Gunny, thanks for sharing...this was sooo interesting! Why does Dr. Brucker now feel that the myelin will regenerate itself (?) when it has been thought all this time that myelin does not regenerate itself. I thought all the recent research was on finding a way to regenrate, but now he is saying that the research is really helping your own regeneration move along faster? Is that correct? Also, if your regeneration has only reached a certain point, and you still have "complete" dysfuntion from a certain point down...is he saying that nothing you do will help you move until the myelin has regenerated? So all you really can do is to keep your muscles ready for the time that your myelin has regenerated? Thanks again Gunny, you are a wealth of information and we all appreciate it. Judi
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> From: Gunny0011(AT)aol.com
> To: Tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com
> Subject: Transverse Myelitis
> Date: Friday, October 02, 1998 5:12 PM
>
> 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
>