Q - My husband has had a right sided severe stroke. His faculties are all there, he has learned to walk with a cane, but his left arm is still completely paralyzed. The doctors have given him no chance for his arm. The circulation in it is still very good, he wears a brace on his wrist and hand. We are considering doing acupuncture as this is what helped him when he had frozen shoulder in that arm. I would like your opinion please if you think there could possibly be other alternatives to help him regain his arm.
A - There are several options that are worth exploring. You mention acupuncture; as with all therapies the success of acupuncture depends on the practitioner's skill. Many stroke patients have found considerable benefit. A related treatment is Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS) This procedure uses acupuncture needles but they are used on the muscle itself (not on acupuncture points). IMS is designed to help with short muscle difficulties and again many stoke patients have found IMS useful. The procedure that we use in cases such as your husbands is to arouse the areas of the brain that have been damaged and to try to facilitate the establishment of substitute neural pathways. In addition to the neurotherapy we use peripheral methods such as muscle biofeedback to re-educate the neural system to facilitate recovery of function. There are related techniques such as restraint to force the reestablishment of new neural pathways. The latter technique involves restraining the functioning arm or leg and forcing the client to focus on use of the poorly functioning limb. Brief breaks from restraint are allowed but the restraints are worn for most of the time. It is, as you would imagine, very demanding and frustrating in the early phases of treatment. |
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Q - My grandson has been assessed and is thought to have a thought disorder. Can we get this type of brain assessment and treatment in Alberta?Can you suggest a practitioner in one of the cities here?
A - Dr. Stuart Donaldson in Calgary and Dr. Hoerst Mueller in Edmonton. |
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Q - Dear Dr.Swingle, some 12 years ago, I was diagnosed with "complex partial seizures", the cause unknown. This happened in Singapore following three weeks traveling through Europe. My long and short term memory has been affected and I have confusion around all kind of activities that I enjoyed throughout life such as sailing, walking, fishing, chess and other mind games etc. I have been on medication for these 12 years and would welcome an opportunity to stop ! I would add that I am 74 years of age and of reasonable physical capability. I would appreciate your comments. Sincerely, Peter A. Morris
A - As I assume you are aware, some of the long term negative effects of antiseizure medications include reduction of cognitive efficiency. Our program focuses on modifying brainwave activity to increase seizure threshold which in turn permits elimination or reduction of the antiseizure medications. You may also know that the first clinical use of neurotherapy was for the treatment of epilepsy. We would need to know more about your specific circumstances including frequency of seizures, amount and type of medication in addition to doing a full brain assessment to isolate the areas for treatment. Medication often slows down the Alpha brainwave activity with the result of cognitive and memory problems of the type you describe. As we age, our Alpha brainwaves often slow down as an age related decline. Medication often accelerates that decline. We can correct this process with neurotherapy focused on increasing the faster Alpha frequencies in the brain. Hence, in addition to improving the seizure condition we would also focus on improving the memory and cognitive functions. First step is to have a full brain assessment to determine the precise nature of the difficulties. |
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Q - My son is 19 and suffers from lennox gastaut syndrome. He has been on many drugs and the ketogenic diet without success. He is developmentally disabled and has 10+ seizures a week. Do you think he could benefit from your treatment?
A - We see many clients with the rarer forms of seizure disorders including Baltic, Mediterranean, Ramsay Hunt and Unverricht-Lundborg as well as the form your son has, Lennox Gastaut. As you perhaps know, many of these disorders are the same with different names and some have minor differences. Our experience with these progressive disorders is that all clients have benefited from neurotherapy. The extent of the improvement varies considerably. Some of these improvements, although not a cure, are important because the seizure frequency decreases and most promising, the progression of the condition is halted. In one case, for example, a client with the Baltic form has reported continued reduced seizure frequency and no progression of the disorder for the last three years. This client receives continued maintenance neurotherapy treatments about three times per year to sustain the gains. In other cases the common problem of habituation to the anti-seizure medication experienced by such clients appears to be markedly reduced so that they are better maintained with their medication. Regarding your son, I do think that our treatments could be very helpful in reducing seizure frequency. Given that your son experiences 10+ seizures per week, you would know quite soon if our treatments are beneficial in increasing seizure threshold. Parents also report improved cognitive functioning with our treatments as well. |
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Q - My son is 19 and suffers from lennox gastaut syndrome. He has been on many drugs and the ketogenic diet without success. He is developmentally disabled and has 10+ seizures a week. Do you think he could benefit from your treatment?
