Saturday, July 16, 2016

Summer, 2016 and we are doing well

Well, the Masgutova Neurosensory-motor Reflex Integration (MNRI) is what John needed. We also found that we needed to disconnect him from the computer/TVs. He is now in bed by 10ish and up by 5:30ish (his choice). At 8 am. the computer/TVs are off and I make out a list for him to do. If the list is completed at 5 pm, he can have access to the computer. Nowadays, he reads news in the AM and watches Netflix in the evening. He gets so much done now each day that I have offered him an allowance of $20 weekly. He cleans toilets, scrub floors, mows grass, fixes bed, etc. It isn't always done well but he is getting better all the time.

The system is working well. The MNRI is really helping him get his body and mind functioning better. It is hard to explain how it works but it is quite amazing. The body's reflexes are like the software system of the body whereas the bones, muscle and tissue are the hardware. MNRI has the capacity to make almost anyone function better: brain injury, autism, cerebral palsy, genetic disorders, etc. MNRI will help them use their body better and become actually cognitively smarter. A few years ago I thought that was impossible.

Four years ago John had very limited knowledge. He knew this somehow but didn't know what to do about it. MNRI slowly but steadily gave him more use of his brain power and, because he wasn't on the computer any longer during the day, he got bored. Nothing to do. So then he started ordering books: Palestine: Peace or Apartheid by Jimmy Carter; Saudia Arabia by (US author); The History of Afghanistan from 1830-1850 by xx. Yes, my son, John has become quite knowledgeable in middle eastern affairs. He has a list of books and has a goal of seeing how many he can read in a year. He reads Time magazine every week from cover to cover. Without MNRI this would never have happened.

The next step is getting a job. He is 26 and has a spotty job resume. He got a job at Subway last Feb. and he was fired on the first day for not being able to do it fast enough. So we have doubled up on the therapy for him and our goals in 2017: getting employed and getting a driver's license.

But John still has significant deficits. When gardening, I can ask John to fill a hole with dirt and he will likely fill the wrong hole (even after I showed him the right hole). He is learning to deadhead flowers but it will be awhile before he can do it. He can't remember more than 1 instruction at a time and they need to be extremely simple. He doesn't handle redirection or constructive criticism well. He is very defensive. All these things make him very marginally employable.

John has a garden now and takes it very seriously. He waters, weeds it almost daily. He post pictures of it on Facebook. He picks and cooks the vegetables. He is becoming a pretty good gardener.

John's personality is emerging. One day he said, "I like garlic." Then we learned that he likes politics and geography. Then I suggested he might be interested in a garden of his own (at a community garden location) and he totally took control of it. I had no idea of these interests 5 years ago. People would say, "What is John good at?" and I couldn't think of anything. Now, there are many things. I realize that we are have a fighting chance at life if we keep our diet clean, stay away from toxins in our lives, and continue to be disciplined, and work at it in this way. I envision John taking the Master Gardener classes next year. I think he will be working (possibly through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation) and have some friends in 2017. I believe he will be self-supporting some day but I don't know at what degree. He is actually happy now but I think he has the capacity to be independent in the future, too. He still occasionally becomes 'down' about his life and future and it is hard to bring him out of it. I really can't blame him as I see people with a lot fewer challenges than his get depressed.

But I believe in the power of synergy so we are working on other fronts, as well. We recently used an IonCleanse detox foot bath twice daily for almost 4 months but saw no results. I finally sold it for $1,000 which was half its cost.

Part of my plan is to keep us all very healthy so my husband and I will be around for our kids as they mature. So my interest in diet and health (as a result of researching the biomedical protocol) has resulted in changing our diet. I am now vegan and cook vegan everyday. Our health has definitely improved, especially compared with others, so that plan is working.

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