Monday, August 15, 2011

Neurogenic Therapy



Is Angela's Rest Technique (ART), http://thoughtfulveg.blogspot.com/2011/06/angelas-rest-technique-or-art-of.html, neurogenesis? It basically puts movement where there was none. And it does so by working on the brain.
 
Now in order for this to work, there shouldn't be any spinal cord damage. Also, there shouldn't be any physical impairment in the desired area. Something like a straight forward brain injury would work best.
 
I'm thinking that the area that does not move is not paralyzed, but most likely needs re-wiring. "But there's no movement at all." Well then, take and move it. Train it. Use your good hand to move it, or have somebody else do it.
 
I don't remember which, I believe it was a video, Edward Taub described micro movements that we couldn't see were behind his Constraint Induced Movement Therapy.  (CIMT). This would take that theory one step further. I'm proposing there doesn't need to be any movement at all. Not even micro movements. I believe all there needs to be is a working brain and working parts. The desired movement had to exist prior to injury, thereby laying the foundation for the new movement. (The movement isn't actually new. Just getting it done is.)
 
The reason ART works is the brain is constantly bombarded with natural information, but in a way that the brain has to deal with it. ART uses body weight and gravity. Those forces cause the brain to re-wire/make neuropathways to deal with the information coming in (gravity pulling body weight against an area that does not have neuropathways). Also, the involved area must not be impeded such as Spinal Cord Injury or physical deformity.
 
Because gravity is involved, it also develops proprioception. The person would develop their sense of their body in space. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/proprioception
 
Again, I will use myself as the example. I have pretty much been doing ART and there is now movement. Instead of it being a miracle, the blueprints were already there, it just needed wiring. The basis for movement was there as I was able to perform the desired action prior to injury.
 
Because this process works on the brain, quality of movement would continue to improve. The neuropathways involved would become stronger. If this is used after movement starts, movement will improve. I also recommend adding physical therapy at this time. (I continue to do this and the quality of the movement improves).

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