Question: I have a question regarding differential diagnosis specifically utilizing electromyographpy (EMG, a test that measures the electrical activity of muscles at rest and during contraction). I am 63 with a family history of stenosis. I have low back pain, sometimes radiating diagonally to the hip/thigh region and increasing in intensity, leading to sudden inability to rise from sitting to …
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Understanding the Approach of a New Primary Care Doctor
Question: My physician retired, and my new primary care doctor is “reevaluating” everything. I am nervous because he is questioning my medications, and I am not sure he understands my history. Can you help me understand his approach and offer assuring advice as he and I get to know each other? I am especially concerned about my new doctor’s making …
Are There Any Nutritional Issues Specifically for Polio Survivors, Specific Dietary Needs or Concerns, or Any Beneficial Supplements?
Question: Are there any nutritional issues that polio survivors should pay special attention to? Are there any particular dietary needs or concerns? Any supplements that are beneficial? Answer: There are several important nutritional issues for people who had polio. No other issue is more important to good health than optimal nutrition, and no other is more controversial and little studied …
Is There a Connection Between Weak Leg Muscles and Using Toes More to Walk?
Question: As my leg muscles become weaker, I notice that now I use my toes more than my whole foot when I walk. A polio friend of mine has made the same observation about his method of walking. Is this coincidence or is there a connection between weak leg muscles and using toes more to walk? GARY FREDERICKS Answer: The …
Do “Cures” for PPS Have Any Beneficial Ingredients that May Help Us?
Question: I have seen advertisements for products that claim to “cure” PPS. From all I know, there is no cure. Do these products have any beneficial ingredients that may help us? Answer: One must always be skeptical of anything advertised as a “cure” for PPS, because it is a condition that almost certainly has many causes. Most advertised products are …
Can I Regain Some Muscle Mass and Strength Through Exercise?
Question: I read with great interest the question and answer about knees collapsing in the in the Vol. 26, No. 2 (www.post-polio.org/ edu/pphnews/pph26-2sp10p7.pdf). I had polio at age 1. I’m told that I made a full recovery and that our local doctor used me as an example of a “miraculous” recovery. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, I am …
Is Post-Polio Syndrome Life-Threatening, Will the Effects Intensify, and Does it Affect the Brain’s Ability to Function in Speech, Sight, and Thought Processes?
Question: Often we polio survivors have very few options that are helpful in understanding our circumstances and what direction to take. Thank you for being available to provide this important service. Here is my question in three parts. When I read The Polio Paradox by Richard L. Bruno, PhD, he assured us that post-polio syndrome (PPS) is not life threatening. …
Testosterone Replacement and Post-Polio Syndrome; Is Post-Polio Syndrome Life-Threatening
Question: I am a male age 60 who contracted polio at age six months and Guillain-Barré syndrome at age 40. I was diagnosed with post-polio syndrome at age 55. Four weeks ago I had testosterone pellets implanted when I found out I had a major testosterone deficiency. What happened four weeks later, as reported to my naturopathic doctor who prescribed …
Should I “Save My Strength”, and Save it for What?
Question: I am 69 and had polio in my right foot when I was 20 months old. I have had tendon transplants, heel cord lengthening surgery, and some toes fused. I wore a short leg brace following surgeries when I was eight years old at Warm Springs in Georgia. I had five children and have always been active, e.g., marched …
Polio Survivors and H1N1
Question: I have concerns regarding the H1N1 vaccine. Are polio survivors considered an at-risk group? Answer: Based on my reading of current public health updates, people who had polio earlier in life are NOT considered ‘high-risk’ for developing H1N1 flu. I suggest that you consider receiving the vaccine when it is available to the general public, if you are a …