October 28th, 2016
Yesterday was a low point for me, dealing with the pain in my brain despite receiving a healing treatment less than two weeks prior. This morning, I received a gift. I saw a post on Facebook about the author of two books on brain health, The Brain that Changes Itself and The Brain's Way of Healing, Norman Doidge. Dr. Doidge and his revolutionary discoveries were the focus of this week's episode of The Nature of Things with David Suzuki.
I was able to watch the episode online and I am still floored by what I have witnessed. The basic message is that our brains are not fixed and permanent the way we've been told. People are diagnosed with illnesses like Parkinson and Autism or they acquire a Traumatic Brain Injury and they spend the rest of their lives a compilation of symptoms. Dr Doidge shows us a different perspective.
Our brains are sophisticated and they respond to stimulation. Neuroplasticity is the concept that our brains change throughout our life and that we can alter our brains via stimulation. In this episode, we explore techniques that are used to help heal the brains of people who thought there was no hope for them.
We meet a gentleman going out for a walk and learn that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson yet his movements seem fluid. He is practising Conscious Walking. His Basal Ganglia are no longer automatically making his movements flow so he has to focus on what he is doing and use his prefrontal cortex to direct every minute aspect of his movement (micro-movements). He walks for 75 minutes every other day. He also is conscious of blinking his eyes and swallowing. The exercise gives him energy and, reduces his symptoms.
Next up are two women who experienced a traumatic brain injury. They decided to explore pottery as a therapeutic activity and called themselves the "Cracked Potters". Each of them survived their accident but were living with many symptoms which greatly reduced their quality of life. We are told that following a brain trauma, some neutrons die and others provide noisy signals therefore the brain is not working properly. A clinic has individuals exercising while they hold a PONS in their mouth. The PONS speaks to the brain through electrical stimulation. The tongue is situated directly in front of the brainstem and is covered with receptors. By stimulating the tongue with the PONS during exercise, the body is able to speak to the brain through our senses. This helps re-synch the brain, awaken dormant circuits and allow the brainstem to communicate normally with the rest of the body. They call this neuro-modulating the noisy brain.
We then get to witness the transformation of children on the Autism Spectrum through sound. We have this ability called the auditory zoom. It helps us cancel out noises and focusing on what we want to hear. When this is impaired, we go into emergency mode and shut down social contact. By introducing sound through the mother's voice, then with Mozart, the children or teenagers are able to learn to focus on sounds which are a precursor to speech. They change the rhythm, frequency and which ear is receiving stimulation. What we see is a boy progressing from tantrums and sensitivity to sound to a regular boy who is socializing. One of the older boys has developed social skills and thought his speech is stunted, he can speak flawlessly when he is imitating someone else. Blew me away!!!
A lady recovering from a brain tumour underwent surgery which saved her life but damaged her brain. She was exposed to light therapy through a low intensity laser. The photons go into the brain and into the body, powering up mitochondria, unblocking inflammation. There was an indication that this might work for people with PTSD as well.
Lastly, a young girl was born with an intellectual deficiency. Using the Feldenkrais Method, she learned to differentiate between movements. She went from having no movement to crawling, walking and ultimately dancing on her wedding day. This technique develops mental awareness of movement and uses touch as well to stimulate the brain.
If this sounds awesome but you think you'll have to move to California, I have good news, many of the cases in this episode were based out of Toronto. I am going to be looking into this. I urge you to do the same.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Showing posts with label disability. Show all posts
Showing posts with label disability. Show all posts
Friday, 28 October 2016
Monday, 26 September 2016
Stop Racial Prejudice Now!
September 26th, 2016
It's my husband's turn to take the kids to gymnastics tonight. My youngest daughter hugs my waist and my eldest says she prefers when my husband takes them because no one stares at them when he's there. She looks at me apologetically and says, "People always stare at us when you're there". It hurts. I know it shouldn't. I should just shake it off but the hurt lingers. It's not that I care what others think of me, I couldn't care less at this point in my life. It's the effect on my daughters. It hurts that my daughters are made uncomfortable at their favourite activity because of the reaction of strangers to the colour of my skin.
I wrote about this before, my surprise during my mother-in-law's visit when she expressed shock at how rude people were at the local public swimming pool. She noticed them staring at us and she later shared her outrage with my husband. I know it used to make my white mother angry when I was young. She would stare back at people or say, "My God people are ignorant"! I didn't understand it at the time. It seemed like a random outburst. One day she was talking to me about how annoying it is that people stare at me and how they need to get used to people who look different. I started noticing it and it really got on my nerves. Now, years later, I am oblivious to it but, once in a while, other people who are with me notice it and, it still hurts.
When you look or behave differently, people judge you. There are two types of stares: ignorant, curious stares from people who have never seen anyone who looks like you so they are just fixated on you. You'll have entire families at a restaurant or park turn to look at you and watch your every move. The second stare is intimidating. These people hate you and they want you to know. You feel on an energy level that they wish you were dead. It's intense, confusing and sad. Any person of colour whether they are black, white, red or yellow, will tell you how it feels to be judged and hated for no other reason that your looks on a daily basis. It is draining and so useless.
