September 2008
Oriental Medicine is Now the Only Hope for Mihdi Brock
SANTA MONICA, CA - After years of following every lead and searching out the opinions of experts in Western medicine from across the North American continent, a final conclusion has been reached: there appears, to Mihdi's family, to be no hope, no cure for Mihdi Brock through Western medicine. Oriental medicine offers the only possibility of a treatment program that will bring any healing and sustained life to him.
Since 1999 Mihdi's father Marvin Brock has been working tirelessly to come up with the best answer to assist Mihdi reach as healthy and as long lasting an adulthood as possible. For the last eight years that answer has been the care and treatment that Mihdi has received from his primary care physician of Dr. Baolin Wu, Master Physician of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Doctor of Neurophysiology, along with the daily herbal prescriptions and hours of physical therapies that Mr. Brock oversees.
At the same time over these years, they have continued to consult periodically with top-rated centers of Western medicine - the health centers associated with the medical schools of Harvard, Dartmouth College, University of British Columbia, USC, and UCLA along with Cleveland Clinic and Concord Orthopedics.
This past July saw the culmination of these searches for an answer through Western medicine when Mihdi and his father attended at what is perhaps one of the most well known medical centers in the United States, the Mayo Clinic. For one week Mihdi underwent tests, examinations, and procedures including several MRI's, and Mr. Brock consulted with a battery of physicians, the heads of several different departments working as a team including Orthopedic Surgery, Neurology, and Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine.
The specialist team agreed with past assessments that Mihdi's condition is complex and is of no known medical syndrome. They determined that the repair to Mihdi's heart is stable at the moment, the fluid on his brain does not appear to be a concern any longer, and while his blood may be prone to clotting, he shows no lasting effects of the stroke. However, the curvature of his spine has worsened over the last year from 83º to over 90º. This curvature progression is reducing the function of his internal organs, in particular his lungs. Testing revealed that his ability to exhale is less than normal for his age. He also has a reduced ability to cough out of the lower section of his lungs, thus he can't expel mucous, leaving him susceptible to pneumonia. It is thought that the curvature of his lower spine may be causing the chronic constipation and his inability to put on weight.
The primary recommendation of the Mayo Clinic team is to use extensive traction therapy to stretch his spine. The only method, however, that they can suggest for this would be through two surgeries. In the first, a halo traction device would be fitted to Mihdi's body by screws into his skull and pelvic bones. He would wear this device continuously for up to several months in an effort to straighten his spine; a metal attachment to the front of the spine might also be inserted through his abdomen during the same operation. Then a second surgery involving spinal instrumentation would remove the halo and insert metal rods, hooks, screws and wires on either side of the spine from shoulder to hip to hold the straightening in place.
At 11 years of age, Mihdi is just 51 pounds and 4 feet 1 inch tall; he is a small, little boy with an extremely compromised immune system and stressed internal organs. While the Mayo team members agree that it is critical to accelerate treatment at this point, it is doubtful that Mihdi would be able to survive these invasive procedures, which means that there are no further options through Western medicine for Mihdi. Over the years, the suggested treatment from Western specialists has varied little, and several have questioned his ability to survive the surgeries. His health, indeed his life now must rely entirely on the treatment protocols of Oriental medicine and Dr. Wu's expertise.
Dr. Wu also recommends immediate intensive traction therapy; he supports the use of a traction table device such as shown here. He advises that at this critical stage it is imperative for Mihdi to be in traction on such a device as quickly as possible to gain time to straighten his bones against the resistance of the soft tissue before the bones harden completely. Chiropractors have long used the traction approach to work with the spine. This device is proposed as a suitable method for Mihdi's needs rather than risk his failing to tolerate the surgeries.
As The Mihdi Joon Fund has now been apprised of this situation, it has prioritized providing the funding to make a table available for Mihdi's immediate treatment.
While The Mihdi Joon Fund continues to financially support Mihdi's needs in his quest for survival, the Fund has also begun its education program with a series of newsletters and publications to help others learn about the benefits they might experience for their own health issues through Oriental medicine. At this juncture in Mihdi's situation with Oriental medicine providing the only viable treatment plan for him, it emphasizes the importance of helping others learn about possible alternatives that may be available and necessary for them as well. Mihdi's treatment plan and his progress have been carefully documented in order to make public reports. With continued public support, The Mihdi Joon Fund will carry on with this mission to share the benefits of Oriental medicine with all.
Anyone who would like to receive more information about Oriental medicine or who would like to make a donation can contact
The Mihdi Joon Fund at
P.O. Box 1987, Hamilton, HM HX
441-292-3786 or
info AT themihdijoonfund DOT org
