As speculation over President Biden's health continues, major trial reveals how speech therapy can be highly effective for people with Parkinson's who struggle to 'speak as smoothly as they used to'
An intensive speech therapy that involves loudly repeating words and phrases to 'rev up' the voice is an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease, a trial found.
Nearly 90 per cent of Parkinson's patients suffer a speech disorder called hypokinetic dysarthria, which causes them to speak in a quiet, slurred, monotone or jumbled way.
Researchers in the UK found Lee Silverman voice treatment — known as LVST LOUD — was able to re-train patient's brains to produce a loud, clear voice for everyday speech.
Medical experts have suggested that US President Joe Biden exhibited dysarthria-like symptoms during his presidential debate with Donald Trump on June 27, when he mumbled statements that bordered on incoherent.
Speculation about Biden's health came further under the spotlight after it emerged Dr Kevin Cannard, an expert in Parkinson's, visited the White House multiple times last year — though Biden has denied the visits were for him.
After his disastrous debate with Donald Trump, US President Joe Biden admitted: 'I don't speak as smoothly as I used to'
Biden and Trump will face off in the US election on November 5
In the UK-wide trial, led by researchers in Nottingham and London, LVST LOUD was found to be more effective on Parkinson's patients than other forms of speech therapy.
Out of 388 patients in the trial, those who were given four 50-minute LVST LOUD sessions each week, either online or face-to-face, later performed better in speech tests.
As well as helping to restore their voices, they also said it had improved their quality of life.
Voice quality was measured on a scale from 0 to 120. Patients who received LSVT LOUD scored eight points better than those who did not receive speech therapy, and nearly 10 points better than those who received standard NHS speech therapy.
Some of those who did the LSVT LOUD exercises said it caused some vocal strain, but these symptoms were relatively fleeting. The researchers said the side effects were worth it for the results.
Knowing the symptoms of Parkinson's can lead to earlier diagnoses and access to treatments that improve patients' quality of life
Nearly 90 per cent of Parkinson's patients suffer a speech disorder called hypokinetic dysarthria, which causes them to speak in a quiet, slurred, monotone or jumbled way
LVST LOUD treatment involves repeating words and phrases in a loud voice for up to an hour, at least four times a week
They wrote: 'This randomised trial provides evidence to guide clinical decision making, emphasising the need to optimise the use of speech and language therapy resources for people with Parkinson’s disease.'
They added the biggest challenge will be getting 'resource-limited' healthcare systems like the NHS to implement an innovative new therapy.
LVST LOUD was developed in the US in the 1980s and named after its first patient, who died before trials had concluded.
In some treatment sessions, patients are filmed repeating words and phrases so they can re-watch themselves and understand how the volume of their voice is changing.
It's believed that, in Parkinson's, the brain loses its ability to recognise volume correctly, resulting in the individual hearing their own voice as being adequately loud even though it is too quiet.
According to the LSVT Global website: 'The goal is for individuals to “rev up” their stronger voice with daily practice so they can use it comfortably in daily communication. Further, this will become a life-long habit of practice, even after the 16 sessions of treatment are completed.'
Dr Tom Pitts, a New York-based neurologist, has insisted that President Biden appears to be suffering from a degenerative brain condition — saying he could 'diagnose him from across the mall'.
He told NBC News: 'His motor symptoms are degenerating. He has Parkinsonisms. That is a fact. He has degeneration of the brain. Show me the MRI. Show me he doesn't. Put your money where your mouth is. He definitely has it.'
Biden said after his disastrous debate with Trump: 'I know I'm not a young man. I don't walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know — I know how to tell the truth.'
Biden and Trump will face off in the US election on November 5.
