Tag: Autism
Tui Na’s Role In Reducing The Symptoms Of Cerebral Palsy And Autism
Also known as “Chinese massage,” Tui Na is an oriental therapeutic massage that has been used since ancient times. It is deemed to be of equal effectiveness and importance to that of acupuncture in Boca Raton and is a major component of a holistic system known as traditional Chinese medicine. Tui Na has a far reaching tradition as an all-encompassing healing art, with zero adverse side effects. It is based on the traditional Chinese medical concept of the movement of Chi (Qi) or the body’s internal energy, through the energy channels called meridians as its fundamental therapeutic orientation. Through the use of manipulation and massage techniques, Tuina aims to develop a better and harmonized flow of energy, giving the body the body the power to naturally heal itself. The Chinese system of meridians, in Western medical terms, tracks lymphatic vessels, nerves, and major arteries, while several of the meridian energetic points correspond to muscle trigger points and bundles of nerves. Aside from being used to resolve sports injuries, chronic pain conditions, and various physical problems – all conditions that in Western cultures would be addressed by physiotherapy, chiropractics, and osteopathy – Tui Na can also be used to widely treat chronic problems such as sleep problems, irritable bowel syndrome headaches, constipation, and migraines. It is believed to increase relaxation (‘digest’ and rest and parasympathetic reactions), reduce irritability (‘fight or flight’ sympathetic reactions), anxiety, and aggressiveness, all of which help balance the autonomic nervous system. In general, targeted and regular touch- and massage-therapies can help stimulate the senses (see, smell, feel, hear, and touch) and blood circulation; stabilize sleeping patterns, mood and digestion; stimulate kidney and liver activity; stimulate manufacture of melatonin and serotonin and bring about lower stress levels and regulation of cortisol.
The potential of Tui Na in treating the symptoms of Cerebral Palsy and Autism
Tui Na massage does not claim to cure autism but based on several parental reports and various related studies regarding massage and touch-therapies that are based on the same principles, it has the potential to improve and lessen several of the crippling symptoms that often accompany or are part of autism. A lot of the parents who have attended the training and administered regular daily massage at home have reported improvements in digestive, sensory, repetitive behavior, sensory, and speech problems, as well as in outbursts, stress levels, social skills, and sleep. Moreover, daily application of practicing this massage can strengthen further the special bond that parents have with their child, and thus improve their own wellbeing and lower parental stress.
There is no doubt that Tui Na therapy can play a significant role in enhancing the quality of life of a child stricken with Cerebral palsy.
For a lot of Cerebral palsy children, best results can be experienced if bodywork is targeted on indirectly affecting muscle tone via manipulation of the legs, arms, and all the major joints, slow range of motion exercises, and acupressure points that bring about restoration of limb functions and movements, increasing ability to do things by themselves such as walking, putting on the clothes, and eating, increasing movements of affected joints, decrease in muscular spasm, and improved speech.
Because Tui Na massage is holistic with no reported negative side effects, it can be effectively used as an adjunct to conventional behavioral and autism support strategies and other therapies.
Several studies have proven that both adults and children suffering from autism can respond very well to touch, providing it is predictable, structured, and regular, unlike the random touch that is often very problematic for them and happens in social situations.
Some Facts about Autism
People with autism suffer from a developmental disability that impairs their abilities and intrinsic behavior. Autism severely degrades a person’s behavior, ability to communicate, social dynamics, and cognitive abilities. In fact, the person’s perceptive power is also affected. This is a condition in which a child is unable to respond to social or environmental conditions.
People with autism tend to interact and view the world in their own way; unfortunately, they usually are not able to share their experiences with others because of the handicap of not being able to express it in a comprehensible manner. Autistic people may experience under- or over-sensitivity to things and sensations such as colors, light, smells, tastes, touch, or sounds. The most common form of autism is ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder, which covers an entire gamut of conditions categorized as pervasive developmental disorders. One of the more common forms of ASD is Asperger Syndrome. This syndrome tends to affect people of average or above average intelligence and these people view the world in an unconventional way. They have extreme difficulty following or adopting to a society’s accepted behavior and have serious problems communicating or speaking. Because of this, these individuals and their families usually require medical help and support to remedy problematic conditions and behavior.
Impaired social interaction is the primary aspect of ASD. Autistic people usually find it hard to control areas of interest or their activities or have difficulty interacting with peer-groups. Under different circumstances, sufferers show different types of behavior and behave in a variable way. Very young autistic children display no or very little response to stimuli. An ASD-suffering child in early stages of development may seem to develop normally, but little by little, the child will slowly withdraw itself from social interactions. These children tend to avoid eye contact with other people. A lot of ASD-stricken children have the tendency to perform certain repetitive movements, such as head-flipping, head rolling, etc. Some of them have seems to have a difficult time falling asleep and this makes their condition even much worse. These traits severely limit their capacity to focus on social activities such as games, symbols, and languages, which lowers their overall quality of life and impairs their performance.
ASD sufferers have been observed to suffer from co-occurring conditions, including ADD (attention deficit disorder), Tourette syndrome, epileptic seizures, tuberous sclerosis, and Fragile X syndrome (a condition causing mental retardation). By the time they reach adulthood, epilepsy can also be seen in about 20% – 30% of ASD-stricken children. Autistic children have been also known to feel more separated than their non-autistic peers. Autism is indeed a huge problem that hinders the normal development and growth of a person.
According to the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health), on average, ASD has been seen in one in every 88 children eight-year old children. Other stats show that boys (1 in 53) are five times more likely to develop ASD (1 in 251) and other forms of autism than girls. These stats may be in fact, even higher since in certain cases, physicians tend to misread the symptoms associated with Asperger syndrome and other forms of autism.
Medical researchers and neurologists still do not know what causes ASD. They are trying to see if there is a genetic connection to the disorder.
Current modes of treatment, although slow to achieve positive changes to conditions and behavior related to autism, have had a great impact on the symptoms of the disorder. These modalities usually integrate multidisciplinary approaches including occupational therapy, social skills therapy, language and speech therapy, structured teaching, developmental models, and ABA (applied behavior analysis). They are all designed to uplift the conditions of the autistic person; unfortunately, these approaches have their own limitations and usually do not achieve the desired outcomes, which is to eradicate the symptoms. Drug treatments are also given to autistic people, but studies show that they have very little effect on the condition. It seems that at this present time there is unfortunately no way of curing and relieving the effects of autism. There have been cures but those are rare occurrences; not all is bad news though, since there have been a few who recovered over the course of time.