Victorialou,

Thanks for sharing your background. This is precisely the sort of "fuzzy" data that researchers need to get a much quicker grasp of what our shared experiences or exposures might be. We all need to be in that National registry for PD and MS that can run queries or analyze.

What makes this all the more complex is that most likely we all have very individual paths but meet at the same watering hole so it is hard to say with any confidence that it is due to just one environmental thing in an area. It could be that your PD is more due to genetics (it can be just that) or maybe a concussion or viral infection when you were younger...I'm not even sure we need an environmental toxin component.

What I don't like is how we living with all these clues are all but ignored except for drug trials because that is where the profit lies. No one makes any money testing us for trace metal levels. I think they know enough environmental triggers at this point so are we not given a battery of tests to look for pesticides, manganese and other trace elements or metals in all of us? Gee, this may actually lead to putting some of the puzzle together but no one bothers with meta data it seems...

A few other PD correlates to add and extend the map globally. PD seems to occur most frequently at higher latitudes....rare to find it below the equator. I think in US, the highest rate of incidence is in Minnesota (some one correct me if I am wrong). In Europe, it is Scandinavia that is hit the hardest. We hear that more men are diagnosed than women, but in Japan it is just the opposite. I think by studying these oddball or anomaly things we can find a lot of answers too.

Laura