RE: Re: re:FREE Therapy treatment - hoax?

[Guest guest]

Re: Joy's & Jade's (Jess) messages.

I would like to correct the impression that the therapy I am offering (free to the participants of the achalasia case history group) is alternative IT IS NOT, you could say complimentary if you wish. By the way, there is nothing mystical, magical, spiritual, religious, no mysterious energy and so on in this therapy and you don't have to believe in it either.

Also I don't claim that everyone can be cured by some sort of miracle therapy, just that some (the proportion remains to be seen) may recover with this one.

There is no question of divergence from the conventionally held opinion about the physiology of swallowing and digestion, which is controlled by the autonomic nervous system (Although no one seems to want to know this, they stop corresponding with me when I mention it except for some exceptional ones).

This is the question: Is Achalasia caused by the autonomic nervous system malfunctioning or is it degeneration of the tissues of the muscles and nerves that serve the oesophagus and LES? There could be sufferers with 'A' with either reason or even very unfortunate ones with both.

If it is a malfunction by the ANS I am saying we can possibly treat it in the majority of cases, if it is neural tissue degeneration then most probably not. Only yesterday we had a message from lin who has had 'A' for 30 years and is still swallowing, no surgery so if she has tissue degeneration it is very, very, very slow.

Your LES is not opened by a reflex action (Reflex arc) this is something peripheral muscle do via the spinal cord, the LES is opened by the ANS and is a deliberate action over which we have no control, so if the ANS malfunctions it stays shut or opens partially or opens at unpredictable times. This is all medical fact.

The only answer is to treat some clinically diagnosed sufferers of achalasia, as I am not asking for any money and not being paid $??????? for performing an operation with a somewhat uncertain outcome. I am certainly not against surgery as I pointed out to Joy if I had blocked arteries and needed a bypass, of course that is a straightforward decision but the myotomy/wrap is not so straightforward as you all know.

This is all part of a larger question about those diseases that have no curative treatment, IBS and similar, ALS (Motor Neurone), MS, Scleroderma and so on, does achalasia deserve to be included in this group, probably even though it is not usually life threatening. It is interesting however as it is localised, and straightforward in that if it goes there is a definite result.

There are other swallowing difficulties with more definite causes, someone mentioned scleroderma which one of my patients has, information from their group discounts a link to achalasia as it is the thickening of the tissue that stops them swallowing. We polled the group and asked scleroderma specialists and they are of the opinion that there is no link so if you are worried abut achalasia developing into scleroderma it is extremely unlikely. Of course other illnesses have other causes for swallowing problems.

I am not suggesting that any sufferer should not have surgery, it may be the only option and if anyone feels it is their best option please go ahead.

If there is anyone in the UK reading this and wants to join in the case history group and try the treatment (at no charge) please contact me. Tell: 01202 821 229 or 0776 176 4812

Naturally if the outcome of the free trial case histories are successful then I/we will be charging normal fees.

Best wishes to all you sufferers out there,

Bernard

Re: re:FREE Therapy treatment - hoax?

Hi Joy,As someone who agonized about going the surgical route but finally came to the realization (with much help from reading the postings AND the links which are part of this group as pary of my decision making process) that surgery was the best viable solution for me, I understand your desire to seek alternative paths. I sought out treatment for both an accupunturist and an aruvedya specialists before I had surgery. Neither of these treatment paths were successful. However, it gave me piece of mind that I was following the proper chain of events for myself. Perhaps you need to explore this massage option for similar reasons.Gayle - In achalasia , "Joy" <q.t@s...> wrote:> > > This was posted back on the 2nd of September and nobody seemed to > > post any follow-up posts to it. I did correspond to Mr. Bernard > > Elliott- and he will be in Calgary, CA soon......but I am not > > sure if it is worth postponing my scheduled surgery and making > > several very long distance drives. Has anyone tried anything like > > this? He clarifies it to be "Four sessions of a hands-on gentle > > therapy (A sort of supercharged physiotherapy but without > > manipulation) including some anxiety control techniques, each > session > > of about one and a half hours, spaced approximately a week apart. > > Joy (in Michigan)> > > > Here is the original post........> > Hello to any suffers of achalasia,> > > > I am a qualified physical therapist and strongly believe we have > the > > technique to bring relief from achalasia, by adjusting part of the > > autonomic nervous system.> > > > The treatment will consists of gentle movements over the skin and > is > > painless and non invasive, it will probably require 3 or 4 sessions > > of an hour to an hour and a half.> > > > I am looking for 5 to 10 achalasia suffers that would like to try > the > > treatement free of charge, to be part of a test group.> > > > If you can travel to the Bournemouth area in Southern England I > will > > treat you, as stated, without any charge.> > > > There are NO purchases to be made! You do not need to buy anything > at > > all to coincide with the treatment that I will give, and any > existing > > medication can be continued.> > > > The session will need to be spaced out with a gap of about seven > days > > between each one.> > > > Anyone wishing to enter into a correspondence about this or would > > like to know more can contact me on besmith49@h...> > > > Bernard Elliott-> > A.B.A.A

