Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine is a Toronto naturopathic clinic dedicated to providing safe and effective treatment of a wide variety of health conditions using natural therapies and the principles of naturopathic medicine.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is well treated using naturopathic medicine. Carpal tunnel syndrome refers to a number of symptoms associated with pressure on the median nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel, a passageway between the bones of your wrist. If you suspect your symptoms are those of carpal tunnel syndrome you should seek out professional healthcare, as untreated it may result in nerve and muscle damage.
Symptoms of Carpal tunnel syndrome
Possible symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include:
- Tingling and numbness in your hand or fingers, particularly your thumb, index, middle and ring fingers
- Pain radiating up the palmer side of your arm or down into your hands or fingers
- Weakness in your hands or fingers
- Aggravation by repetitive use of your hands or fingers
Carpal tunnel syndrome treatment at Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine
At Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine, the goals of carpal tunnel syndrome treatment are complete pain reduction and prevention of recurrence.
Conventional treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome may include wrist splinting or surgery, and a variety of medications including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroids which may have short- or long-term side effects. For this reason, you may choose to try natural treatment to possibly avoid use of conventional medications, or together with conventional medications in order to decrease dosages of conventional medications required to manage your carpal tunnel syndrome.
Naturopathic treatment of any chronic health concern must be recognized as a process that involves identifying specific treatment goals, a thorough understanding by your naturopathic doctor of all factors affecting your health, including physical, psychological, emotional and lifestyle factors, development of a comprehensive treatment plan and execution of that plan through periodic monitoring and adjustment.
At Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine a typical approach to treating carpal tunnel syndrome is to first identify and address underlying factors in your lifestyle (e.g., occupation) or general health (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, thyroid disorders, menopause). Where appropriate, a number of therapeutic options are available, to be used alone, or more often in a complementary fashion, including:
- Acupuncture
- Bowen Therapy
- SuikodoTM
- Hydrotherapy
- Exercise prescription
- Relaxation techniques
- Nutritional supplements
- Botanical (herbal) medicines
- Homeopathic medicines
Reference
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Carpal tunnel syndrome [Online]. [cited 2009 Feb 18]; Available from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/carpal-tunnel-syndrome/DS00326