Stroke Rehabilitation Choices
Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Improve Circulation
Feb 20, 2007
Every 45 seconds a person in the US has a stroke. It is the third leading cause of death in Western society, affecting 700,000 Americans and killing150,000 a year.
There are lots of ways to decrease your risk factors for a stroke. Once a stroke has happened there are dietary factors, exercises and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) options as well as medications to consider.
Acupuncture Helps People Avoid Complications of Stroke
In China, stroke is the second most common cause of death in cities and the third in rural areas. World wide it is a major cause of disability.
Acupuncture for stroke has been used in China for hundreds of years and is increasingly practiced in Western countries, with beneficial effects. Noting that more acupuncture research is need, scientists in China found that fewer people died or needed to be institutionalized, as a result of the stroke. They said, "when acupuncture was compared with sham acupuncture or open control, there was a borderline significant trend towards fewer patients being dead or dependent in the acupuncture group after three months or more." (Zhang, "Acupuncture for acute stroke" 2005)
Dealing with Stroke Related Pain
In a 2000 study, K.A. Jellinger, found that pain caused by a lack of blood flow to an area, can be decreased by acupuncture. Researchers noted, clinical experience and controlled studies confirmed the efficacy of acupuncture in various pain syndromes, including tension headache, migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, posttraumatic pain.
They suggest favorable effects in the rehabilitation of peripheral facial nerve palsy, Bell’s Palsy and stroke. "There is sufficient evidence of acupuncture to expand its use into conventional medicine and to encourage further studies of its pathophysiology and clinical value."
The studies on complementary medicine are becoming more sophisticated. A 2004 study (Yoo, 2004 in Neuroimage) used a functional MRI to find acupuncture affects several parts of the brain, including the "left superior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, and dorsomedial nucleus of thalamus."
The thalamus is the part of the brain where we most experience pain and other sensations. The data suggested that the cerebellum (part of our sense of balance) serves as an important area activated during treatment of certain acupuncture (PC6) points.
Manual Therapy and Energy Work as an Adjunct in Stroke Rehabilitation
In a 2002 study, Shiflett looked at the use of Reiki in stroke rehabilitation programs. In the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, researchers found that the biggest benefit of the Reiki came in the form of mood and energy improvements.
Qigong researchers are doing studies using sophisticated blood flow and cranial imaging equipment such as a Doppler sonography, EEG and near-infrared spectroscopy. What they are finding is that this Chinese meditation exercise appears able to change blood flow in the head.(Litscher, 2001, Effects of QiGong on brain function).
In a study looking at manual therapy, researchers found, "treating the patients with drugs in combination with manual therapy resulted in improved circulation in the vertebral artery." (Fedin, 1991, Effect of manual therapy on blood pressure in hypertensives with cervical osteochondrosis).
Some of the signs of problems with the vertebrobasilar arteries, a pair of blood vessels running up the neck into the head, are dizziness, headaches and trouble concentrating.
Integrative Manual Therapy and Strokes
Integrative Manual Therapy practitioners use hand-on techniques to improve function of the muscles in someone with a stroke. They also focus on neck and head tensions that help to normalize blood flow in the head.
In a case report on the use of Integrative Manual Therapy with a 78 year old man with high blood pressure and a recent stroke, the clinician noted, "prior to therapy, the patient presented with slurred speech, decreased comprehension, and loss of balance in walking. The patient's main goal was to be discharged from the hospital. The man was treated with several cranial therapy techniques. After the treatment was completed, the patient presented with significant improvements in speech and comprehension and an improvement in balance during walking. The patient was discharged from the hospital the very next morning." (Dillon, The Benefits of Integrative Manual Therapy on Speech Impairment and Balance Secondary to Stroke, 2003)
The therapist continued, "to be released from the hospital, he has to be able to answer questions clearly without slurring his speech as well as be able to show he is no longer confused in his thinking, and be able to walk without balance problems."
In another case of a baby who had a stroke, the parents reported, "Andy had a stroke just prior to his birth. We were told he might never sit up unassisted, walk, run, or speak. We sought out therapists to help Andy. When he was 9 months old, we brought him to The Center for Integrative Manual Therapy and Diagnostics. We visited for 2 days, about 8 hours of therapy. The following day Andy began to crawl for the first time. Subsequent trips have given him the abilities to walk, jump, run and speak. He was originally diagnosed as a hemiplegic (limited use of his entire left side). Throughout CenterIMT and follow-ups with his incredible occupational and physical therapy team at home, Andy has shown significant abilities with his left hand and fingers. He has increased mobility overall, and cognitively has begun to read and write at the age 4."
With all the empirical (results oriented) and clinical research reports on the benefits of complementary and alternative medicine. There are 700,000 American who could benefit from seeking out the best of what the health-care community has to offer.