[Guest guest]

Gayle,

Hoax or not I am going to correct you; our therapy is not massage, and nothing to do with acupuncture or ayurverdic medicine however good these might be.

Bernard.

Re: re:FREE Therapy treatment - hoax?

Hi Joy,As someone who agonized about going the surgical route but finally came to the realization (with much help from reading the postings AND the links which are part of this group as pary of my decision making process) that surgery was the best viable solution for me, I understand your desire to seek alternative paths. I sought out treatment for both an accupunturist and an aruvedya specialists before I had surgery. Neither of these treatment paths were successful. However, it gave me piece of mind that I was following the proper chain of events for myself. Perhaps you need to explore this massage option for similar reasons.Gayle - In achalasia , "Joy" <q.t@s...> wrote:> > > This was posted back on the 2nd of September and nobody seemed to > > post any follow-up posts to it. I did correspond to Mr. Bernard > > Elliott- and he will be in Calgary, CA soon......but I am not > > sure if it is worth postponing my scheduled surgery and making > > several very long distance drives. Has anyone tried anything like > > this? He clarifies it to be "Four sessions of a hands-on gentle > > therapy (A sort of supercharged physiotherapy but without > > manipulation) including some anxiety control techniques, each > session > > of about one and a half hours, spaced approximately a week apart. > > Joy (in Michigan)> > > > Here is the original post........> > Hello to any suffers of achalasia,> > > > I am a qualified physical therapist and strongly believe we have > the > > technique to bring relief from achalasia, by adjusting part of the > > autonomic nervous system.> > > > The treatment will consists of gentle movements over the skin and > is > > painless and non invasive, it will probably require 3 or 4 sessions > > of an hour to an hour and a half.> > > > I am looking for 5 to 10 achalasia suffers that would like to try > the > > treatement free of charge, to be part of a test group.> > > > If you can travel to the Bournemouth area in Southern England I > will > > treat you, as stated, without any charge.> > > > There are NO purchases to be made! You do not need to buy anything > at > > all to coincide with the treatment that I will give, and any > existing > > medication can be continued.> > > > The session will need to be spaced out with a gap of about seven > days > > between each one.> > > > Anyone wishing to enter into a correspondence about this or would > > like to know more can contact me on besmith49@h...> > > > Bernard Elliott-> > A.B.A.A

[Guest guest]

Bernard

wrote:

This

is the question: Is Achalasia caused by the autonomic nervous system

malfunctioning or is it degeneration of the tissues of the muscles and

nerves that serve the oesophagus and LES? There could be sufferers

with 'A' with either reason or even very unfortunate ones with

both.

I don't think there is much doubt that damage to the vagus nerve or even

in the brain could cause the LES to malfunction. Even though the vagus

nerve runs outside the spine there are neural circuits that also connect

the esophagus to the spine. So, there could be a number of ways to cause

the LES to malfunction.

I was just sharing some information a few days ago here, about nerve

damage and damage to interstitial cells of Cajal from a blockage in the

gut. I have to wonder if no mater how the LES starts to malfunction that

if it begins to act as a site of blockage that nerve damage may result,

such that the damage at the LES will by itself then cause the LES to fail

to relax. Just a thought and I am not saying that fixing a problem away

from the LES can't help, at least in some cases. Probably the sooner the

better though.

