1. Corn oil or canola oil margarine on bread, vegetables, rice, pasta, hot cereals
2. Powdered skim milk added to regular whole milk
3. Wheat germ
4. Raisins
5. Puddings
6. Peanut butter
7. Custards
8. Eggs
9. Thick shakes
10. Cheese
11. Ice cream

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Wikipedia defines osteopathy as an approach to healthcare that emphasizes the role of the musculoskeletal system in health and disease. This practice was created in the 1800s in the US by a man named, Andrew Taylor Still. He began a school, which is today called A.T. Still University in Missouri.

There are eight key principles in osteopathy:

1. The body is a unit.
2. Structure and function are reciprocally inter-related.
3. The body possesses self-regulatory mechanisms.
4. The body has the inherent capacity to defend and repair itself.
5. When the normal adaptability is disrupted, or when environmental changes overcome the body’s capacity for self-maintenance, disease may ensue.
6. The movement of body fluids is essential to the maintenance of health.
7. The nerves play a crucial part in controlling the fluids of the body.
8. There are somatic components to disease that are not only manifestations of disease, but also are factors that contribute to maintenance of the disease state.

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While so called natural, or alternative treatments for dystonia can be helpful, they should always be used in conjuncture with conventional medicine. In any treatment plan the body, mind, and emotions should all be focused on, making sure that not only the body is getting therapy and medicine of some sort, but the person does not feel hopeless and keep their spirits as high as possible. You must also make sure you find a doctor that you feel comfortable with, and is very experienced and well-trained. Medical treatments for dystonia have improved in recent years, due very much to how responsive patients have been to botulinium toxin injections (Botox), and deep brain stimulation. Surgery is also an option, but it is usually not considered except for certain types of dystonia, and if all other treatments have failed.

There are also many effective drugs that are commonly used for dystonia, mainly drugs that affect the neurotransmitter chemicals.These are broken up into a few main groups:

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We are trying to provide information in several different ways and through many vehicles.We hope that this information and connections are helpful for you.

The are connections here for support groups, research foundations, information, articles, caregiving, traditional treatments and natural treatments. These take the form of books, web sites and community contributions on specific types of Dystonia.

Highly recommended resources

Find a Dystonia Healthcare Professional

This web page provided by the Dystonia Foundation is a great resource for finding Medical Professionals that indicate they have an understanding of Dystonia.

Dystonia Foundation

Founded in 1976, the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation (DMRF) is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to serving all people with dystonia and their families. They have been very helpful with Noah and Alexis.

Dopa Responsive Dystonia Group

This group has information about the type of Dystonia that Alexis and Noah have.

This is the form of Dystonia that Noah and Alexis have. Retta has a lot of information and understanding to share about this type of Dystonia.

Books

The Books section has information about books related to Dystonia, Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorders.

Web Resources

The Web Resouces section has information about web pages and web sites  related to Dystonia, Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorders. These sites have information, support groups or are for research foundations.

Types of Dystonia

These are various groups that you can join to share information about specific types of Dystonia.  These include:

• Dopa-responsive dystonia
• Alcohol-responsive myoclonic dystonia
• Blepharospasm
• Cervical dystonia
• Generalised dystonia
• Hemifacial spasm
• Orofacial-buccal dystonia
• Oromandibular dystonia
• Spasmodic dysphonia
• Writer's cramp

If you have an interest, understanding or knowledge about any of these types of Dystonia, we would encourage you to join the community and contribute to everyones understanding. Joining is free and allows you to contribute and receive notifications about specific items if you want. We never spam or provide your information to third parties.

If there are other types that you would consider relevant and of interest, just let us know.

We are committed to making this site relevant and helpful for people dealing with Dystonia and related Movement Disorders. We have just begun a major effort to improve this site to do just that. We hope that it is helpful.

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