. It does, of course, take a little time to provide the patient with a model and to develop it together with them. Using language that must also be tailored to the patient’s level of understanding. So that, in the end, they say: ‘Ah, I see. Nobody’s ever actually explained it to me like that before. Now I have an idea of why, for example, I have this pain.’ It doesn’t matter whether it’s osteoarthritis pain, neuropathic pain, a headache or even a migraine. If the patient understands what’s going on in their body that isn’t quite right – or is even pathological – and perhaps then comes up with the idea themselves to say: ‘Ah, if that’s the case, then it would be wise to do this or that to counteract this process of pain development.’ Then the patient has already won. Then all we have to do is bring the appropriate methods into play and apply them. And the patient will very quickly benefit from the results. And this, as you said, is achieved through suggestions whilst in a trance-like state, a state of deep hypnosis, which I actually use very frequently every day. I have now gained the experience that microcurrent applications can be used whilst the patient is in a deep state of hypnosis. This does not disturb the patients in their trance state at all. And it allows us to kill several birds with one stone: the local applications to the regions where microcurrent has proven effects, coupled with the anchoring of this in the nervous system and the subconscious. And the subconscious is really just a term for the structures we recognise today, such as the limbic system and the hippocampus – structures where information is processed and decision-making takes place. And if you open up these pathways, knowing that the patient has understood why they are ill, then the therapeutic effect can be achieved even more quickly.

00:15:24
Patrick Walitschek: Yes, brilliant. I find that entirely plausible and can picture it very clearly.

00:15:30
Patrick Walitschek: And with that, we’ve already reached the end of this – in my view, truly brilliant – episode, packed with great insights into neuropathic pain. It’s covered everything from an explainable model of this pain – one that patients can understand – right through to the application of clinical hypnosis. I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode and I hope you’re looking forward to the next one. Next week, the interview continues with Dr Schellenberg on the topic of tension- or stress-related migraines and headaches. It’ll be really fascinating to hear what new insights and approaches he has to share with us. And, of course, as always, here’s a friendly reminder: if you’re listening to our podcast, please subscribe to it – wherever you prefer: on Apple, Spotify, Deezer, Google or Amazon Music. I can’t even list them all. And do pop over to our Instagram channel. Just search for LuXXaMed or the hashtag #LuXXaMed. There you’ll find a whole host of our posts – not just on Instagram, but on Facebook and Twitter too, of course. And with that, I’d like to say a big thank you for tuning in, thank you very much for listening, and see you in the next episode.