Well I started my Zinc yesterday. :) It surely can't hurt, and as I am retired, if the shake doesn't stop, then I will just "console" myself with a couple of extra shots of good old "Jack". I am being a little tongue in cheek, but there are some maladies that have cropped up in the last few years with brass players that require a little more thought as to the cause. I know I did not see a case of lip.. neck.. whatever dystonia in the first thirty five years of my career. And during the years of Lucas Foss, we played some pretty loud lip..destroying music. And in the last six years I have seen three wonderful bone players develop embouchure dystonia. Yes!!! it could be because of the "macho" approach to brass playing that has been the norm for the last number of years. It could be any number of things. But what if???? it can also be related to something like to much or to little of something in the body?? How about the lead poisoning that no one new much about many years ago? I do know that with my shake there was never a definite and clear diagnose as to the cause. It was just observational. I know I have never been a great horn player, but I have always been careful with my practice and when it came to the really loud playing.... which I couldn't do anyway... I have always been an advocate of the "Phil Farkas Method" close up your throat and make your face really red, and the conductor will think you are playing louder. :) I know there are always issues with our approach to playing the horn. Some practice to much; some not enough; some the wrong way. It is amazing how many kids come to me and don't have the slightest idea how to breath correctly, and certainly have to most incredible embouchure's. But in the environment we live in to day, I think we should be open to looking at the possibility of other causes when we start to experience problems with our playing that seemed to "just appear" Of coarse getting older brings its on "stuff", and there is not always much we can do about that. Just a thought
Milton Milton Kicklighter 4th Horn Buffalo Philharmonic Retired From: valerie wells <[email protected]> >To: horn list 2 memphis <[email protected]> >Sent: Wednesday, May 4, 2011 12:41 AM >Subject: Re: [Hornlist] unwanted vibrato > >>Isn't there a hair test that can find if you have too much copper in your >system?< > >I've looked into the hair test thing, but there's considerable disagreement >about whether the results accurately reflect the copper/zinc ratio in the >body. (Some claim hair color effects the results.) There's a zinc taste >test (the ZTT) to test zinc levels that was used in the earlier 20th >century, but it's not 100% reliable either. Otherwise there aren't many >reliable lab tests to assess zinc levels. There is a test for accumulated >copper in a blood protein, but interpreting the results can be tricky. >Besides that, I doubt the tiny elevations that might possibly trigger a >focal dystonia are even measurable. (That's my personal opinion, but I >really can't say if this is true or not.) > >Someone (I think Hans) mentioned verifying questionable information in >books. Good idea. I have in my hot little hands my personal copy of "Lange >Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment" which describes a disease caused by >the accumulation of copper in the body. This disease, Wilson's, can cause >severe dystonia, often in the neck. It is treated with zinc supplements to >assist in elimination of the excess copper. This disease is very rare, but >it is estimated that about one in 100 people carry one or more of the genes >from a cluster of genes that can cause this disease. The researcher I'm >acquainted with believes that those who carry a few of the genes, will never >get full blown Wilson's, but may develop a mild form of this disease if >exposed to excess copper from their diet or environment (such as copper >pipes, brass instruments or copper containing supplements). She believes >some cases of embouchure dystonia may actually be a "forme >fruste"**presentation of Wilson's. She has studied subjects (I >mentioned the >plumber) who had some of the neurological symptoms of Wilson's, lacked >sufficient diagnostic criteria for a complete diagnosis, yet whose symptoms >were relieved with zinc supplementation. > >I only share this to let you know that my "wacky" ideas do have a basis in >established medical knowledge and practice. > >Like I said before, I'm not recommending anything other than an open mind >that's willing to learn something new. >-- >Valerie Wells >The Balanced Embouchure Method >http://bebabe.wordpress.com/ >http://www.beforhorn.blogspot.com/ >_______________________________________________ >post: [email protected] >unsubscribe or set options at >https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/kicklighgter%40yahoo.com > > > _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