A - We see many clients with the rarer forms of seizure disorders including Baltic, Mediterranean, Ramsay Hunt and Unverricht-Lundborg as well as the form your son has, Lennox Gastaut. As you perhaps know, many of these disorders are the same with different names and some have minor differences. Our experience with these progressive disorders is that all clients have benefited from neurotherapy. The extent of the improvement varies considerably. Some of these improvements, although not a cure, are important because the seizure frequency decreases and most promising, the progression of the condition is halted. In one case, for example, a client with the Baltic form has reported continued reduced seizure frequency and no progression of the disorder for the last three years. This client receives continued maintenance neurotherapy treatments about three times per year to sustain the gains. In other cases the common problem of habituation to the anti-seizure medication experienced by such clients appears to be markedly reduced so that they are better maintained with their medication. Regarding your son, I do think that our treatments could be very helpful in reducing seizure frequency. Given that your son experiences 10+ seizures per week, you would know quite soon if our treatments are beneficial in increasing seizure threshold. Parents also report improved cognitive functioning with our treatments as well. |
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Q - I heard about "Cranial Sacral Treatments". I don't know to much about it. All I know that it is a type of a message. Is this more for adults or also benifical for a 7 year old? If for a child, could you let me know where I could find out more information. Thank you.
A - CST can be very helpful in treatment of a wide variety of disorders in children as well as adults. We routinely administer some CST as part of our neurotherapy treatments. CST is not really a form of massage but rather focuses on the cranial sacral rhythm and tissue release. A very good source for information on CST is ,a href="http://www.upledgerinstitute.com">www.upledgerinstitute.com. When at Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital I did some research on the effects of CST on brainwave activity and found some very interesting results which were published in the Upledger Institutes periodical that I assume is available on the above web-site. |
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Q - Do you only have centers in Canada?
A - The Dr. Swingle and Associates clinic is only in Vancouver although we do have some minor satellites in neighbouring areas around Vancouver. However, there are many good neurotherapists around North America. You can check on CERTIFIED neurotherapists in your area by going to the BCIA.ORG website and locating a practitioner in your area. Be sure to search for those certified in EEG. |
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Q - I am located on the East Coast and have just begun learning about neurotherapy. Can you reccomend someone in the PA/ NJ area? My 9 year old son has been having much difficulty in school and at home. He has been diagnosed with ADHD and possibly bipolar disorder. His anger anxiety and frustration with everyone around him seems to be getting worse every time he has a bad day. On the flip side, his good days are absolutely great! The diacotomy has my wife an I stressed beyond belief - and we're loking for some other answers. He is taking the typical amphetamines and for his impulsiveness he has been on risperidone. We have had good success with the appropriate doses, but in my mind the meds are treating the symptoms - not the problem. We are intrigued by the TBI theory. when my son was 3 he ran head first into the corner of a brick wall. He saw a peditrician and everything seemed to be OK. Years later he needed an x-ray, and it showed he had an old hariline skull fracture in his forehead. Please advise.
A - Your description of the situation strongly suggests TBI as at least one of the contributors to your son's problems. Neurotherapy would be treatment of choice in this situation. I can strongly recommend Brownback, Mason and associates in Allentown, PA. (610-434-1540). |
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Q - You have many different CD's available, and there are other brands being offered on the internet. How does one know what to choose? Do you recommend trying all your cd's, or just those that are best suited for each individual case?
A - Most of the CD products that purport to modify brain activity and/or contain subliminal content are useless. They are not tested and rely on placebo effects and hype. There was considerable research focused on these products in the late 1980s and early 1990s which found that most had no effects whatsoever. There are many useful relaxation oriented CD products that contain hypnotic like imagery that many find relaxing. These can be useful if the client does indeed find them relaxing. The products produced by Soundhealth Products, Inc. have all been tested by determining precisely how the brain is effected by exposure to the sounds. My book "Subliminal Treatment Procedures" A Clinician's Guide" describes much of the research that was conducted on these products and there are several articles in the professional journals (e.g., Journal of Neurotherapy) that describe the brainwave effects of these subliminal harmonics. My recommendation is to purchase only those CDs that are designed for the condition you wish to address. For example, to enhance creativity the "Mozart" CD has been shown to increase the Alpha response which is directly associated with creativity. Similarly, for low mood states, Optima would be appropriate for it effects brainwave conditions associated with down mood states. You don't need to experiment on yourself, simply choose the CD designed for your needs. |
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Q - Could you please tell me what the cost would be for a consultation and initial diagnosis and on average what each treatment thereafter would cost. Thank you.
