Re: natural therapy for SD?
I am sure that the stress has had an impact on your SD development. Keep up your efforts on natural therapy, it will have positive pay offs. I am not sure it will cure the SD . I have been told to my dismay that once it has been triggered, there is no off botton!! Visit Dr. James thomas's site, he has some poitive comments on singing as a bridge to speaking voice. I have also been on a "Major clean up mission" myself physically, spiritually, and emotinally. I am doing hypnotherapy, sound vibration healing, and many other things, and ntritional supplements. ..........Read my posts about metal dental and environ"Metal"issues. read Bob post on insecticides and what happened to his dog. I think the environmental, stress, and chemical relationships are there.Just how it triggers SD, is the big question. We just have to figure out what is going on with each of us individually. I feel a lot better too, but the darn voice change is not looking very promising yet, but I am keeping the hope and it is too early to tell. Goly
Re: natural therapy for SD?
There may be no OFF button visible, but there is a dimmer switch that leads to it! We just have to find it. Reading correspondence, I'm surprised at how many people seem to have 'resigned themselves' to having it forever. If you believe it's incurable, it will become just that!
Re: natural therapy for SD?
I admire your tenacity, however, if you truly have SD you will find that it is a brain disorder--a physiological problem, not an emotional one. Changing to a healthy lifestyle will help anyone, SD or no SD, so I say go for it. There are cases where MTD (muscle tension dystonia) can mimic SD symptoms and in those cases, voice therapy can lessen symptoms. I have been through voice therapy and medications all to no avail. Everyone's case is different for sure so you should chase everything to see where it leads you. But in the end, if you find yourself right back here, don't rule botox out completely. It gave me my voice back at least to some degree. Good luck.
Re: natural therapy for SD?
Riccardo,Don't be *too surprised,* per your post, at the number of people who have "resigned themselves" to SD. Some of us are merely realistic and have done years of research on our disorder and understand that true-SD is a neurological brain disorder. We're not making it up and it is not in our heads. It is not just "belief." I'm a problem-solver by nature. My SD is 10-years old. I deal with it. I don't call my approach "resignation." It's problem-solving. Many of us have tried numerous alternative and complementary (natural) treatments over a very long period of time. I've done heavy-duty vitamin therapy, vegetarianism, chiropractic, massage, exercise, acupuncture, meditation, Reiki, etc. I believe many of the complementary treatments I've tried and still use regularly have been soothing to my overall well-being but not a single one of them has had any effect on my voice, even though I always had positive hopes that they would help me sound better. I also prayed alot over all the years. I am a big proponent of "whatever works." I also know that there are HUGE variations in the Spasmodic Dysphonia state....based on our cases and our bodies. In other words, my case was diagnosed as "very severe" (spasms and tremors). It took me years after my dx to discover that some other SD patients were not as severe as I was. I thought everyone with SD sounded like me and had such horrible tremors and spasms that they could not be understood. Only recently have I learned that some people with SD are dx'd as "mild" (spasms but without tremors) and ALSO some people with SD (very rarely) have remissions and some people who are diagnosed with SD actually have MTD or something else like vocal tremors, etc. In other words, all of our cases are unique and, while we "talk" on this BB, we all need to know that. It's hard to compare SD cases in a chat or on an online BB when we can't hear each other. As I said, I believe in "whatever works" thus I hope you find something that works for you. If you find something that works for you, great! However, please don't imply that SD is a simple "mind-over-matter" condition (to quote you: "if you believe it's incurable, it will become just that"). Some of us have many generations of genetic preponderances toward SD. I sure do. There is no way, by "willing it", that I can turn my genetic/neurological history of Parkinson's and other neurological disorders around. The best I can do is research attributes of my own case, support others dealing with SD/dystonia and pray for a cure so my children won't pass it on. If you find what works for you, I'm sure you'll share but please note that "true SD" IS definitely incurable at this point so it's not a matter of willing it away. Hopefully it will be "curable" sometime soon. There are recent effective surgical treatments for SD but they only address the localized nerve/muscle symptoms...not the main signals from the brain. Welcome to the SD-BB and thanks for sharing your perspective. --Lynne
Re: natural therapy for SD?
I agree with Lynne. I tried a round of speech therapy after 10 years of getting botox. I had speech therapy prior to botox, but didn't help much then. After going for about 3 months, the speech therapist told me I didn't have to come anymore as he has helped me all me can. I learned little tricks to try to relax laryngeal muscles when spasms start again after botox. I went to speech when my voice was at optimal level of botox so speech therapy seemed to work well at that time. Helped extend my time alittle I think. But as spasms are coming back any tricks I try don't seem to help much. I was hoping but no avail. The speech therapist did help me come to terms with SD and said there is no cure, but there will be good times and bad for speech. When there is good days, one seems to be elated and comfortable and relaxed. When there is bad days, seems whatever is tried doesn't work. But what works for one, may not work for another. All we can do is tell one another what seems to work and if it does help, all the better for all of us. There is no cure, but if we can work together, maybe we can make it better for each other. When I feel tension, I bite my tongue right in the front and swallow as this is supposed to help alleviate some of the laryngeal tension. So as they say, bite your tongue. Not too hard though. Happy holidays to everyone!!!--modified by lindamc at Thu, Dec 14, 2000, 18:17:41
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