Cases from private practices - Papimi

Case E Patient: Maria P . Age: 50. July 7, 1992
Condition: Scleroderma
Condition and Therapy Prior to PAP IMI Treatment:
The patient began developing her symptoms by the age of 20 (1962). At that time, wrinkles began
appearing on her lips. During cold weather, her hands would easily become cold and stiff and turn dark
in color. After she turned 28, her disease progressed more rapidly. The skin of her face became so stiff
that facial expression came very difficult. Hardened skin and open wounds also began to appear on her
hands, elbows, thighs, and feet, both on the upper surface of the feet and on the soles. These wounds
were present all the time and would not heal. The digit bones of her hands and feet became partially
reabsorbed. She also developed an arthritis-like condition resulting partly from a stiffening of her arm
and leg tendons. As a result of these symptoms, walking became extremely difficult. She could bear to
walk for at most 5 minutes at any one time. Her condition made her continuously feel tired and weak, to
the point that she had no desire to leave her home.
She began taking medication for her condition by the age of 36. She took regularly 100 mg per day of
Penicillamine (2 pills/day), 2 pills/day of Tilldium, and 5 mg per day (1 pill/day) of Prezalon
(cortizone). She has continued to take this medication for the past 14 years, except for the cortizone,
which she stopped taking two years ago because it induced serious digestive problem side effects. The
medication stopped the disease from getting worse, but did not improve her situation.
When she reached the age of 49 and passed through menopause, her condition began to worsen, even
though she was taking medication. In particular, her movement became more restricted due to a
worsening of her tendon condition. Shortly after that, she heard about the PAP IMI Device and
decided to try treatments.
PAP IMI Treatment and Subsequent Diagnosis:
She began treatment with the PAP IMI on December 20th, 1991. As of this date (July 7, 1992),
she has had 6-1/2 months of treatment. The first two months she was treated every day for 40 minutes
per treatment with the device set on a moderately high intensity setting (3 on a scale of 4). During the
second and third months she tapered off her treatments to twice per week for 40 minutes per treatment,
again at intensity 3. During the most recent 2-1/2 months she has received treatment once per week for
40 minutes per treatment at the highest intensity setting (4).
She has shown marked improvement. The skin of her face now feels much softer. She is able to give
considerably more facial expression. The condition of the wounds on her elbows and hands has shown
substantial improvement. The wounds on her feet, and thighs so far have shown no improvement.
However, she finds that she is able to walk with much greater ease for periods of up to 30 minutes, as
opposed to just 5 minutes, as was the case before. She now feels stronger, healthier, and happier.
February 16, 1995 Update:
When reinterviewed on February 16, 1995, the patient reported that she felt fine and had no pain.
Overall she said she was far better than the time she first started taking the PAP IMI treatments. She
explained that she had ceased her PAP IMI treatments around the end of July 1992 since her condition
had improved to the extent that she did not feel a pressing need to continue making the trips for her
periodic exposures. The patient said that, during the 2-1/2 years from the time she stopped treatments
until the present update interview, her condition had stabilized and had not regressed, that she still
retained the improvements she had received from using the PAP IMI 2-1/2 years earlier. She reported
that she felt that the inflammation had gone away and that her disease was no longer active. During this
period, she said she was able to stop taking her medication. Moreover at the time of this update her
lifestyle was considerably more mobile than it had been several years earlier in that she said she now was
able to keep active by working for several hours each evening in her family's nightclub.
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