HYPERMED MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

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Simply You Tube Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and LOKOMAT for a world wide forum.

 

 

HyperMED Multiple Sclerosis Protocols Are Unique - We Are About 'Driving Functional Changes'

HyperMED provides saturative blocks of Hyperbaric Oxygenation (HBOT) combined with Australian first LOKOMAT (Robotic Gait Training - Adult and Paediatric) to promote neuroplasticity - the ability of neural pathways to foster and develop new connections and ‘learn’ new functions. Other supportive modalities include Cryotherapy, MonoRail Walking, Median Nerve Stimulation, Whole Body Vibration and immune stimulating supplements

 

HyperMED combination protocols ‘awakens’ dormant neural pathways and provides accurate neurological repetition enhancing and re-training connections and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. Patients have the ability to ‘salvage back’ what has been damaged - the capacity to wake-up dormant pathways, rewire, retrain and reconnect function improving brain and spinal cord function.  Do Wheel Chairs Inhibit Recovery?

 

Every MS patient is different and every case requires specific recommendation. Typically we recommend a current and full MRI of the brain and full spine to determine your exact current position. Typically most MS patients state that the last MRI was 'when first diagnosed' or 'many years ago'!

MS is a progressive disease - it does not remain static, damage progresses.

MRI brain and full spine provides opportunity to compare previous MRIs with current - comparing location, size and frequency of lesions. Invariably many chronic MS patients have not had previous spinal MRI investigation - this is a mystery! Unfortunately progressive MS sufferers have additional demylination effects throughout their spine and often directly correlated with underlying structural degeneration i.e. disc prolapse, canal stenosis, previous back surgery etc.

MS is also linked with underlying 'opportunistic infections'. When commencing at HyperMED you can expect apart from standard blood investigations; a range of additional tests including Mycoplasma profile, Chlamydia profile, Epstein Barr virus, Cytomegalovirus, Toxoplasmosis, Rickettsia profile, Herpes profile, Immunoglobulin profile etc.

HyperMED/C.Pneu chronic_diseases.pdf

HyperMED Australia : Chronic Progressive Illness : Chronic Fatigue Illness : NeuroDegenerative Disorders

 

What Happens When Demylination Progresses?

The initial damage is often multifactoral - many underlying mechanisms have been identified including genetic and cytopathic causes. Evidence has even identified undetermined birth hypoxic events as a possible cause to late and adult MS onset. The immediate effects of nerve cell damage leads to microscopic vascular damage of nerve fibers and neural tracts. This 'leakage' results in chronic swelling and edema causing progressive destruction of the surrounding myelin nerve sheath and other immediate surrounding tissue structures

Chronic swelling and progressive vascular leakage due to weakened cell membranes results in micro-hypoxia (inadequate tissue Oxygen). Hypoxia becomes a 'magnet for circulating infections' - referred to as 'opportunistic infections'. Past lung and respiratory infections often lead to chronic circulating infections that thrive in low Oxygenated environments. Hypoxic regions are energy poor environments and provide a fertile platform for 'bad bugs' to replicate and accelerate the underlying disease progression. This destructive cycle of events is often referred to as  Hypoxic Induced Apoptosis

The difficulty in treating neurodegenerative disorders including MS is the fact that 'drugs' require Oxygen as a catalyst to penetrate the target region. If in fact hypoxia exists the MS and chemotherapeutic drug is relatively ineffective given the fact hypoxia blocks delivery. This is not a problem in a laboratory controlled drug trial where the drug is 'delivered' into the target tissue. This is exactly how Hyperbaric Oxygenation provides benefit for patients suffering MS and related illness. We often describe the impact of Hyperbaric Oxygenation is like 'getting more fizz into a flat can of coke'! The objective of Hyperbaric Oxygenation is to get more Oxygen (fizz) into the hypoxic damaged nerve cell and neural tracts accelerating recovery, fighting the underlying infection and preventing further destructive spread due to apoptosis.

 

Why Does The Individual Progressively Lose Functionality?

Experiments conducted on neural impaired subjects demonstrate that neural circuitry slowly 'learn' to shut down.

Lack of appropriate and 'accurate' stimulation induces functional incapacity called the ‘learning non-use’. Simply stated if you teach the neural circuits to cease walking or to sit they will learn 'non-use disability'. Refer to the 'rat study  Do Wheel Chairs Inhibit Recovery?

Motor cortex centers in the brain and spinal cord show signs of 'global functional loss' due to localized demylination effects. It is imperative to keep this ‘window open’

Body Weight Support Treadmill Training (BWSTT) and more recent studies on LOKOMAT (Robotic Gait Assisted Walking) demonstrate the potential of functional neuroplasticity - the ability to re-learn and re-organize function. Functional BOLD MRI measures the capacity to retrain function in both the brain and spinal cord neural pathways. The injured brain and spinal cord has capacity to 'wake-up' - salvage back tissue damage, re-activate and re-train dormant neural pathways improving functionality

LOKOMAT (Robotic Gait Assisted Walking) Gait Training

For the past 15-years bodyweight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) has become a prominent gait rehabilitation method in leading rehabilitation centers throughout the world.  

