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An Integrative Approach to Back and Joint Pain Jennifer was 62 years old when she was in a head-on collision in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Feeling grateful to be alive, she ignored the pain along her spine that started a couple days after the ac- cident. Within a few days, everything was so painful and tight that she couldn't even lift her 8 month old granddaughter. That's when she reached out to us for help. Back and joint pain can have innumerable causes. Commonly, these pains stem from an injury, such as a car accident or a fall. Jennifer's case was straight-forward. Amber Weiss, our physician as- sistant and acupuncturist, treated her with a com- bination of microcurrent and acupuncture. Within a few weeks, Jennifer's pain was nearly gone and, to her relief, the nightmares and fear of driving also resolved. Angelica's case was more complicated. At 68, she began to feel increas- ingly stiff in her shoulders and hips every morning. At first she thought she was just getting older. She stopped going to her pi- lates class due to the pain and started taking Advil twice daily. When she couldn't even brush her hair one day, she went to see a rheumatologist who diagnosed her with poly- myalgia rheumatica. Un- happy with how steroids affected her mood, sleep and blood pressure, she came to see us at Trilogy Medical. For Angelica, we utilized an integrative approach. She started with microcurrent and acupuncture with Amber, which took the edge off the pain. She also saw our Medical Director, Dr. Jeff Lester, for consti- tutional homeopathy to address deep underlying resentments that had been building for the last several years after her adult son moved back into her house, refusing to get a job or contribute around the house. Addressing this resentment paved the way for Angelica to get her symptoms under control without steroids. Amber ran some addi- tional functional medicine tests and put her on an anti-inflammatory diet that further reduced the pain to a manageable level. Not only is the pain under control, Angel- ica also began setting boundaries with her son and he is now working and paying rent. While Medicare did not pay for any of the holistic care we offered, they did pay for a substantial portion of her treatment with us, includ- ing the Western medical workup and treatment options. David was 65 when he lost his job due to the pandemic. The business he ran for over 20 years was forced to shutter. He had 2 daughters in college and was devastated. He felt depressed, his blood pressure sky-rocketed, he began drinking more alcohol, and he began complaining of intense low back pain at a level of 8-9/10, for which he was planning to see a surgeon. David was referred by his wife, who had been a patient of Trilogy Medi- cal for many years. She couldn't bear to watch the man she loved go down hill. David came in to see Dr. Lester for constitu- tional homeopathy to help get him out of a down- ward spiral. David shared the fear of not being able to support his family, frus- tration with government policies, and feelings of hopelessness. Dr. Lester chose a 200 year-old remedy that was derived from gold, called Aurum metallicum in Latin, for David to take once daily. Within 6 weeks, the cloud began to lift and David felt inspired to reach out to an old colleague about a job opportunity. David did not want to take blood pressure medication, so we monitored him regularly to make sure his blood pressure was mov- ing in the right direction. Within 2 months of con- stitutional treatment, his blood pressure was back to normal and his back pain had completely re- solved - without surgery. While they didn't cover the homeopathic reme- dies, Medicare covered a good portion of the work that he did with us. Veronica was an active 70 year old woman. She had been an athlete all her life and an avid hiker. In the past couple of months, her right knee had been aching so badly that it hurt to walk and became impossible to hike. She was referred to us by a friend who had amazing results for knee pain. We started with an X-ray to examine the joint space of her knees. We saw clear evidence of arthritis from years of wear and tear. Due to budgetary constraints, we started with an injection of Hyaluronic acid that was covered and approved fully by Medicare. This provided lubrication and decreased the pain for several months. Veronica want- ed to get back to hiking again. We discussed her other options, including a popular biologic injec- tion that contains factors to reduce pain and inflammation, sometimes for many years. Veron- ica decided to schedule the outpatient injection at our office and described the results as "profound." Unlike knee replacement surgery, Veronica was able to walk out of the office the same day and did not have to severely restrict her activities. In the weeks after the surgery, she came in for weekly microcurrent sessions with Amber, our PA. Veronica was very pleased and has since referred two close friends to us for their knee pain. There is a saying that when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Most Western medical offices have a narrow set of tools for addressing pain - drugs and surgery. At Trilogy Medical, we take a nu- anced approach, looking at the whole person and deciding the right plan of action for that individual. If you are tired of hearing that there is "no cure for your condition" or that "you just need to learn to live with the pain," we welcome you to set up an appointment at our office to explore other potential options for addressing the underlying cause of your symptoms. Trilogy Medical Center / 831-600-8117 www. trilogymedical.net / info@ trilogymedical.net e A iti j t t id d ith ACTIVE RETIREMENT FOR SCHEUDLE A TOUR TODAY! 831. 462.6257 ACTIVE PEOPLE Residents: Frank and Marge 3 Homemade Meals a Day Weekly Housekeeping Laundry Service Local Transportation Robust Activity Calendar ft. Cognitive and Physical Exercise and Cultural Events Essential Utilities Now Includes Cable! Amenities are just outside your door with Dominican Oaks' all inclusive community. Join us today and enjoy: Lic#440708773 DominicanOaks.com Resident: Estelle A part of Dignity Health and Dominican Hospital Check out our new website! Lic#440708773 DominicanOaks.com A part of Dignity Health and Dominican Hospital Check out our new website! By Amber Weiss, PA-C, LAc Trilogy Medical, Inc. Bigstock photo

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