A king tormented by speech

Saturday, April 30, 2011 by: Robert Boyd, DO (UK)
Tags: The King's Speech, movie, health news

(NewsTarget) The movie, The King's Speech, received huge publicity and plaudits. It tells of the major speech impediment suffered by King George VI of England - referred to as a stammer or stutter - and particularly of the attempts to overcome it with the help of a speech therapist.

King George was born in 1895 and died in 1952, aged 56. His health in other ways over his lifetime had other significant markers and he was known to be subject to periods of severe depression. In 1949 he had an arterial blockage of the right leg, in 1951 had a pneumonectomy of the left lung for a malignant tumour and finally died in his sleep from a coronary thrombosis. These health problems followed poor health as a child when he was diagnosed with knock knees (genu valgum), for which he was forced to wear painful splints. Altogether this seems to be a catalogue of seemingly unconnected and separate diseases. Or are they?

Stammering is defined as involuntary interruptions or stoppages in speech affecting its fluency and delivery. Its severity is variable from one individual to another and is more prevalent in children than adults. There is neither a recognized cause nor cure for this disorder although its incidence is thought to be influenced by such factors as stress, self worth or even having to use particular words.

The mechanism used by the body to employ speech involves the lungs and the diaphragm. The diaphragm - a large muscle - controls the contraction and relaxation of the lungs during breathing and any disturbance to its function will immediately impinge on the respiratory function.

All muscles are activated by nerves and a key one to ensuring normal diaphragmatic function is the Phrenic nerve. This nerve originates in the area of the third, fourth and fifth cervical spine and any disturbance, injury or irritation in this area can reflect on the associated structures: in this case the diaphragm. Sudden contraction of the diaphragm, resulting in repeated and uncontrolled spasms, is also thought to be a cause of the hiccup reflex. Interestingly, King George is also recorded as having suffered from chronic stomach problems, an area also served by the Phrenic nerve.

There is now anecdotal evidence that (by addressing the status of the Phrenic nerve by gentle chiropractic, osteopathic or cranial means) useful help may be available to those afflicted from this condition. All of which prompts the question: was there a holistic connection between the stutter disorder and the other seemingly unconnected disorders over the King's lifetime?

Sources:

http://www.doctorsofusc.com/condition/docume...

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolif...

http://www.emedmag.com/html/pre/cov/covers/0...

About the author

Robert Boyd, DO, (UK), is the Discoverer and Developer of Bio Craniopathy, formerly known as the Bio Cranial System. He is the President of The Bio Cranial Institute International, http://www.biocranialinstitute.com/about-the.... Robert has authored two books. "An Introduction to Bio Cranial Therapy" and "The HeadWay to Health". Robert’s next book, “Bio Craniopathy, "The Body’s Master System Revealed", is soon due for publication. He led the successful battle against fluoridation in his own community and is a passionate advocate of the body's self healing and vitalistic principle. He is acknowledged as a ground breaking researcher in the field of the cranial mechanism.