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Does anybody out there have PD, or know someone who has it? The neurologist just told my husband he "may" have Parkinsons's disease and we are trying to find out more about it. I know what it says in wiki...I'm really concerned as the info the doctor gave him tells him that if he does have it, he has 4 to 8 years and then he will basically be a vegetable....this is scary stuff.....and I thought it was bad having a 22 year old in diapers....
Try looking at WebMD. Lots of good information and a pretty reliable source. I don't know about your husband's Parkinson's disease, but my grandmother had it for more years than I can remember and she lived well into her 80s without becoming a vegetable. Her hands shook like hell, but she was able to hold down a job, keep her house clean, shop, etc.
Best of luck with this. I think I'd get a second opinion about your husband's condition.
didnt katherine hepburn have it..she lived a long time..doctors are always painting the darkest pic
Michael J Fox and Ali have had it for years, and the one guy I took care of had it for a long time, I think maybe 15 years.
Michael J Fox and Ali have had it for years, and the one guy I took care of had it for a long time, I think maybe 15 years.
My expert opinion is that Ali suffers from punch drunk love.
Michael J Fox and Ali have had it for years, and the one guy I took care of had it for a long time, I think maybe 15 years.
My expert opinion is that Ali suffers from punch drunk love.
i agree with the punch drunk thing....
shelia no one knows..they are guessing ..they are painting the worst pic and all...
The drug is commonly used to ease aches and pains but US research, in Neurology journal, found it had an added benefit. In studies of more than 135,000 men and women regular users of ibuprofen were 40% less likely to develop Parkinson's. However, experts say it is too early to say whether the benefits of taking the drug outweigh the risk of side effects such as gastrointestinal bleeding.
Heart attack
Scientists have suspected for some time that anti-inflammatory drugs might help buffer against the disease but it was unclear which ones in the family of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs conferred a benefit. This most recent study suggests it is ibuprofen alone that has an effect. But like all NSAIDs, ibuprofen can cause worrying side effects, like an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding.
A recent study also linked ibuprofen taken daily for some years to a small increased risk of heart attack and stroke. The findings relate to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen prescribed long-term to treat painful conditions such as arthritis. For this reason experts say more work is needed to determine whether the benefits of taking the drug more often would outweigh any risks. If it did, it could offer a new way of managing this incurable neurological condition.
Nerve cells
Treating Parkinson's disease with gene therapy has been shown to be successful in clinical trials for the first time, say US researchers. The illness causes uncontrolled shaking, stiffness and slow movement as part of the brain dies. The small study in The Lancet Neurology used a virus to add genes to brain cells, which resulted in reduced symptoms for half of patients.
Parkinson's UK welcomed the study, but said further research was needed. The disease affects 120,000 people in the UK, mostly in the over-50s. There is no cure, although drugs and deep brain stimulation have been shown to reduce symptoms.
Gene treatment
Patients with Parkinson's have reduced levels of a chemical - GABA - in part of the brain known as the subthalamic nucleus. The researchers created a virus which "infects" cells with a gene to increasing GABA production.
More BBC News - Gene therapy 'treats' Parkinson's disease
Mice infected with Helicobacter pylori went onto develop Parkinson's like symptoms. The study, presented at a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, argues that infection could play "a significant role". The charity Parkinson's UK said the results should be treated with caution.
Parkinson's disease affects the brain and results in slow movements and a tremor. Middle-aged mice, the equivalent of being between 55 and 65 in humans, were infected. Six months later they showed symptoms related to Parkinson's, such as reduced movement and decreased levels of a chemical, dopamine, in the brain. These changes were not noticed in younger mice.
Toxic
Dr Traci Testerman, from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, said: "Our findings suggest that H. pylori infection could play a significant role in the development of Parkinson's disease in humans. "The results were far more dramatic in aged mice than in young mice, demonstrating that normal ageing increases susceptibility to Parkinsonian changes in mice, as is seen in humans." The researchers believe the bacteria are producing chemicals which are toxic to the brain.
They said H. pylori was able to "steal" cholesterol from the body and process it by adding a sugar group. Dr Testerman said this new chemical was almost identical to one found in seeds from the cycad plant, which had been shown to trigger a Parkinson's-like disease among people in Guam. She told the BBC: "H. pylori eradication in late stage Parkinson's disease is unlikely to result in significant improvement. "Certain neurons are killed before symptoms begin, and more are killed as the disease progresses. Those neurons will not grow back."
More BBC News - Bacteria 'linked' to Parkinson's disease
