Linda H. - thanks for your well-thought out comments. Lindy - I know you won't believe this, but my original comments were "blinded" (pun intended). I honestly did not look at any author's names - I just scanned the abstract, anc conclusion then posted my remarks. (One must be more careful).and aftermath, thank you for your post.

I want all of you reading this to know that I am THRILLED that there is a surgical procedure that indeed does help some people with Parkinson's (PWP) and that is a qualified "some".

As President Obama often says, "Here's the deal . . ." Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) has been a godsend for many PWP, but it doesn't help everyone, Additionally, DBS has side effects (depression, loss of voice or garbled speech, worsening of balance, etc). not to mention site infection due to hardwear insertion, or incision. Maybe I hang with the unlucky folks, but I have noted more problems than helps. Yet almost 100% of those having DBS say they would d o it again.

I admit that the surgical procedure shows dramatic results. I've seen TV dramatize the surgery showing a very disabled lady who was wheelchair- bound. After DBS, she was able to get up and semi-run after surgery. People who are "successful" with DBS are often those who have severe dyskinesia and/or dystonia due to long-term levodopa therapy. And medications can definitely be reduced in most cases.

It should be noted (I think I'm right on this), that there was no "control" group in the DBS studies, other than a comparison symptomatically of the DBS group and the group that didn't have DBS.. And of course, there was to sham surgery control. So how did they compensate for placebo control?

Are you aware that DBS is very similar to ECT (electro-subcutaneous therapy) or sometimes called TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation ) or what is commonly called "shock therapy" usually for bad cases of depression. And it works!

Now, my theory. Parkinson's is a bad case of not only deficient dopamine, but other brain chemicals necessary in keeping the person "happy." There's mixed up seritonin, and acetycholine, tyramine, and on and on. Well-being is highly important when you a re already dopamine-deficient. I contend that treating the well-being side of PWP is just as important as replacing the dopamine; and my theoory is that may be why we see the results we do with DBS.

I should know about how when you coontrol the clinical depression, you control the PD symptoms, oro least see improvement in motor skills. Depression brought on by (duh - stress) and my chemical imbalance are two of the major reasons I crashed and had to take early retirement. My well-being had well-went! lol

So the bottom line here is we need PsychCentral far more than we realize. And it's nothing to be ashamed of to need psychological, even psychiatric help. We're a chemical mess, then we go adding a little of thhis and a little that here and there, and then we have the ups and downs both in well-being and movement disorders.

Sorry to ramble on, but write this down today. If somebody else has alreaady said it, they didn't do a very good job of letting me know, but PD can be controlled much more easily if the depression that comes with the package deal is treated, also. Keep the well-being in check and PWP arew far less symptomatic.

Discussion? DBS in my opinion is good at controlling depresion, along with severe dyskinesia and dystonia. However, you might be able to take care of these with a holistic aapproach - eating dopamine-rich foods (e.g. fava beans), adding tyramine to your diet, and the other chemicals mentioned, and exercising to keep an oxygen-rich flow of blood to the brain.

Have we gotten onto somethhing here?
Peg