
I
was recently told about Hemispheric Integration Therapy
(H.I.T.) from an exuberant mother, Kimberly Larochelle,
who attended one of my seminars on Parenting Special Needs: Sharing
Life's
Lessons. After my presentation, she pulled me aside and said: "you have
got to
hear about this amazing therapy. I was able to see success after the
1st
session. My son, Levi, is 9 years old and has Aspergers.
He has always hated drawing and coloring. When we got home from our 1st
session, he started sharpening pencils". When I asked him
why? He
looked at me, quite surprised by my question, and said, "because, I
want
to draw." I had to pick myself up off of the floor.
And, we have
seen a lot of success since then, too. He could not read...now he
does. He
could not draw or color...now he does. He could not throw or
catch a
ball...now he does! Most of all, and most amazing to me, is
that he now
is connecting to the world and to people. He is mirroring and feeling
and really
feeling emotion. He "gets" jokes now, and can speak pragmatically. He
speaks to
us in real conversations nowÉlooking straight into our eyes.
It is
beautiful!
I wanted to hear more about this
quick rate of success, the Doctor who is using it, and, more
importantly, share
the information with others. I attended a seminar this summer that was
presented by Dr. Mane. Afterwards, I was able to
meet him and ask him if I could
conduct an interview and share the information with our readership. He
agreed
and the interview appears later in this article.
Dr. Nelson Mane
is considered a pioneer in the
field of Hemispheric Integration Therapy (H.I.T.) for childhood
neurobehavioral
disorders. He has been in practice for over 24 years, is a D.A.N.
(Defeat
Autism Now) doctor, and has sub-specialty training in childhood Neuro-Behavioral Disorders. Mane
is one of the few
chiropractors in the country who is board certified in both
chiropractic
neurology and orthopedics.
What is
Hemispheric Integration Therapy (H.I.T.)?
It is a brain based, rehabilitation program that incorporates a
multimodal
approach to hemispheric imbalances associated with learning
disabilities. The
concept is to strengthen weak and under-functioning neurologic pathways
that
lead to areas of the brain not communicating properly with each other
causing
the brain to become desynchronized.
The
brain is made up of two
hemispheres. Each of these has specialized functions operating
independently
and as a whole. The brain controls every human function: sight, smell,
touch,
taste, balance, coordination, fine & gross motor skills,
speech, facial
recognition and emotional responses. The brain receives information to
control
these functions from receptors throughout our bodies. If the receptors
and the
pathways leading up to the brain are damaged, weak, or did not develop
properly, then dysfunction and miscommunication occur.
The main focus of
the therapy is
to open or strengthen receptors that provide input between the "brain
and the
body" and the "body and the brain". The simplest explanation is that it
is
specific exercises that can be targeted for the left and right side of
the
brain. Literally exercising the brain like we do our muscles. By
building the
pathways and strengthening them, it can help a child overcome some of
the
issues associated with a particular disorder.
What
is
Dr. Mane doing that is causing such
successful
results?
Dr. Mane's
version of H.I.T.,
involves both functional medicine and functional neurology combining a
bunch of
things from a lot of different fields and putting it together in a
specific
order and efficient manner. It can be applied to
children and adults. No two treatments
are alike. Although there are some similarities, everyone is different
and each
treatment must be individualized. This program begins with an initial
consultation and examination lasting about 90 minutes.
PSN: What
kind of questions or test can a parent
expect during the 1st consultation?
Dr. Mane: A lot of the
first consultation is the history
followed by a neurological exam. We don't ignore the whole "biomedical
aspect
of it" we look at the pregnancy, delivery, the first few months, did
they
breastfeed, allergies, vaccines, any regressions?
We test reaction to sensory stimulation and go through
your
neurological system, again looking from the outside-in,
and the bottom up.
The exam
& history will give us a clue as when the
developmental delay came and what the causative factor is. We study the
whole
epigenetic factor concept and the environmental influence on the genes.
The exami is going to
localize where we treat.
PSN: I
know you work with the whole body, so,
are there any diets or supplements that you recommend or are required
for this
type of treatment?
Dr. Mane: I think
on a basic fundamental level, everybody should be on probiotics,
multivitamin and an Essential fatty acid. We try to eliminate any
negative
factors such as vitamin deficiencies, toxins and infections to make
sure
nothing is going to prevent or slow down progress with the H.I.T.
therapy. Again,
we treat what we find and everyone is different. We are not going to
recommend
a particular supplement or "something for everybody",
it depends on what shows up on your lab work as to how we treat.
PSN:
What are
treatments like? How long
is each treatment? How often are treatments?
Dr. Mane:
Treatments vary depending on the child's deficiency.
Treatments are
targeted to stimulate the deficient areas. Stimulation may be achieved
by light,
auditory, olfactory, postural, balance, vestibular, rhythm/timing, and
cognitive exercise, as well as chiropractic manipulations. Each
treatment is
about 30 minutes and 3 times a week.
PSN: How
long should a parent expect to have
their child in treatment?
Dr.
