WAR ON STUTTERING

GNPTAB GENES LINKED TO CAUSES OF STUTTERING

2010-02-13T10:20:00.000-08:00

It was a wonderful day for stutterers all over the world this past Wednesday (2/10/2010) when researchers from the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders led by Dr. Dennis Drayna published their research paper in the New England Journal Of Medicine that 9% of people who stutters is a result of a mutation in a gene called the GNPTAB gene along with two other genes.

The study involved 123 Pakistanians who stutters; 46 of the stutterers were from the original family, 77 were other unrelated Pakistanians stutterers and 96 were Pakistanians who did not stutter. Stutterers from the United States and England were also involved: 270 who stutter and 276 who did not stutter.

If you remember from general biology class that genes express themselves in the form of proteins (examples: enzymes, hormones, antibodies). Information from the DNA (which make up the genes) flows to the RNA (another nucleic acid; specifically messenger (m) RNA) then to the ribosomes (the protein "factory,") where proteins (like enzymes) are made.

Dr. Drayna and his team found that there was a mutation in the GNPTAB gene that is responsible for the production of an enzyme that helps to break down and recycle cellular waste products in a cell compartment (organelle) called the LYSOSOME (traditionally called the "suicide sac" of the cell). This mutation can result in waste products accumulating in the cell causing problems in the various systems of the body: circulatory system (heart), digestive system (liver), skeletal system and the speech system (neural circuitary) is affected as well. The GNPTAB gene, the GNPTG gene and NAGPA genes are also linked to other metabolic disorders called Mucolipidosis (MLI and MLII). Most stutteres are not affected with this disorder because it involves a recessive gene according to Dr. Drayna and in order for a recessive gene to express itself there must be two copies of the gene. The stutterers in the study still express the protein (enzyme) that is involved in the recycling of the cellular waste but the protein is "not made exactly right."

This is good news because now we know what genes cause (a percentage of stuttering) we can now hope for gene therapy to manufacter the appropriate enzymes to possible treat stuttering (at least the 9% that is a result of this mutation); there is light at the end of the tunnel after hundreds of years in which the cause(s) of stuttering remained a mystery!

Here is the link that summarize the findings.
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/feb2010/nidcd-10.htm

Here is a video of Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN discussing the impact of this study. Dr. Dennis Drayna is also featured in the video along with Michael Liben (who appeared in the video "Transcending Stuttering."). Also, check my post out on "Transcending Stuttering."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4qhELtF6lM

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT. Thank you.

PAGOCLONE AND STUTTERING

2010-01-25T19:23:00.000-08:00

I had mentioned in previous post that clinical trial involving pagoclone, which potentially could be the first drug approve by the FDA for the treatment of stuttering is currently taking place. Pagoclone was initially developed by the pharmaceutical company Indevus. Pagoclone is a nonbenzodiazapine class of drug that works similarly to benzodiazapine (such as diazepam aka valium, xanax aka alprazolam , lorazapam aka ativan) that is on a receptor called GABA(a). Pagoclone binds to the GABA(a) subunit 2alpha and 3alpha and bypasses the 1alpha subunit which is responsible for the sedative and anmestic effect of benzodiazapines. GABA (gamma amino butyric acid) is a brain neurotransmitter receptor that brings a calming effect when stimulated (thus reducing anxiety). It should be noted that the exact mechanism of pagaclone is not known.

Research have confirmed that people who stutter have excess dopamine in the brain and it is this excess dopamine that interferes with the circuitry of the basal ganglia (brain components consisting of substantia nigra in the midbrain, the subthalamic nucleus, the striatum specifically caudate and putnum) that is responsible for movement initiation which also involve speaking (a motor phenomena as well). Pagoclone also help to reduce levels of dopamine (exact mechanism not known) and thus decrease stuttering.

As I have stated in my previous post that Dr. Gerald Maguire from the University California at Irvine (UCI) is one of the leading experts on stuttering and is one of the main investigators in the pagoclone research. Dr. Maguire also opened up the first biological stuttering clinic in the USA on UCI campus to treat people who stutter by using different types of antidopaminergic drugs such as abilify, geodon, and zyprexa. I was invited to the UCI campus by Dr. Maguire in my 4th year of medical school 10/2007 and I got to see the remarkable improvement of fluency that these drugs were making in many people who stutter. Some of the side effects of these drugs can be weight gain, sedation, diabetes (in some cases) and so proper follow up is needed.