If

it is a malfunction by the ANS I am saying we can possibly treat it in

the majority of cases, if it is neural tissue degeneration then most

probably not. Only yesterday we had a message from lin who has had

'A' for 30 years and is still swallowing, no surgery so if she has tissue

degeneration it is very, very, very slow.

I am one of these people. I had definite symptoms

about 30 years ago, and possible symptoms 40 years ago. About 30 years

ago until about a year ago my symptoms very slowly became more frequent

and severe. It seems like something was developing or degenerating very

slowly. Why not neural degeneration? Can that only happen quickly?

Consider Alzheimer's.

Anyway, I hope you can fix some of these people and that science can

learn from it.

notan

[Guest guest]

Joy,

Please calm down, I have not asked you to drive the 500 miles, if the circumstances warranted it I would drive 500 miles to you. There is no mystery about our therapy but it cannot be explained in just a few words, a few words are "a gentle hands on therapy". I can explain how to play the piano in a few minutes, much good it would do you if you sat down to play a tune.

I asked you a question in my last message and said that I wanted to know how much you knew about the physiology ( the workings) of swallowing and what you knew about the autonomic nervous system. You didn't reply but instead chose to vent your anxiety and anger on the message board, this is what sufferers with 'A' do, is it any wonder I proceed cautiously?

In public I am telling you I want nothing from you, no money whatsoever, there is no scam, it is a viable therapy.

You are not being a guinea pig, all that is in doubt is the interpretation of the cause of achalasia, the therapy will make you feel better but whether you will make a complete recovery from achalasia we shall have to find out.

For all the rest of your here are my e-mails to Joy, I think it best that I shut up now if anyone wants to contact me then OK

Anyway good luck in the future,

Bernard

Joy,

I have answered your questions below and quite understand your concern about not wanting to make a long journey etc. but if you want to have a complete picture there are certain medical fundamentals that need to be understood. Just how much have you been told about the physiology of what controls your digestive system, do you know what opens your LES, has anyone told you anything about the autonomic nervous system - have you researched this?

Anyway if you have not been told or have not researched these, you need to know some information in order to make an informed decision, whether you decide to have surgery or not. But as I mentioned before most sufferers back off when they get to this point, anyway you can ask me if you do want more information.

There is no charge for the treatment, as we are conducting research and treating case histories to prove our technique also our analysis of the reason for the majority(?) of achalasia cases.

There is nothing mystical or spiritual/religious in the therapy as it is based upon sound anatomical principles, you don't have to 'believe' there is no 'energy field' brought down from goodness knows where.

Four sessions of a hands-on gentle therapy (A sort of supercharged physiotherapy but without manipulation) including some anxiety control techniques, each session of about one and a half hours, spaced approximately a week apart. Maybe more but after four sessions the results should be good enough to want to continue, but normally four is plenty, this is not a come every month for 25 years sort of thing.

No machine involved, no selling involved, nothing to buy. The therapy cannot harm it only helps and whatever the outcome a patient will at the very least feel better in themselves.

Have had quite a few patients with swallowing difficulties, who originally came for other reasons (Neck/shoulder pain etc.) the swallowing difficulty went away, as far as I can tell, permanently, which is what I would expect.

None were clinically diagnosed as having achalasia, we didn't know about it so we didn't ask, hence the idea of collecting the data and treating case histories of clinically diagnosed patients. Our experience gives us a pretty good idea of cause and effect, and what effect the therapy has on what parts of the body's systems even if we have not treated that specific disease before.

I quite understand your anxiety and would never ask you to do anything, like cancelling surgery, however I believe the doubt about surgery is already in your mind as I think you know the outcome is not a certain cure, and there is a possibility of harmful and maybe long term effects so naturally you are worried.

We are not alternative therapists but complimentary therapists, we work alongside allopathic (Mainstream medicine) and what we do is based on conventional anatomy and physiology like a physiotherapist. We never tell patients not to have surgery or not to take their prescribed medicine, but surgery is sometimes not such a clear option so a patient is entitled to the chance to hold back and gain as much information as they can.