Mane:The length of
the program depends on the severity of the child's condition. It
depends on how
high or low functioning the child is. A child with ADD or ADHD and
that's all
they have, then usually 3 months might get it done. If they are
non-verbal and
they have no eye contact, then that makes it more difficult and may
require
more sessions. Again, you don't know until you begin. Everybody
improves with
this therapy, but, it's
the amount that they improve
that is a big factor.
PSN: Is
there a home program that goes along
with the in-office treatments?
Dr.
Mane: We do try to
give everybody a home program because, again, it's that consistency
that makes
the change. I make that regular workout analogy: if I lift weights once
a month
nothing happens, but if you do it on a consistent, frequent basis, then
you
have a better chance of making a change and getting a positive change.
PSN: Besides
Autism, ADHD, and Aspergers,
could this treatment benefit other children or
adults with other disabilities?
Dr.
Mane: Most
definitely. This therapy is really called functional neurology. It is
looking
for lesions or problem wires that are there but they are not working.
H.I.T. therapy can be
done to anyone, including adults. We have
worked with adults with vestibular disorders and athletes who are
looking to "fine tune" themselves.
It's a matter of finding where
their weakness is and strengthening them.
The
beauty with kids, as opposed to adults, is that they don't have all the
health
issues like: diabetes, cholesterol, liver problems or heart disease so
they
tend to respond quicker. But this works with anyone, whether it be
somebody
with some type of disability or an athlete that comes from high school,
or even
the pro's (although not something we do regularly), trying to fine tune
their
game. You tune up their nervous system so it works at its optimum level.
PSN: Where
can parents go to receive this type
of therapy?
Dr.
Mane: I would
like to field the calls at my office (in Tampa, Fl.) regarding locating
doctors
in other areas that do H.I.T.. We are trying to get affiliates
throughout
different parts of the country. If a doctor already has a functional
neurology
and/or functional medicine background, a rotation through my office of
about one
month would probably get them up to speed
as it would
only be adapting the same concepts to children and ways to apply those
concepts. If they do not have this background, it would probably take
longer. I would want
them to
understand what they are doing and why, not just copy what we are doing
without
the appropriate background. So, if any of your readers know a doctor in
their
area that might be interested, I would love to field any calls. My
number is
813-935-4744.
Also, I've
never done anything as rewarding as using this
therapy with kids. They grow up before your eyes, at an accelerated
rate, and
their parents de-stress before your eyes. I can
not
express how I feel. Really amazing.
PSN: Thank you
Dr. Mane for sharing with us.
Mane
Center: www.manecenter.com
Visit
Dr. Mane's blog at www.hitautism.com <http://www.hitautism.com/>
where he discusses cases, functional
medicine and neurology, as well as IEP's,
legislative
issues, announces informational conferences and some of his feelings
regarding "sitting on his side of the desk with patients".
Fees are as follows: Consultation is $250.00. Each
treatment session costs $150.00. Lab
work varies depending on what is needed. Most insurance companies do
not pay, although,
of the parents
interviewed, one parent's insurance was
paying for treatments.
They
accept all major credit
cards & CareCredit.
To apply for Care Credit go
to www.carecredit.com
SIDE
BAR:
PSN
had the pleasure of speaking with Kelly Jackson, a parent of one of Dr.
Mane's
patients. Here are her comments and feelings about HIT Therapy.
My
daughter just turned 13. I adopted her from
a Chinese orphanage
when she was about 18 months old--long before the influx of Chinese
adoptions.
She had been confined to a crib and often tied inside
that crib with
no stimulation and very little food that entire time. She was sick when
they
handed her to me in China. Once I brought her home, got her physically
well,
and got her on solid foods, my daughter's development began to
thrive.
She went from not even being able to sit up at 18 months of age, to
pulling up
and toddling around within a month or so of being adopted.
She still,
however, has had delays, fears, food
and noise
aversions for many years.
I
learned about Hemispheric Integration therapy and Dr. Mane by attending
a
seminar in December of 2008. I was very impressed with what I learned
from Dr.
Mane. He is the first professional in the area who associated children
in
orphanages, who received poor care as infants, with how that leads to
delays
and issues that continue to show up later in life.
My
child loves H.I.T. therapy. She attends three times per week
She does "homework" or a home program on the days of the
week
she does not have therapy. She
currently is doing the following: Various exercises to strengthen her
core,
primitive reflex exercises, exercises that work on vestibular, various
exercises
on the wobble board, spinning, tossing, oxygen, smells, many exercises
to the
beat of a metronome while counting and spelling forward and backward
while
wearing special glasses, intensive eye work, chiropractic adjustments
to neck,
back, chest, etc. However, it does change weekly by adding
various degrees
of difficulty or by adding or eliminating new exercises. The therapy
lasts 30
to 45 minutes per session.
I
started to see success within 2 weeks of starting the therapy. My daughter no longer had
any issues
with loud noises, and that is something that had overwhelmed her since
she was
a toddler. Her preference for food expanded by leaps and
bounds and
within a month of therapy, she began eating every food offered to
her. So,
many of her
fears began to be alleviated several months into the
program. Her level of
maturity has risen significantly. I expect her to be a typical
teen in
every way before long.
A
special thank your to Kimberly Larochelle
and Kelly Jackson for their contributions to
this article.