“After Two Years of Neck and Shoulder Pain, I Felt Clear Relief After Just 20 Minutes of EFT Therapy”

Mr. Kham Hung Say Cha Lon, General Director and Chairman of the Board of Kham Hung Steel Company, Vice President and General Secretary of the Union of Vietnamese People in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, traveled from Laos to Hanoi to attend the "Igniting a New Vitality" course by Expert Nguyen Manh Quan in November 2015.

Before attending the course, he had suffered from prolonged neck and shoulder pain and was diagnosed with cervical spondylosis (degeneration of the cervical spine). The pain radiated to both shoulder blades and arms, accompanied by back pain, aches, and a feeling of bodily heaviness. According to his account, the aches had been present for about 5 years, with the most severe pain phase lasting about 2 years. He had consulted at many medical facilities: in Bangkok, Thailand; Viet-Sing Hospital; Viet-Phap Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City; Hanoi Medical University Hospital; and the Military Traditional Medicine Hospital in Kim Giang. Medications provided temporary relief, but when he stopped taking them, the pain returned.

During the class itself, Expert Nguyen Manh Quan invited him to come up as a demonstration model for guided practice. After about 20 minutes of practicing the EFT method, he reported that his pain decreased from approximately 7/10 to nearly 0/10. He described feeling mentally lighter, moving more comfortably, and being very surprised that the pain disappeared so quickly.

Neck and shoulder pain and cervical spondylosis from a medical perspective

Neck and shoulder pain is a very common condition, especially among people who work long hours, sit for prolonged periods, experience work pressure, are sedentary, or frequently have tension in the neck-shoulder area. When pain persists, patients may experience neck stiffness, aches, pain radiating to the shoulders and arms, headaches, limited neck rotation, difficulty sleeping, and overall fatigue.

Cervical spondylosis typically involves the natural aging process of the spine, including changes in the intervertebral discs, facet joints, ligaments, and surrounding tissues. However, the severity of pain does not always directly correlate with the degree of degeneration seen on imaging. Some people have clear degeneration but little pain; others have relatively mild structural changes but severe pain due to muscle tension, stress, insomnia, nervous system sensitization, and prolonged protective responses.

Verywell Health notes that neck pain and stiffness often improve over time with self-care measures such as gentle movement, staying active within one's limits, using appropriate pain relievers when needed, and avoiding prolonged immobilization; however, neck pain accompanied by arm weakness, radiating numbness, loss of balance, or neurological symptoms requires medical evaluation. (Verywell Health) [https://www.verywellhealth.com/cervical-spondylosis-7501090]

Why can neck and shoulder pain last for many years?

When pain persists for weeks, months, or years, the pain mechanism is often not limited to the muscles or joints themselves. The nervous system begins to learn and remember the pain. The neck, shoulder, and upper back muscles maintain a state of contraction to "protect" the spine. The patient becomes afraid to turn their neck, afraid of vigorous movement, afraid of pain recurrence. The more they fear pain, the more the body tenses. The more tense the body, the tighter the neck-shoulder area becomes, and pain signals are more easily amplified.

The CDC recognizes chronic pain as a major public health issue; in 2023, 24.3% of U.S. adults reported chronic pain in the past three months, and 8.5% had chronic pain that frequently limited life or work activities. This shows that prolonged pain is not just an individual symptom but an issue affecting quality of life, work ability, and mental health. (CDC) [https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7324a1.htm]

In Mr. Kham Hung's case, the pain lasted 5 years, was most severe for 2 years, and recurred after stopping medication. This is a typical pattern in chronic musculoskeletal pain, where medication may temporarily relieve symptoms but is insufficient to address maintaining factors such as muscle tension, stress, posture, sleep, movement, and the nervous system's response to pain.

How can EFT therapy support pain management?

EFT is generally understood as a method combining focus on an existing issue, naming the emotion or body sensation, using a setup phrase, and gently tapping on certain points on the body in a rhythmic pattern. In the language of the course, EFT is called a method to support emotional release and mind-body regulation. From a cautious scientific perspective, EFT can be analyzed as a technique combining multiple mechanisms: attention regulation, reducing fear of symptoms, creating rhythmic sensory stimulation, supporting relaxation, changing internal self-talk, and increasing feelings of control.

When a patient focuses on a painful area while simultaneously being guided in a safe state, the body may reduce its threat response. When the threat response decreases, the sympathetic nervous system calms down, muscles may relax, breathing slows, and pain perception may decrease. This is why some people perceive rapid changes after practice, especially when pain involves components of muscle tension, stress, and neural sensitization.

NCCIH, part of the NIH, states that hypnosis has been studied in many contexts, including pain; current evidence suggests that hypnosis may support the management of certain pain conditions, although responses vary by individual and condition. Relaxation techniques such as self-hypnosis, guided imagery, slow breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation can also produce the relaxation response, typically accompanied by slower breathing, calmer heart rate, and reduced stress. (NCCIH) [https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/hypnosis]

Why can pain decrease rapidly after 20 minutes?

Mr. Kham Hung perceiving his pain decrease from 7/10 to nearly 0/10 after about 20 minutes of practice does not necessarily mean that the degenerative changes in his spine disappeared immediately. A safer scientific interpretation is: pain perception, muscle tone, stress response, and nervous system vigilance can change much more quickly than bone or joint structure.

In chronic neck and shoulder pain, a portion of the pain may be maintained by prolonged muscle contraction, fear of pain, sleep deprivation, stress, and continuous attention to the painful area. When the patient is guided to relax, breathe slowly, focus in a controlled manner, reduce fear, and receive positive suggestions, the brain may evaluate signals from the painful area as less dangerous. When the perceived threat decreases, pain sensation may drop rapidly.