For example if I had blocked arteries I would not hesitate to have a bypass, or a very infected appendix which I would have removed. These are clear cut cases and easily decided, the upside far outweighs the downside but in some other circumstances, especially where the nervous system is involved the issues and the results are not so clear and neither is the upside, plus there maybe be a significant downside which needs thinking about very carefully.

Whatever you decide to do Joy you have my very best wishes for a good outcome and an end to your achalasia.

Best regards

Bernard

Hello Joy,

How distressing it must have been for you, 33 years of swallowing difficulty with all that pain and worry not to mention how uncomfortable and embarrassing it can be, plus as you have found out no one is quite certain what to do about it.

I would use a combination of three therapies to deal with this, especially with such a long standing condition as yours, I won't go into all the whys and wherefores as usually I lose my audience then. I will lay the situation out as I see it, sometimes sufferers take offence at this but I guess after 33 years you want to know as much as possible.

The base line is that there are two schools of thought on this, one is that there is irreparable degenerative deterioration of the muscle tissue and or the neural tissue supplying the muscles of a part of the digestive tract, in your case the oesophagus and LES. This may be so but so far I have seen no actual confirming evidence of this, but I am not saying that it is definitely not correct.

The second school of thought is that it is not the tissue that is deteriorating but that it is the nervous system malfunctioning i.e. it is not doing what it should when it should, this could occur for several reasons. Could it do this for 33 years? Yes I think it could (There is another load of information about this subject). Therefore in the second scenario and if the muscle and or neural tissue has not deteriorated to a point where it can no longer function or repair itself in order to function properly, then I believe there is a good chance of treating the condition successfully without surgery even after a long period of time. The muscle tissue may have become flaccid.(atony) due to under use but that is not irreversible cellular damage and would just mean that full recovery would be delayed until the muscle reaches it's normal tone.

Of course there maybe sufferers for either scenario for various reasons, but if some people recover and avoid surgery then I believe that this is worth pursuing, if I am proved correct those who recover will be in the majority.

So if you can wait until I come to North America (Actually Ottawa, Canada - I will know when after the 15th September) and try our technique that would be best. In a worst case scenario it would only make you more relaxed and relieve your symptoms somewhat.

If you want to discus anything about the above in more detail please let me know.

Kind regards

Bernard

Hello Joy,

I am not a Doctor but a physical therapist, I don't know another therapist with the techique.

It is non invasive, no drugs and an achalasia sufferer can continue with the medication their doctor has prescribed.

I hope to be in the USA within a couple on months, if that is of interest to you.

Can you tell me a bit about the person suffering from achalasia please?

Kind regards

Bernard Elliott-

Re: re:FREE Therapy treatment - hoax?

I just wish I had a clearer understanding of what exactly it is that is done during the treatment. I just don't like the "unknown" treatment part...THAT is what seems very questionable to me. If I was told what the plan was being attempted for what desired outcome.....then I am fine with that and can accept the chances. I even am a risk taker. I was a guinnea pig for the NIH as a child as I was an extreme sufferer of hives. Partaking in studies with unknown outcomes doesn't bother me. Side story: While I was trying to solicit a subject from the renaisance group on the internet who was interested in getting married to covere the costs only of a gown that I would sew for them if they would allow me to show it in a sewing competition....everyone thought I was a scam artists; that no seamstress would sew for FREE. So, I have learned not to discount people just because their agenda may sound unbelievable. But......Without having a clearer idea of what exactly the plan is....it is all so vague....it does rather sound like somehow there must be a scam involved.....like the internet deal where the guy needs YOU to help him to get money out of his dead fathers band account in Africa or something. Now, I am NOT saying you are a scam artist, just trying to say that I REALLY DO WANT YOU TO BE SUCCESSFUL but I am incredibly uncomfortable without knowing what the heck it is you plan to actually do........manipulate the spine, massage something, put me in a trance, what? There is no way my husband is driving me over 500 miles to meet a stranger that hasn't told me what they are planning to do.Joy (in Michigan)

[Guest guest]

Bernard,

Please do tell about your ideas. I am very

interested and have done a lot of research on the ENS and find the innervation of the esophagus quite fascinating. You might

be surprised to find how many members of the audience stick around. You wouldn’t

loose your audience with me. I don’t understand everything I research,

but am always open to new ideas/theories.

