Massachusetts attorney Thomas M. Kiley, http://www.tomkileylaw.com, wants parents of children with cerebral palsy to have hope that their children can try new alternative treatments to improve their quality of life. The Healing Center On-line, http://www.healing-arts.org/children/cp/cptreatments.hrm, serves as a website and a clearinghouse for finding new alternative treatments for brain-injured children. According to the website, it is based on the belief that the brain along with the body as a whole is an ever-changing, dynamic, active organ striving for adaptation and capable of healing. This website provides a new way of looking at neuro/metabolic disease, and offers a creative opportunity for parents to explore medicine and healing.

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Alternative treatments available for cerebral palsy, Andover, MA

Massachusetts attorney Thomas M. Kiley, http://www.tomkileylaw.com, wants parents of children with cerebral palsy to have hope that their children can try new alternative treatments to improve their quality of life. The Healing Center On-line, serves as a website and a clearinghouse for finding new alternative treatments for brain-injured children. According to the website, it is based on the belief that the brain along with the body as a whole is an ever-changing, dynamic, active organ striving for adaptation and capable of healing. This website provides a new way of looking at neuro/metabolic disease, and offers a creative opportunity for parents to explore medicine and healing.

According to the website, neurologist L. S. Vygotsky wrote, "A handicapped child represents a qualitatively different, unique type of development. . . . If a blind or deaf child achieves the same level of development as a normal child, then the child with a defect achieves this in another way, by another course, by other means; and, for the pedagogue, it is particularly important to know the uniqueness of the course along which he must lead the child. This uniqueness transforms the minus of the handicap into the plus of compensation."

What is cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy is a term that describes a group of chronic disorders impairing control of movement that appear in the first few years of life and generally do not worsen over time. Cerebral refers to the brain's two halves or hemispheres, and palsy describes any disorder that impairs control of body movement. These disorders are caused by faulty development or damage to motor areas in the brain that disrupts the brain's ability to adequately control movement and posture.

What are some symptoms of cerebral palsy?

There are several symptoms of cerebral palsy with varying levels of severity. One symptom involves difficulty with fine motor tasks, such as writing or cutting with scissors. Another symptom demonstrates trouble with maintaining balance and walking. Other patients are affected by involuntary movements, such as uncontrollable writhing motion of the hands or drooling. The symptoms differ from one person to the next, and may even change over time. Some people with cerebral palsy are also affected by other medical disorders, including seizures or mental impairment. Cerebral palsy does not always cause profound handicaps. Children with severe cerebral palsy might be unable to walk and need extensive, lifelong care. A child with mild cerebral palsy might show only slightly awkward movement and require no special assistance.

What are some basic conventional treatments for cerebral palsy?

o Physical therapy
o Occupational therapy
o Speech and language therapy

What are some drug therapies for cerebral palsy?

o Cerebral Palsy and Spasticity
o Lioresal (Baclofen)
o Dantrium (Dantrolene)
o Botox (Botulinum toxin)
o Flexeril (Cyclobenzadrine)
o Anti-seizure Medications for Cerebral Palsy
o Depakene (Valproic Acid)
o Valium (Diazepam)
o Dilantin (Phenytoin)
o Epival (Divalproex)
o Klonopin, Rivotril (Clonazepam)
o Tegretol (Carbamazepine)
o Zarontin (Ethosuximide)

What part does stem cell therapy play as a treatment?

o Introduction to stem cell therapy
o Brains can grow new cells
o Brain plasticity
o Intravenous injection of stem cells

What is amino acid therapy for cerebral palsy?

o Amino acid therapy research
o Amaurosis and cerebral palsy

When is surgery an option for cerebral palsy?

o Surgery for severe contractures
o Selective dorsal root rhizotomy
o Chronic cerebellar stimulation
o Stereotactic neurosurgery
o Stereotaxic thalamotomy

What are some alternative therapies?

o Behavioral therapy
o Feldenkrais, a body awareness methodology for learning how to hold and move the body.
o Swimming, preferably in a warm pool. Any exercise or movement done in the water will be easier and more effective at exercising muscles.
o Horseback riding: hippotherapy (http://www.narha.org/aha.html)
o Craniosacral therapy (http://www.upledger.force9.co.uk/)
o Electrical stimulation: TES, FES, or NMES. All three types use very low levels of electrical current to stimulate the muscles to contract. Electrodes are placed on the skin over the desired muscle group or groups.
o Nutritional supplements (http://www.cerebral.org/cpnutr.html) may be used to increase health, alleviate symptoms, and augment the diet.

For more information on non-surgical treatments for cerebral palsy patients, go to the Cerebral Institute of Discovery at http://www.cerebral.org

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