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CALIFORNIA SPEECH-LANGUAGE-HEARING ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2002
CURABLE VS. INCURABLE SPASMODIC DYSPHONIA IS A FUNCTIONAL
DYSPHONIA (WRONG VOICE USE) AND IS CURABLE BY DIRECT VOICE REHABILITATION.
The medical profession, the American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association (ASHA), and the National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association
(NSDA) guarantee that spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is incurable.
ASHA Leader, November 20, 2001, featured an interview
by Shelley Von Berg with Stephen C. McFarlane. This article states
that "Adductor spasmodic dysphonia is a neurologic motor dysfunction
known as a 'focal dystonia,'" and ". . . SD involves a focal dystonia
of the larynx." After using some direct and some indirect techniques,
McFarlane and associates at University of Nevada, Reno, School of
Medicine have decided if their techniques work (voice improves),
the patient has MTD (muscle tension disorder); if their techniques
fail, the patient has SD, because they state SD is incurable and
offer Botox as treatment. In my opinion, another technique-DVR-should
have been tried to help patients overcome SD.
My experience with SD leaves no doubt that SD is
curable and is due to misuse and abuse of the voice, speaking and/or
singing, one or both. I have reported cures and successes with Spastic
and Spasmodic Dysphonia for over 25 years by a program of voice
behavior modification called Direct Voice Rehabilitation (DVR).
DVR reports lasting cures of not only adductor but also abductor
and mixed abductor and adductor SD. DVR is a direct voice approach-
changing the pitch, tone focus, breath support and voice image.
My SD patients have been diagnosed and documented as having SD by
prestigious medical doctors and at top-rated medical centers. There
is no question that these patients had SD. Doctors who diagnosed
SD included Drs. Paul Ward, Gerald Berke, Henry J. Rubin, Robert
Feder, Hans von Leden, Ed Kantor (all from UCLA Medical Center),
Arnold Aronson (May Clinic), Robert W. Bastian (Loyola University
Medical Center), Norman Hogikyan (University of Michigan), Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center, Vanderbilt Medical Center, Scripps Clinic, among
others.
Is SD a dystonia or a dysphonia? There is a world
of difference between the paradigm that medicine presents and that
I present. A dystonia cannot be changed by DVR. A dysphonia can.
DVR presents hope and cures of SD. The medical paradigm that SD
is a focal laryngeal dystonia presents doom and gloom and pervasive
despair with no hope for a cure. The medical profession has failed
to report a single cure of SD for over 130 years regardless of its
various theories of causation and treatment. DVR has ongoing cures
of SD. Isn't it time that ASHA and the medical profession afford
choice of treatment for SD and the opportunity of cures of SD by
DVR?
Here are just a few of many documented and lasting
cures and successes of SD by my DVR program.
*Over one year ago, the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla
diagnosed Ginger Chang, a young lady in her 20's, with Spasmodic
Dysphonia. She was told that her condition was hopeless and that
she required a lifelong series of Botox shots. Within one week of
my intensive program of Direct Voice Rehabilitation, Ms. Chang found
a normal effective voice and has remained cured of her SD.
*Some 14 years ago, Dr. Arnold Aronson at the Mayo
Clinic diagnosed extremely severe SD for the Rev. James Johnson.
He was advised to have surgery; he declined. The Rev. Johnson underwent
an intensive program of DVR with me for one month. He has remained
cured of his problem for 14 years.
*Paul Ward, M.D., former Chairman of the Head and
Neck Division at UCLA Medical Center, and the current chairman,
Gerald Berke, M.D. have respectively diagnosed extremely severe
SD in various patients: Dr. Ward's patient, Mrs. Whitman, declined
surgery. After undergoing my DVR program, she returned to UCLA where
Dr. Ward confirmed recovery of a normal voice, which remains normal
10 years after DVR.
*Dr. Gerald Berke, Chairman of UCLA Head and Neck
Division, diagnosed Gayle Pace with severe abductor and adductor
Spasmodic Dysphonia. She declined Botox and surgery treatments.
