Acupressure Helps Cerebral Palsy Child

Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects nearly 10,000 infants in the United States each year. It is non-progessive, and non-contagious, and an all-inclusive cure has not yet been found. Common treatments include physical therapy, occupational therapy, medication, braces and other orthotic devices, and surgery. Though the condition is difficult to deal with, some cases have resulted in relatively happy endings.

Physical therapist Pauline Peck who uses an acupressure technique known as the Rwo-Shr Health Method, has recently been helping a child with cerebral palsy. Five-year-old Siti Rashidah — adopted as a baby by an elderly and poor couple — has never been able to crawl or stand due to a severely-deformed backbone. Her biological parents abandoned her once they realized she had brain damage that rendered her incapable of walking, sitting, talking or eating solid foods. The elderly couple who adopted her, have since used their life savings to nurse her and now their expenses per month for their daughter are $253 for milk, diapers and other necessities.

Since the treatment began a couple of months ago, Siti’s bodily responses and movements have been improved a lot. When Peck first met her, she had spasms and her backbone was very misplaced. With a massage technique combining acupressure and reflexology, the nerve points were stimulated and now Siti’s muscle mass has improved. No drugs are used; just daily massage enhanced by olive oil. She can move her hands and feet and her spasms have gone. Peck is thus confident that very soon her patient will be able to stand and possibly walk too. Due to publicity on the case, the family’s plight was highlighted and many have come forward to help such as The Buddhist Tsu Chi Society and Datuk Lee Kim Shin, who arranged for the State Welfare Department to increase their welfare assistance budget. In addition, Shin has given $952 for special therapy equipment for Siti’s usage.

Treatment

The physical therapist learned Rwo-Shr ten years ago in Taiwan. The way it works is by first diagnosing the affected areas; thereafter applying pressure to the reflex zones either with hands or a wooden/plastic bar and applying Fuss Balsam (a special cream) to reduce the friction on the feet. Each session goes for between 30 and 40 minutes and then the patient needs to drink around 500cc of water. Peck has used this treatment on a number of her patients. Currently, Siti is also going for physiotherapy a few times a week, at the Miri Hospital in Malaysia.