I feel so much compassion for families with a disabled family member. I see people stare at them too. They are trying to eat dinner or enjoy a fun activity. People sit and gawk. It's normal to be curious but non-stop, won't look away gawking is annoying. There is one lady who has a son in a wheelchair. She talks to him in a gentle voice, spoon feeding him, joking with people around them to put them at ease and just being so loving. Then, people walk around them, staring, sometimes saying something to each other within ear shot or looking irritated by the sight or sound of them. I find this behaviour frustrating. I wish these people could see the mean and hurtful impact of their attitude.
Tonight, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are having their debate. I am freaked out that he has even made it this far, that enough people support his beliefs and are willing to elect him. Someone was saying that members of the KKK are already ironing their sheets. I worry that even if he is not elected, too much damage has been done, that old prejudices that we all thought were gone will resurface. This would be very sad for all of us but, especially, for the next generation. Their beliefs and behaviours will determine the direction of future generations.
Why am I writing about this? I needed to vent because I was feeling hurt but I also want to get people who don't get judged, excluded or hated on a daily basis to imagine what it's like to live that way, how draining and hurtful it might be. We are not born prejudiced. It is learned behaviour. On Facebook yesterday, they showed an experiment where a group of people from various countries had their DNA tested. They interviewed them before the test and they had all sorts of prejudiced ideas about other people. Then, when the results were in and they saw that no one was 100% pure white, they started to think of other people as family, not strangers. Some of them turned out to be related. I wish everybody could go through a DNA test. Then, they could apply the energy they once used to judge and hate others toward helping and supporting each other.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
It's my husband's turn to take the kids to gymnastics tonight. My youngest daughter hugs my waist and my eldest says she prefers when my husband takes them because no one stares at them when he's there. She looks at me apologetically and says, "People always stare at us when you're there". It hurts. I know it shouldn't. I should just shake it off but the hurt lingers. It's not that I care what others think of me, I couldn't care less at this point in my life. It's the effect on my daughters. It hurts that my daughters are made uncomfortable at their favourite activity because of the reaction of strangers to the colour of my skin.
I wrote about this before, my surprise during my mother-in-law's visit when she expressed shock at how rude people were at the local public swimming pool. She noticed them staring at us and she later shared her outrage with my husband. I know it used to make my white mother angry when I was young. She would stare back at people or say, "My God people are ignorant"! I didn't understand it at the time. It seemed like a random outburst. One day she was talking to me about how annoying it is that people stare at me and how they need to get used to people who look different. I started noticing it and it really got on my nerves. Now, years later, I am oblivious to it but, once in a while, other people who are with me notice it and, it still hurts.
When you look or behave differently, people judge you. There are two types of stares: ignorant, curious stares from people who have never seen anyone who looks like you so they are just fixated on you. You'll have entire families at a restaurant or park turn to look at you and watch your every move. The second stare is intimidating. These people hate you and they want you to know. You feel on an energy level that they wish you were dead. It's intense, confusing and sad. Any person of colour whether they are black, white, red or yellow, will tell you how it feels to be judged and hated for no other reason that your looks on a daily basis. It is draining and so useless.
I feel so much compassion for families with a disabled family member. I see people stare at them too. They are trying to eat dinner or enjoy a fun activity. People sit and gawk. It's normal to be curious but non-stop, won't look away gawking is annoying. There is one lady who has a son in a wheelchair. She talks to him in a gentle voice, spoon feeding him, joking with people around them to put them at ease and just being so loving. Then, people walk around them, staring, sometimes saying something to each other within ear shot or looking irritated by the sight or sound of them. I find this behaviour frustrating. I wish these people could see the mean and hurtful impact of their attitude.
Tonight, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are having their debate. I am freaked out that he has even made it this far, that enough people support his beliefs and are willing to elect him. Someone was saying that members of the KKK are already ironing their sheets. I worry that even if he is not elected, too much damage has been done, that old prejudices that we all thought were gone will resurface. This would be very sad for all of us but, especially, for the next generation. Their beliefs and behaviours will determine the direction of future generations.
Why am I writing about this? I needed to vent because I was feeling hurt but I also want to get people who don't get judged, excluded or hated on a daily basis to imagine what it's like to live that way, how draining and hurtful it might be. We are not born prejudiced. It is learned behaviour. On Facebook yesterday, they showed an experiment where a group of people from various countries had their DNA tested. They interviewed them before the test and they had all sorts of prejudiced ideas about other people. Then, when the results were in and they saw that no one was 100% pure white, they started to think of other people as family, not strangers. Some of them turned out to be related. I wish everybody could go through a DNA test. Then, they could apply the energy they once used to judge and hate others toward helping and supporting each other.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
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