Within one month of my DVR, Mrs. Pace was cured of her problem and
remains cured for 10 years.
*The Rev. Henry Sellers was diagnosed with "Focal
Laryngeal Dystonia" by Dr. Gerald Berke. The Rev. Sellers declined
Botox from Dr. Berke. After having one Botox shot from another well-known
ENT doctor, his voice was impaired for almost a year. DVR helped
him to a cure of SD.
*Dr. Henry J. Rubin, ENT, affiliated with UCLA Medical
Center Head and Neck Division and with Cedars-Sinai ENT Division,
diagnosed three SD patients, one with abductor SD and two with adductor
SD. All three were cured of SD by DVR.
*Dr. Ed Kantor, ENT, affiliated with UCLA Medical
Center Head and Neck Division and with Cedars-Sinai ENT Division,
diagnosed Lisa Andreson and Don Matheson as having SD. They were
cured of SD after working with me, Lisa 21 years ago and Don 12
years ago.
*R.B. had 5 different ENT doctors diagnose SD. He
was told his SD was hopeless. He remains cured of SD for 23 years
after undergoing six months of DVR.
* Robert Feder, ENT, affiliated with UCLA Head and
Neck Division and a former Chairman of the ENT group at Cedars-Sinai,
diagnosed Zelda Pollack; he advised surgery. She declined. Zelda
has been cured of SD for over 16 years by my DVR program.
* Dr. Hans von Leden, who served on UCLA and USC
Head and Neck faculties, diagnosed Professor Taffazoli with SD in
1973. Dr. Taffazoli underwent my program of DVR. He remains cured
for over 25 years. Another SD patient diagnosed by Dr. von Leden
remains cured for over 15 years.
*Luana Hess, M.D. was diagnosed with severe SD by
her ENT doctor. One week of my intensive DVR program and Dr. Hess
remains cured of her problem 2 years later.
*Dr. Gerald Berke diagnosed SD in Denise Proudfoot,
who tried four Botox shots. She prayed for another way. She found
me. In a short time, she was 95% better by my DVR program.
*Sylvia Cheek was diagnosed with SD by various ENT's.
She tried Botox shots, years of psychotherapy, four speech therapists
and still remained with severe SD. After suffering for 34 years
with SD, a month of my intensive DVR program afforded this patent
a clear normal voice.
* Dr. Daniel Troung diagnosed Laurie Wolf with suspected
SD and recommended Botox shots for her suspected SD. She declined.
She underwent my program of DVR and has been cured of her voice
problem for over 3 years.
*Dr. Norman Hogikyan diagnosed Kim Engstrom with
abductor and adductor SD. She tried 2 Botox shots that left her
without any voice. She underwent a month of my intensive DVR program.
She has had a normal voice for over 3 years, cured of SD.
An ENT professor on the UCLA Medical Faculty in the
Head and Neck Division referred his wife who was diagnosed with
Spasmodic Dysphonia (SD) outside the medical center to my private
practice. She regained a normal voice through Direct Voice Rehabilitation
(DVR). Today the UCLA Medical Center offers only Botox or surgery
for SD patients without affording them the option of DVR. But not
with my wife, you don't. Double standard?
The National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association (NSDA)
has been given a generous donation of funds by Allergan over the
years. Allergan is the maker of Botox. (Botox is an acronym for
botulinum toxin; Botox is a diluted form of botulinum toxin.) Why
did a representative from NSDA recently visit my office to tell
me I cannot report cures of SD if my DVR program is to be reviewed
in NSDA's newsletter? Why do NSDA and the medical community collectively
advise either a toxic substance, Botox, which may require four to
ten injections, or more, each and every year for life and/or risky
surgery with no cures ever. If Botox or surgery isn't wanted or
doesn't work with your SD patients, let DVR turn their voices and
lives around.
September/October 2001
CHOICE?
The medical profession treats a condition called
strangled voice (medically known as Spasmodic Dysphonia or Dystonia)
(SD) by a substance called Botulinum Toxin (Botox) and/or surgery.
