ANALYSIS OF APPLICATION OF SU JOK THERAPY METHOD IN TREATMENT OF LOGONEUROSES IN CHILDREN

Drs. I.P.Smirnova, chief physician, Kaliningrad Centre of Su Jok therapy, V.L.Voitanik, physician, Kaliningrad Centre of Su Jok therapy

Neurology gives the following official definition of stammering: "Stammering is a neurosis, in which there are disturbances of smoothness, coherency of speech resulting from spasmodic movements that arise in the muscles responsible for the act of speech. Non-related to speech movements of these muscles in a stammering individual have a normal performance. Most often, this pathology appears at the age of four to eight."

During four years in our Centre 59 patients underwent Su Jok therapy (SJT) for stammering, the majority of them (thirty eight) were pre-school children (64.41%). We referred them to age group I (4 to 7 years). Age group II (7 to 16 years) comprised 28.81% of treated patients (seventeen patients), and age group III (over 16 years) - the least numerous - four patients (6.78%) (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Age structure of treated logoneurotic patients

All clinical cases demonstrated a clear-cut dependence of a logoneurosis from negative emotions. First of all, these are fright, psychic trauma, stress. In twenty three logoneurotic patients of the Centre (39% treated) such a stressful factor contributed to an acute development of the disease. Thirty six patients (61%) could not indicate a clear cause and date of the appearance of the problem, noting several traumatic emotional factors that had taken place at different time, sometimes rather remotely from the onset of the disease. Systemic pedagogic mistakes of the parents, relatives and friends of the family, of neighbours, kindergarten and school teachers would also lead to development of this problem.

Evaluating the energy state of the patients, we have come to the conclusion that one of the basic causal energy in all the sufferers was Coldness (Fear at the emotional level). Often, collecting a medical history, one learned that some of the child's close relative had a similar speech defect. Possibly, this emotional problem is inherited by a child at the energy level. Modern science has failed to reveal any genetic inheritance of stammering.

In about 60% of children observed in our Centre traumatic factors during the intrauterine period have been revealed: threatened abortion on the background of toxaemia in mother, ARVI during pregnancy, foetal hypoxia. These factors can also be related to the pathogenic influence of Coldness (Fear), which was often consolidated in the child's energy constitution.

It is well-known, that there is a correlation between the growing signs of stammer and progressive systematic stress in the family, during contacts with other children, at pre-school institutions, at school. So, special attention in treating logoneuroses was paid to a comprehensive conversation with the child's parents, his or her teachers. It is necessary that during treatment disease-provocative factors should be minimised or excluded (family conflicts, mockery of other children, pedagogic mistakes of teachers). As pointed above, stressful events bring the pathogenic energy of Coldness (Fear) to the child, which is destructive for his spiritual and emotional sphere and might lead to other Coldness-related diseases. The second place after the Fear energy in the constitution of treated children was taken by the energy of Sadness. It was manifested in the children's appearance either explicitly (AH-Sadness), or implicitly (UM-Sadness). Almost all children that were coming for therapy had a characteristically sad and dreary look. Interviews with parents revealed that children often cry, can be withdrawn, reluctant to mix with other children. Not infrequently, these emotions had been provoked by the child's near ones (excessive parental austerity, harsh shouts, threats, kicks, humiliation, etc.)

Analysis of mistakes made by parents in upbringing children suffering from a logoneurosis, demonstrated that most often there is lack of kindness, love and heart warmth. Some parents who "care" to improve their children, would not tire of snubbing them, make reproofs (often sharp ones) relative to their speech defects in the presence of other people, not being aware that their child is trying to speak rightly and beautifully more than anyone else. Not incidentally, tearfulness, acute psychic reactions are the concomitances of stammering.

If parental mistakes are aggravated by mockery in the community and at school, attempts of other children to mimic the speech defect, then the logoneurosis acquires a severe progressing form. Its treatment becomes much more complicated.

In a stammering child there are deficient emotional energies of Joy and Satisfaction. As is known, at the level of vital energies Joy corresponds to Heat responsible for speech. So the effect of treatment increased considerably, if tonification of Joy and Satisfaction at the level of basic emotions was supplemented by sedation of branch Fear and tonification of branch Joy and Satisfaction within the basic Heat energy (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Tonification of the unified energy of Joy on byol-chakras and of branch Joy within Heat on byol-meridians to improve speech habits

Our experience of treating logoneuroses has shown the necessity of acting on mental energies, too: sedation of Wisdom, tonification of Desire to speak and Intention to do this correctly, in the Brightness chakra structure (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Sedation of Wisdom in the Brightness byol-chakra structure in treating logoneuroses

In the groups under study there were some cases when stammer occurred in previously quite healthy and well-speaking children. For example, a boy had lost the faculty of articulate speech after a heavy stress - serious road accident. In situations like this, we used first of all the time-wave therapy, which allowed to act on the causal traumatic factor, - this always yielded a pronounced curative effect.

