SPINECOR BRACE - 59 yr old

[txmarinemom]

Unless he's been demoted, Joe is President, not VP.

And, regardless of the fact that Joe might have 3 kids in Spinecor braces (which is probably true, but may be a result of his being employed by Spinecor for some time), putting kids in the Spinecor brace is different than putting adults in one.

--Linda

Pardon? O'Brien is employed by Spine Corporation?

[mamamax]

Unless he's been demoted, Joe is President, not VP.

And, regardless of the fact that Joe might have 3 kids in Spinecor braces (which is probably true, but may be a result of his being employed by Spinecor for some time), putting kids in the Spinecor brace is different than putting adults in one.

--Linda

That is absolutely amazing for a so called moderator - no, he is absolutely NOT employed by Spinecor, cannot believe you would even suggest it. You are right about the title though - i stand corrected

[mamamax]

By the way, from that same website:

"The brace has been used on adults for only about two years, the goal being pain relief not straightening since the spine is mature."

actually, as people who research this know - the brace has been used for five years with remarkable success both for pain and correction of curvature, out of brace (some slight, some beyond expectation taking folks out of the surgical category. People who serve as moderators should research information before posting it.

[mamamax]

And for the record - Spinecor is not snake oil, is used by the President of NSF for his children - has had enormous success in adults .. which is why (most better) insurance companies cover it both in and out of network - because it works and is far less costly over a lifetime than surgery.

May Faith guide and God, bless you all.

[Pooka1]

That is absolutely amazing for a so called moderator - no, he is absolutely NOT employed by Spinecor, cannot believe you would even suggest it.

And you know this how?

[txmarinemom]

What is interesting about you Pam, is that you are all the things you have falsely accused me of. You are a sad case, hope you will seriously think about getting some counseling, for you sorely need it. Your telling this forum - no, lying to this forum about me sending you PMs had me laughing so hard i near cried .. why on earth would i want to do that? You just wanted people to think i was - you are a sick twisted puppy ... of course - many here already know that. You and your group are no better than a pack of wolves ... bullies really. So off you go to find someone else to harass .. and harass others you will, for people like you never change. I will pray for you and those you afflict.

Um ... okay.

Honey, you might want to sit back for a sec and note you're ranting like a lunatic ... and, again, you only changed your public view of me when I shot down your claims of adult bracing success with counter-FACTUAL info (the fact part was lacking in *your* version).

And you're doing that really unbecoming persecuted ~thing~ again. I don't think I've ever been called an "affliction" ...

[mariaf]

Evidence is there - it is just not mainstream or common knowledge. It will be years until enough data is gathered, categorized, scientifically analyzed, etc, and published. In the mean time there is only little hints of information available ... enough so that i personally see hope. What are we without hope, regardless of "evidence"? I'm keeping an open mind and find there is much evidence to support that i do so. As for woo-woo pink and purple stuff ... interestingly enough even that works for some - a curious thing.

WHAT????!!!!

You say "it will be years until enough data is gathered" and that there is "only hints of information available" - but yet "evidence is there"????

Isn't that a contradiction???

[txmarinemom]

What are we without hope, regardless of "evidence"?

What "we" (you) are is "without evidence". That's a really simple question.

[LindaRacine]

That is absolutely amazing for a so called moderator - no, he is absolutely NOT employed by Spinecor, cannot believe you would even suggest it. You are right about the title though - i stand corrected

Note that I didn't say he was currently employed by Spinecor. But he was President of Spinecor for a year or two.

[LindaRacine]

actually, as people who research this know - the brace has been used for five years with remarkable success both for pain and correction of curvature, out of brace (some slight, some beyond expectation taking folks out of the surgical category. People who serve as moderators should research information before posting it.

I got the quote from a website that YOU posted.

[txmarinemom]

If anyone wants to read the rants maramax/Maxene erased, they're ALL available at ...

http://www.box.net/shared/zr0akpi0l4
http://www.box.net/shared/fkcr0f24ra
http://www.box.net/shared/tqar1spxbj

Silly to think you don't leave a footprint, mamamax ... Your words are captured for anyone who wants to view them.

[txmarinemom]

Some questions for Joe O'Brien ...

Joe ... just *when* were you employed by Spine Corporation, and in what capacity?

Were you employed by them when you gave the McLean's article interview?

Does it have anything to do with why you refused my request to provide updated information here (including the revised parameters and corollaries) on VBS?

Do you have any vested interest in Scroth? (an honest question since it IS advertised on the homepage)

I guess I'm just a little shocked the relationship with Spinecor was never revealed, although I suppose it makes a bit more sense why you took the stance you did in the McLean's article. That article has been thrown around here many times, and some people take it as gospel simply because "... the NSF President said ...". I wonder if it would hold the same credibility for people if they knew you were employed by them and had a financial stake in hawking the brace?