The medical profession has never had a single cure of SD by medical
treatment in over 130 years since Traube first described the condition
in 1871. Medical theories of SD causation include: 1) neurological,
2) dystonia, 3) chemical brain imbalance, 4) dysfunctional basal
ganglia, 5) gene related disorder, 6) psychiatric, 7) molecular
biology 8) Reflux.
Why doesn't the medical profession give the choice
of Dr. Cooper's Direct Voice Rehabilitation for SD?
An ENT professor on the UCLA Medical Faculty in the
Head and Neck Division referred his wife who was diagnosed with
Spasmodic Dysphonia (SD) outside the medical center to Dr. Mort
Cooper's private practice. She regained a normal voice through Direct
Voice Rehabilitation (DVR). Today the UCLA Medical Center offers
only Botox or surgery for SD patients without affording them the
option of DVR. But not with my wife, you don't. Double standard?
Why doesn't UCLA Head and Neck Division give the
choice of Dr. Cooper's DVR to its SD patients? The UCLA Head and
Neck Division knows of cures and successes of SD by DVR.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
(ASHA) stated in 1993 that there are no cures of SD. Dr. Cooper
persisted in asking who was on the committee that decided ASHA's
"no cures" position. That position is now being revised because
no documentation for the "no cures" position exists. ASHA Ethics
Committee, now in conjunction with ASHA itself is looking to a new
position on SD. ASHA's Ethics Committee knows of Dr. Cooper's audios
and videos reporting cures of SD by DVR. Dr. Cooper has reported
at ASHA National Meetings on cures and successes by DVR three times
since 1974.
Why doesn't ASHA give the choice of Dr. Cooper's
DVR for SD treatment?
The National Spasmodic Dysphonic Association (NSDA)
has been given a generous donation of funds by Allergan over the
years. Allergan is the maker of Botox. Why does NSDA remain in denial
of ongoing cures of SD by Dr. Morton Cooper? Why does a representative
from NSDA visit Dr. Cooper's office to tell him he cannot report
cures of SD if his DVR program is to be reviewed in NSDA's newsletter?
Why doesn't the NSDA tell of cures by DVR for SD patients? Why does
NSDA and the medical community collectively advise toxic medicine,
Botox, which amounts to perhaps four to ten injections each and
every year for life and/or risky surgery and no cures ever without
reporting serious side effects?
Why doesn't NSDA give the choice of Dr. Cooper's
DVR on SD treatment?
Dr. Mort Cooper has been reporting SD is due to wrong
voice use for almost 30 years; he first described cures of SD by
a process called Direct Voice Rehabilitation in 1973 in his book,
Modern Techniques of Vocal Rehabilitation . Dr. Cooper's SD patients
have been diagnosed with SD by the top medical doctors in the country
and at top-rated medical centers.
SD is curable, has been cured, and continues to be
cured by DVR from Dr. Mort Cooper, the only doctor in ASHA reporting
cures and the only doctor in the world reporting ongoing cures for
over 25 years. Aren't SD patients entitled to know about cures and
the choice of SD care by DVR?
Henry J. Rubin, M.D. a well-known ENT specialist,
asked Dr. Cooper, who presented cures and successes of SD at a Cedars-Sinai
meeting of ENT doctors in 1982, "Why are you the only one successful
with SD by speech therapy?" Dr. Cooper replied "I do not do speech
therapy; I do DVR."
"Dr. Morton Cooper has shown unusual expertise in
treating patients with Spasmodic Dysphonia. His methods of voice
therapy in our patients afflicted with this markedly disabling disease
have been highly successful."-Edward A. Kantor, M.D., Chairman,
Division of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical
Center
If Botox or surgery isn't wanted, doesn't work, or
additional voice help is needed following Botox or surgery with
your SD patients, let Dr. Cooper try to help turn their voices and
lives around through DVR.
CONTACT: Dr. Morton Cooper by phone (310) 208-6047
or fax (310) 207-6769 (CA) E-mail: voicedoctr@aol.com.
Web site: www.voice-doctor.com.
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