A study has found that intensive speech therapy, which involves repeating words and sentences out loud to stimulate the voice, is an effective treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
Nearly 90 percent of patients with Parkinson’s disease suffer from a speech disorder, hypokinetic dysarthria, which causes them to speak softly, slurred, monotonously, or in a jumbled manner.
Researchers in the UK found that Lee Silverman’s voice therapy, also known as LVST LOUD, could retrain patients’ brains to produce a loud, clear voice for everyday conversations.
Medical experts have suggested that US President Joe Biden suffered from dysarthria-like symptoms during his presidential debate with Donald Trump on June 27, during which he mumbled statements that were almost incoherent.
Speculation about Biden’s health has been further fueled after it was revealed that Dr. Kevin Cannard, an expert on Parkinson’s disease, visited the White House multiple times last year. Biden, however, has denied that the visits were intended for his benefit.
After his disastrous debate with Donald Trump, US President Joe Biden admitted: ‘I don’t speak as fluently as I used to’
Biden and Trump will face each other in the US elections on November 5
A UK study led by researchers in Nottingham and London found that LVST LOUD is more effective in patients with Parkinson’s disease than other forms of speech therapy.
Of the 388 patients who participated in the study, those who received four 50-minute LVST LOUD sessions each week, either online or face-to-face, performed better on speech tests later in life.
They reported that it not only restored their voices, but also improved their quality of life.
Voice quality was measured on a scale of 0 to 120. Patients receiving LSVT LOUD scored eight points better than patients who did not receive speech therapy, and almost ten points better than patients who received standard NHS speech therapy.
Some who did the LSVT LOUD exercises said it caused some vocal strain, but these symptoms were relatively fleeting. The researchers said the side effects were worth it for the results.
Knowledge of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can lead to earlier diagnoses and access to treatments that improve patients’ quality of life.
Nearly 90 percent of patients with Parkinson’s disease have a speech disorder called hypokinetic dysarthria, which causes them to speak in a soft, slurred, monotone, or jumbled manner
In the LVST LOUD treatment, words and sentences are repeated in a loud voice for up to one hour, at least four times a week.
They wrote: ‘This randomised trial provides evidence to guide clinical decision-making and emphasises the need to optimise the use of speech therapy resources for people with Parkinson’s disease.’
They added that the biggest challenge will be getting “resource-constrained” healthcare systems such as the NHS to implement an innovative new therapy.
LVST LOUD was developed in the US in the 1980s and named after the first patient, who died before the studies were completed.
During some treatment sessions, patients are filmed repeating words and sentences, allowing them to re-watch themselves and understand how the volume of their voice changes.
It is thought that in Parkinson’s disease the brain loses the ability to correctly recognize volume, causing the person to hear their own voice as loud enough when it is too soft.
According to the LSVT Global website: ‘The goal is for individuals to ‘boost’ their stronger voice with daily practice so that they can use it comfortably in everyday communication. Further, this will become a lifelong habit of practice, even after the 16 treatment sessions are completed.’
Dr. Tom Pitts, a New York neurologist, has maintained that President Biden appears to be suffering from a degenerative brain disorder, saying he could “diagnose him from across the mall.”
He told NBC News: “His motor symptoms are degenerating. He has Parkinson’s. That’s a fact. He has brain degeneration. Show me the MRI. Show me he doesn’t have that. Put your money where your mouth is. He absolutely does.”
Biden said after his disastrous debate with Trump: ‘I know I’m not a young man anymore. I don’t walk as smoothly as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth.’
Biden and Trump will face each other in the US elections on November 5.