Philippe A. Souvestre MD (France), R.Ac. of The NeuroKinetics Clinic commented “Given that there has been so much in the news about the impact of concussions on the lives of sports enthusiasts; it is encouraging to see research funding becoming directed towards expanding solutions. Sports are an important part of a healthy lifestyle for many persons. Growth and access to effective solutions for the occasional injury is therefore also very important.”
Philippe is the founder and lead practitioner at The NeuroKinetics Clinic in Vancouver which has been providing safe and effective treatments for concussions and trauma since 1997. Philippe has been practicing for almost 30 years, and is a former flight surgeon with the French Air Force, neuroscientist, and traumatologist.
Participate in a research study on balance control. Screenings for selecting Candidates will be performed at The NeuroKinetics Clinic from Monday Aug.7, 9am, to Thursday Aug. 10, 5pm 2012.
We are looking for Volunteers to perform a Research Project looking at a new way to mitigate Balance and Dizziness Disorders [BDD] and Fall Proneness due to the adverse effects of stress and workload with applying a novel safe, drugless, and non-invasive device.
Objectives of this Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial are as follows:
=> Objectively evaluate the effectiveness of a safe, drugless and non-invasive Device in
1. Correcting stress-related moderate dysfunctional mechanisms known to cause BDD
2. Reducing the occurrence of unsteadiness, dizziness, and fall proneness under stress
3. Enhancing general balance control and performance at home, at work and in sports
=> Our goal is to better understand how to correct the cause of BDD and improve performance.
Eligible candidates will:
• be between the ages of 25 and 60,
• have no neurological or cardiovascular history of disease,
• have no history of severe trauma, and
• be able to walk and stand without assistance.
The time commitment is one 15 minute screening, and two 3.5 hour sessions, 2 weeks apart during the month of August 2012. Benefits for subjects include a short customized report on individual performance data from the screening – a $75 value. Refreshments will be provided while on site for the study sessions.
If you are interested in taking part in this study, please…
Phone 604-736-3963 or email: reception@neurokinetics.com
and ask for Tiffany or Diana for more details.
Please feel free to pass this on to anyone else you think may be interested!
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out. – Rodney Dangerfield
Recent headlines spotlighting athletes with concussions have helped raise awareness about how they are treated—or not.
Why are sports-related concussions such a problem?
The Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services reviewed the issue of violence in sports as early as 1974. The report of William R. McMurtry, Q.C., Investigation and Inquiry into Violence in Amateur Hockey, includes a quote by Dave “The Hammer” Schultz of the Philadelphia Flyers on page 5: “I’m more valuable in the penalty box than I am sitting on the bench…”
Most sports leagues have protocols meant to protect athletes from brain trauma. But according to a December 12, 2011, article in CBS Sporting News, Determined players circumventing NFL efforts on concussions, these protocols have too many loopholes. While teams offer treatment, players feel pressure to perform, fearing they will lose their jobs or let their teams down if they acknowledge their concussions and seek proper treatment. As a result, concussed athletes routinely underreport problems or avoid essential treatment.
Athletes’ concerns about their careers are justifiable. Unfortunately for both players and fans who appreciate skilful teamwork and play, glorification of violence and confusion between genuine heroism versus pointless self-martyrdom has plagued both professional and amateur sports. According to The Province’s December 20, 2011, article, Fighting is part of hockey, fans argue, fans are adamant that they expect violence for their entertainment dollars: “It’s not freakin’ ballet class.”
What will it take to change the casualty rate?
David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail has some excellent preventive suggestions in his January 8, 2012, article, Hockey desperately needs a concussion cure. His ideas include changes to sports culture, equipment, game rules, and violence management, as well as having and using an effective treatment protocol. But what will motivate leagues to implement change?
Player lawsuits such as the one launched last year by 21 NFL players against their league for allowing conditions that left them permanently disabled may help change the future of sports. If the athletes succeed, the substantial costs paid by leagues to complainants will be transferred to ticket prices. Will fans still want the violence if they have to pay more for its consequences?
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident. – Arthur Schopenhauer
Dr. Rogers Prize for Excellence in Complementary and Alternative Medicine
In 1865, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician, died in an insane asylum, where he had been committed for claiming that washing one’s hands between conducting autopsies and delivering babies could save thousands of lives. Unable to prove his theory, he merely succeeded in offending doctors with the implication that they had dirty hands.
Though Western medicine discourages non-standard treatment approaches, at least it does not lock up those with new approaches to medical treatment or label them insane. At the other end of the spectrum, some alternative health practitioners also feel threatened by those MDs who combine standard Western medicine with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
But luckily some people recognize and celebrate the contributions and achievements of those who combine the two approaches to provide their patients with the optimal care possible. In 2007, the Lotte & John Hecht Memorial Foundation endowed the first Dr. Rogers Prize for Excellence in Complementary and Alternative Medicine in honour of Dr. Roger Rogers, an Order of British Columbia recipient in 2001 for his pioneering work in alternative and complementary cancer care.
