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own brain and body as she
recovers from the stroke. She
describes the results as noth-
ing short of miraculous.
“I was a mess,” she said
about the ischemic stroke,
characterized by a blockage of
blood in the brain. “I was so
afraid, but I was more afraid
of not being able to function”
than of losing her life to the
stroke.
Rosenberg, 73, said the
physical and occupational
therapy she underwent only
caused frustration and anxiety.
“My brain only remembered
the frustration, which led to
anxiety,” she said.
As someone naturally open
to new experiences, including
visiting the North and South
poles on her own, Rosenberg
felt it was important to try
something unique to recover
from her paralytic symp-
toms, which included slurred
speech, drooping on the right
side of her face, and the loss of
control of her right arm, hand
and foot.
Once again, connections
led her to try three supple-
mental therapeutic modal-
ities to regain her mobility
— the Feldenkrais Method,
the Anat Baniel Method
NeuroMovement and the
MELT (Myofascial Energetic
Length Technique) Method.
She notes proudly that all
three were created by Jewish
individuals and focus on
building the mind-body con-
nection to help with healing,
increased strength and mobil-
ity.
Rosenberg began using the
alternative therapies almost
immediately after she had
her stroke, often doubling up
on physical and occupational
therapies with alternative ther-
apies.
After one session with a
local Anat Baniel practitioner,
her face no longer drooped. “It
was a miracle,” she said.
WHAT IS A STROKE?
There are two types of stroke:
ischemic, which entails the
blockage of blood from a
person’
s brain, and hem-
orrhagic, which can be
described as a “brain bleed.”
Rebbeca Grysiewicz, D.O., a
neurologist and director of
the Comprehensive Stroke
Center at Beaumont Hospital
in Royal Oak, said 87 percent
of the general patient pop-
ulation in the United States
have ischemic strokes while
13 percent of patients have the
hemorrhagic variety. Strokes
can occur in many parts of
the brain and, depending
on where the stroke occurs,
symptoms manifest them-
selves differently.
“From a recovery and reha-
bilitation standpoint, it can
be very different” for patients,
Grysiewicz said. “In each
case, early mobilization is
important. We try to do that
as quickly as possible.”
She mentioned that multi-
disciplinary care is required
in whatever stroke situation
occurs and that the stroke
team at Beaumont consults
with professionals in physi-
cal, occupational and speech
therapy.
“We have to make sure
the patients are safe and can
do these therapies,” she said.
“Usually within the first 24
hours, we begin the process
of rehabilitation. We want to
make sure patients are able
to return home and return to
baseline functioning.”
Grysiewicz mentioned that
physical, occupational and
speech therapy are the pillars
of therapy for stroke patients
but that other alternative ther-
apies can help as well.
“There are a variety of
treatment methods,” she said.
“It’
s just finding what works
for the patient. As long as it’
s
something that isn’
t going to
cause the patient harm, there
is evidence for looking at
alternative therapies.”
THE FELDENKRAIS METHOD
The Feldenkrais Method, cre-
ated by the late Israeli Moshe
Feldenkrais, is a program of
neural education via move-
ment by which practitioners
help clients gain mobility
or alleviate chronic pain
by working with the brain.
Feldenkrais, who earned
degrees in mechanical and
electrical engineering, as well
as a doctorate in physics, cre-
“You know God will pay attention
when Christian, Jewish and
Muslim people are praying for this
Jewish girl. Without the prayers,
(my recovery) wouldn’t have
been as fast.”
— BRENDA ROSENBERG
Health
Recognizing
Stroke
Symptoms
According
to Rebbeca
Grysiewicz,
D.O., neurologist
and director
of Beaumont’
s
Comprehensive
Stroke Center in
Royal Oak, stroke symptoms
can be recognized through
the use of the acronym
FASTER:
• Facial asymmetry: Does
one side of the person’
s face
appear to be drooping?
• Arms: Is there weakness or
“drifting” in a person’
s arm?
• Stability: Are there issues
with stability?
• Talking: Is someone
not able to talk or are
they experiencing speech
problems?
• Eye: Is the person
experiencing loss of vision;
experiencing vision loss in one
eye; or do they have double
vision?
• React: Call 911 as quickly
as possible if you or are a
loved one experience these
symptoms. Don’
t attempt
to drive to the hospital
yourself, Grysiewicz says.
By calling EMS services,
they can contact the hospital
in advance so medical
professionals are prepared to
help as soon as you arrive.
Rebbeca
Grysiewicz
36 | JANUARY 30 • 2020