I decided to talk about this topic today because I recently saw that Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN did a story of Dr. Maguire and the pagoclone research. The link to the video is below watch it and leave your comment(s).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxGtzkjvfUA

What Its Like To Be A Physician Who Stutters

2010-01-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

I remember hearing about Luke the physician in Sunday school as a kid and this story motivated my desire to become a physician. In addition, as a result of growing up in Jamaica I experienced many relatives and friends who were sick (some died) and I have always dream of becoming a physician to help family, friends and suffering humanity. I have always had a stutter and also dream of finding a cure for it someday.

My stutter began at around the age of 3 but I personally did not noticed it much until around 3rd or 4th grade when kids would start to teased me about my stuttering. My mother, like so many other stutterers whose mother encouraged them and empowered them with the confidence they need to over come stuttering as an obstacle did the same for me. I grew up in Clarendon, Jamaica until I migrated to the USA at the age of 14. I remembered while living in May Pen, Clarendon and attending May Pen Primary School that I would at times go on school trips which was suppose to be a lot of fun for the kids. I would at times get a little nervous about going on some of these long trips (usually to another Parish (state)) and my mother would accompany me and this did a great deal to ease my fear about stuttering. When I stutter she would tell me to slow down and that eventually I would "grow out of the stammering." When I felt a little sad about the fact that I was the only one who stutter she would take me to Kentucky Fry Chicken, or to shop for some clothing in an effort to cheer me up. My father would also encouraged me as well and I cherished the loved that my parents comforted me with so that I could build confidence.

I got teased, mocked and laughed at because of my stutter in Primary school. Sometimes I would fight to stand up for myself, and I was a pretty good fighter as well; in retrospect, I probably should not have engaged in fights because fighting usually only got you in more trouble and it is always better to leave or take the conflict to the authorities.

Stuttering is resolved in about 80% of kids by the time they reach age 16 and about 20% of the remaining kids who failed to recover goes on to become adult stutterers (including yours truly)!
And so I have been trying to fight a war against stuttering every since. Sometimes I lost some of the battles but I think I have been victorious in many of these stuttering "wars."

It becomes a war when you drive through the drive through window to order a chicken sandwich and you can't say chicken quick enough and the cashier at the drive through window say, "Are you still there?" while drivers behind you are waiting to placed their orders and you just say to your self what the heck and just drive off without placing the order because you cannot say chicken and you are embarrassed!

It becomes a war when you are introducing yourself in the first day of class and you cannot even say who you are for a long time because you are experiencing a long stuttering blocks (pauses in speech)

It becomes a war when you hate to hear the telephone rings because you know that you have to answer it and most stutterers hate to answer the telephone because it exacerbates the stuttering even more!

It becomes a war when you try to avoid people, places and events because of the interactions that would forced you to speak. Eventually, you learn to put a guard up to protect whatever left of your self esteem and switch to "self preservation." Now we know that running away does not solved your problem and avoidance (which is a secondary behavior) of stuttering feeds into encouraging the fear of stuttering and so it becomes a vicious cycle.

It becomes a war when virtually most physicians are ignorant about the nature of stuttering because they were not taught about it in medical school; consequently, when you are training to become a doctor and doing your clinical rotations in your 3rd and 4th year of medical school you have to educate the medical team on stuttering (including Attending, Senior and Junior Residents) because they sometimes react unfavorable to the stutter!

It becomes a war when you are the only one who stutters at your medical residency (intern year) and it became quite apparent that there are prejudices by some against the stuttering because of not being educated about stuttering. This empowers and motivate you even more to become one of the soldiers in the war on stuttering and to find a cure for it.

Please leave your comments on thoughts. Thank you.

JACK WELCH, THE STUTTERER WHO BECAME THE HEAD OF GENERAL ELECTRICS

2010-01-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

Time and time again we see the impact that stutterers have made on the human experience from science (Isaac Newtown, Robert Boyle ), medicine (Dr. Gerald Maguire) politics (Vice President Joseph Biden, King George VI, Winston Churchill), literature (John Updike, Lewis Carroll), journalism (Byron Pitts, John Stossell), sports and entertainment (Ellis Lankster, Ron Hopper, Kenyon Martin, Bo Jackson), business (Arthur Blank, Jack Welch) etc.

Today I will focus on Jack Welch the former CEO and chairman of General Electrics. Jack Welch have attributed the development of his strong confidence to his mother (we saw a similar story with Vice President Joseph Biden and his mother Jean Biden in my last blog). As a kid growing up Jack Welch recalled being teased and ridiculed because of his stutter. It was during these difficult and lonely times that his mother encouraged and motivated her son to stand tall.