Representatives from Neurokinetics attended the 2011 Dr. Rogers Prize Award Gala. NeuroKinetics attendees included Philippe A. Souvestre MD (France), President and Founder, Diana Pederson, Director of Project Development, and Reiner Rothe, a company advisor, who cured his mother’s ‘terminal’ stage 4 cancer using alternative approaches.
Keynote Speaker
Philippe was delighted to see Dr. Wayne Jonas again and hear him speak. They had previously met at Dr. Jonas’ American East Coast home base, the Samueli Institute, which promotes and funds research in complementary medicine.
Dr. Jonas spoke about the open-minded and varied background in which he grew up and the challenges this presented when he became a standard Western medical practitioner, as his colleagues viewed much of what he considered normal as unacceptably radical. CAM is often defined as those treatment modalities that are not included in Western medicine. In British Columbia, CAM is not covered by the Medical Services Plan nor provided in hospitals or standard medical clinics.
Prize Winner
The winner of this year’s $250,000 prize was the University of Calgary’s Dr. Marja Verhoef, the only Canadian Research Chair in Complementary Medicine and the first President of the International Society of Complementary Medicine Research.
She has established several Canadian networks connecting those interested in complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine, such as the IN-CAM network, a virtual collaborating organization for CAM researchers and practitioners in Canada, North America, and the world. A tireless advocate of appropriate research methods for multiple and varied CAM approaches, she has inspired and mentored many working in these fields.
The Experience
The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel served a dinner that included delectable salmon and a decadent chocolate dessert, and was clearly constructed on the notion that food should bring joy to the senses and the soul.
But the best nourishment of the evening was for the soul alone. Philippe felt inspired by the company of so many like-minded colleagues active in CAM and seeing so much strong support for this approach in treating illness and injury. He particularly enjoyed meeting Barb Fehlau, MD, a Director of the Association of Complementary and Integrative Physicians of BC, a network of medical doctors who practise both CAM as well as standard Western medicine.
Philippe Souvestre commented:
This is what medicine should be: a spirit of embracing the effective new, doctors integrating standard knowledge with additional medical approaches. Too many patients who come to our clinic have been told that there is no hope; to go home and learn to accept and manage their condition. For many, this is unbearable. They must then fight on their own to learn everything possible about their medical condition, wading through a sea of alternative medical choices by themselves.
The approach of Western medical community at large appears to be “if it is not proven by evidence-based medicine, then it is not effective; so don’t consider it.” Yet, there has demonstrated to be considerable value in both [Western, and CAM] medical approaches. I would love to see more emphasis on finding ways to invite the scientific evaluation and integration of complementary medicine rather than using the cry of evidence-based medicine to close doors and antagonize the underfunded efforts by CAM providers who do strive for quality and science in medicine.
It is just so much better for patients to have a knowledgeable guide to support and assist them with every possible approach. The bottom line is the health and wellbeing of the patients, who are all of us.
The greatest mistake in the treatment of diseases is that there are physicians for the body and physicians for the soul, although the two cannot be separated. – Plato
Have you recently sustained a Head Injury?
Would you like to take part in a Research Study?
Simon Fraser University is looking for volunteers to take part in a research study looking at changes in the cardiovascular system and postural instability in individuals with a recent head injury or with post-concussion syndrome.
Concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a type of head injury that commonly results in symptoms including headache, loss of balance (postural instability), and impaired concentration, among others. These symptoms may resolve within a few days or may persist for weeks. This can lead to lost work, school, and/or sport participation time. Returning to work, school, or sports too quickly can lead to an exacerbation of symptoms or risk of sustaining a second concussion. This study will be investigating the relationship between the cardiovascular system and postural instability in individuals with a head injury.
The time commitment is a few hours on two occasions a couple of days apart. Please respond by early June 2011 to participate in the Study.
If you are 19 years of age or older, recently sustained a head injury, are still symptomatic, and interested in taking part in this study, please contact Michelle Bruner or Dr. Andrew Blaber for more details.
A study was recently completed which followed a junior hockey team and tracked their concussion rates.
Science Daily posted a good article about the study: Junior Hockey Study Uncovers Alarming Concussion Rates
The CBC also had a good article which is linked here.
It is good to see that there is a growing awareness of the seriousness of concussions and the lasting effects which can be experienced from concussions. It is important that education continue to raise awareness about concussions – so that more of these can be prevented. There is generally no widely available treatment for concussion at this time. Our Clinic does offer an effective treatment for concussion. It will take time to make access to solutions accessible to the many.
Here are a few statistical highlights from the article:
• 17 players suffered a total of 21 concussions during 52 observed games.
• 29% suffered a second concussion during the study period.
• 24% of the concussions occurred in players who were involved in a fight.
Be aware, and help support changes in sports so that participation can become safer and still be fun.