http://oc1dean.blogspot.com/2011/04/alzheimers-helmet-stimulates-growth-of.html
The new 'magic' here;
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf/2012/01/laser_therapy_works_like_magic.html
Dick Kaniper sat tall in his wheelchair. His white tufts of hair were combed and his beard was trimmed close, but his most noticeable feature was his smile.
The 81-year-old stroke survivor from Williams Township looked upon his wife, his certified nursing assistant and therapists with determination, optimism and compassion.
More than a year ago, this picture was different.
His stroke robbed him of mobility, speech and peace of mind. He did not have the attention span for reading, and his short-term memory was spotty. He said he would lie in the hospital bed wondering if he would ever be able to ride his tractor again.
“I have a smart mouth,” he said. “The nurse asked me if I needed anything, and I said, ‘Yes. A gun.’”
After being passed around the rehabilitation center circuit, Kaniper found the ATA Revitalization Institute in Palmer Township that employs experimental therapy with lasers and light-emitting diodes.
“I saw noticeable change in a week,” said his wife, Dawn Kaniper. “I’ve seen more progress in three months than I saw the entire year after Dick’s stroke.”
The technology has been used on surgical patients and athletes for muscle and tissue healing but has never before been used on the brain, according to Easton Hospital cardiothoracic surgeon Ab Boonswang, a co-founder of the institute.
Kaniper said the procedure is painless. The laser technology is paired with muscle/bone/joint/soft tissue therapy called muscle recovery. Muscle recovery ensures that the muscles are strong enough, realigned with nerves and they will be able to move correctly.
Kaniper received treatment three times a week for the past three months. He spends an hour at ATA during each session and also seeks additional physical therapy.
When he started physical therapy, he “hung like meat” from a harness attached to a treadmill, Dawn Kaniper said. Now he can stand on the treadmill, and last week he was able to walk for eight and a half minutes, she said.
“This is the first time I’ve seen so much progress in a stroke patient,” certified nursing assistant Naomi Monjes said. “He can get up on his own. … I don’t have to do bear hug transfers anymore.”
The droop on the left side of Kaniper’s face has disappeared and his speech has dramatically improved.
ATA employs its rehabilitation techniques on four stroke patients. All have improved, Boonswang said.
Low-level light therapy is FDA approved but not for stroke rehabilitation purposes. As a result, ATA does not accept insurance. A three-month stroke rehabilitation protocol costs about $5,800, but ATA offers a money-back guarantee.
“If we can get this going, maybe we can effect change,” Boonswang said. “We can revolutionize the way physical therapy is done. We’re looking at changing the landscape of stroke patient recovery.”
Dawn Kaniper is thrilled with her husband’s progress.
“Whatever it is, it’s magic and it works,” she said.
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