Manfred Skörries regains independence using Transcranial Pulse Stimulation

The following is taken from Der Bild, a German newspaper.

He had forgotten his life, now memories are coming back.

Manfred Sköries (80) from Stendal, Germany was always an energetic man, an entrepreneur (wells and geothermal drilling). Ten years ago he realized that something was wrong with him. He would forget important things and appointments. It was Alzheimer’s. The diagnosis hit him hard

In the following years he forgot his friends and the memories with his wife Elena, to whom he has been married for 33 years.

Since then, a new treatment method with sound waves has brought Manfred Skörries back to life. “He’s really feeling much better,” says his wife. She paid the costs for the new Transcranial Pulse Stimulation treatment out of her own pocket – because the hospitals are not (yet) paying for it.

Elena Sköries said “It borders on a small miracle. My husband was at home at Easter. He was in a wheelchair for a long time and can now walk on his own again. He also suddenly remembered many things. When his friends would ask him “Remember me?” he would reply “Of course, why wouldn’t I remember you?”

Finally, a tangible hope for Alzheimer’s sufferers. The new method, which brought back Manfred Skörries’ memories, promises success in the fight against the deadly disease.

BILD explains the method.

The treatment is called Transcranial Pulse Stimulation (TPS) and works using sound waves. Similar technology is already being used for many ailments: e.g. for the treatment of pain. With the new Alzheimer’s therapy, they can go eight to twelve centimeters deep into the brain – where they are focused on a specific point.

The Munich immunologist Dr Peter Schleicher “We cannot cure Alzheimer’s, but we have achieved regeneration of damaged brain cells in many patients”. According to the expert, real improvements were achieved in 80% of the 200 German patients.

What do these sound waves do in the brain?

– They produce nitrogen oxide. This increases blood flow in the brain.

– They ensure the growth of new vessels that can regenerate the brain.

– The sound waves also activate stem cells in the brain, leading to further regeneration.

First, an MRI image of the brain is made, then the treatment is performed over six sessions for 20 minutes. After three months there is a refresher.

The method is currently available in various clinics. Prof. Musa Citak, who treated Sköries says “It’s about time that the health insurers contribute to the costs, because a nursing home is more expensive than the therapy”.

Other experts await further studies. Alzheimer’s expert Prof. Frank Jessen (Cologne University) says “The approach is interesting for a certain symptomatic effect. The studies that I know of are not yet large enough.” The German Alzheimer Society calls for larger investigations