I have already had surgery. In light of

this, do you think it possible for your therapy to work to restore functional peristalsis?

Do you think that anxiety plays a role in either the possible degenerative

deterioration of the muscle tissue or the malfunctioning nervous system?

I would love to hear more.

Sandi in No CA

Re: Re:

re:FREE Therapy treatment - hoax?

Joy,

Please calm down, I have not asked

you to drive the 500 miles, if the circumstances warranted it I would drive

500 miles to you. There is no mystery about our therapy but it cannot be

explained in just a few words, a few words are " a gentle hands on

therapy " . I can explain how to play the piano in a few minutes, much good

it would do you if you sat down to play a tune.

I asked you a question in my last

message and said that I wanted to know how much you knew about the physiology (

the workings) of swallowing and what you knew about the autonomic nervous

system. You didn't reply but instead chose to vent your anxiety and anger on

the message board, this is what sufferers with 'A' do, is it any wonder I proceed

cautiously?

In public I am

telling you I want nothing from you, no money whatsoever, there is no

scam, it is a viable therapy.

You are not being a guinea pig, all

that is in doubt is the interpretation of the cause of achalasia, the therapy

will make you feel better but whether you will make a complete recovery from

achalasia we shall have to find out.

For all the rest of your here are my

e-mails to Joy, I think it best that I shut up now if anyone wants to contact

me then OK

Anyway good luck in the future,

Bernard

Joy,

I have

answered your questions below and quite understand your concern about not

wanting to make a long journey etc. but if you want to have a complete picture

there are certain medical fundamentals that need to be understood. Just how

much have you been told about the physiology of what controls your digestive

system, do you know what opens your LES, has anyone told you anything

about the autonomic nervous system - have you researched this?

Anyway

if you have not been told or have not researched these, you need to know

some information in order to make an informed decision, whether you decide to

have surgery or not. But as I mentioned before most sufferers back off

when they get to this point, anyway you can ask me if you do want more

information.

There

is no charge for the treatment, as we are conducting research and treating case

histories to prove our technique also our analysis of the reason for the

majority(?) of achalasia cases.

There

is nothing mystical or spiritual/religious in the therapy as it is based upon

sound anatomical principles, you don't have to 'believe' there is no 'energy

field' brought down from goodness knows where.

Four

sessions of a hands-on gentle therapy (A sort of supercharged physiotherapy but

without manipulation) including some anxiety control techniques, each session

of about one and a half hours, spaced approximately a week apart. Maybe more

but after four sessions the results should be good enough to want to continue,

but normally four is plenty, this is not a come every month for 25 years sort

of thing.

No

machine involved, no selling involved, nothing to buy. The therapy cannot harm

it only helps and whatever the outcome a patient will at the very least feel

better in themselves.

Have

had quite a few patients with swallowing difficulties, who originally came for

other reasons (Neck/shoulder pain etc.) the swallowing difficulty went away, as

far as I can tell, permanently, which is what I would expect.

None

were clinically diagnosed as having achalasia, we didn't know about it so

we didn't ask, hence the idea of collecting the data and treating case

histories of clinically diagnosed patients. Our experience gives us a pretty

good idea of cause and effect, and what effect the therapy has on what parts of

the body's systems even if we have not treated that specific disease before.

I quite

understand your anxiety and would never ask you to do anything, like cancelling

surgery, however I believe the doubt about surgery is already in your mind as I

think you know the outcome is not a certain cure, and there is a possibility of

harmful and maybe long term effects so naturally you are worried.

We are

not alternative therapists but complimentary therapists, we work alongside

allopathic (Mainstream medicine) and what we do is based on conventional

anatomy and physiology like a physiotherapist. We never tell

patients not to have surgery or not to take their prescribed medicine, but

surgery is sometimes not such a clear option so a patient is entitled to the

chance to hold back and gain as much information as they can.

