Positive Results for People with Parkinson\u2019s Disease<\/strong><\/p>\nLenora Copenhaver was among the participants. Her Parkinson\u2019s disease affected her ability to chew and swallow, and she was no longer able to eat solid food.<\/p>\n
Ghosh emphasized a breathing technique in which participants make sounds while exhaling, a process that uses numerous muscles involved in eating. During the course of the research, Copenhaver experienced significant improvement.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I can have fish and chicken, not just soup,\u201d Copenhaver said. \u201cI can enjoy going out to eat again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Copenhaver appreciates another benefit of the sessions: better sleep. She used to wake up several times every night. Then she began practicing yoga breathing before bedtime.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, before I know it, I\u2019m asleep,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I sleep like a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jagan Ailinani, MD, a radiology doctor who lives in Carbondale, Ill., is also among the Parkinson\u2019s disease patients in the research study. He, too, is enjoying better sleep, along with other benefits.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel more calm and my balance has improved,\u201d Ailinani said. \u201cLife is better.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Individuals with Stroke Gain Independence <\/strong><\/p>\nIn another area of research, Ghosh is helping individuals with stroke to regain their mobility and independence.<\/p>\n
To walk properly, each knee and ankle must work in a certain sequence, Ghosh said. People who have experienced stroke find it difficult to initiate and maintain these steps in order.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Normally, a physical therapist must manipulate a patient\u2019s knees and ankles to help him or her learn to walk gain. But Ghosh has developed a sling for patients to wear, allowing the therapist to assist and guide their leg movements with less effort from a short distance away, by pulling a set of strings.<\/p>\nOne individual with normal arm movement learned to operate the strings himself. Everyone in the cohort of eight demonstrated measurable success. Ghosh presented this research before the 4th<\/sup> European Region of World Confederation of Physical Therapy in Liverpool last November.<\/p>\n\u201cPatients tell me they feel they are walking better and they feel more safe while walking,\u201d Ghosh said.<\/p>\n
Ghosh\u2019s work brings him personal satisfaction, especially when individuals with stroke or Parkinson\u2019s disease, or their family members, tell him how much different they feel after using new intervention techniques.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people say their life has changed, I feel good,\u201d Ghosh said. \u201cIt\u2019s very rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n