Tag Archives: palate

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I'm treating a 26 yo girl who had a stroke about a month ago. Fortunately, she recognized the signs when her left arm and leg were tingling and her face went droopy. There is a medication that the ER gives to stroke victims. If you get this medication within 3 hours, the effects of the stroke can be mitigated. She did this and within about 6 hours she was 90% better. She later was released from the hospital. However, when I got to see her for the first time, about 2 weeks after the stroke, she still had a partially droopy face, a very weak palate, and other stroke-like findings. I'm happy to report that her face is 100% even today, after 3 weeks of treatment. Her mother said that her normal voice has returned, due to making neuroplastic changes in her brain stem to raise her palate. Even though she was released, there were still functional problems that were able to be corrected. She still has some problems mis-spelling words, which I'm hopeful will be corrected. If someone you know is struggling, please tell them about my office here in Woodinville, WA. Dr. Merry

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An amazing thing just happened this morning, Oct 18. A woman brought her father to see me who had a stroke in 2009 - YES, 8 years ago. She and her children are lifetime maintenance care patients in my office. She wondered if functional neurology could do something for her father that the traditional routes did not. She flew him from Arkansas to here in Seattle and I examined him last week. Not only did I find deficits where the stroke happened, but I also found brain deficits in the areas that those damaged areas are supposed to fire into - like the brainstem. This wonderful man had no gag reflex. No wonder he chokes on some food, etc. Today was his 5th visit in my office and I was stimulating the back of his palate on the right side only. He, all of a sudden, gagged! His daughter and I nearly fell off of our chairs. This means that his brainstem on the right is getting enough signal now to create a gag response... as well as improve lung function on the right, function of his gall bladder, liver, ascending colon, and all small intestines on that side. I do expect he'll be having better bowel movements, but can't promise. Dr. Merry