Spasticity

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THE STUDY Brashear's team injected Botox into the wrists, fingers and elbow flexors of 279 patients who had post-stroke muscle spasticity. Treatments were spaced at least 12 weeks apart during the yearlong study. The new study is additional proof of the benefit of Botox for reducing spasticity in stroke patients. Todd Schlifstein, MD The team measured muscle tone as well as disability in hygiene, dressing, limb posture and pain, and asked the patients which area they most wanted to improve.

I've been using it for years for patients with spasticity," says Dr. Todd Schlifstein, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at New York University Medical Center. The new study, he says, is "additional proof of the benefit of Botox for reducing spasticity in stroke patients." BOTOX BACKGROUND Botox was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 to treat eye problems such as "lazy eye." Next, it received FDA approval for the treatment of a movement disorder that causes neck and shoulder contractions. Then it was approved for cosmetic use.

Approximately 4 million Americans are stroke survivors, and one-third of them experience spasticity, Brashear estimates. Schlifstein estimates that up to 10% of stroke survivors could benefit from Botox injections. Typically, a stroke survivor who experiences spasticity is referred to a neurologist or a physical medicine rehabilitation specialist, Brashear says. They can assess whether the condition warrants Botox treatment. Know the Symptoms Up to one-half of all Americans cannot name a single stroke symptom.

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Without enough B12 we start to act and feel old and show more prominent symptoms of aging: ataxia (shaky movements and unsteady gait), muscle weakness, spasticity, incontinence, slowed reactions, memory loss, disorientation, and depression—nothing on the must-have list for any baby boomer I know. Vitamin B12 deficiency is also associated with deafness; supplements have been useful in treating tinnitus and noise-related hearing loss. To get enough B12 you have to do more than eat it—you have to absorb it. And therein lies the rub.

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Methylmercury Evidence for the neurotoxicity of methylmercury became evident in the mid-twentieth century when researchers observed a rash of spasticity, blindness, and mental retardation in infants born to mothers who had consumed fish from contaminated waters.38 The U.S. National Academy of Sciences has recently concluded that there is strong evidence for fetal neurotoxicity of methylmercury, even at minimal exposures,39 and there are efforts worldwide to restrict mercury flux into the environment.

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The new study is additional proof of the benefit of Botox for reducing spasticity in stroke patients. Todd Schlifstein, MD The team measured muscle tone as well as disability in hygiene, dressing, limb posture and pain, and asked the patients which area they most wanted to improve. None of the participants experienced serious side effects from the Botox injections, and muscle tone greatly improved by week six, Brashear says.

The new study, he says, is "additional proof of the benefit of Botox for reducing spasticity in stroke patients." BOTOX BACKGROUND Botox was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 to treat eye problems such as "lazy eye." Next, it received FDA approval for the treatment of a movement disorder that causes neck and shoulder contractions. Then it was approved for cosmetic use. Botox has been used "off-label" for stroke patients for approximately five years, according to Brashear.

Typically, a stroke survivor who experiences spasticity is referred to a neurologist or a physical medicine rehabilitation specialist, Brashear says. They can assess whether the condition warrants Botox treatment. Know the Symptoms Up to one-half of all Americans cannot name a single stroke symptom. Many victims don't seek emergency care because they don't take their symptoms seriously. Warning: Some people who have a stroke experience brain damage that makes it impossible for them to recognize symptoms.

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Botox, known for its anti-wrinkle powers, also helps stroke victims who suffer from spasticity, or muscle tightness, in their wrists or fingers. A recent study found that botox injections reduced pain and made everyday tasks, such as personal hygiene and dressing, much easier. Another possible treatment is inosine, a chemical that helps your brain partially rewire itself after an injury. In a recent study of rats, researchers pumped either inosine or a saline solution into their brains after they had a stroke.

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He sat contorted in his wheelchair, head turned sideways and back at an uncomfortable angle, limbs buckled with spasticity, a stream of saliva dribbling from the corner of his mouth. And due to a quirk of damage to his nervous system he was continuously troubled by a painful erection. This is the unconscious mind, unmodified by the rational, civilized influence of the neocortex, that part of the human brain that has been added in the process of evolution. The neocortex, sometimes referred to as the cortical mantle, reflects the evolution of our species from its primitive beginnings.

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Cannabinoids control spasticity and tremor in a multiple sclerosis model, Nature, 404: 84-87. 34. Williamson, E.M. and Evans, F.J., 2000, Cannabinoids in clinical practice, Drugs, 60(6): 1305-1314. 35. Gong, X. and Sucher, N.J., 1999, Stroke therapy in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM): Prospects of drug discovery and developments, Trends Pharmacol. Sci, 20: 191-196. 36. Williamson, E.M., (2001), Synergy and other interactions in phytomedi-cines. Phytomedicine, 8: 401-409. 37. Berenbaum, M., 1989, What is synergy? Pharmacol. Rev., 41: 93-141; Wagner, H. and Steinke, B.