Jack Welch recalled in an article in Capitalism Magazine (February 28, 2002) that: My mother never managed people, but she knew all about building self-esteem. I grew up with a speech impediment, a stammer that wouldn't go away. Sometimes it led to comical, if not embarrassing, incidents. In college, I often ordered a tuna fish on white toast on Fridays when Catholics in those days couldn't eat meat. Inevitably, the waitress would return with not one but a pair of sandwiches, having heard my order as "tu-tuna sandwiches."
My mother served up the perfect excuse for my stuttering. "It's because you're so smart," she would tell me. "No one's tongue could keep up with a brain like yours." For years, in fact, I never worried about my stammer. I believed what she told me: that my mind worked faster than my mouth.

Jack Welched continued: I didn't understand for many years just how much confidence she poured into me. Decades later, when looking at early pictures of me on my sports teams, I was amazed to see that almost always I was the shortest and smallest kid in the picture. In grade school, where I played guard on the basketball squad, I was almost three-quarters the size of several of the other players.

Yet I never knew it or felt it. Today, I look at those pictures and laugh at what a little shrimp I was. It's just ridiculous that I wasn't more conscious of my size. That tells you what a mother can do for you. She gave me that much confidence. She convinced me that I could be anyone I wanted to be. It was really up to me. "You just have to go for it," she would say. Jack Welch obtained his Masters and PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1960. Fortune Magazine in 1999 named Jack Welch "Manager of the Century." Jack Welch turned GE into a multi billion dollar company by the time he retired in 2001. Jack Welch did not allow stuttering to hold him captive. Armed with his mother's support in empowering him with confidence despite of his stuttering he became one of the most successful CEO's in modern history.

Please leave your comments and thoughts about this story. Thank you.

Below is a video with Jack Welch counseling young people on mentoring. Click on the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ipNo1BLeIk&feature=related

Jean Biden, How A Mother Encouraged Her Son Who Stutter

2010-01-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

Vice President Joseph Biden had a severe stutter as a child and he talked about how this stuttering was one of the defining moments of his life; I heard him speak at a stuttering convention once (listened to the video). As a child he was laughed at, teased with degrading nick names because of his stutter. According to the USA Today when Vice President Biden was in seventh grade (at a Catholic School) he walked out of his classroom, after a nun teased him for failing to read a paragraph clearly because of his stutter, he was ashamed.

Jean Biden (his mom) met her son "Joe" as he sadly returned home and told his mother what happened at school ; Jean Biden drove her son "Joe" back to school and confronted the teacher. Joseph Biden recalled in his autobiography ("Promises to Keep") "I could see my mother pull herself up to her full height, 5 foot 1...my mother, who was so timid, so respectful of the church, stood up, walked over in front of the nun and said, 'If you ever speak to my son like that again, I'll come back and rip that bonnet off your head.' " Jean Biden then ordered her son back to class.

Jean Biden died yesterday at the age of 92 and I was just thinking about the important role that a mother often plays in the life of her kids, especially when those kids developed special challenges such as stuttering or other speech impediments, Tourettes, Down Syndrome, Eczema, hearing impairment, or any other challenges. It is often a mother's love, affection, nurture and sincerity that helped to mold that child with the self confidence that he or she needs to overcome whatever challenges that may come because of the "cards that life dealt them."

Regardless of his politics whether you are republican, democrat, libertarian, independent I think it is fair to say that Vice President Joseph Biden is a man that displayed "Courage Under Fire," time and time again in his personal life: When he had to accepted the responsibility of being a single parent secondary to his first wife being killed in a car crash with his daughter; his sons were injured as well and just overcoming the challenges that stuttering often presents as a child: shame, embarrassment, avoidance and isolation , fear, stress, and anxiety. His story is truly a remarkable experience of how he became a United States Senator and Vice President of the United States after a "war" well fought with stuttering as a child.

What role did your mother played in your life because of the challenges that confronted you? Please leave a comment. Thank you.