This aligns with the modern model of pain: pain is an experience generated by the brain based on signals from the body and the overall bodily context. The same signal from the neck and shoulder area may be perceived as more intense when the patient is stressed, sleep-deprived, fearful, and tense; but can feel milder when the patient is relaxed, feels safe, is guided, and has a sense of control.

The second letter from the Lao PDR

After the course in November 2015, Mr. Kham Hung continued to audit two additional courses in 2016. He shared that after returning home, he diligently practiced the methods he had learned. In a letter sent from Vientiane on November 2, 2016, he expressed that after a period of practice, he was very surprised to see improvements in laboratory indicators related to multiple health issues. He mentioned cervical spondylosis, hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, kidney stones, gout, and diabetes.

This section should be understood with caution. Changes in blood lipids, fatty liver, gout, diabetes, or kidney stones cannot be attributed to a single technique without comprehensive medical records, pre- and post-laboratory tests, current medications, diet, exercise, weight changes, and follow-up duration. However, his consistent practice, increased health awareness, lifestyle changes, stress reduction, and motivation for self-care may have contributed to improvements in multiple metabolic factors.

Fatty liver disease is closely related to metabolism, weight, insulin resistance, diabetes, blood lipids, and lifestyle. Modern medical literature views appropriate weight loss, healthy eating, and regular physical activity as foundational in managing metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). (Wikipedia) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatty_liver_disease]

The connection between stress, pain, and metabolic disease

Mr. Kham Hung's story highlights an important point: health is not divided into separate, isolated parts. Neck and shoulder pain, insomnia, stress, blood lipids, fatty liver, diabetes, and gout can coexist within a common context of lifestyle, metabolism, chronic stress, and aging.

Prolonged stress can lead to poor sleep, irregular eating, reduced physical activity, increased muscle tension, decreased recovery ability, and easier pain recurrence. Conversely, prolonged pain increases stress, makes sleep more difficult, and reduces physical activity. When a learner begins to regularly practice relaxation methods, self-hypnosis, EFT, breathing exercises, movement, and lifestyle adjustments, they may affect multiple loops simultaneously.

For metabolic diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, gout, or fatty liver, mind-body methods do not replace medical treatment. However, they can support patients in maintaining discipline, reducing emotional eating, sleeping better, increasing motivation for physical activity, and improving adherence to health care. This is the practical value of the "mind-body-lifestyle" model in long-term care.

Excerpt from Mr. Kham Hung's reflection

"I am Kham-Hong, living in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. I learned about Teacher Nguyen Manh Quan's program and returned to Hanoi to attend."

"My condition is cervical spondylosis, very painful and achy, radiating down to both shoulder blades and arms, with back pain."

"After being called up in front of the class for Teacher Quan to demonstrate and guide the practice, the pain disappeared unexpectedly."

"If the unbearable pain level is 10 degrees, yesterday my pain was at about level 7. After finishing the EFT practice, the pain sensation almost completely disappeared, down to level 0."

"I have been examined in many places: Bangkok, Thailand; Viet-Sing Hospital; Viet-Phap Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City; Hanoi Medical University Hospital; and treated at the Military Traditional Medicine Hospital in Kim Giang."

"Doctors prescribed medication that helped, but when I stopped the medication, the pain returned."

"I am very happy and grateful to Teacher Nguyen Manh Quan."

The value of the "Igniting a New Vitality" course

The "Igniting a New Vitality" course aims to help learners understand the relationships between body, emotions, stress, sleep, pain, and overall health. Rather than passively waiting for external interventions, learners are guided in self-practice methods such as EFT, self-hypnosis, deep relaxation, slow breathing, positive suggestion, and emotion regulation.

The greatest value of the course lies in its emphasis on agency. When learners know how to observe their bodies, calm their nervous systems, reduce muscle tension, regulate their breathing, and shift their mental state, they gain additional tools for daily self-care. For someone with chronic pain, simply regaining the feeling that "I can do something for my body" is already a significant turning point.

Scientific and safety note

Mr. Kham Hung's story is a personal account following the course and his practice. Results may vary depending on the individual, the cause of pain, the severity of degeneration, medical history, current medications, diet, exercise, sleep, stress, and consistency of practice.

Methods such as EFT, self-hypnosis, deep relaxation, and emotion regulation should be viewed as mind-body supportive tools. They do not replace medical examination, diagnostic imaging, medication, physical therapy, diabetes treatment, gout treatment, hyperlipidemia treatment, fatty liver treatment, kidney stone management, or necessary medical interventions.

People with neck and shoulder pain accompanied by arm weakness or numbness, progressive radiating pain, loss of balance, gait disturbance, post-traumatic pain, fever, unexplained weight loss, or severe pain should seek specialist evaluation. People with diabetes, gout, hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, or kidney stones need regular laboratory monitoring and should not stop medication without a doctor's guidance.

Related course: Haruva – Igniting a New Vitality

Methods: EFT, self-hypnosis, deep relaxation, emotion regulation, pain perception support

Hotline: 0904.606.965

Email: chualanhkhongdungthuoc@gmail.com

References

- Verywell Health. Cervical Spondylosis: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment. https://www.verywellhealth.com/cervical-spondylosis-7501090

- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Chronic Pain Among US Adults, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7324a1.htm

- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Hypnosis. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/hypnosis

- Wikipedia. Fatty liver disease. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatty_liver_disease

Under the Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations, the center trains special methods to improve health, prevent and support treatment of physical and mental issues, and provides training in learning methods, thinking, and applied psychology for communication, business, negotiation, and sales.

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