A - The initial consultation fee for the basic assessment is $180 CDN. For serious problems such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, psychoses, and severe delays, more elaborate and detailed brain assessments are required and the cost for these range from about $300 to $1050 CDN. Most intakes are at the basic level ($180). Treatments vary between $95 and $205 each. The typical case (e.g., simple depression, anxiety disorder, ADD) involves the basic assessment and the majority of treatments at $95. About every forth session is with a neurotherapist at between $120 and $155 per session depending on the level of service required. For more serious problems one should expect more sessions with the neurotherapist ($120-$155) and fewer with the technical staff ($95). Additional expenses may include the rental or purchase of devices for self-administered treatments at home. Such devices might include cranial stimulators or light stimulators that rent for about $16 per week and sell for $300 to $400 (rental fees apply to purchase at any time). Treatment CDs sell for about $20 each and clients usually purchase 1 or 2 over the course of their treatment. Treatments that require two practitioners (therapist and technical staff) cost between $190 and $205 per session. Most clients do not require these treatments and those that do usually have from one to four over the course of their therapy. For a condition of simple depression, as an example, a client should expect an intake at $180 and perhaps 20 sessions at an average cost of about $105 each. The fees for services are covered by most extended medical plans up to the policy cap and what is not covered is a tax deductible medical expense. |
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Q - My son has depression and social anxiety. He has started smoking to help with his anxiety. I am very worried that he will get addicted to cigarettes. Will neurofeedback help him with his anxiety and get him off smoking?
A - Social anxiety is frequently associated with specific brainwave inefficiencies that are associated with poor stress tolerance. The first step is to have a brainwave assessment to determine the exact location of the inefficiencies. Once corrected, some behavioural treatments are then usually appropriate to acquire new social habits. |
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Q - My son is 9 and struggles with bed-wetting. It has been suggested to me that he has a sleeping disorder where most of his sleep is in the fourth stage of sleep, not cycling through the normal stages. This deep sleep may be causing a lack of response to bladder urges, which results in lack of sensitivity to the urges at other times. One clinic suggests that they can correct this sleeping disorder (not medically diagnosed) by having me wake my son up everytime sensors detect moisture from his bladder. I do not see how repeat awakening will force the body to move through the normal stages of sleep if he wasn't already experiencing that. How do you approach sleeping disorders of this type? How do you diagnose them and what do you do to correct them?
A - There are a number of conditions that are associated with bedwetting. One, as you suggest, is a sleep disorder. Others include anxiety conditions and a deficiency of brainwave activity associated with body quieting. The approach we take is to do a brain assessment to determine areas of brain functioning that are deficient or inefficient. Those areas are brought into normative range with neurotherapy. For sleep disturbance, we generally find anomalous activity at the back of the brain and occasionally also an excess of Alpha brainwave activity (8-12 cycles per second) in the frontal brain regions. Neurotherapy, particularly brainwave biofeedback, is used to correct these problems. Usually we also prescribe a sleep harmonic to be used throughout the night to normalize sleep. If the problem is elsewhere in the brain we likewise use neurotherapy to correct the problem and again, often prescribe one of the harmonic sounds to be used at home to reduce the number of in-office treatments required. Before doing any of these I would suggest that you use the "wet-stop" device that I believe was the unit suggested by the sleep disorders clinic. This device wakes the child when he starts to urinate and can condition the child to wake when experiencing urinary urges. There is considerable evidence that these devices can be very effective for some children. If this device does not correct the situation I would then proceed with neurotherapy. |
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Q - Have you ever treated people with vestibular disorder from brain injury. difficulties with visual eye movement, reading, driving, etc. would this show up in a scan?
A - Yes, we have treated many people with vestibular complications from TBI. In addition to the symptoms you describe, many of these clients experience severe vertigo, nausea, dizziness and difficulty walking particularly at night and on uneven surfaces. With TBI clients we go immediately to the full brain map with statistical comparisons with normative data bases. This procedure identifies not only areas of brain inefficiencies but also difficulties with brain site to brain site interactions. The latter is where one usually sees the major effects of TBI. In addition to neurofeedback we use braindriving procedures while the client is involved in a task such as eye movement or reading. This procedure is particularly effective for treating these sequella of TBI. |
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Q - I have had two brain surgeries that have left me with proprioception difficulties, especially with walking and balance. As well, my left side is considerably weaker with the residual impairments of a frozen left shoulder. Could this therapy help rewire my brain? How many sessions would it require?
A - We have had considerable success in helping people recover some function after brain injury and brain surgeries. The first step is to have a brainmap (QEEG) done to determine the precise problematic areas. There are several therapies that we use including neurotherapy but it is not possible to estimate the number of sessions that might be required. The range is very large from 15 to over 100. People continue to receive treatment as long as they continue to experience improvements in their condition. Typically, clients notice improvements after the fist few sessions. |
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Q - Our son has taken 30-day med.leave to deal with serious drug addiction through your clinic. Can you outline a program for him to get the most benefit . We were referred by a friend. We are running out of options in helping him. Your input would be greatly appreciated.
A - Our intensive treatment programs for the addictions include several sessions of neurotherapy per day with related sessions of cognitive/behaviour therapy. We also focus on getting the client committed to some support system. The programs of treatment vary somewhat depending on the bases for the addictive behaviour and the nature of the brain anomalies that we determine after the intake brain assessment. |
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