Gunny0011(AT)aol.com wrote:
> Fellow TMers;
> I just went to a Seminar at Easter Seals, that took up the better part of
> four hours. It was given by a Doctor from the University of Miami's SCI
> research Department. First, his credentials, then what I learned.
>
> Bernard S. Brucker, Ph.D.,A.B.R.P.
> Associate Professor
> Director of the Biofeedback Laboratory
> Functional Electric Stimulation Program
> Department of Orthopaedics/Rehabilitation (D-27)
> University of Miami / Jackson Medical Center
>
> He started off with an explanation of what Biofeedback is, and this is
> what caught my ear, and of course I interupted quite a few times to find out
> about our basic Illness. First, in our cases. When Transverse Myelitis hits,
> it's sometimes hard to diagnose because of it's similarities to MS. Ceratin
> tests have to be run to rule out certain things, and more times than not, we
> are misdiagnosed, but, when a diagnosis finally made, and TM is the culprit,
> It comes, as we all know, does it's job and leaves. It is caused by an unknown
> virus. It doesn't matter when you were diagnosed. It could be within hours or
> days or weeks. There is no set treatment for it. The Solumedrol IV is a myth.
> Steroids are for inflamation purposes for people like us, but, and I've said
> this before, The inflamation is gone from one to two weeks, and we are left
> with the residuals. Now, it is a Demyelinating problem, but the Demylination
> can stop at any given time. It's different in all of us. It can cause a lesion
> from one inch to the entire length of the Spinal Cord, and this is the
> interesting part. The Myelin will REGENERATE itself, along with Nerve axons,
> and the whole gammit. The research that's being done most is for a way to
> speed up this process. I was under the impression that "Complete" meat that
> the Spinal Cord was severed. Wrong, it means that there is complete
> dysfunction from a certain point, decending. Incomplete means there is some
> Motor Function from point of lesion or whatever, decending, along with some
> sensory perception. He likened the Biofeedback process to this, it's like a
> deaf person playing the piano. He can hit a key, but he does not hear the
> sound it makes, therefore the brain cannot pick up the sound to complete the
> cycle of feedback. When our Myelin regenerates itself, it's as if we are
> reborn. A new baby will move certain parts of it's body, but because the brain
> has not fully developed, it cannot do this on command until the brain has
> reached the capacity to do so. We have to retrain our brains to do what came
> normal before to do it all over again. Now, our brains have already been
> programmed over the years to respond and react a certain way. Because this was
> interrupted, it is reluctant to relearn what it already knows. Most
> Neurologists are aware of this, and those that are will tell you so. The ones
> that do know but care not to tell this will simply say, I don't know what's
> wrong or we have to run a gammit of tests which are sometimes not called for,
> here comes the money end of it. Being that the brain normally functions on
> only 10% of it's capacity, new pathways can be developed, (Retraining the
> Brain). He stipulated that when Atraphy sets in, the chances of recovery are
> lengthend because the muscles are not responding. The reason the muscles are
> not responding is because we have not RETRAINED OUR BRAINS. It may take a year
> or even ten years for Remyelination, but it will happen, and during this time
> you cannot wait for a miracle cure, there is none, that's why there's Therapy.
> The Therapists that were in the room didn't like this part. Therapy consists
> basically of persons who will heat you, freeze you, stretch you, all of which
> may be beneficial, but they do not, REPEAT, Do not,Strengthen you. This is
> primarily your responsibilty, and it can't be done until the Myelin has been
> regenerated. That's the reasson some of us recover quicker than others. The
> primary thing to do is to be as active and mobile as you can, not to let the
> muscles atraphy by sitting and doing nothing, and to reagin as much strength
> as possible. The kicker is, some Doctors will wait to be sure of their
> diagnosis, and others wont, but there is no cause for Mal Practice, because
> negligence cannot be proven. This man showed us photos, slides, and movies of
> people he's treated, and one inparticular had a stroke at a year and a half,
> and another one at three years. She was not brought to the Hospital for
> tretament, because there was none until eight years later. She is now 11, and
> has been idle that long. He has her eating and sitting up. She responds to
> sounds, and can even speak a few words. She understands everytning that's
> going on around her, but too much damage had been done by atraphy, and she'll
> only recover to a point. The principal thing about Biofeedback is to enhance
> what the eye sees, the ear hears, and so on by the sesnses, and sends that
> signal back to the brain so a pattern can be made. He does this enhancement by
> electrically stimulating the Motor function in the brain. For instance, if you
> cannot move a leg, the electrodes are placed at strategic points on the leg,
> electrically stimuated to make the leg mowhich sends the signal to the Brain.
> The already trained brain recognizes this as a new movement, and will
> eventually respond to it on command, hence, creating a new pathway. Training a
> part of the brain that is not in use to take over for a part that has been
> damaged, be it brain, or spinal, or pripheral. That's basically it in a
> nutshell. I don't know of how many of these centers are available, but they
> are springing up everywhere. A lady from New Castle Pa. which is right acroos
> the border from me heard about this, called Dr. Brucker, and asked him to come
> and help. They set up a center in New Castle, and I'm sure there will be
> others, and I'm sure it's going to take a lot of money.
> So, what I learned today is that the Doctors that treat us, are either
> ignorant, don't care, or have not found out about this yet, and it has been in
> existence for the last two years. Plus, all the drugs in the world aren't
> going to help us recover. They may mask some pain and discomfort, but the way
> to recover is to get moving. Use whatever tools you have and do the job. Man,
> I hope I've been able to enlighten you all, and give you renewed hope and
> strength to do what has to be done. God bless you all.
>
>
> Gunny