It is noteworthy, that prior to referring to our clinic 70% of patients tried therapies for logoneuroses in psychotherapeutic and logopedic units. The effect was either short, or absent. We think this to be a result of insufficient attention to physical, emotional and mental peculiarities of a child. In our Centre more than a half cases yielded effects as soon as after the first sessions of treating stammer. In all, a course of treatment included ten to twelve procedures given on alternate days. In thirty seven patients (62.7%) recovery was obtained after the first course. Twenty patients (33.9%) underwent a repeat course two to three months after the first one, and the third course was administered to two patients (3.4%), with the same interval (Fig. 4). On the whole, the Su Jok therapy method (SJT) demonstrated high effectiveness in treatment of logoneuroses: 41% of patients came to complete recovery, another 35.5% had an over 80% improvement, 13.5% of patients reported a sufficient improvement (by over 50%), 6% reached a slight improvement (by over 20%), and only in 4% of cases no effect was observed. (Fig. 5).

Fig. 4. Duration of Su Jok therapy for logoneuroses	Fig. 5. Effectiveness of Su Jok therapy for logoneuroses

Interestingly, the effectiveness indices in different age groups varied considerably: in age group I (4 to 7 years) therapy yielded good results in all children, in age group II (7 to 16 years) effectiveness of treatment was slightly lower, and in age group III (over 16 years old) the results were not so high. Dependence of SJT effectiveness on the age of the patients in treatment of logoneuroses and effectiveness percentage by age groups is presented in diagrams (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6. Effectiveness of Su Jok therapy for logoneuroses in three age groups

Special attention should be paid to the fact that in the overwhelming majority of cases the effect of Su Jok therapy of logoneuroses was not only fast and pronounced but also stable enough: only three patients (5%) had a recurrence of logoneuroses six or more months afterwards, as a result of recurred stressful situations.

Let us consider some clinical examples:

1. A seven-year-old girl. Complaints: grinds her teeth at night, restless sleep (often awakens, gets startled with sharp sounds), very touchy. She began to stammer as she learned to speak. At the age of eighteen months she experienced a stressful event (was frightened by a dog), having responded with intense weeping for three hours. The obstetric history reports of foetal hypoxia, labour asphyxia. She was extremely restless during her first year: often cried and slept as little as 4 to 5 hours a day. At five, she got in a road accident.

We defined the UM-Coldness constitution in the girl. Treatment began with moxibustion of the basic energy points. Then followed needling by Six Ki at the emotional level in the system of internal byol-chakras on the hands.

The first session included sedation of the basic UM-Fear energy by the antisubjugation function, sedation of branch Fear of the UM-Heat byol-chakra (controls speech), and sedation of branch Fear of the Brightness byol-chakra (Fig. 7).

Fig. 7. Sedation of individual UM-Fear and branch Fear of the UM-Heat and Brightness byol-chakras

The next day the parents reported that the girl slept well, did not grind her teeth. The second therapeutic session involved the same basic energies, but at the branch level we sedated Fear of the AH-Heat chakra (Fig. 8). By the third procedure the girl could partially control her stammering. We decided to tonify UM-Joy at the level of the basic energies, and tonify Joy of the byol-chakras of UM-Heat, UM-Hotness and Brightness. By the end of the procedure the manifestation of stammering decreased by 50%.

Fig. 8. Sedation of branch Fear of the AH-Heat byol-chakra by the antisubjugation function

In all, six therapeutic sessions were given, in the course of which the physician also discussed with the parents specific features of upbringing their child. The girl has become less touchy, sleeps well, communicates actively with other children. Her speech is free, without stammer, her school performance has improved. Her mother finds the therapeutic effect of Su Jok astonishing.

2. A five-year-old girl. Has been stammering since three. During her third year there also developed tics of the upper eyelids. Diagnosis: logoneurosis, obsessive motor neurosis. It has become known that there are continuous conflicts between the parents but, in her mother's opinion, the situation has no influence on the girl, because it has nothing to do with her (!). During pregnancy mother often had quarrels with her husband which contributed to the development of threatened abortion at 12th and 30th weeks. Since the second year of life the girl has been suffering from recurrent obstructive bronchitis that often resulted in hospital treatment. By the five years, she had developed atopic bronchial asthma. Mother and daughter often referred to the logopedist and psychotherapist. Treatment yielded no effect, on the contrary, stammering began on each syllable. The girl's medical history also reports of nocturnal incontinence of urine (rare episodes), nonmotivated fears, she used dark colours in drawings.

During the first Su Jok session the girl was scared and crying. Needling had to be ruled out. Her condition was assessed as the manifestation of the dominating unified energy of Fear. In this connection, mother was given recommendations and instructions to warm the energy points on the child's hands.