Also, here is the linked below in which the Vice President pays tribute to his mother.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8JuHsJD0MI

My Cousin Vinny, Stuttering Attorney

2010-01-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

The way how stuttering has been portrayed by the general public at large is often secondary to the way how various elements of the media (Hollywood, TV, Theater etc.) has presented it to the public. Often times movies portray the person who stutters as a character to be laughed at, with sub par intelligence. As I have stated previously (on several posts) this could be no further from the truth as stutterers have made great contribution to the human experience in the scientific world (Isaac Newton, Robert Boyle), medicine (Dr. Gerald Maguire), politics (Vice President Joseph Biden, Sir Winston Churchill), business (Jack Welch, Arthur Blank), literature ( John Updike, Lewis Carroll), journalism (Byron Pitts, John Stossell, sports and entertainment (Ellis Lankster, Ron Hopper, Kenyon Martin, ) just to name a few (review my post on "Famous Stutterers").

I was reviewing a scene from the movie "My Cousin Vinny" where one of the defense lawyers portrays the character of a stutterer; when he approached the witness to cross examined him just about everyone in the courtroom was shocked at the lawyer's speech impediment. The attorney did not warned the audience that he was a stutterer and his stuttering through the court off guard: examined the reaction of the members of the jury as the attorney cross examined the witness--eyes wide opened, mouths literally wide opened, some jury members looked afraid, some jury members looked in disdained. It was not easy for the attorney himself as he engaged in some primary behaviors of stuttering such as repetition of words, prolongation of sounds; I did not noticed however, any silent block or hesitations. Even the attorney's client was surprised by his lawyer's stuttering and the lawyer replied well I was a little nervous.

I think the director in "My Cousin Vinny," portrayed the stutterer better than how most movies portray stuttering and I think the scene is well worth watching to evaluate some of the above characteristics of stuttering. It is my opinion that if the stutterer warns or informed the audience of his stuttering then most people would be sympathetic towards the stutterer and the reaction like this lawyer got in the court room would have been minimized! Informing the audience would have reduced the fear and anxiety associated with the increase of stuttering (although fear and anxiety do not cause stuttering).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWtTUrJQehw

Please click on the link and watch the video and leave your comment. Thank you.

Ellis Lankster Showed Courage Under Fire

2010-01-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

I first came across the NFL player Ellis Lankster (CB for the Buffalo Bills) when I was on youtube doing research for my stuttering blog. At the time that I came across Ellis he was being interviewed at a press conference after a football game. After a few seconds of hearing him speak, as a person who stutters I picked up immediately that he was also a person who stutters. Eventually, most viewers within the general public also picked up on his speech impediment (stutter). I automatically empathized with Ellis as I watched him repeated whole phrases and words, as his typical of most people who stutter (although some stutterers display sound prolongation, blocking or long pauses). He could have just ended the press conference and say this is just too difficult, and I am not going to put myself through this torture and embarrassment; Ellis did not run away from his stuttering phobia. Instead he "grabbed the bull by the horn," "took the arrows as they flew towards him," "won one for the Gipper (us stutterers)," "he didn't duck;" Ellis on that video was like David who slew Goliath. Ellis display what is known as "Courage under fire."

Many viewers on the internet ridiculed Ellis Lankster for his speech impediment they called him "dumb," they called him "stupid," and other demeaning adjectives were used. Unfortunately, there are lots of folks within the general public who are still ignorant about the nature of stuttering and that is why I am so motivated to tell the story of stuttering.

Please take a few minutes to listen to the video where Ellis Lankster displayed his COURAGE UNDER FIRE. Please leave a comment. Thank you.

http://www.jokeroo.com/video/funny/stuttering-nfl-interview.html

Physicians Who Stutterers

2010-01-05T17:49:00.000-08:00

There are very few physicians who stutter but they are out there! During my own personal experience as a physician, I was the only physician who stuttered at my medical school (Oklahoma State University School of Osteopathic Medicine) and intern residency program at Oklahoma University Health Science Center. I met another physician (Dr. Gerald Maguire) a psychiatrist, who stutters himself since childhood; Dr. Maguire was the Resident Program director for psychiatry at the University California at Irvine for many years. Dr. Maguire is one of the world's leading researcher on stuttering and he has started the world's first biological stuttering clinic to treat stutterers on the campus of UCI. Dr. Maguire is also leading the research on the use of pagoclone to treat stuttering. Pagoclone could be the firsst FDA drug approve for the treatment of stuttering.

Besides Dr. Maguire, I have not personally met any other physicians who stutterers! We are a small group; I recently, search the Internet to find the stories of doctors who stutter and I came across one video that I would like to share with you. My own personal experience with stuttering was quite a challenge during my intern year of residency; but it was just another experience of courage under fire and how my faith in God had helped to sustained me during that experience.

This video is about Dr. Andy Misulia an Emergency Room physician who decided that his stuttering was becoming a challenge for him on the job and he decided to get therapy to address the issue:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F31yCNMeO7E

Watch the video and leave a comment. Thank you.

