Résulats d'Edel 

Cher oncle, j’ai pensé à aller en France pour du laserponcture. D’après ce que j’ai lu sur Internet, cela aide les gens à récupérer des fonctions. Y-a-t-il une raison pour laquelle je ne devrais pas y aller ? Merci, Meridia.

Meridia : le laserponcture est semblable à l’acupuncture Chinoise, mais il utilise un laser basse puissance à la place d’aiguilles afin de renforcer le flux d’énergie vitale ou qi. Albert Bohbot, un podologue qui est maintenant un neuroscientifique indépendant, a commencé à utiliser des lasers à infrarouges pour traiter les blessures médullaires dès 1990, il a aujourd’hui un cabinet de consultations à environ 150 miles au sud de Paris.

Bohbot, que l’on a décrit comme un homme charismatique et bienveillant, a étendu le réseau acupunctural traditionnel par la découverte de 300 nouveaux points d’énergie sur le ventre et le dos. Une séance de laserponcture dure 20 minutes, 10 points sont stimulés pendant 2 minutes. Comme Bohbot l’explique, la lumière infrarouge déclenche un « dialogue » avec la partie du corps traitée par chaque point : cela est ressenti comme des picotements, chaud, froid ou rien. Le résultat, dit-il, comprend des récupérations moteur, sensorielles et viscérales.

L’acupuncture est une médecine et a été pratiquée depuis des siècles. Mais encore beaucoup de personnes, dont les médecins occidentaux, ont du mal à comprendre ou accepter quelque chose de si impalpable comme le yin et le yang. Ces dernières années, cependant, les scientifiques s’enthousiasment peu à peu pour le laserponcture  - ils ont observé un mécanisme : il semble que l’acupuncture stimule les transmetteurs nerveux et les hormones. Mais comment cela peut-il affecter quelqu’un avec une blessure médullaire et un grand trou dans le circuit nerveux principal ?

Bohbot donne cette explication : il semble qu’il y ait un système de secours dans la moelle épinière qui peut transporter les messages de cerveau au reste du corps. L’action du laser sur le réseau acupunctural converti en quelque sorte l’information électrochimique (influx nerveux) en conduction électromagnétique. Cela permet à l’information de « sauter la lésion », dit-il.

Belle théorie. J’ai demandé à Bohbot comment cela se passait avec l’establishment médical. Il a souligné les trois points d’une doctrine. « D’abord elle est attaquée en la qualifiant d’absurde, ensuite on la prend pour vraie, évidente mais pas importante. Enfin, elle est reconnue et ses opposants s’attribuent sa découverte. » Traduction : nous n’en sommes qu’à la première phase, Meridia.

One of our major intentions for journeying to Portugal was to make a pilgrimage to Fatima, another magical destination where many miracles have evolved over the years. There is certainly a Catholic theme behind the whole mystique of Fatima, but that was not our purpose for visiting. Even though we have a respect and acceptance of all religions, including Catholicism, we are more focused on connecting with energies and beliefs. Fatima is certainly a place of faith and belief and has a very rare energy, similar to that of Lourdes, France. This belief has attracted millions of followers from all walks of life around the world and from 1917 to the present, is still considered a holy place. It is another form of faith healing which has transformed many lives and even has contributed to many healings on all levels; spiritually, emotionally,
physically, and mentally.

On May 13, 1917, three children were putting their sheep out to pasture in the Cova da Iria parish of Fatima in the town of Villa Nova de Ourem. After doing their work and praying the Rosary, both daily practices, they decided to build a little house of stones when all of a sudden, a brilliant light appeared, where the Basilica now stands, and scared the children. They thought it was lightening and proceeded home. Moments later upon deciding to go home, another flash lit up the area where the Chapel of Apparitions now stands and "a Lady more brilliant than the sun" unveiled herself, holding a white rosary. The Lady informed the three little shepards that it was very important to pray frequently. She then invited the children to return to the Cova da Iria on the 13th of each month, at that same hour, for the next five months. She appeared as promise and at the last apparition on October 13th, with approximately 70,000 people in attendance, the Lady revealed that she was the "Lady of the Rosary" and that a chapel was to be built in her honor. After the apparition, the Lady fulfilled her promise to the children that she had made in July and September. The sun, resembling a silver disc, could be viewed without any harm or discomfort to one's eyes and appeared to be moving in a whirling motion as if descending upon the
earth.

Three more apparitions appeared to Sister Lucia in Spain where the Lady requested the devotion of the first five Saturdays to pray the Rosary, meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary, confess and receive Holy Communion in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Consecration of Russia to the same Immaculate Heart, known as the "Secret of Fatima."