After three days of basic therapy the girl agreed to have two needles inserted, and the unified energy of Satisfaction was tonified by the rule of axes on chakras. As a result, the child began to sleep better, to articulate some words more clearly. Then the prescription was to tonify the unified energy of Satisfaction by the combined method on byol-chakras (Fig. 9), and to tonify branch emotions of Joy and Satisfaction of the byol-chakras of UM-Heat, UM-Hotness and Brightness (Fig. 10).

Fig. 9. Tonification of the unified energy of Satisfaction by the combined method on byol-chakras	Fig. 10. Tonification of the branch energies of Joy and Satisfaction of the byol-chakras of UM-Heat, UM-Hotness and Brightness

The course of treatment comprised 10 sessions with the use of needles and colour stickers on chakras. Repeated conversations with mother about upbringing the child were made. As a result, the stammering decreased approximately by 60%. The girl became more cheerful, communicative. A repeat course was scheduled 3 months after the first. But 2 months later her mother called and said the child's speech restored fully, and she was less susceptible to common colds. Later, the mother came to our Centre to improve her own psycho-emotional state.

3. A twelve-year-old boy. Stammering appeared at the age of four after a frightful event and was intensifying with stresses and mental overload. He is also troubled by involuntary movements of the head. The child was repeatedly treated at a logopedic centre, by healers. No positive dynamic was observed. The interview gave information that the boy is quick-tempered, touchy, often cries, at the same time he takes a strong interest in things that fascinate him.

The doctor defined the constitution of AH-Wind in the boy (excess AH-Coldness, AH-Wind, AH-Heat). With regard to this, the energy points were warmed up, and Six Ki treatment was given at the emotional level in the system of internal chakras: sedation of the basic AH-Fear energy by the subjugation function (Fig. 11), sedation of branch Fear of the byol-chakras of AH-Heat and UM-Coldness.

Fig. 11. Sedation of AH-Fear by the subjugation function on byol-chakras

After two sessions the head twitches decreased, stammering was less, too. From the third day on, Joy and Satisfaction of the UM-Heat and UM-Hotness byol-chakras were tonified, Fear of the AH-Wind byol-chakra was sedated by the antisubjugation function (Fig. 12). After ten sessions stammering stopped and came to manifest itself only with strong excitement. Head twitches disappeared. Recommendations were given to repeat the course six months later, if stammering persisted.

Fig. 12. Sedation of branch Fear of the AH-Wind byol-chakra by the antisubjugation function

4. A seven-year-old girl, has been suffering since August 1998 when she saw her mother die in a road accident. The girl's condition at the time of treatment (December 1999) was grave. She was withdrawn, continuously crying, stammering at every syllable, winking often. As it turned out, by the school's blackboard she was very excited, could not start speaking. At the same time, the girl demonstrated judgement as in adults, responsibility, she knew a lot of poems.

At the level of individual energies the constitution of AH-Coldness (AH-Fear) was manifested in the child. Since her grandmother remembered the date and time of the road accident, we began treatment using the time energy. In parallel, the energy points were warmed, and Six Ki treatment was given taking the constitution into account: sedation of AH-Fear by the subjugation function, tonification of AH-Joy by the combined method on byol-chakras (Fig. 13), and tonification of branch Joy and Satisfaction in the structure of the AH-Heat and Brightness byol-chakras.

Fig. 13. Tonification of the AH-Joy byol-chakra by the combined method

As soon as after the second session the girl began to articulate some sounds and syllables more clearly, stopped winking. Ten sessions were given in all, and at each of them we treated her by the time wave and considering the Six Ki constitution at the level of emotional and mental energies. To consolidate the results and prevent recurrence of stammering we also talked to the school teachers and parents of other children. After the course of treatment she could freely answer by the blackboard, stammering appeared only on rare occasions, with strong excitement. A repeat course was scheduled two months later.

Analysing our four-year experience of working with logoneuroses, we came to the following generalisations:

• Stammering, as a rule, results from manifestations of the pathogenic energy of Coldness at the emotional and mental levels.
• Treatment of stammering should begin with sedation of Fear at the emotional level, or Wisdom at the mental level.
• Tonification of the emotions of Joy and Satisfaction is an indispensable condition of successful treatment.
• Since the Heat energy is responsible for speech, the branch energy of Fear should be sedated within its structure.
• In treatment, action on the spiritual sphere is significant, which can be effected through the Brightness chakra.
• Sedation of the Fear-intensifying emotions of Anger and Sadness usually speeds up the curative process.
• Warming of the energy points from the first session will yield a successful result.
• Six Ki therapy using colour has a good effect.
• In acquired forms of stammering that have developed on the background of grave stressful events, treatment using time-wave energies is indicated.
• Prevention of situations that bear stress for the child, and exclusion of pedagogic mistakes on the part of parents and teachers will create a positive emotional atmosphere required for successful treatment of stammering.

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