Slide Show of Some Famous Stutterer

2010-01-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words; although I created a post not too long ago where I talked about famous stutterers I never got a chance to share the pictures of some of these folks. In this post you will get to see some famous stutterers such as: Aristotle, Tiger Woods, James Earl Jones, Bruce Willis, King George VI, Winston Churchill and more.

Anne Glenn (the wife of former US Senator and famous astronaut, John Glenn) also shares her experience with living with stuttering and how it has impacted her life. Mrs. Glenn also shares her joy when she was able to achieve a level of fluency through therapy and able to improve her communication with family, friends and the world at large. Here is the youtube site below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn2ycBLeuIs&feature=related

Senator Joseph Biden: who eventually became Vice President Joseph Biden also suffered from a severe stutter while growing up. Vice President Biden (then Senator Biden) talked about how stuttering had impacted his life and encouraged stutterers to keep fighting and don't lose hope. Here is the youtube site below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXxibh6wS7s&feature=related

Watch these videos and leave your comments, thank you.

Help Me To Speak

2010-01-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

Today I will present a video entitled, "Help Me To Speak," that I came across on you tube. It is a very educational video for the public to learn more about stuttering. It focuses on the lives of three persons who stutter: Nathan Stevens, Joanne Murphy and Mudiaga. They live in the United Kingdom.

Nathan Stevens: Nathan is 16 years of age and has stutter since early childhood but his stuttering became more noticeable at approximately age seven. He wants to be a film actor but stuttering has been an obstacle for him: he tries to avoid hanging out with friends and being in a public setting where he will be compelled to speak. In this play he focuses on practicing for an end of term school play which will require him to speak in front of a large audience; he tries very hard in practice to achieve fluency as this would increase his confidence for the school play.

Joanne Murphy: Joanne Murphy is 11 years old and has been stuttering since 3 years of age. Her stuttering is not severe and consequently, she was declined for speech therapy. She waits eagerly on the speech therapy waiting list to be qualify for therapy. Her parents are a bit concern about the impact that stuttering will have on her future, such as getting a "boy friend," according to her father.

Mudiaga (not sure of the spelling) is 18 years old and he has a severe stutter; consequently, just saying his name takes a whole lot of physical and emotional energy. He wants to be a graphic designer as he is very talented in that area. Mudiaga feels that the stuttering might become an obstacle to achieving his goal of becoming a graphic designer but he is determined to fight this war on stuttering. To this end he enrolled in a speech therapy program and he found that his stuttering has indeed shown improvement; he is excited about this because being fluent will improve his social life as well with respect to dating!

Here is the youtube site:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_jqQmIQ8FY

There are 5 parts to this video; therefore, remember to watch the remaining parts after the initial episode.

Please leave a comment after watching the video. Thank you.

HOW TO REACT WHEN SPEAKING WITH A PERSON WHO STUTTERS

2010-01-02T08:42:00.000-08:00

This entire suggestions was taken from the NATIONAL STUTTERING PROJECT

NOTES TO LISTENERS: When someone to whom you are talking is having trouble speaking fluently, they most likely have a stuttering problem. You will probably react appropriately by instinct, but if you are not sure what to do, you are not alone.
Stuttering is often misunderstood and can cause the listener to feel anxious. If you keep the following in mind, however, the experience will be a more comfortable one for you and the person who stutters.

HOW TO REACT WHEN SPEAKING WITH A PERSON WHO STUTTERS

1. Don't finish sentences for the person who stutters: You might be very tempted to finish sentences or fill in words for the person. Unless you know the person well and have his or her permission, please do not do this. Your action could be taken as demeaning. And, of course, if you guess the wrong word, the difficulties multiply.

2. Refrain from making remarks like: "Slow down," "Take a breath," or "Relax." Such simplistic advice can be felt as patronizing and is not constructive.

3. Maintain normal eye contact and try not to look embarrassed or alarmed. Just wait patiently and naturally until the person is finished.

4. Be aware that people who stutter usually have more trouble controlling their speech on the telephone. Saying "Hello," in particular, often presents a special problem for us. Please be extra patient in this situation.

5. People sometimes ask if they should ask the person questions about his or her stuttering. This is something we must leave to your judgment. But surely, stuttering should not be a taboo subject. If you have a question about it, the person will probably appreciate your interest. It is in your mutual benefit that it be talked about openly. You should be prepared that some people who stutter will be sensitive about it, but if you follow the rules of common courtesy, you should be fine.

