Alternative Therapies

Posted by Rebecca Highton on 12th March 2019 Advice & Support, Disabilities

Therapy for Alfie consists of a variety of professionals.

A paediatrician, an audiologist, a surgeon, a cochlear implant key worker, a speech and language therapist, a teacher of the deaf, a tuning technician, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a playworker, a health visitor.

These are but a few of the professionals involved with Alfie’s care.

The professionals make referrals for Alfie to receive treatment and therapies, and each has to be mindful of the other needs Alfie has and how what they suggest can impact him in other ways.

Alfie has so many professionals involved yet it is not always clear to see which therapies and treatments are helping and which are not.

After several months of research and discussions with other parents, we made the decision to take Alfie to a therapy that is not available on the NHS.

Cuevas Medek Exercise, better known as CME therapy was what we chose to pursue.

We looked at the results others had achieved and talked to multiple parents who take their children to see therapists. It was one of the best decisions we have ever made.

CME therapy has different results for all children and has to be worked at. Since taking Alfie for a block of sessions in October, we have seen such a huge difference.

He is more stable in his core and has much more control over his trunk.

He uses his legs more and is now trying to crawl.

We don’t always manage to do Alfie’s exercises with him every day, for a variety of reasons but the progress Alfie has made and continues to make speaks volumes.

It is a difficult choice to make, deciding whether to try a therapy that is not widely available, to take your child to a therapist many miles away.

Yet with the right research and correct therapist, it can lead to incredible opportunities and development for your child.

Alternative therapy may seem like a scary thought, after all, this is your child’s health and development that you are making decisions about.

But do not be scared to take chances, do not be scared to go against the opinion of the professionals, to question them and to do your own research.

CME therapy is not available on the NHS yet is widely used throughout Australia and America with centres and professionals throughout offering help to families of children with disabilities.

It is not an obscure therapy and was the right choice for us.

We took a chance and are glad that we did and hope to go back soon.

So, the next time you think of ‘alternative therapies’, do not think that this means back street clinics and unregulated therapists, instead do your research.

Alternative therapies in this country are often commonplace in another and can lead to incredible results for your child.