August 4, 2007 Meeting Newsletter
We had another very interesting meeting!
We began with the usual socializing and then began the program. Dr. Keri Barnes presented us with yet another approach to handling the issue of balance. The primary focus of her practice is neurological and she generally studies a person’s MRI to understand where the lesions appear which helps her gain an understanding of the person. She then tests balance ability on her Balance Trak machine. There are only 500 of these sophisticated computerized machines worldwide and we were fortunate enough to get to try it out and see the results on a very basic level . It was fascinating. Dr. Barnes then gave us a sampling of what she would then have each person do to work on coming back into balance. This includes some very simple exercises that must be performed every couple of hours to enable the nerve transmissions to adapt to this new process. Apparently, repetition is important in the beginning in order to retrain the brain.
Besides the simple repetitive exercises, she uses eye exercises for some people or swivel seat therapy. She currently has 22 MS patients and statistically everyone has shown improvement. We have two members we know of who are experiencing incredible improvements in balance & walking.
Because of the interest generated by several people who couldn’t attend as well as the quality of the presentation, she has agreed to return during a cooler month. Robyn video taped this meeting for anyone who may be interested. Just e-mail us at http://www.hopefourms@yahoo.com and let us know.
We had someone bring in a great cooling vest for us to see. It had cool packs in it but only weighed 4 lbs. It was nice & cool but not unbearably cold or bulky. The cool packs last about 2.5 hrs but can be put in an ice chest and restored in only 15 min. (1/2 hr in the freezer). After the meeting, she was off to watch a ball game and said that she can function just fine in the heat with her vest on. Many of us were very interested especially after being forced indoors for the last several weeks. http://www.coolvest.com
Due to the Labor Day Holiday next month the meeting will not be held on the 1st but on the 8th instead. See you then!
Patricia & Robyn