6.The person's stuttering sometimes makes it harder to understand what he or she is saying. If you do not understand what is said to you, do not be afraid to say, "I'm sorry, I didn't understand what you just said." No matter how much of a struggle it was for them to say it, this is preferable to your pretending you understood, or guessing what his or her communication was.

7. Set a relaxed pace when possible, using a moderate rate of speech yourself.
In general, let the person know by your manner and actions that you are listening to what he or she is saying and not how he or she is saying it. Be yourself. Be a good listener.

From A to Z: stuttering and the animal kingdom!

2009-12-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

Stutterers are often tense in a public setting, especially when it comes to public speaking. I know how it feels to experience virtually every embarrassment that people who stutter often experience! One day we will eventually find the cure for stuttering; I will definitely pursue the cure for stuttering. But for now I think a merry heart does good like medicine and let us take a comedy look at what we stutterers can learn from the animal kingdom!

A--ant: we can be slow at times but we will eventually get there

B--bear: listening to us can potentially send you into hibernation

C--cheetah: sometimes we just need to slow down

D--deer: tell me about the, "deer in a headlight," experience! (public speaking)

E--elephant: trying to get these trunk of words out

F--firefly: now you see me, now you don't; now you hear me, now you don't!

G--goat: may-may-may-may-may, sounds too familiar perfecting the art of repetition!

H--horse: Gallup, Gallup, Gallup--just slow down!

I--Iguana: crawling along but we will get there

J--jaguar: spotted cat, spotted words!

K--Kangaroo: keep on hopping over my words!

L--lion: trying to display courage under fire in a public setting is not easy!

M--mouse: we keep avoiding the "cat," lets go for the "cheese," and let the world know that
we are high achievers!

N--night hawk: still AVOIDING daylight!

O--owl: we covert stutterers are still living in the dark!

P--Parrot: we actually can talk folks, just give us a chance

Q--quail: aren't we suppose to fly?

R--rhinoceros: remember, "don't judge a book by its cover."

S--squirrel: where is the tree when you need it!

T--turtle: I think I can; I think I can!

U--urchin: the wheels are slowly turning

V--viceroy: we don't have the option of changing our names when called upon!

W--whale: public speaking for stutterers!

X-- x-ray fish: can you "see" what I am taking about!

Y--yak: do I really sound like that!

Z--zebra: stars and strips; no, what about repetition and repetition

MTV produced "True Life" story on stuttering

2009-12-28T16:18:00.000-08:00

MTV did a video on depicting the true life struggles of people who stutter in a video called, "True Life." I think it is a very fascinating story because it highlights some of the obstacles that people who stutter has to face and try to overcome as they adjust to a life with living with stuttering!

The story involved three young adults: Caryn age 20, Jessica age 20 and Tim age 23. Caryn is what we called a "covert stutterer" ( a stutterer who conceals his or her stuttering from people around); covert stutterers can use techniques such as word substitution (often called circumlocutions using a stuttering vernacular) and avoidance to camouflage his or her stuttering. However, covert stuttering has its limit and sooner or later the "800 pound guerrilla," will show its ugly head. Stuttering, especially for covert stutterers can be an "800 pound guerrilla," because sooner or later one has to introduce himself or herself in the setting of school, work or on the phone etc. Caryn, through therapy realized that being true to yourself in letting others be aware of your stuttering is the best thing to do; consequently, we see her display "courage under fire," on the subway train when she gets up and says, I am Caryn and I stutter. Caryn also admitted to her friends that she is afflicted with the stuttering disorder. There is an old saying that, "the truth hurts but it will set you free."

Tim on the other hand has a severe stuttering and this level of stuttering interferes with his ability to get a job. He is on the verge of getting kicked out of his apartment, has virtually no food in his apartment and is on the phone trying to see if anyone is hiring; there is only one problem--he stutters so badly that people on the other end of the phone usually hangs up on him! He gets frustrated and finally called one of his friends to make phone calls for him to inquire about jobs! Tim finally went to inquire about a bar tending job; although he stutterers severely the supervisor (manager) decided that people need a chance to prove themselves regardless of their disability and decides to give Tim a chance because of his determination and highly motivation to succeed! Tim said, "I am going to work really hard to show them that they made the right choice." Tim proved that if at first you don't succeed then try, try and try again.