For

example if I had blocked arteries I would not hesitate to have a bypass, or a

very infected appendix which I would have removed. These are clear cut

cases and easily decided, the upside far outweighs the downside but in some

other circumstances, especially where the nervous system is involved the

issues and the results are not so clear and neither is the upside, plus

there maybe be a significant downside which needs thinking about very

carefully.

Whatever

you decide to do Joy you have my very best wishes for a good outcome and an end

to your achalasia.

Best

regards

Bernard

Hello Joy,

How distressing it must

have been for you, 33 years of swallowing difficulty with all that pain and

worry not to mention how uncomfortable and embarrassing it can be, plus as you

have found out no one is quite certain what to do about it.

I would use a combination

of three therapies to deal with this, especially with such a long standing

condition as yours, I won't go into all the whys and wherefores as usually I

lose my audience then. I will lay the situation out as I see it, sometimes

sufferers take offence at this but I guess after 33 years you want to know as

much as possible.

The base line is that

there are two schools of thought on this, one is that there is

irreparable degenerative deterioration of the muscle tissue and or

the neural tissue supplying the muscles of a part of the digestive tract,

in your case the oesophagus and LES. This may be so but so far I have seen no

actual confirming evidence of this, but I am not saying that it is

definitely not correct.

The second school of

thought is that it is not the tissue that is deteriorating but that it is the

nervous system malfunctioning i.e. it is not doing what it should when it

should, this could occur for several reasons. Could it do this for 33 years?

Yes I think it could (There is another load of information about this subject).

Therefore in the second scenario and if the muscle and or

neural tissue has not deteriorated to a point where it can no longer function

or repair itself in order to function properly, then I believe there is a good

chance of treating the condition successfully without surgery even after a long

period of time. The muscle tissue may have become flaccid.(atony) due to under

use but that is not irreversible cellular damage and would just mean that full

recovery would be delayed until the muscle reaches it's normal tone.

Of course there maybe

sufferers for either scenario for various reasons, but if some people recover

and avoid surgery then I believe that this is worth pursuing, if

I am proved correct those who recover will be in the majority.

So if you can wait until

I come to North America (Actually Ottawa, Canada - I will know when after

the 15th September) and try our technique that would be best. In a worst case

scenario it would only make you more relaxed and relieve your symptoms

somewhat.

If you want to discus

anything about the above in more detail please let me know.

Kind regards

Bernard

Hello Joy,

I am not a Doctor but a

physical therapist, I don't know another therapist with the techique.

It is non invasive, no

drugs and an achalasia sufferer can continue with the medication their doctor

has prescribed.

I hope to be in the USA

within a couple on months, if that is of interest to you.

Can you tell me a bit

about the person suffering from achalasia please?

Kind regards

Bernard Elliott-

Re: re:FREE Therapy treatment - hoax?

I just wish I had a clearer understanding of what

exactly it is that

is done during the treatment. I just don't

like the " unknown "

treatment part...THAT is what seems very

questionable to me. If I

was told what the plan was being attempted for

what desired

outcome.....then I am fine with that and can

accept the chances. I

even am a risk taker. I was a guinnea pig

for the NIH as a child as

I was an extreme sufferer of hives.

Partaking in studies with

unknown outcomes doesn't bother me.

Side story: While I was trying to solicit a

subject from the

renaisance group on the internet who was

interested in getting

married to covere the costs only of a gown that I

would sew for them

if they would allow me to show it in a sewing

competition....everyone

thought I was a scam artists; that no seamstress

would sew for FREE.

So, I have learned not to discount people

just because their agenda

may sound unbelievable. But......

Without having a clearer idea of what exactly the

plan is....it is

all so vague....it does rather sound like somehow

there must be a

scam involved.....like the internet deal where the

guy needs YOU to

help him to get money out of his dead fathers band

account in Africa

or something. Now, I am NOT

saying you are a scam artist, just

trying to say that I REALLY DO WANT YOU TO BE

SUCCESSFUL but I am

incredibly uncomfortable without knowing what the

heck it is you plan

to actually do........manipulate the spine,

massage something, put me

in a trance, what? There is no way my

husband is driving me over 500

miles to meet a stranger that hasn't told me what

they are planning

to do.

Joy (in Michigan)