The more I work with bipolar children the more I see difficulties which some of them face that have nothing to do with mood or behavior but profoundly influence both.
Bipolar disorder is a condition affecting the entire brain and most importantly the coordination of different parts of the brain.
- Alternating moods are thought to be contributed to by poor integration of left and right hemispheres.
- Problems with reading and handwriting have to do with poor integration of left and right visual motor activity.
- Problems with peers can be aggravated by problems participating in activities other kids do without effort, activities requiring coordination and focus: baseball, basketball. (Such difficulties can subtly affect a child’s interest in such activities well before they realize that they are an important way of joining a peer group.)
These fundamentally neurological problems are not captured in current descriptions of bipolar disorder, and they are not remedied by competent use of medication and psychotherapy.
A NEW FORM OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT WORKS TO TREAT THESE PROBLEMS.
The program is called “The Brain Muscle Workout”
This is a from of physical training that combines balance and coordination in the same movement maximizing brain activity at the time of performing physical movements.
The program is designed to advance gradually so that a child imperceptibly learns to perform more and more complex exercises.
As integration of movement and balance improve powers of concentration and attention improve as well. The body leads the mind toward better coordination, focus and ability to attend complex tasks.
Such a resource is particularly valuable for children who cannot tolerate medicines used to treat ADD and for children whose awkwardness tends to isolate them from group activities. Children without these deficits also benefit from this training but usually begin at and proceed to a higher level of accomplishment.
However, the program is designed to focus on each child’s progress without comparison to other children.
The program is also designed and taught with humor encouraging the child to have fun while obtaining mastery.
A child should practice this program several times a week to gain full benefits. However anytime devoted to exercise will be beneficial, even as little as 10 minutes.
CHILDREN AND BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
Our developing understanding of the brain includes two crucial findings that bear on the importance of this work for school aged children:
-At younger ages the brain has greater plasticity, so that the new learning is both easier, more exactly learned, and is more likely to have enduring effects on a Childs future function
-During adolescence a pruning process occurs in which those neurons that are not actively used are removed:
“ USE IT OR LOSE IT”
In my work, no matter what a child’s diagnosis accrued, developmental problems or such as relationships with peers, academic function, obesity, cardiovascular risk or deficits in self-esteem, are much harder to treat than problems with mood and anxiety
| The results that can be expected are: |
| 1. - Greater Physical strength and endurance
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Michael Gonzalez-Wallace has founded the program “The Brain Muscle Workout”. He attended economics school in Madrid and earn a certification in sports medicine by the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He is in the process of implementing the program in New York City schools but teaches individuals and small groups privately.
I have been Michael’s student and I am impressed not only with subtlety of his teaching but also its patience and humor.
GREG LOMBARDO, MD, PH.D. is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist in private practice in Manhattan and Westchester county. He is board certified in adult, child and adolescent psychiatry and is a diplomat of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