Several years later, Sister Lucia, the oldest among the three children, revealed that between April and October of 1916, yes, the year before the apparitions in the Cova da Iria, an angel had appeared to the three children on three separate occasions, and asked the urged them to prayer and penance for their sins. In 1919 and 1920, two of the children died at very young ages. They both believed that their inevitable deaths from serious illnesses were of higher purpose and that their suffering was for the conversion of sinners and peace in the world for the Holy Father. Meanwhile, Sister Lucia, now 93 years old, makes pilgrimages to Fatima quite frequently and was recently by the Pope's side during his recent visit to Fatima as part of his year-long pilgrimage of the path that Jesus once took. The Pope recently unveiled a different interpretation or belief of the third "secret" of Fatima. His belief is that the third secret was a prophecy of the 1981 attempt on his life, not a doomsday vision of the ending of the earth. The other two "secrets" of Fatima were the ending of World War I and the beginning of World War II, and the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, which were revealed decades before the Pope's recent visit to Fatima.

Whether or not you personally believe in the apparitions of Fatima or its secrets should not be of utmost importance to all of us. If you are or have ever considered making a pilgrimage or trip to Fatima, please go there with an open mind and more importantly, an open heart. When Pat and I arrived at the entrance of the sanctuary, I was overcome by emotions. Tears of joy and happiness began to fall down my cheeks as if a dam had just broken in my eyes. My emotions were not connected to all the stories revealed to me over the years, but a present moment awareness of where I was in my personal development. I looked around and viewed people, from all parts of the world, young and old, coming together in a peaceful manner. It was an experience I wished I could have bottled and shared with all of you.

There were people crawling on their knees upon entering the sanctuary, people making the sign of the cross, people praying the Lord's prayer, people praying their own private prayers, people asking for forgiveness, people asking for healing, and people visiting for no purpose other than they had been told that Fatima was a special place. Who is to judge why anyone comes to Fatima? Who is to judge what anyone believes? Who is to judge what anyone places his or her faith in and where? Miracles of all kinds have materialized at Fatima. Why? Because there is a certain energy there that when combined with one's faith and belief, can produce just about anything, even a miracle. When you believe, you can achieve. We are brought up in a material world where, for the most part, we are slaves to our senses. Push your comfort zone and the limitations that your mind experiences through your senses. Once you have arrived at a place of uncertainty, unknowing, and emptiness, please tune into your heart and let your faith take over.

First lets talk about Portugal in terms of accessibility and tourism. Despite the fact that Portugal is a member of the European Union and despite the fact that Portugal has passed strict laws to care for their disabled population, the reality seems distorted. When we contacted a number of travel organizations, all stated that they do not have facilities for the disabled traveler, unless the person can walk up a couple of steps. According to some disabled Portuguese locals, this lack of carryover into fruition of the laws is due to the inept priorities of the politicians. Many who call Portugal home are getting frustrated with this inequality, they say they pay taxes just like everyone else, but do not have the same rights.

Public transportation is not accessible and neither are the streets. As is the case with Greece, cars are frequently parked on the sidewalk and traffic is much too fast to be pushing alone on the streets. Many of the curb cuts are missing and some roads are made of cobblestone, providing a challenge for some wheelchair bound individuals. With respect to hotels in Lisbon, you'll find a number of big-chain hotels to choose from so just ask specifically what is meant by accessible. The majority of hotels still seem to have no accommodations to sit in the shower, so you may have to ask for a plastic chair or the like. Approximately 80% of all public areas are not accessible to the disabled however, tourist areas have a little better ratio.

We were lucky to be under Vasco's wing because he was able to provide us with transportation throughout our stay. In addition to accomplishing our regular D2M duties, he helped us connect with the media which allowed our message to reach an additional 10 million people internationally. Not only were we on the 10 pm news on their international channel (TV1 / RTP) but we participated in a documentary and had a television crew come follow us when we visited Fatima. We could not have done this without Vasco's help.

I read in a tourist book which said that when people come to Portugal for the first time, they feel like they've discovered something new. Believe it or not, the Portuguese are the leaders in discovering new frontiers. You'll discover beautiful scenery, old villas, delicious seafood and learn a whole new vocabulary. Oh one more thing, just because Portugal is a member of the European Union (EU), doesn't mean that the prices are comparable. You'll find the majority of things (hotels, beaches, tours and food) pretty inexpensive without compromising on quality. All in all, you will definitely enjoy your stay in Portugal, if you give it a chance and see it as a glorious vacation destination.

