Myoclonic Dystrophy
A neurofeedback practitioner in Australia reports the following remarkable
story:
Almost two years ago I began training a then ten-year-old with Myotonic
Dystrophy who had attention problems, low muscle tone, low energy, poor
speech, sleep maintenance issues and sleep apnea. After about sixty sessions,
this youngster showed greatly increased energy, improved concentration
and speech,
normalization of his sleep cycle and no sleep apnea. A formal sleep study
documented
normalization of his blood oxygen saturation levels when compared with
studies conducted
prior to neurofeedback training, and confirmed that the sleep apnea issue
had
been resolved.
About six months later his mother called to say that he had lost all
of the
gains we had made with the neurofeedback. So he came back in twice per
week
and we were again able to attain the same level of improvements. We now
maintain those gains with sessions once per week during school terms.
Myotonic Dystrophy is a degenerative condition in which the patient's
health
is expected to gradually deteriorate, so it seems this youngster needs
ongoing neurofeedback training to maintain gains and postpone the inevitable
deterioration.
Now for the really good news!
Because of this well-known process of deterioration, medical specialists
had
previously predicted that this boy would be in a wheelchair by now. However,
he is now twelve years old and a few months back was encouraged to try
out
for "Special Olympics". This is a program here in Australia
in which children
with disabilities are encouraged to take part in track and field events.
The boy's mother told me last week that he is now running times in the
400
meters that would have qualified him to run in the open division at the
2000
Sydney Para Olympic Games. He is now being groomed to compete in several
track events and the high jump in Athens in 2004. So much for the wheelchair!