BBC presenter Andrew Marr has undergone a “controversial” new stroke treatment in America which involves being injected while hanging upside down.
The Scots broadcaster travelled to a clinic in Miami, Florida, to have the new treatment done in what he described as a “Christmas present to myself “.
Marr, 57, said the ongoing effects of his stroke back in 2013 had left him “inclined to give new treatments a go”, in an effort to regain full mobility. He is still partially paralysed on his left side.
This treatment involves injecting an anti-inflammatory drug into the spinal fluid, while hanging by your feet.
It divides medical opinion and is not available in the UK. In order for it to reach the brain the patient is positioned upside down.
The BBC journalist said: “It’s nearly four years since I had my stroke and I am still semi-paralysed on the left side. I’m not complaining too much: I can work, drink, see friends, paint, listen to music and irritate my children like before. I’m a lucky fellow.
“But I can’t run or cycle or swim, and I walk very unsteadily and slowly. I drop things and take ages to get dressed. It’s a bit of a sod so I’m inclined to give new treatments a go.”
Marr, who was born in Glasgow and brought up in Dundee, says the drug, etanercept, was developed for arthritis but is now being used on stroke survivors.
He added: “Because the molecule is too big to pass the blood-brain barrier, you have to have it injected into the spinal fluid while hanging upside down.
“This is controversial and new. Some people have seen great results, others spit disdain. But it’s my Christmas present to myself.”
After having the treatment earlier this week, Marr said it was too early to tell if it was a success yet.
Though some have dismissed its benefits for stroke and brain injury patients, Edward Tobinick, the American doctor behind the treatment, has said that the results can be life-changing.
As the the use of etanercept for stroke patients is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, doctors have to provide the treatment “off label”. It costs $7,000 (£5,500) per injection, according to a spokesman for Dr Tobinick’s clinic.
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