If you've never thought of coming to Portugal, you're really missing out. Portugal is a land that's on the western most part of Europe, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean that seems to send a mysterious fog over land. As a result, the fishing industry is dominant here. The majority of Portuguese meals include fish and seafood dishes, that you'll find delicious. While in Lisbon, we were taken by the hand by our friend, and now part of our extended family, Mr. Vasco Mendes de Almeida. His 18 year old son Salvatore was paralyzed two years ago from a motorcycle accident and is living life these days as a tetraplegic. We had the pleasure to spend the majority of our time with Vasco and his family who truly exemplify the meaning of family. Everyone has bonded together because of the love they have for Salvatore. Just sharing a meal with them, Scott and I could feel the love that they have for one another. We want to thank Vasco and his family for helping make our stay in Portugal truly memorable.

Albert Bohbot, a very wise man in his mid-forties, believes that one can run nervous impulses through the spinal cord, despite a definitive lesion on those with spinal cord injuries. The effects of the Laserpuncture, which is a beam of light applied to certain meridian points (10 usually) for 2 minutes at a time, repairs the nervous cloth in the spinal cord which allows for the transportation of energy and information, he proposes. Though this is a new and exciting approach to restoring function to those with spinal
cord injuries, it still has not been scientifically proven. To that end, it is uncertain as to what effects, positive or negative, the laser has on the human body. It should be noted that many people, including 60 patients from all over Europe, believe in the short and long term results of Laserpuncture treatments.

The National Agency for Valorization Research has even subsidized Albert for the construction of Laserpuncture 2, an even more effective treatment he believes for spinal cord injury. Believe it or not, Albert Bohbot is getting results. But is it Laserpuncture, the healing environment that he has definitely created in his center, the belief of his patients, the discipline and commitment of his patients, or a combination of all these ingredients. Maybe we will never know. Let's explore the world of Albert Bohbot even further.

At the center, one is immediately greeted by basic, yet functional equipment that someone with limited or no movement is drawn to explore. This includes a nautilus machine to work one's upper and lower extremities, a rowing machine, a stationary bicycle, an automatic bicycle, parallel bars, leg braces, walkers, and an antique standing frame. Trust us, it still works. Scott tried it!

Albert has created a rehabilitation-like atmosphere which is so conducive to improving the quality of one's life. People are constantly walking around in leg braces, others with incomplete injuries are walking with minimal assistance, some stand around and admire the sights from new heights, while others simply discuss their treatments and other factors relating to their present condition. All in all, people leave Albert's center with a new vigor for life. They have much more self-confidence and energy to engage
in their day to day activities. Children are brought in by their parents and immediately a sense of trust in Albert is established. Once again, the belief in Albert and his work is overwhelming.

For your information, Albert does not ask for payment for those patients under 17 years old. The others can expect to pay approximately 45 francs per session, equivalent to about 7 U.S. dollars. Elders find their way to Sens-Beaujeu with hopes that Laserpuncture can alleviate their pain and discomfort. The majority of these patients leave with smiles and a better outlook on life. Some of Albert's patients have been coming to the center for over two years. Now that is commitment. Let's further explore that commitment and its possible results.

All of Albert's patients are out of the "acute" stages or "beginning" stages of their injuries. This means that they have been out of the hospital and first stage of rehabilitation for at least a year. It is difficult to understand the results of Albert's work because many other variables must be factored into each equation. For example, outside of their Laserpuncture treatments, what type of therapy are they doing, what are their diets, what are their sleeping patterns, are they taking any kind of supplements, herbs, or medications, and/or what emotional issues at home, work, or in life in general are they managing? Now, by imputing all this data, one can still arrive at the possibility that Albert's work is still the underlying reason for physical and/or psychological improvement. There is no doubt about that. We just suggest that one weigh everything before simply attributing one's improvement to a single variable.

Finally, I had two complementary treatments while Pat and I researched Albert and his work. I felt an increase in my pins and needles (comparable to when your foot or a part of your body falls asleep) and also an increase in spasticity in my legs during both treatments. There was also a moment in my second treatment that I felt a wave of heat run through my buttocks. This was a first for me. The intensity of the spasms and pins and needles is uncommon, but it was not the first time I had experienced such sensations. Was I concerned about the positive or negative effects of the laser? No, because I have a belief in Albert and was drawn to his healing energy. So if you are looking for a new experience and want to explore the world of Albert Bohbot, then base your decision on your instincts and not your possible fear.

We want to thank Albert Bohbot for his gracious hospitality during our stay and for allowing us to interview his patients. In addition, we extend our gratitude to his assistant Sylvie for her excellent translation, all of the patient we met for their insight and reflections, and Jacques Fleurriet and his wife Corrine for adding even more hope and wisdom to our journey. Finally, we also want to thank Behrnard C., a local physical therapist, for his translation and research.