Fortschr Med. 1994 Nov; 112(31): 433-4.

[Neural therapy in the light of recent data]

Ernst E, Fialka V.

Postgraduate Medical School, Exeter, UK.

In German-speaking countries, local injection of anesthetic is a popular form of treatment, either as "neural therapy", a complementary method intended to stimulate adaptive body functions, or as pure analgesia. While the latter is unquestionably effective, neither the rationale nor the individual mechanisms, nor its therapeutic efficacy have been investigated scientifically. Recent data show that the analgesic effect does not depend on the injection of local anesthetic. It is conceivable that this form of treatment acts via a mechanism known as diffuse noxious inhibition control.