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like a conflict of interest. I do feel if you monetarily benefit from one treatment, your objectivity is diminished regarding ALL valid treatments ... and people come here for that.

[Pooka1]

mamamax wrote:

What are we without hope, regardless of "evidence"?

That's the definition of "religious"... having to resort to hope, wishful thinking, and blind faith in the face of no evidence whatsoever.

You are invited to be religious if you like. You are NOT allowed to claim faith is a way of knowing. Science and evidence are the only paths ever devised of rigorously knowing something or ruling it out.

Intellectual Honesty 101.

[mamamax]

Thank you Pam for the well done reference - better than i could have done, and saved me a lot of time. I have forwarded them to Joseph O'Brien (President and CEO of the National Scoliosis Foundation, which sponsors this forum) with whom i was corresponding with last evening. Hopefully his schedule will soon allow him to review the entire situation and at my request, remove both threads in the interest of protecting the Sinecor name from the negative backlash experienced in this forum. Also hopefully, the IT department will be able to prove i did not spam your mailbox as you told this forum. Joe encouraged me to keep posting which i do not really have the stomach for in an environment of an alpha female and wolf pack, but i have put the situation in God's hands, He has moved in mysterious ways, and i am compelled to post yet another final statement for those seeking to share the adult Spinecor experience, or for those truly interested in hearing about it.

As those following this post are aware, i've been experiencing a very interesting phenomena - and that is a "feeling" of being progressively taller each morning (wearing schedule is at 6 hours a day over 10 days). The curiosity of this has caused me to measure the feeling and it has shown progressively accurate. Fitting height was 4'9". This morning the measurement was 5'. Significant from the standpoint that curvature progression/correction (for me and this condition over the last 43 years) has always gone hand in hand. Very curious as to what first follow up statistics may show.

The brace continues to serve as phenomenal support for me and significantly reduce my pain. I am certain the height phenomena is not something each and every adult person would experience - each scoliosis case is unique - this is only my experience and over the next decade or so, it will be interesting to see the statistics on that - or find out what percentage of adult patients duplicate a similar experience. Certainly the current reported majority at this point do experience the pain relief afforded by the brace, and some experience more - but, again not all. Making the brace in my estimation - viable enough for one to look into should they choose bracing as a treatment option. Some reports indicate there may be in some cases permanent out of brace correction - but these findings are few, if not rare, and are not fully computed and/or measurable on any large scale ... again, because each scoliosis case is so unique, those looking into this brace as their treatment option should be conservative in their goals. I was only seeking pain relief - and have found that thus far, along with a phenomena that may offer/indicate more - way too early to confirm.

You are right Joe - it takes tremendous courage to share this learning experience - for so many reasons, on so many levels. I have put this situation in God's hands - and found (once again) that God does move in many mysterious ways.

Note: After more careful review days after posting this - must admit amid the name calling and false accusations - i may have misread a message from Pam (or the original may have been edited) - the word spam does not appear to have been used at this time .. falsehoods remain however about me, via the said name calling and false accusations as documented in both threads.

[mariaf]

Some questions for Joe O'Brien ...

Joe ... just *when* were you employed by Spine Corporation, and in what capacity?

Were you employed by them when you gave the McLean's article interview?

Does it have anything to do with why you refused my request to provide updated information here (including the revised parameters and corollaries) on VBS?

Do you have any vested interest in Scroth? (an honest question since it IS advertised on the homepage)

I guess I'm just a little shocked the relationship with Spinecor was never revealed, although I suppose it makes a bit more sense why you took the stance you did in the McLean's article. That article has been thrown around here many times, and some people take it as gospel simply because "... the NSF President said ...". I wonder if it would hold the same credibility for people if they knew you were employed by them and had a financial stake in hawking the brace?

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like a conflict of interest. I do feel if you monetarily benefit from one treatment, your objectivity is diminished regarding ALL valid treatments ... and people come here for that.

Just to add to what Pam posted - A while back I wrote to Joe O'Brien asking if he would consider adding a link to the VBS website (which I co-moderate) here in the "Helpful Links" section under "Information". There are links there to other sites including Spinekids, iscoliosis.com, etc. and I thought it would be helpful to give parents links to as many related support sites as possible.

His first response was to ask me to provide proof that Dr. Betz (who pioneered VBS) endorsed the site. Not only did Dr. Betz write to Joe, at my request, to say that he endorsed the site - but also that he helped us put it together by providing information on VBS as well as the names of several doctors that he had trained in the procedure.

Still, no link to the VBS site here on NSF.

I wrote to Joe again and he asked if there was a link to the NSF forum on the VBS site - and implied that if we added one, then he'd add a link to VBS here. We added a link to this forum on the VBS site.

Still, no link to the VBS site here on NSF.

I think Pam's point about Joe's objectivity being diminished in relation to other treatments besides Spinecor (which he obviously has a personal and perhaps financial interest in) is right on the money.