Jessica is competing in a beauty pageant and she has some insecurities in her ability to represent herself among the contestants secondary to her speech impediment! However, she is determined to succeed despite her stuttering defect and with the help of support from family, friends and the National Stuttering Association she overcame her phobia of stuttering and decide to talk about stuttering as her platform issue in the pageant contest. Although he did not win, he learned a valuable lesson: embraced your fears and be yourself, even though others may vote against you. Remember its all about fighting the good fight, running the race and keeping your faith.

Here is the linked to the video watch it and give me your thoughts:
www.mtv.com/true-life-i-stutter-stutters-try-to-cope-with-their-speech-issues

TRANSCENDING STUTTERING

2009-12-27T07:02:00.002-08:00

There is a video called, "Transcending Stuttering," produced and directed by Dr. Phil Schneider (professor of speech language pathology). In Transcending Stuttering, seven people who stutter tell their story of living with stuttering throughout their lives; it is a powerful and emotionally charging testimony and I urge and encourage every stutterer to watch the video. The video was also shown an PBS. I met Dr. Schneider at Brooklyn College secondary to my stuttering support group inviting him as a guest speaker. Dr. Schneider, is not a stutterer himself but has counselled and treated many stutterers over the years; he really has a genuine concern in making a difference in the lives of people who stutter.

I first watched the video (Transcending Stuttering) in my 3rd year of medical school. I was feeling very depressed after giving a public presentation during one of my medical school "Morning Report," presentation at the hospital (Tulsa Regional Medical Center now called Oklahoma State University Medical Center). I had to present a topic infront of Attending Physicians, Residents, Medical Students and other health care professionals. I had so much stutter that manifested itself in the form of "blocks." Although it wasn't funny at the time in retrospect, a friend of mine said, "Mike I guess with all that many "blocks," you could have built a house!" The presentation was suppose to be a 7 minute presentation and it ended up being about 20 minutes long. I wanted to quit medicine; I felt like a total idiot. Nevertheless, I was encouraged by an attending physician called Dr. Randall Reust (who happened to be the coordinator of the core rotations at Tulsa Regional Medical Center for the medical students).

I went home that day and was browsing through the internet for anything about stuttering that would encourage me; that is when I first encountered "Transcending Stuttering." It blessed me so much that day and let me realized that I am not alone in the emotional pain that stuttering often generate. I hope that the video ("Transcending Stuttering") will bless you too as you watch it. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi4y8Wg01fU

In case that does not work, just go to youtube and type in Transcending Stuttering.

2009-12-27T07:02:00.001-08:00

Did you know that there is a Biological Stuttering Clinic on the campus of University California at Irvine?

2009-12-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

In my 4th year of medical school, I was invited to the University California at Irvine in Orange County California by Dr. Gerald Maguire. Dr. Maguire (has also stuttered since childhood) was the former Program Director of the psychiatry resident program at UCI for many years. He has been a guest on CNN and other news programs . He is one of the leading international experts on stuttering. Dr. Maguire through his research has demonstrated that people who stutter has an excess of dopamine in their brain compare to people who do not stutter. Dopamine is a brain chemical (neurotransmitter). Dopamine is produce by an area of the brain called the substantia nigra (pars compacta portion) which is located in the midbrain (which is one of the components of the brain stem--the other two components being the pons and the medulla oblangata). Dopamine plays on important role in the functioning of the basal ganglia (located in the subcortical region of the brain and consists of: substantia nigra, subthalamus nuclei, the striatum--caudate/putamen, and the globus pallidus which all help in the initiation of movement)which connects to the cerebral cortex and thalamus. When the levels of dopamine is deficient people can end up with Parkinsons disease and when it is in excess disease like Huntington disease can be manifested.

Well, through his research Dr. Maguire has also established that an excess of dopamine in the brain is one of many factors that trigger the stuttering mechanisms; to this end he has used certain anti-dopaminergic drugs ( such as olanzapine (zyprexa), geodon (ziprasidone), abilify (aripiprazole) in his Biological Stuttering Clinic (on the UCI campus) to decrease the levels of dopamine in people who stutter. Many stutters have visited his clinic from all over the USA for treatment and the results are usually quite promising. I have witnessed several people who stutter came to his clinic for therapy and the results demonstrated a dramatic improvement in their stuttering. These anti-dopaminergic drugs have less side effects than the traditionally potent ones (like halopiridol).