More than 1 percent of MS patients take cannabis for amelioration of spasticity and the pain associated with the condition.34 The reason for this better effect is probably due to the content of cannabidiol (CBD) in the extract, which amplifies the antispastic effect and at the same time reduces the undesirable psychotropic side effects of THC. Cannabis is one of the best examples for synergy effects of several constituents in an extract due to interactions on a molecular level.

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The noted improvements were a dramatic improvement to her severe spasticity, which was rated according to the modified Ashworth scale, and an improvement in her range of motion. Other studies indicate vitamin D as a possible therapeutic approach to help stave off the effects of MS. In one study they looked at a model of MS called EAE (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis). They found that 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 administered after the onset of symptoms prevented the progression of EAE and when used prior, acted as a preventive treatment.

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Cerebral Palsy Results of this study showed that piracetam proved effective in controlling spasticity in 8 of 16 cerebral palsy patients. —N.G. Maritz, et al., "Piracetam in the Management of spasticity in Cerebral Palsy," South African Medical Journal, 53(22), June 3, 1987, p. 889-891. Chronic Bronchitis Results of this study showed that the intravenous administration of 30 mg/kg bw (10-12 injections per course) of piracetam had beneficial immune enhancing effects on patients suffering from chronic bronchitis. —V.P. Sil'vestrov, et al.

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Other prescription drugs prescribed include a host of anticonvulsive dmgs such as Dilantin, Tegretol, and Lioresal to control tremor and spasticity. Pain medications that are used for MS may include anti-inflammatory dmgs such as ibuprofen. Alternative thetapies ate very common among MS patients. In a study published in 1997, 63.6% of patients reported using alternative protocols to augment their conventional MS therapy (Wmterholler et al. 1997).

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The power of cannabis to control spasticity and convulsions has been known to folk medicine for millennia. The first European report of this effect was published by Dr. William O'Shaughnessy, who stated that "The [medical] profession has gained an anti-convulsive remedy of the greatest value."18 Many thousands of victims of all forms of convulsions, spasticity, and epilepsy, of forms of paralysis including paraplegia, quadriplegia, muscular dystrophy (MD), and multiple sclerosis (MS), and of chorea and associated neuralgias praise cannabis for its unique relaxant power.

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The influence of glycine and related compounds on spinal cord injury-related spasticity. Neurochem Res. 1995; 20:1203-1210. Simpson RK Jr, Robertson CS, Goodman JC. The role of glycine in spinal shock. 1996; 19:215-224. Smith JE, Hall PV, Galvin MR, et al. Effects of glycine administration on canine experimental spinal spasticity and the levels of glycine, glutamate, and aspartate in the lumbar spinal cord. Neurosurg. 1979; 4:153-156. Toth E, Lajtha A. Glycine potentiates the action of some anticonvulsant drugs in some seizure models. Neurochem Res. 1984; 9:1711-1718.

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Other symptoms include dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), fatigue, headache (one third of MS patients report a history of migraine), difficulty with walking or gait, weakness, pain, numbness, and "spasticity" (muscle tightness that can interfere with normal voluntary or involuntary muscular control). Sexual functional impairment is also common in MS patients, with symptoms ranging from loss of libido and sexual sensation to a difficulty or inability to ejaculate (63% of MS patients report some loss of sexual function).

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There have also been encouraging attempts to utilize THC in the clinical treatment of spasticity and the associated pain (Hagenbach 1996). The potential applications [of synthetic THC] range from the treatment of epilepsy, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, and lack of appetite to a reduction in the "addictive pressure" associated with opiate addiction. (Schmidt 1996, 30) Synthetic THC is better known by the trade name Marinol. A dosage of 20 to 45 mg of Marinol induces a "high" that lasts for only sixty to ninety minutes.

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Piracetam in the Management of spasticity in Cerebral Palsy," South African Medical Journal, 53(22), June 3, 1987, p. 889-891. Chronic Bronchitis Results of this study showed that the intravenous administration of 30 mg/kg bw (10-12 injections per course) of piracetam had beneficial immune enhancing effects on patients suffering from chronic bronchitis. —V.P. Sil'vestrov, et al., "Immunological and Metabolic Disorders and the Means for their Correction in Patients with Chronic Bronchitis," Ter Arkh, 63(12), 1991, p. 7-11.

