Hi Reader,
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Megan (SLP) experienced life-altering side effects from a round of cosmetic botulinum toxin injections, and she took a deep dive into the research and history to write a book.

We're hoping to help raise awareness with my new blog post. We all make their own choices about our medical or cosmetic care, but we may not take time to read the small print on consents when we're about to get a procedure.

But beyond this, SLPs have a special role because many of the possible side effects from botulinum toxin injections are conditions that we assess and treat. Please check out my blog post interview with Megan and my 3-page cheat sheet focusing on considerations for SLPs.
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​🩺 Under "Diverse Voices," you'll find a moving podcast interview with an SLP who ended up in the ICU, on a trach, without a means of communicating.
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​💡 Under "Interesting, Useful, or Fun," you'll find:

- A fascinating TEDx talk about executive function skills.
- Open access research about including memory training for patients with aphasia.
- The humpback whale that "swallowed" the kayaker (and why he never could have been truly swallowed).

Feel free to reply to this email with any suggestions or comments!
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You may be interested in these courses:

• ​Auditory Comprehension Deficit in Aphasia: Examining the Evidence - Janet Patterson & Mary Purdy
• ​Principles of Motor Learning and Motor Speech Disorders - Lauren Bislick
• ​Mild Cognitive Impairment: Diagnosis to Management - Jeanette E. Benigas

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✨ New EST post

​What SLPs should know about botulinum toxin. I interview Megan McCue (SLP) about her research and personal experience with botulinum toxin (BoTN). She has written two books on the subject.

BoTN is used for a number of medical conditions, as well as for cosmetic purposes. SLPs are likely to work with patients who receive BoTN injections.

In addition, BoTN injections can result in side effects that are within SLP’s scope of practice to assess and treat, such as dysphagia, dysphonia, dysarthria, and xerostomia.

New PDF Download

You can access all free Eat, Speak, & Think PDF downloads in the password-protected Free Subscription Library.

☕Treat EST to a coffee and you'll get the Mini Resource Binder (67 pages). Become a member at the "Supporter" level and you'll receive the full Resource Binder (308 pages), plus updated editions. Thank you if you choose to support me in this way!

• ​What SLPs should know about botulinum toxin - This is a 3-page cheat sheet listing:
  • The uses of BoTN.
  • Possible side effects.
  • Considerations for ST evaluations.
  • Responses to possible indication for botulism.
  • Options for symptom management by SLPs.

🩺 Diverse Voices

I'm intentionally seeking out new voices that differ from me in some way. Reply to this email with your suggestions for future newsletters! ​
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Check out Vanessa Abraham (SLP) on the Xceptional Leaders podcast. She was affected by Guillain-Barré syndrome and ended up in the ICU with a trach and no way to communicate.

Her husband and school-based SLP friends brought in various AAC tools for her to communicate. Vanessa is passionate about raising awareness among medical professionals to ensure that every patient has some means to communicate and has access to something that brings them comfort or reduces anxiety.

She's just launched her memoir! Speechless: How a Speech Therapist Lost Her Ability to Speak and Her Silent Struggle to Reclaim Her Voice and Life.

💡 Interesting, Useful, or Fun

Want more of this? Check out the Eat, Speak, & Think Blog Facebook page.​
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(1) Sucheta Kamath gives a very interesting TEDx talk about executive function skills.
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(2) This open-access meta-analysis of 501 people with post-stroke aphasia showed that combining speech therapy with memory training and/or virtual reality cognitive training had better results than speech therapy alone.
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(3) In case you missed it, you can watch this humpback whale accidentally suck a kayaker into its mouth. Don't worry, the whale immediately spit out the kayaker, and he wasn't hurt. Apparently, the humpback whale's throat is about as wide as a man's fist, so the kayaker wasn't in danger of being swallowed. But what a crazy, terrifying experience!

Thanks for reading!
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Consider supporting EST by telling a friend or directly with a small tip through Buy Me a Coffee.

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Stay safe and be well,

Lisa
(she/her/hers)