July 2009
7 posts
6 tags
Zap!
Is it coincidence? US News and World Report just came out with a bunch of new articles on brain stimulation treatments: TMS, ECT, DBS. Links to others are in this one:
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/brain-and-behavior/2009/07/15/brain-stimulation-can-magnetic-or-electrical-pulses-help-you.html?s_cid=related-links:TOP
4 tags
8 tags
Seeing with your tongue!
Vision is an issue for many PWPs. The idea of vision loss is pretty scary, but we can take comfort in the development of this amazing new device that relays information to the brain via the tongue.
Read about it here and see a video:
http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/health/101881/visually-impaired-get-a-taste-of-sight-with-new-device/Default.aspx
3 tags
Parkinson's and ECT: Double-Blind Study, Sweden,...
ABSTRACT
Eleven patients with severe Parkinson’s disease and on-off-phenomena were included in a controlled double-blind study on the effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Pharmacological treatment was optimally adjusted before the trial. The severity of extrapyramidal symptoms was measured before, during and after the treatment. The patients were randomly allocated into one group,...
Parkinson's and ECT: This from1989
From the American Journal of Psychiatry, 146:11, November 1989.
The following quote is the conclusion of an editorial by Richard Abrams, MD.
“I therefore strongly agree with Max Fink’s recent call for prospective controlled trials of ECT in the treatment of patients with intractable Parkinson’s disease (14, 15). While awaiting the initiation and completion of such studies, however, I...
4 tags
More on Parkinson's and ECT
Since reading Dr. Goulston’s article (see the post just before this one), I’ve been doing some research on PD and ECT (electroconvulsive therapy, formerly known as shock therapy). As far as I can tell, it’s mainly a few people in the psychiatric community who have been talking about ECT and Parkinson’s. Have the movement disorders people (and the drug companies) noticed?
...
6 tags
Jawdropper: Parkinson's and ECT
This article by Dr. Mark Goulston on the Huffington Post really got my attention. Be sure to read it ALL THE WAY THROUGH—the material most relevant to people with Parkinson’s is at the end, almost as an afterthought.
Read the comments, too. One is mine.
April 2009
4 posts
not your usual springtime poem →
This is National Poetry Month, and anyone who thinks of poetry as something ethereal and rarefied should read this poem by Kenneth Koch. For me, it resonates with the Parkinson’s sensibility, which often includes a rather biting sense of humor. Hey, doesn’t the PD life sometimes feel like one big “somebody ate the plums”?
Variations on a Theme by William Carlos Williams...
Spend some time with young kids...
Researchers studying a volunteer program in which seniors work with elementary school children report that the program is helpful, not only for the children, but for the volunteers, too. Here’s a link to the article in the Baltimore Sun:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.tutor14apr14,0,3342512.story
It was true for me many years ago when I was a preschool teacher, and it...
Marci rides on for Parkinson's!
Read about her journey here:
http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2009/04/10/cleveland_advocate/news/1609parkinsons_ride_ca.txt
March 2009
5 posts
Consumer Genomics: Reading
What’s the advantage to knowing whether you have a genetic predisposition to a disease? What do genetics tests tell you, and how do you know what they mean? For whom are these tests useful, and for whom are they not? What are the possible down sides of consumer genomics?
Wanting to know more, I searched and found these articles, among others. It’s a start.
...
6 tags
23andWho?
Sergey Brin—founder of Google, bearer of a genetic marker associated with a disposition towards Parkinson’s—recently announced that his wife’s consumer genotype business, 23andMe, will build an online community of people with Parkinson’s. For $25 (vs. the usual $399), a person with Parkinson’s can have a genetic profile done by 23andMe. The data in each profile will then be...
2 tags
4 tags
On the road for Parkinson's with Marci
On March 3, I posted about Marci Silverman, who is pedaling her bicycle cross-country to raise money for Parkinson’s research through the Davis Phinney Foundation. Check out Marci’s page at http://www.3100miles.com to make a donation.
As I followed Marci’s posts on Twitter, I wanted to know more. We did a Q and A via email. Here it is.
...
Pedaling for Parkinson's
A vigorous and intrepid woman named Marci Silverman is about to bike across the country to raise money for Parkinson’s research. Follow her journey at http://www.3100miles.com, and make a donation if you are so inclined!
February 2009
24 posts
2 tags
Wouldn't it be nice...
Every time the ban on embryonic stem cells is challenged, there is a sudden surge of excitement about adult stem cells. In the last few weeks, much attention has been given to an article about the work of Dr. Michael Levesque. The buzz on sites like Twitter and Tumblr is that Dr. Levesque, using breakthrough techniques, has succeeded in reversing the course of PD by introducing adult stem cells...
