When It Comes To Medical Research, How Dare You?

Feeling Smarter and Smarter:
Discovering the Inner-Ear Origins and Treatment for
Dyslexia/LD, ADD/ADHD, and Phobias/Anxiety

Author: Harold N. Levinson, MD

Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland, Cham, Switzerland, 2019

I agreed to review this book both because someone in my family had had troubles with balance issues and someone had been diagnosed with ADHD, as well as because of the significant occurrence of dyslexia, phobias and anxiety among today’s youth.

In initially scanning through the book, I realized it would be quite technical in part, but figured I would gain much from reading it.  I did.

First the reader learns about the traditional theories on the subject illnesses – how they came about and how they don’t really help.  In essence, and contrary to popular belief, Levinson shows how the traditional idea of “dyslexia = alexia” is not accurate. Dyslexia is different. And its symptoms are “an astonishing variety” and combined in nature.

Readers are introduced to Levinson’s CVS (cerebellar-vestibular system) theory, how he arrived at it, how and why it works, and testimonials from those he has helped. I cannot emphasize how important this may be to parents of children suffering from Dyslexia, ADHD, phobias, etc.  Levinson’s treatments, once a child is properly diagnosed through tested questions and answers, make an immediate positive improvement on how a child feels and how he/she sees the world. The author shows us how only the CVS theory of dyslexia can explain the various symptoms and (reading) mechanisms of patients with dyslexia.

But more importantly, for those of us, who do not have to live with these illnesses, Levinson’s account of battling forces in the medical research field is fascinating. He gives us a great insider’s look at how research is done as well as how it should be done in order not to miss the goal. And how the accounts of patients are a very intricate part in all that. Bottom line is that researchers (and practitioners) don’t listen enough to the very people they are trying to help. He points out the intentional and unintentional bias that is ever present in research and explains what the root of that may well be. In the words of the New York Times 2019 ‘person’ of the year, “How dare you?”

Dr. Levinson is a world-renowned psychiatrist and neurologist who has studied dyslexics for over half a century. He began his dyslexia research years ago within the New York City Board of Education. Formerly clinical associate professor of psychiatry at New York University Medical Center, he is now director of the Medical Dyslexic Treatment Center (also called the Levinson Medical Center for Learning Disabilities) in Great Neck, New York.

He writes with a very open style, often guessing the questions that we might have as we read and takes the trouble to answer them for us.  

The book is full of pictures of individuals treated, personal accounts (often on behalf of their young children), examples of children’s writing before and after treatment, and diagrams of the inner-ear mechanisms and how they work.

It includes chapters on many helpful therapies, the four key steps of certain diagnosis, and on smart drugs. It touches on the implications of his findings for those with Autism (ASD) as well as Autistic Trait Disorder or Pseudo-autism.

Highly recommended if you want to learn about these illnesses and what can actually be done today as well as have hope for the future treatment of such symptoms. For me the value of the book came in understanding how persistence and the ‘go it alone’ attitude of one scientist made such a difference to thousands – only to have the rest of the scientific world acknowledge it slowly and reluctantly many years later. After all, as Levinson points out, neither Freud nor Einstein received Nobel prizes for what they are primarily known for today.

If nothing else, I would urge all parents who have children diagnosed with any of the above illnesses and their associated symptoms to get their hands on Dr. Levinson’s book, and either ask their own doctors about it, and if necessary and/or possible, get to his Levinson Medical Center for Learning Disabilities.  

n  Ken B. Godevenos, President, Accord Resolutions Services Inc., Toronto, Ontario, December 30, 2019, www.accordconsulting.com

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