Dr. Maguire is currently the lead researcher working on a drug called pagoclone to treat stuttering and it could be the first FDA drug approve to treat stuttering! Feel free to check out addition information on this study at: www.stutteringstudy.com

Famous People who stuttered (s)

2009-12-25T15:59:00.000-08:00

Religion:
*Moses (the Bible Prophet)
*Oral Roberts ( one of the most influential healing evangelist of the 20th century)

Politics
*Joseph Biden (Vice President of USA)
*King George VI
*Sir Winston Churchill
*Anne Glenn (wife of former astronaut and US Senator John Glenn)
*Congressman Frank Wolf from Virginia
*Demosthenes (Athenian, said to be the greatest Greek orator of ancient times)

Science
*Isaac Newtown
*Charles Darwin
*Robert Boyle
*Alan Rabinowitz (explorer, conservationist, zoologist)

Sports
*Ron Harper (former ChicagoBulls player)
*Kenyon Martin (former New Jersey Nets player)
*Bo Jackson (former major league baseball player)
*Bob Love (former Chicago Bulls player)
*Tiger Woods
*Bill Walton (former NBA player)
*Ken Venturi (legendary Golfer)
*Darren Sproles (NFL player for Sanfrancisco Charger)
*Lester Hayes (former NFL player for the LA Raiders)
*Tommy John (former major league baseball playerfor the Oakland A's and Yankees))

Medicine
*Gerald Maguire (psychiatrist, University California at Irvine)
*Michael Henry Grandison (Jamaican

Actors/Actress
*James Earl Jones
*Julia Roberts
*Eric Roberts (brother of Julia Roberts)
*Marilyn Monroe
*Bruce Willis
*Jimmy Stewart
*Anthony Quinn
*Jane Seymour (British actress)
*Byron Pitts (CBS news journalist)

Business
*Jack Welch (former chairman of General Electrics)
*Authur Blankk (owner of Atlanta Hawks )
*Walter Wriston (former chairman of Citibank/Citicorp

Journalism
*John Stossel (former 20/20 host; now Fox news anchor)

Music
*Mel Tillis
*B.B. King

Literature
*John Updike (author)

This is just a sample. More notable stutterers are listed at www.stutteringhelp.org

My World Of Stuttering

2009-12-24T20:46:00.000-08:00

Greetings! Stuttering (as it is called in the USA) or Stammering (as it is called in Great Britain) can be a very emotionally painful disorder. First, there are different kinds of stuttering but the one being described here is developmental stuttering that usually begins around the age of 2 to 5. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSMVI--which is essentially the "bible," for psychological disorder/illness) described stuttering as disturbance in the normal fluency and time patterning of speech (inappropriate for the individual's age) characterized by frequent occurrences of one or more of the following:
*sound and syllable repititions
*sound prolongations
*interjections
*broken words (pausing within a word)
*audible or silent blocking (filled or unfilled pausing in speech)
*circumlocutions (word substitutions to avoid problematic words)
*words produced with an excess of physical tention
*monosyllabic whole-word repetitions
*the disturbance in fluency interferes with academic or occupational achievement or with social
communication
*If a speech-motor or sensory deficit is present, the speech difficulties are in excess of those
usually associated with these problems.

Stuttering affects roughly 1% of the populations (about 3 million in the USA) and 4x as much boys than girls are affected. It has been said that about 80% of stutterers recover by the age of 16 and those who don't (the remaining 20%) goes on to become adult stuterers, like myself.

My journey of stuttering began when I was about 3 years old in Jamaica. As I grew up and attend elementary school in Jamaica (May Pen Primary, Clarendon) I became more so aware of my stuttering because kids made fun of stutterers in general! I am going to spare you the long stories of embarrassment throughout my life as a result of stuttering but there were many. I thought my dream of becoming a physician would never be realized. My parents sent me to the USA at age 14 to realized this dream and after much struggled through Newtown High School (New York), Rollins College (Winter Park, Florida), Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, Oklahoma), Oklahoma State School of Osteopathic Medicine (Tulsa, Oklahoma), Completed first year of Internal Medicine (Oklahoma University Health Science Center), became a license physician in Oklahoma and will be license in the State of New York I prevailed.

I have won many battles against stuttering but the war is not over yet. I am currently a member of the National Stuttering Association, am writing a book on my own personal journey with stuttering, and would like to finish up my Neurology Residency that I started and took a break from 8/2009. I want to encouraged all stutterers that they can become anything they want to me. The road is not going to be easy but that is indeed life in a nutshell! For me it was my faith in God that sustained me the most during some of the most difficult times--and there were many. This is just an introduction to you all--my first blog on here! I hope to communicate with you all more in the days and weeks ahead.