Now I'm thinking that non-pd control participant. sounds redundant. i think you should base your decision on what is real. That is, pwp are parkinsons patients. i would love to see the 's go. it's a nuisance and the doctor is still honored.

So what is real? we are patients, when in a clinical trial we are thought of as subjects. This is a loaded statement and i could write a term paper on why i don't like that term. Instead I'll sum it up by saying we are called subjects and treated accordingly. This is discrimination, it's demeaning, it's got the patient in a position of submissiveness and none of these manners of thinking are going to get the most out of any study. Doctors are going to have to adapt to the newly educated and articulate patient online. And perhaps reexamine what they include as randomization.

i can see it being reduced to patients vs controls anyway-in our thinking and we should attempt the most said in the fewest of words. It should slide off the tongue easily [another reasons to discard the 's. ]

i understand what you are trying to say fiona, but a roomful of classically trained scientists wouldn't -orwouldn't care. I wouldn't be surprised if someday people will have a number for a condtion and another number for the solution to it. I envy you for being able to search for healing as you do fiona; i use different terminology but believe in the absolute power of healing - i cant' figure out how much intensity to apply.We need more spiritual time, which is as powerful as you make it.

Back to the point-i don't mind being referred to as a patient. But call me a parkie and i'lll ask you not to. It minimalizes pwp.[in my humble opinion] Parkie and newbie...not too cool. i'm getting older i guess. We don't call patients with terminal illnesses like Huntington's "hunters"or "hunties." Or diabetics "sweeties"

So i think the names should be to the point, brief and easily abbreviated. Hopefully what they discover will lead to positive and meaningful terminology. that distinguishes some of us from each other. I have a tremor under my chin and at the top of my neck.. THat's the only place i do tremor, so obviously my brain damage is more at the brain stem???? i don't know but I know not eveyone has this and it probably is serious. Then what will it respond to in the treatment field...uh.....being asleep. That works.

So good luck with recruitment. could infomally call for generally healthy people so they know what you mean, but the more you learn the more terminology will be needed for subtypes/categories. Let's not take anything away from James Parkinson except the 's.And it's interesting to watch the process.

good luck.
paula