Experiments conducted on spinalized cats demonstrate that spinal circuitry (reflex generators) below the level of injury remains active and functional neuronal properties can respond to peripheral input from below the level of injury. Treadmill cats can be ‘trained to sit, stand and walk’

Lack of appropriate stimulation induces functional incapacity called the ‘learning non-use’. Simply stated if you teach the remaining active spinal circuits to sit they will sit! Motor cortex centers in the brain re-allocate functional capacity lost through spinal cord injury – it is imperative to keep this ‘window open’. Body Weight Support Treadmill Training (BWSTT) and more recent studies on LOKOMAT (Robotic Gait Assisted Walking) demonstrate the potential of functional neuroplasticity - the ability to re-learn and re-organize function.  

This type of locomotor training has many functional benefits but the labor costs are considerable. To reduce therapist effort, Robotically Gait Assisted BWSTT (LOKOMAT) has been shown to be more accurate and financially feasible, compared to the other BWSTT modalities. Currently 45+ LOKOMAT systems are in use in large Neurorehabilitation hospitals in the USA and approximately 150 LOKOMAT systems found in 31 Countries.

Internationally LOKOMAT (Robotic Gait Assisted Walking) and Body Weight Support Treadmill Training programs are payable under Third Party Insurance for spinal cord injury and a range of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopment gait disorders including Multiple Sclerosis.

HyperMED/LOKOMAT - Australian Experience HyperMED NeuroRecovery.pdf

HyperMED Clinical Research/Clinical_Report_LS_UT LOKOMAT Southwestern_en_0904_small_en.pdf

HyperMED Clinical Research/Clinical_Report_LS_ LOKOMAT Spaulding_en_0905_small_en.pdf

HyperMED Clinical Research/Lokomat_Clinical_Report_ LOKOMAT Shepherd_0706_en_small_en.pdf

 

LOKOMAT (Robotic Gait Assisted Walking) Gait Training

Patients receiving LOKOMAT (Robotic Gait Assisted Walking) are scheduled daily; initially 1-hour session and then as the patient builds we recommend up to 2-hours each day attending.

LOKOMAT is NOT passive involvement. The LOKOMAT is constantly adjusted to best assist the functional responses of the patient. Patients commence with passive assistance however as the patient compliancy builds the LOKOMAT settings and various programs are tailored to the patient performance and capabilities. Some patients have high level spasticity and others a complete loss of tone. Each patient's presentation is different - LOKOMAT provides excellent opportunity to 'best-fit' the patients specific capabilities and capacity to re-train function. And this is replicable on every separate training session!

In addition the support harness treadmill system are utilized independent of the LOKOMAT to promote functional changes. Functional changes being driven by 'man and machine' are then put to the test with the patient then able to implement strategies being focused on during each LOKOMAT session.

This combination effect is both unique and significant towards each neurologic patient developing a sense of supportive assistance whilst focusing on improving functional independence.

Walking requires a 'fluid like connection between spinal reflex generators and higher brain centers'. The combined approach is invaluable to promote functional changes - neuroplasticity (the ability to salvage back what has been damaged).

 

Restoration of Walking in Multiple Sclerosis Using Treadmill Training

Gait impairment is a major cause of ongoing disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). New treadmills that provide body weight support and even robotic assistance to the lower limbs have recently been developed and are now commercially available. These treadmills allow the subject to execute the integrated process of walking in a task-specific manner that is repetitively reinforced in a normal pattern. Data from studies using these body-weight supported treadmills (BWSTT) in spinal cord injury and stroke patients suggest that intensive task-specific gait rehabilitative training may help to restore a normative gait pattern, improve overground walking and enhance quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients with neurological gait impairment.

In this study, we propose a series of prospective longitudinal clinical studies to collect pilot data on the use of task-specific BWSTT +/- LOKOMAT on improving ambulation, motor function and quality of life for MS patients with mild to moderate gait difficulty. Pilot data will also be collected for the effect conventional rehabilitation has on ambulation and motor outcomes as well as how these outcomes change during usual care. Our clinical research goals are to capture the initial pilot data (mean changes and variances in ambulation, motor, fatigue and quality of life outcomes) to facilitate the design of a larger clinical trial to test efficacy if these preliminary data are promising. The planned studies will study the effect of two forms of task specific training (BWSTT alone and BWSTT combined with LOKOMAT) compared to conventional gait rehabilitative methods and usual care

HyperMED Australia : Beyond Therapy - Treatment Program

HyperMED/HyperMED LOKOMAT 2009.pdf

HyperMED Australia : Clinical Research - LOKOMAT

HyperMED Australia : Clinical Research - Hyperbaric Oxygenation

HyperMED Australia : Clinical Research - Cerebrolysin

HyperMED/C.Pneu chronic_diseases.pdf

Hyperbaric Oxygenation protects against Mitochondrial Dysfunction and significantly delays the onset of Neurological deficits in Mice study

Multiple Sclerosis - Viral link confirmed

Human Herpes Virus-6 In The DNA Of Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Study Reveals New Information On How Viruses Enter Cells

Antibiotic May Be A Potential Therapy For Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis reactivation and Epstein-Barr virus