Katie Hood to Obama: Science is waiting
From the CEO of the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the question that’s on so many minds: Why the delay in lifting restrictions on stem cell research? When will President Obama deliver on his promise? The Parkinson’s community waits with bated breath and strained patience.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katie-hood/mr-president-the-science_b_168648.html
2 tags
aspirin
Inflammatory processes have been implicated in Parkinson’s disease. Maybe that’s why that good old anti-inflammatory standby, aspirin, helps me settle down and sleep. I know it’s not for everyone, but it works for me. In fact, seeing as how I’m in my revved-up night-owl mode, I think I’ll pop one now and go to bed!
clothes that don't fight you: click here →
I’m a fan of Flax: comfy, stylish, Parkinson’s-friendly clothing for women, generously cut and floaty without swallowing you, easy on and easy off. Check out this link and be sure to browse the sales. Be aware that these garments run large. If in doubt about size, contact customer service.
Please note: I have no connection with this company. I just like their stuff. Their service,...
A Valentine's Day Tribute to Rayilyn Lee Brown
Shown above with her faithful sidekick Spike, Ray is a familiar presence to members of the Parkinsns listserve. With her research partner Diane Wyshak, Ray keeps the list informed of developments affecting the Parkinson’s community. Ray is a director of the Arizona Chapter of the National Parkinson Foundation. She is a fierce advocate for all kinds of stem cell research. Ray’s kindness...
10 things you should know about Ray
1. Ray was named for her dad. Here’s how she tells it: “My Dad’s name was Ray. When I was born my Aunt Lois was in high school writing Carolyn, Marilyn, Rayilyn!! My parents liked it but it has given me nothing but trouble trying to explain it. I’ve been called Raylyn, Raylon, Raylene, Rayiteen and my brother called me Rayloon. Going by Ray is easier and that started when...
catching it early
New ways doctors are diagnosing Parkinson’s disease 02:28 PM PST on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 By JEAN ENERSEN / KING 5 News
Every nine minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. It’s a neurological disorder that starts as a tremor and ends in death.
Catching it early is key. Now there are several new ways doctors are diagnosing it. The key to...
devices and desires
Desire: to cut toenails
Device: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SOORGG?smid=A3FTKNZ9RHYKG2&tag=nextag-hpc-mp-delta-20&linkCode=asn
As of this posting, no customer reviews. Would you try this apparatus?
And here is another one:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000X9N974?smid=AANFGG9OFY1PA&tag=nextag-hpc-delta-20&linkCode=asn
Surely there must be an easier way? Maybe there is a small...
sand
There is one activity that makes me feel almost PD-free: walking barefoot on the moist, pliant sand of a flat beach. Something about the texture of the sand against my skin and the way my movement meets the sand’s resistance lengthens my stride, steadies my balance, and allows me to recapture, briefly and not quite completely, how it feels to walk normally.
When a friend’s son was...
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha...
I’m thinking about getting a hiking staff made by Leki. It is called the Wanderfreund. The name alone is almost irresistible.
Anybody ever used one? I would love to know if you found it helpful.
http://www.rockcreek.com/products/listing/item11526.asp?ref=RCO_googlebase
in spite of snow, I carry on
So, Tuesday morning I woke up and saw snow coming down, light and wet and not yet sticking to roads, but enough to give me some trepidation about the day ahead, in which I was to drive into upper Manhattan and visit two day care centers, each time parking my car and navigating the sidewalks while carrying my bag-of-stuff (including laptop) and my large pouchy purse, which constantly slides down my...
A Parkinson's-Eye Tour of the Musee D'Orsay
(with a nod to the Louvre)
Imbalance in Parkinson’s has a visual-spatial component. This brief tour explores that.
exercised
Still thinking about Dave Iverson’s Frontline program…. As a Parkinson’s patient, I tread a fine line between hope and realism. Though the program was informative and conscioiusness-raising, I think it went too far on the side of hope in the way it presented the relationship between Parkinson’s and exercise. This morning on some networking sites, I found a proliferation of...
1 tag
where I differ from MJF
I admire, appreciate, and cherish Michael J. Fox, but when he tells Dave Iverson (on the Frontline program) that he wouldn’t change his Parkinson’s if he could, each and every dopamine-producing cell in my brain, all three of them, scream in protest. If I had that choice, I’d relinquish all the wisdom I’ve accumulated, the courage I’ve mustered, the empathy I’ve...