Saturday, January 12, 2008 US-based docs, nurses to visit Davao to promote prolotherapy By Joy Romares-Sevilla
FIFTEEN doctors and two nurses of the Hackett Hemwall Foundation, an organization who pioneered the practice of prolotherapy based in the United States, are coming to the Davao Doctors Hospital in Davao City next week to introduce the breakthrough science of non-surgical ligament construction.
Dr. Dominador Cabrera, DDH president, said in Thursday's press conference at the hospital's executive conference room that DDH will be the first stop in the first Philippine Prolotherapy Medical Mission which will be conducted by the foundation on January 14 and 15.
"We invited local anesthesiologists and physical therapists because the team will be conducting a lecture in the morning of January 14," Cabrera said.
The team, in partnership with the Davao Doctors Hospital, will sponsor the free clinic from 1-5 p.m. on January 14 and January 15, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Davao Doctors College Gymnasium.
Dr. Liza Maniquis-Smigel, prolotherapist and member of the medical mission team, said the free clinic is open to all.
"We will have six stations, about 700 patients will benefit from the activity, but we will try to cater to as many patients that we can treat," Smigel said.
She said the activity would be the first in the Philippines and the fourth in Asia.
"Our goal is to treat as many as indigenous patients and educate the Filipino community about prolotherapy," she said.
Smigel claimed that her team would also train four to five doctors of the Davao Doctors Hospital to practice prolotherapy.
"We are hoping to attract more people and to get positive response. Hopefully if the activity will be successful, we will come back," Smigel said.
Prolotherapy is little known but safe and highly effective method of eliminating chronic pain by treating ligament and tendon weakness.
"It is done by injecting a proliferant solution to weakened areas to directly stimulate the growth of strong and healthy tissues," Smigel explained.
Smigel added that prolotherapy has the potential of being 100 percent effective in eliminating chronic muscle pains, rheumatism, migraines and the like, but this depends on the technique of the individual prolotherapist.
"This is why the Hacket and Hemwall Foundation team decided to partner with Davao Doctors Hospital so that the local doctors are trained and equipped to offer this breakthrough treatment to the community," Smigel said.
