Cuban Medical Advances:
The Benefits of Neurological Restoration

The International Center for Neurological Restoration (CIREN) is unique in the world. Its scientific capability together with the developments achieved by the Cuban health and educational systems has made it possible for highly specialized institutions like this to emerge. Treatments are available for Canadians.

"CIREN's uniqueness lies in taking the best of neurology, neurosurgery, internal medicine and pediatrics and putting them together with the creation of multidisciplinary teams," stated Doctor Emilio Villa Acosta, Executive Director of the Center. He explained that "in these multidisciplinary teams, the physicians, psychologists, speech disorder specialists, logopedicians, phoniatricians, physical culture specialists and physiotherapists work together."

"Likewise," he pinpoints, "the institution benefits from the work carried out by biologists, physicists, chemists, mathematicians, and information and technology specialists, all of whom are required in the use of state of the art technologies used in this facility."

The neurologists are in charge of the interdisciplinary team which develops the neuron-rehabilitation of the patient through a personalized program which covers a seven hour a day period working with the patient and three and half hours on Saturdays. Cerebral neuro-plasticity allows the human being to be able to recover lost functions. In order to do so, a systematic program is required with the use of medication, physical agents and a daily follow-up with the patient