Cerebral Palsy, Erb's Palsy & Birth Injury Blog

Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy and Child Care Part 2

2008-04-24T23:58:06Z

This video highlights Angela's House. Angela's House opened in the fall of 2000 and is a culmination of a ten-year effort by Bob Policastro. This special home for children is the first of its kind offering a loving environment with 24-hour nursing care for children with special needs such as cerebral palsy. For more information please visit www.angelashouse.org

Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy and Child Care

2008-04-23T23:41:38Z

This video highlights a great program that offers home and residential care for children with special needs such as, cerebral palsy, and other medical conditions. For more information please visit www.angelashouse.org

Cerebral Palsy and Stem Cell Therapy

2008-04-14T16:29:21Z

The different types of stem cells (CD34 hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells) and their origins (cord blood, placental, bone marrow etc.) are discussed in this video.

* Stem cells discussed here involve umbilical cord blood and placentas NOT fetal or embryonic stem cells, as Legal and ethical issues may arise when fetal or embryonic stem cells are involved.

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) - The History

2008-03-21T19:19:40Z

This video depicts the history of United Cerebral Palsy (UCP). If you would like information on a local chapter of the UCP and other local resources please visit our State Resource Guide.

Cerebral Palsy Lawyer / Medical Malpractice Attorney - Hiring the Right One

2008-03-19T19:03:29Z

Selecting the right attorney for a child with cerebral palsy may seem like a daunting task at times. So I put together some questions to help.

If you would like further assistance, I am more then happy to recommend an attorney that specializes in birth injury cases in your area, so please don’t hesitate to call me directly at (202) 243-0581 or 1 (888) 456-4658 or send me an e-mail at robert@dioriofirm.com (please include your name, phone number, child’s date of birth, State where your child was born and State where you are currently residing)

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you,

Robert

1. Is the attorney familiar with the many medical and legal complexities of cerebral palsy?
2. Has the lawyer/attorney successfully handled cases involving cerebral palsy in the past?
3. If so, what percentage of the lawyer’s practice is dedicated to representing individuals with cerebral palsy?
4. Is the lawyer associated with any reputable law associations such as, ATLA/AAJ, Birth Trauma Legal Associations, etc?
5. Does the lawyer represent plaintiffs (injured party) or defendants (negligent party)?
6. What are the fees? Does the lawyer work on a Contingency fee basis?
7. Who pays the cost of expenses such as medical expert testimony?
8. Is there a charge for a legal fee if there is no recovery?
9. Who will be responsible for expenses if there is no recovery?
10. Will the lawyer explain the legal process and all aspects of your case to you?

Cerebral Palsy and Cord Blood Stem Cells

2008-03-19T17:05:18Z

This is a video of an 18 month old that was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. The child’s mother banked his cord blood and later utilized the stem cells to treat the damaged part of the brain. As you can see from the video the child has made a substantial recovery. Currently, this treatment is considered experimental and can be expensive but the results look very promising.

Vaccines (Thimerosal) May Cause Autism – Government Concedes Liability

2008-03-06T18:29:34Z

This week the Government conceded that Mercury in vaccines such as thimerosal caused autism in an 18 month old child. The Government agreed to compensate the now 9 year old Hannah Poling and her family after it was demonstrated that five vaccinations given to her on one day significantly aggravated an underlying type of genetic disorder (mitochondrial disorder), leading to a condition which had “features” of autism. Although the government attempted to differentiate “features of Autism” from Autism, by definition there is no difference as Autism is diagnosed by its symptoms.

The Poling family will be discussing the case tonight on Larry King Live at 9:00 PM EST

This case is significant because it opens the door for over 5000 vaccine liked autism lawsuits pending.

Epilepsy / Seizures and Birth Trauma

2008-02-28T00:00:24Z

This video briefly discuses epilepsy and seizures including those caused by trauma at birth.

Birth Injury and Lack of Oxygen

2008-02-27T00:45:45Z

This is a very touching video of a child that sustained brain damage due to lack of oxygen at birth.

More information can be found at www.helpcarter.org

Cerebral Palsy and My Left Foot

2008-02-25T22:24:55Z

Last night Daniel Day-Lewis took home his second Oscar for best actor for his role as Daniel Plainview in the movie There Will Be Blood. Day-Lewis received his first Oscar for his 1989 role of Christy Brown, an Irishman that had cerebral palsy due to an injury at birth in My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown. Below is a clip from My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown.

Cerebral Palsy - Botox Warning!!!!

2008-02-15T22:56:58Z

Food and Drug Administration officials (FDA) stated yesterday that it received reports of at least one death among patients who received botox injections as well as a "a relative handful" of serious side effects in which the toxin spread beyond the injection site.

The most serious injuries occurred in children with cerebral palsy receiving treatments to alleviate spasms. The reason for this is believed to be that the children were receiving the toxin in higher doses.

Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulfate) Cuts Cerebral Palsy Risk in Premature Births

2008-02-06T00:33:14Z

Dr. John Thorp, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor of obstetrics reported that magnesium sulfate or as it is more commonly known, Epsom salt, may cut the rate of cerebral palsy in premature children by nearly 50 percent.

The findings were presented in Dallas to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine as follows: magnesium sulfate or a placebo was given to 2,241 women going into early labor between 24 to 31 weeks. Although the magnesium did not prevent fatalities among the premature babies, 4.2 percent of the babies born to women given magnesium developed cerebral palsy, as compared to 7.3 percent of those born to women who got the placebo.

The question remains, why were the children born to mothers given magnesium sulfate less likely to develop cerebral palsy?

This remains unanswered, however, the results are promising and given the fact that magnesium sulfate is readily available in most delivery rooms and has common uses such as inhibiting premature labor and is given to women experiencing pre-eclampsia, to prevent them from going into eclampsia, and having a seizure, it is possible that in the future administering magnesium sulfate to mothers experiencing preterm labor will become the standard.

Virginia Doctors Sanctioned for Role in Birth Injuries

2008-01-23T00:16:57Z

State medical board officials have issued formal reprimands for two obstetricians. The doctors allegedly mishandled two births that led to devastating injuries including cerebral palsy.

The doctors are protected from civil litigation by Virginia's Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Act. Under which the doctors will face no monetary penalty, no civil trial and the reprimands will not affect the doctor’s ability to practice medicine.

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch these were the first such sanctions issued since the act was created in 1987.

Cerebral Palsy and Massage Therapy

2008-01-17T23:13:44Z

This is a video demonstrating the benefits of massage therapy for individuals with cerebral palsy.

Cerebral Palsy and Massage Therapy

2008-01-16T15:08:46Z

The following is a continuation of yesterday’s post of a child undergoing massage therapy for cerebral palsy.