Brisbane hosts free Post Polio Syndrome seminar

The latest information on a little known syndrome will be shared at a free seminar organised by the Spinal Injuries Association in Brisbane next month (AUGUST). Mary-ann Liethof has many years of experience working with people experiencing the late effects of polio, including Post Polio Syndrome, and has recently returned from a Churchill Fellowship tour throughout North America.

Mary-ann’s visit coincides with Post Polio Awareness Week (4 – 8 August) and she will also present at seminars on the Gold Coast, Townsville, Cairns, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba.

As a recipient of the Churchill Fellowship and as a Polio Community Officer with the Polio Network Victoria, Mary-ann recently toured 10 North American and Canadian cities to learn the latest self-management techniques for Post Polio Syndrome.

“One place in the US is doing clinical trials using aromatherapy to alleviate Post Polio Syndrome symptoms, while yoga is also being looked at as a way of relieving the inflammatory side effects of polio,” Mary-ann said.

“Because the polio vaccination was invented more than 50 years ago, many people inaccurately believe it is a dead and buried disease.

“The Melbourne student who returned from a Pakistan holiday last year with the disease illustrates that polio really is only a plane ride away.”

While the seminars will be beneficial for people living with Post Polio Syndrome and their family members, Mary-ann is also encouraging allied health professionals such as occupational therapists and people in the alternative medicine industry to attend.

Six Post Polio Support Groups regularly hold meetings throughout Queensland and are co-ordinated as a service of the Spinal Injuries Association. Members share their experiences and provide support to each other as they deal with the late effects of polio.

It is a little known fact the people who experienced the devastating effects of polio in their youth decades ago, can experience a return of the symptoms later in life.
The most common symptoms of the late effects of polio are unaccustomed fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle and/or joint pain, breathing or swallowing difficulties, increased sensitivity to cold temperatures, difficulty in sleeping and a decline in the ability to perform basic daily activities.

Mary-ann will present her seminar at the Spinal Injuries Association on 109 Logan Road, Woolloongabba on Friday, 8 August, from 2.30pm until 4.30pm. For more information or to register for the seminar, phone Jo or Liz at the Spinal Injuries Association on (07) 3391 2044.

Issued 22 July 2008.