My Reaction Phantom Limb Pain and the Mirror Box #3

On the sensory cortex, the gentiles and feet are next to each other. The hands and feet are next to each other. When an arm is lost, the brain still wants information from it to process. The brain steals information from the face because it is the closest thing to the arm. This causes the person to feel sensations of their phantom arm when something happens to their face. This allows Mr. Austin to map out where the limb is and manipulate the phantom limb. These videos are being used to help out those who are going through pain from phantom limbs. These videos have made me want to study phantom limbs.

My Reaction to Phantom Limb Pain and The Mirror Box #2

If an arm is contracted and the is also a head injury, then the problem is not in the arm, but in the brain. The change in information processing causes the contraction in the arm. When a person loses an upper limb, the brain will cause the development of a contracted limb. If a person does have a contracted limb, they will be unable to put both their arms into the box. Mr. Austin tries to help these kind of people by having them form mirror images with their real arm, so he can see what the contraction looks like. He then has the patient close their eyes and he will slowly manipulate part of their limb. Then once he was done, their arm would not be so contracted that it would be able to fit into the mirror box. How interesting! :D I enjoyed this video much more then the first one.

My Reaction to Mirror Box and Phantom Limb Pain #1

The mirror box is a wooden box that has exactly ninety degree angles and a mirror right in the middle of it. The mirror acts as an allusion of having a limb. The allusion was very convincing. This box is like therapy for those who suffer pain from phantom limbs. The patient would put both limbs in the box. The mirror would make it look like the person is moving both limbs. This allows the contracted limb to loosen up. The patient feels automatic relief. I also learned that a lot of the phantom limb pain that patients feels is due to the contraction of the limb. I enjoyed watching this video.

What I Learned From Doing My Health Project

Through this experience, I have learned how to read nutritional labels. Before, I did never took the time to look at the labels of the foods I ate. When I did, it did not make any sense to me. Now, I always look at the labels. My friends and family actually get annoyed by my new habit. I have also learned that oranges are better fruits then I thought. It is ranked as the number 1 healthiest fruit. I learned that it is better to eat four to five small meals, rather then two big meals. I have adjusted to eating multiple small meals. This project has been very beneficial for me. I am very happy I participated in it.

Summary of Chapter 2

This chapter was in depth and introduced the science that involved in phantom limbs. The doctor also introduced his two theories about phantom limbs. I hope these two theories will help uncover the mystery in phantim limbs. It is not normal when a person feels pain for a limb that is no there anymore.

The Most Interesting Story in Phantoms

It is not everyday where I come across a person who tried to keep her own hand from choking herself. This was one of the stories in Phantoms. I loved the desciption in the book. i could actually picture the woman trying to take her own hand off her neck. I read that she also had to sit on her arm to prevent that from happening. I cannot imagine the amount of pain this poor woman went through. She constantly had to be cautious of her arm. That is a very hard life to live.

Phantoms

These book is very good! I have never been so interested in a book since the book, The Elephant Man. I never realized that phantoms in the body could actually be real. It is funny how the mind can trick itself into thinking that a limb that has been amputated is still there. This shows me that the brain is capable of extraordinary things. If I had a phantom limb, I would actually be very annoyed by it. Imagine trying to open a refrigerator with a phantom limb?!