Breakthrough in Treatment of Cerebral Palsy & Other Neuromuscular Disorders

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich., Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Thirteen children diagnosed with neuromuscular issues ranging from severe hypotonia to athetoid cerebral palsy/dystonia are experiencing "dramatic improvement" thanks to a new protocol being advocated by the Preemie Growth Project.

Executive Director and Founder Ida Briggs reports the breakthrough treatment was initially discovered last year when a 9-month old severely hypotonic boy diagnosed with cerebral palsy went from twelve pounds to twenty-two in under ten weeks, and then took his first steps while using the Preemie Growth Project "preemie protocol." This year a 9-year old girl, born at 26 weeks weighing 1 pound, 11 ounces, diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy had "dramatic improvement" which included healthy weight gain, increased strength and hyperspastic hands becoming normal, among other improvements. Additional patients were recruited, with similar results.

The protocol uses micronutrient supplementation, relying on the "Textbook of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition," edited by Dr. Stefano Guandalini, for the explanation of the protocol's efficacy. The key passage, per Ms. Briggs, is on page 631:

"The infant born prematurely is at increased risk for developing trace mineral deficiencies. Premature birth is associated with low stores at birth, because accretion of trace minerals takes place during the last trimester of pregnancy."

Ms. Briggs says the quote helped everything fall into place.

"Premature babies traditionally catch up between one and two years of age, which coincides with when babies begin to eat real food, which contains the micronutrients they didn't get because they were born prematurely," she explains.

Micronutrient supplementation has been used by neonatologists for well over a decade, but Ms. Briggs is confident she knows why the same dramatic results aren't being seen in the NICU.

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Breakthrough in Treatment of Cerebral Palsy & Other Neuromuscular Disorders