Guillain-Barre syndrome

I had a friend with this and knocked him for 6.
One thing we tried was Vibration training on the Power Plate. This ensured he was stimulating muscle, was doing structured exercise and didn't lose strength. It also improves circulation.
There is also clinical evidence that Vibration training works for this condition.
From what I saw my friend was in a bit of a mess so anything which will made him feel better in himself seemed to work.

Hi Deborah

It will take a while to write out some recommendations, and no time now - will try tomorrow.

My friend has recently been diagnosed with this so I will watch with interest for recommendations

Hello again

There is a very good description of this illness on - all fully referenced. I personally have no experience of this particular problem (it’s pretty rare) but I do of auto-immune illnesses of which this is one of many. It is a frightening situation to be in when one develops this problem and the onset seems to be rapid and can be life-threatening. Medical attention is paramount and not necessary to discuss here. It is after the acute phase that one can help patients on the road to recovery.

Many, though not all, autoimmune problems start in the gut. Maintaining your beneficial bacteria is vital to a balanced immune system - 80% of it is found in the gut supported by these beneficial bacteria - they help to fight off infections, reduce the toxic load, help digest proteins, produce enzymes and some B vitamins, and enhance the absorption of nutrients among other things. When they are imbalanced they struggle to do this and pathogenic bacteria and fungi start to flourish, and various problems are more than likely to arise.

According to , toxins are produced in the presence of pathogenic bacteria which cause inflammation of the lining of the gut wall, and when this struggles to function (it is only 1 cell thick!) semi-digested particles of food can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream in between these cells. The immune system goes into overdrive and starts attacking these molecules (often proteins, but can be fats) as if they were invaders. Following on from this, the immune system will then attack any molecules it sees as very similar - but these can be an essential part of the body like the joint linings (rheumatoid arthritis) or myelin sheath covering nerves (MS and GBS) and so on. In order to reduce the possibility of this problem continuing or recurring, it is essential to have pre- and probiotics to normalise beneficial gut flora and deal with the pathogens.

The help of a registered [url]Nutritional Therapist [/url]could make all the difference to the patient, giving the correct diet advice and choosing suitable supplements. It would be inappropriate for me to do so when I have not seen the patient. There may be residual gut infection to deal with, food intolerances are almost certainly involved, mineral and vitamin imbalances, and so on - tests will be needed to discover which and what. Then once these have been checked, a choice of suitable foods will be advised. Unfortunately a dietician is not trained to organise these tests and will only advise what the doctor suggests.

As far as exercise is concerned, someone trained to help a patient with this is the best option - eg physiotherapist or osteopath. I expect it will be a form of graded exercise.

I would also look at

I hope this information is of help.