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Magnesium therapy can also be helpful in less serious conditions such as muscle cramps or spasticity. In fact, magnesium deficiency itself can be responsible for these neuromuscular afflictions, which manifest in tics, tremors, or even severe muscle spasms and convulsions.70"72 MAGNESIUM FOR HEART DISEASE AND CIRCULATORY PROBLEMS To most of us, the heart is such a central and important organ that we forget that it is a muscle.

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Ice helps to increase the range of motion, stimulate the muscles, and decrease spasticity and pain. Physiotherapists use ice massage, ice bath, or indirect ice applications in such rehabilitation. This speeds the patient's early return to normal or athletic activity. ACUTE INJURY There is uniform agreement that heat must never be applied to any acute injury. Heat has the opposite effect of cold. It increases blood flow and the metabolic rate, and thus increases the inflammatory response and production of tissue fluid. These are negative responses in acute trauma.

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Imerslund-Grasbeck Syndrome This article reports on the case of a Saudi child with spasticity, truncal ataxia, cerebral atrophy, megaloblastic anemia and proteinuria who experienced a total resolution of his neurological findings and brain atrophy following parental vitamin B12 therapy. —M.M. Salameh, et al., "Reversal of Severe Neurological Abnormalities after Vitamin B12 Replacement in the Imerslund-Grasbeck Syndrome," Journal of Neurology, 238(6), September 1991, p. 349-350.

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Symptoms include diarrhea as well as constipation, cramps, spasticity, mucousy stools, bleeding in the stools, hemorrhoids, nausea, and bloating. Untreated, it may lead to infections throughout the body and, ultimately, colon cancer. Colitis combat kit • oil of oregano — take 2 drops under the tongue several times daily. Plus, take Oreganol gelcaps, two caps twice daily. • Oregamax capsules — take 2 or more capsules three times daily. • oil of sage (a relaxant to the gut and aids the coping mechanism—the adrenals) — take 5 drops twice daily in hot water.

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A Swiss group of researchers was able to show that THC relaxes the muscular cramping associated with central nervous system spasticity (e.g., due to multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury) (Maurer et al. 1990). The researchers found that THC (at a dosage of 5 mg) produces effects that are similar to HX "While cannabis and chocolate do not contain the same substances, they do produce similar effects. Moreover, the body itself also produces the substance in chocolate. These substances were named anandamides, after the Sanskrit word for bliss.

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However, the primary symptoms include: • spasticity of the lungs, increased bronchial secretions, suffocation on secretions, swelling in the lungs. • radical drop in heart rate or radical rise in heart rate • nausea, vomiting, diarrhea • excessive sweating; cold, clammy feeling • excessive tearing • inability to hold urine (incontinence) • muscle twitching/jerking, weakness, and paralysis • headache, confusion, convulsions, and coma Note: beware if you suddenly become sick for no apparent reason.

They possess considerable powers to relax the stomach and intestines, quickly reversing spasticity and/or pain. There is no medical treatment for baby colic, all the more reason to utilize natural cures. Colic combat kit • oil of lavender — rub on the soles of the feet, over abdomen, and on buttocks. • oil of oregano — rub on soles of feet and over abdomen. • Juice of Oregano — give a small amount, like a tablespoonful, to halt colic. • Essence of Orange Blossom — gentle, but effective; give a teaspoon or more in goat milk, formula, or juice.

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A lack of this amino acid causes a rare disease called argininemia, which is characterized by retardation, seizures and spasticity. Arginine also helps detoxify the liver; assists in the release of growth hormones; maintains a healthy immune system; detoxifies poisonous ammonia; increases the sperm count and muscle mass; and helps the body produce the intercellular cement, collagen. Feeding a carcinogen to rats caused liver cancer in 50 percent of the animals after 12 to 15 months.

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SYMPTOMS: 70% of cases are spastic (abnormal stiffness of muscles). The spasticity may be mild or severe. Hemiplegia characterizes both limbs involved on one side; the arm is usually more severe. Paraplegia means both legs are involved and the arms may not be or may be very mildly involved. Quadriplegia means that all four limbs are involved to some degree. Affected limbs are usually poorly developed, sometimes rigid due to excessive muscle tone, weakness, with a tendency to spasm and contracture (severe spasm that may lead to bone deformity unless there is some intervention).

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Piracetam proved effective in controlling spasticity in eight of sixteen cerebral palsy patients. Intravenous doses of 30 mg/kg bw (ten-twelve injections per course) of piracetam had beneficial immune enhancing effects on patients suffering from chronic bronchitis. The intravenous administration of 10 g per day of piracetam diluted in a 250-ml saline solution over a period of three days led to improvements in six out of nine patients suffering from sudden hearing loss.

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