wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Comments

• [1] LBS from NYC March 14, 2008 - 01:26PM

  Does proprioception rely on muscle memory? Are they the same thing?

  
  
• [2] chestina (felt pressure to change it) from Midtown March 14, 2008 - 01:27PM

  is there local proprioception? I mean can your feet have weaker proprioception than your upper body for instance? I feel weird on rollerblades when I have to step down from a curb -

  
  
• [3] Caitlin March 14, 2008 - 01:31PM

  In movies we always see people walking around with a book on their head to improve their balance... Does anything like this actually work?

  
  
• [4] chestina (felt pressure to change it) from Midtown March 14, 2008 - 01:40PM

  I thought the book on the head was for posture -

  Also it seems to take time when you want to get your body to agree with proprioception (I am guessing) - I say this as a figure skater who has always been a natural spinner - you have to get your muscles to work to keep you in balance - centered - but it also takes repetition to get there and not be dizzy

  
  
• [5] MCH from Brooklyn March 14, 2008 - 01:41PM

  I have a son with Asperger's Syndrome. Before we knew this we noticed that he had sensory integration dysfunctions. For example: he would fall off a ledge if we didn't hold on to him, he would literally walk into walls. This improved dramatically with occupational therapy. He also responds to physical insults by throwing up. I have read that this is common in the autism spectrum. I would love for your guests to discuss this.

  
  
• [6] YH from Midtown March 14, 2008 - 01:44PM

  I get motion sickness in cars or on the train when I'm facing the direction that the vehicle is travelling. However, if I sit sideways, I don't get motion sickness. Why is that?

  
  
• [7] Sara Robbins from Cheyenne Wyoming.... March 14, 2008 - 01:45PM

  Listening online... When I close my eyes and bow my head in church I noticed years ago that I feel like I'm going to fall over to the left or right... ????

  A more worrysome problem is elevators...as I age it gets worst (I'm 30) but when I get off of an elevator I have to stand VERY still or I do end up with vertigo and usually it's again a side to side issue where I feel that I'm falling over to the let or right...????

  What is affecting this or what could be affecting this?

  
  
• [8] Sally Beers from Rye, NY March 14, 2008 - 01:47PM

  In an exercise class for seniors we always seek to improve balance by trying to balance on one foot adjusting arms and putting the foot not on the ground in front, in back, etc. I do not seem to be improving especially with the right foot. Is this exercise slowly improving balance in a way that is not yet discernible? Or is it simply not helpful?

  Is imbalance inherited? (My Dad had trouble with balance as he aged.)Thanks.

  
  
• [9] Allen from Long Island March 14, 2008 - 01:51PM

  Is dizziness linked to low blood sugar? I get flashes of dizziness and nausea in the morning, and I think it is because I don't eat or drink anything for breakfast.

  
  
• [10] Doris from Brooklyn March 14, 2008 - 01:52PM

  I wonder if your guests think that "whole body vibration" exercise machines help with balance, as some sources claim - is it a similar benefit as the vibrating insoles that Ms. Blakeslee said are helpful for older people.

  
  
• [11] donna from brooklyn March 14, 2008 - 01:53PM

  is there a relation between this and body dysmorphic disorder or anorexia? One guest mentioned that a vibration could convince someone that their waist was smaller...

  
  
• [12] Glynnis from Manhattan March 14, 2008 - 01:55PM

  Why is it that we often don't recognize pain or physical until we see our injuries?

  
  
• [13] George March 14, 2008 - 01:55PM

  Can change in weather presure pattern affect balance

  
  
• [14] donna from brooklyn March 14, 2008 - 01:56PM

  re guest comment that this sense automatically adjusts for example if you are wearing a hat, there seem to be alot of people on the subway who

  we senses don't adjust for the giant backpacks they are wearing...

  
  
• [15] chestina (felt pressure to change it) from Midtown March 14, 2008 - 01:57PM

  Do you think these disabilities (such as in fibromyalgia) have to do with all the microwaves and electronics we have all around?

  
  
• [16] Kira from Astoria March 14, 2008 - 01:58PM

  FYI, Oliver Sacks did write about proprioception in The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. The chapter is called "The bodiless woman" I think.

  Great show!!

  
  
• [17] Amy from Manhattan March 14, 2008 - 02:00PM

  To YH (comment #6): I have the same thing, but only when I read. I thought it might be because when I sit sideways & read, my eyes, following the lines in the book, are moving in the same direction as the vehicle, but when I face forward, they move perpendicular to the direction of overall motion. If it can also happen in some people even when they aren't reading, maybe my explanation isn't relevant after all.

  
  
• [18] Simeon Berman, MD from West Orange, NJ March 14, 2008 - 02:08PM

  For the listeners who asked about the difficulty that their children are having with balance, one thought in helping them with many of these problems, is that they appear to arise from difficulties within the visual system.

  By strengthening the muscles of accommodation (ie, so called push - pull visual eye exercises within the visual system, it may help with both balance and proprioception.

  Weak eye muscles, the over taxing of the eyes with long stretches of reading and too much TV etc may be contributory.

  
  
• [19] chestina (felt pressure to change it) from Midtown March 14, 2008 - 02:09PM

  Sara if it is vertigo there's an acupressure or acupuncture point that's great for this - St 36 if you can look it up.

  :)

  
  
• [20] Howard Josepher from NYC March 14, 2008 - 05:33PM

  Can I find out more about the guest's comment that neurontin is being used in small amounts to treat auto-immune disease?