Advancing Non-Pharmaceutical
HD Treatment Development
The Current Treatment Landscape
- 12 in 100,000 people affected by Huntington's disease in the UK
- 34 years since documented hypnotherapy research for Huntington's
- Limited non-pharmaceutical holistic treatment options currently available
Huntington's disease causes progressive breakdown of nerve cells, resulting in the characteristic chorea movements, psychiatric conditions, and cognitive impairment. Current treatments focus primarily on symptom management through medication, which can have significant side effects for some patients.
Why We're Exploring New Approaches
The Current Situation: Most current research focuses on pharmaceutical gene-silencing approaches, which continue to show mixed results. Recent clinical trials have faced challenges with efficacy and risk-benefit profiles. This leaves patients and families seeking additional treatment options beyond conventional pharmaceutical approaches.
The Research Gap: We've identified that the last documented research examining hypnotherapy for Huntington's disease was conducted over three decades ago, despite significant advances in our understanding of neuroplasticity and growing evidence for integrative therapeutic approaches in other neurological conditions.
EPIC Research represents our commitment to exploring whether community-based clinical experience can contribute to expanding treatment options for families affected by Huntington's disease.
The Dreamweave™ Protocol Development
We are developing a therapeutic methodology that examines integrated approaches for movement, mood, and cognitive symptoms. This protocol combines established therapeutic modalities in a configuration specifically designed for the complex symptom profile of Huntington's disease.
What Makes It Different:
- Addresses movement, mood, and cognitive aspects simultaneously
- Non-pharmaceutical intervention approach
- Potential for community implementation
- Built on 20 years clinical biomechanics experience
- Grounded in current fascial research and hypnotherapy evidence
Early Observations: We are currently working with individuals affected by Huntington's disease and documenting their responses to the protocol during treatment sessions. Initial observations have been encouraging, with clients showing noticeable improvements in movement patterns during sessions and reporting enhanced mood and general wellbeing at home.
Clinical Foundations and Assessment
Clinical Foundations:
- Dr. Robert Schleip's fascial fitness research
- National Council of Hypnotherapy & International Hypnotherapy Research Institute guidelines
- Fascial Research Society evidence base
- Neuroplasticity studies
Rigorous Assessment:
- Video analysis for objective movement documentation
- Standardised chorea severity scales (UHDRS)
- Quality of life measurements
- Session-by-session progress tracking
Community Focus
Who We Aim to Serve: People with neurodegenerative diseases, initially within our local area, with potential for broader application.
Our Goals:
- Explore accessible treatment alternatives for underserved communities
- Develop ethical, humane methodologies
- Create training frameworks for other practitioners
- Contribute to the evidence base for future research
Treatment Objectives
- Reduced movement, mood, and cognitive symptoms in Huntington's disease patients
- Improved quality of life measures
- Development of scalable treatment protocol
- Training framework for other practitioners
- Evidence base for larger clinical trials
Future Applications
Success with Huntington's disease treatment could open pathways for Parkinson's disease, stroke recovery, traumatic brain injury, and other movement disorders.
The Dreamweave™ Protocol aims to demonstrate how community-led therapeutic research can contribute to expanding treatment options, showing that innovative approaches can emerge from grassroots clinical experience working alongside traditional research pathways.
Development Ethics
All protocol development and implementation adheres to professional clinical practice standards, relevant professional body guidelines, and UK data protection regulations.
Contact
+44 (0)1782 901245
hello@epicresearch.uk