THE
Hi Everyone,
Those present at the March 20th
meeting were:
The guest speaker for this meeting
was
At the March 20th
meeting, Henry Maciejewski mentioned that he has been
the treasurer of this group for 14 years and would now like to step down and
have someone else take over. We had a vote and
NOTE: As was
mentioned in our March newsletter, this will be the last newsletter going out
to the 300 plus people on our list. It has become too expensive to mail these
out as the postal rates are increasing. If you haven’t paid your $10.00 dues
for the year 2001, and have not contacted
Book Review by
I would like to
have found this book lacking in some respect, because then I could have written
a really funny review panning the author's deficiencies.I
could flail away at the illustrations, which are not very helpful (including
one of a young lady demonstrating a comfortable position for sexual relations),
but the simple truth is that the book is superb. Those of you who know me
well can confirm that I am a child of the Great Depression and not one to spend
money frivolously. Therefore, the following true story will demonstrate the
height of my regard for
I have had to find
a new general practice doctor because the one I had moved out of town. I had
read about two thirds of the book's 304 pages when I arrived for the first time
at the office of the new man who is quite young (They all seem to be young
lately). I was pleased to learn that he had been exposed to the word Polio in
med school and was somewhat familiar with Post-Polio Syndrome. Nevertheless, I
thought, after talking with him for about twenty minutes that if he was going
to be looking after my good health he should know how my well-being depends on
his understanding of how Polio continues to affect me. I exacted his promise
to read
While the book is
organized so that you can go directly to a chapter that deals with a specific
symptom or remedy that may worry you, I recommend that you start with the
foreword by
The book has the obligatory chapter that describes Polio, its
history, the Epidemics, and the vaccines. So, also, is there a chapter
describing Post-Polio Syndrome and how it gained belated recognition in the
medical community. There is a chapter about how to find a "Polio
Doctor", which is interesting and informative, but after fifteen years'
association with our support group the surest way to get a first rate
"Polio Doctor" would be to move to
Now, Some Polio Network News -
General Information letter for Polio Survivors: Why are “old polios” who were stable for years now losing function? What should
they do about it? By
The basic problem
is that polio destroyed some of the nerve cells that activate the muscles. To
the extent possible, the neurological system responded by having the remaining
nerves adopt the muscle fibers that had lost their original nerve supply. This
meant that nerve cells now had a demand much greater than normal. While this
was an effective solution initially, the passage of time (30+ years, usually)
has taught us that overuse can be destructive. As a result, these secondary
nerves are wearing out with resulting muscle loss, i.e., post-polio syndrome.
Post-polio muscle
strength is commonly over estimated as the usual test depends on manual
resistance by the examiner. In addition, polio survivors mask their disability
by clever use of their normal control and normal position sense to substitute
for missing musculature.
The apparent
abrupt loss in function relates to two functions. One is the buffer zone
present in all of our physiological systems which enables
them to accept strain for a considerable time, but once the buffer limits are
exceeded, the loss is very prominent. Secondly, activities such as walking or
lifting objects present fixed mechanical demands. As long as the person’s
muscle strength exceeds that demand, he/she can continue to perform as usual
but with earlier fatigue. When the strength goes below the essential limit,
suddenly that function is lost.
Recent research on
the course of muscle strength over time in persons over age 50 years showed a
normal average decline of 1% per year, but for post-polio survivors the rate
was 2% per year. The rate of change is so subtle that a four-year study was
needed for a measurable change. Also, the weaker “polios” experienced greater
functional loss. The latter fact appeared to indicate strength training by
exercise would deter the process. However, retesting this group of polio
survivors at eight years and adding muscle analysis told a different story. The
muscle fibers were hypertrophied, twice normal size, not atrophic. The person
with the greatest strength loss also had the greatest hypertrophy. MRI
recordings showed areas of muscle loss and fatty replacement. The source of the
visible muscle atrophy is muscle fiber loss secondary to nerve fiber overuse
failure. These findings confirm the need for a saving program rather than
challenging exercise.
The advantage of having
had polio rather than another disability is that it allowed one to resume a
very active and profitable life for many years. Now it is necessary to
recognize that excessive strain was being experienced and that lifestyles must
be changed to accommodate this situation.
Be an “intelligent
Hypochondriac”- Listen to your body and adopt a program that avoids the strain.
At the
If anyone has anything
-- news, information, etc. that they would like to be put into the next
newsletter, please contact me by e-mail. NOTE CHANGE. scalvaneso@hotmail.com,
and I would be happy to insert it. Please expect the next newsletter somewhere
around the beginning of September 2001.
Recording Secretary