Neuro plasticity is your brains ability to reorganise itself and create new neural pathways.
I found the article I originally read about a man in Mexico whose widowed father had a stroke and was not expected to recover. The rehab centre gave 4 weeks rehab which showed no improvement. The man continued exercising with his father then 65yrs old.
The son figured he needed to start from the beginning and in order to relearn how to walk he first had to learn how to crawl. So everyday he made his elderly father crawl around their house and garden and played games with him on the floor as you do with young children.
By the age of 68 the elderly man had recovered enough to return to teaching, he was able to walk, speak and type again. He remarried and continued to work and travel and was active for another 7 years after his stroke, eventually passing away at 72 from a heart attack.
What amazed and dumbfounded the specialists and the man's son was that on autopsy (MRI's didn't exist then) his brain still showed the massive lesion that was a result of the stroke which doctors had assumed if patients recovered then the damage wasn't that bad to start with as in 1950/60's no X-rays and MRI's existed to check these things whilst the patients were alive.
97% of the nerves that ran from his cerebral cortex to his spine had been destroyed. In theory he should have remained paralysed and unable to look after himself. But due to the exercises done with his son his brain had completely re-routed itself!.. enabling him to re-learn to speak, walk, type.
The man's father was 9,000 ft up a mountain when he had his heart attack at age 72!
Kati, what a great post this is! I understand all this!!!!
I have a girlfriend that has the same thing as I do. We seemed to develope it about the same time and even had the same Dr at the time. I went Gluten free with my foods, no flour refined sugars, Organic etc. And started working on my movements to get better even little babysteps were great to me.
She tryed going GF and no refined sugars etc even movements but didn't stay on it long and cheated when ever and she didn't see any resultse. I kept doing the same things and even bringing everything to the next level which I'm still working on even now.
She is having to use a walker now and can hardly speak well. She called me the other day and asked again how I'm doing and what I'm doing because clearly I'm doing much better with the program I'm doing. I know movements and foods work. It's upsetting to know what works and see other's give up before there breakthough. I'm not where I want to be, but am so greatful that I somehow have the disapline to make good choices for my health of my body. I really think if someone is doing what they know is right for their body's health, it rewards us in so many little ways!
I found this article that you posted to really speak to me! Thank you for this shot in the arm. I am incurraged to continue reaching for the moon, and hey if I get a star (which so far I only get) that's better if I didn't push at all.
There has to be a first time for everything!!!! :0)
Yes, though it could be that your friends Ataxia is not a result of Gluten intolerance so she wouldn't have been getting as much improvement which she would find disheartening and give up too possibly?
A Gluten Free diet is not going to work for everyone unfortunately. I got better results from the 'Forced Exercise' routine I use, that maybe just cos some of my symptoms come from Dystonia rather than Ataxia and it's lucky it's a type that responds to exercise. (some Dystonia's can be made worse by exertion)
I definitely see a difference between when I exercise and when I don't and it does have a knock on effect on some of my ataxia symptoms too but in general the Ataxia symptoms are always present to some degree and how bad the dystonia-part is depends on how much I've been on the passive trainer.
I tend to slide around on my legs at night as I found it easier when having to get out of bed to open back door for Inca or get into ensuite bedroom to just drop out of bed (low pine bed frame) and slide across the floor on my knees as its only 1 slide from bed to back door and 3 from end of bed to loo. Having vinyl floors helps and always wear PJ bottoms so I slide easier! I think crawling takes more co-ordination kind of like walking on crutches having to think about opposite hand and leg moving in time!
Hi Kati,
This post has inspired me. Somedays I get depressed and I will think of this post to feel better and start moving forward. Thanks for bringing this up. It will help many Ataxians for a healthy attitude.