Mihdis Treatments

Mihdi is off to Dr. Wu's office with his torso brace over his shoulder (left). Five days a week, 50 weeks of the year, Mihdi receives acupuncture, tui na (therapeutic massage) and qi gong treatments from Dr. Wu.
Dr. Wu also prescribes herbs which come in a pill form (bottles on the table) and must be prepared into a tea and taken three times a day. As well, Mihdi drinks freshly made vegetable and fruit juices to help his body assimilate the nutrients he needs more easily.

MRI's are a norm in Mihdi's life and have been a regular part of his examinations protocol.
In October 2007, Mihdi suffered a stroke. He was hospitalized for 10 days, and went through a recovery period of several months before he was able to return to school and resume some of his normal activities. The danger of another stroke is never far away.

In July 2008, Mihdi and his father attended at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota where Mihdi underwent one week of extensive testing and examinations including several MRI's to see if there were any new possibilities that Western medicine could offer him. 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.

Unfortunately, it became clear that there were no new possibilities, and it also became clear that Oriental medicine offered the only possibility of a treatment program that would bring any healing and sustained life to him.

        Even the common cold can become a major illness for Mihdi; his breathing can become impaired to the extent that he needs assistance to breath. At times, his condition has quickly deteriorated into pneumonia.
        He also underwent painful dental surgery to remove many of his first set of teeth as they had deteriorated rapidly and became abcessed.
        Mihdi has been through a lot, yet he continues to strive on a daily basis to stay at least one step ahead of the onslaught.