(they should have asked the members of this Forum--)
Vol. 65 No. 6, June 2008 Archives


There Is No Parkinson Disease
William J. Weiner, MD


Arch Neurol. 2008;65(6):705-708.

The term Parkinson disease defines a specific clinical condition characterized by a typical history and characteristic signs. This review examines the historical evolution of the concept of Parkinson disease and how the misunderstanding of Parkinson disease may be hindering clinical research trials. It is proposed that this syndrome be called Parkinson diseases or parkinsonism type 1 through infinity.

Dear Olsen -

THANK YOU! I do not have PD -but the doctors think I should, and the pharmaceutical industry has grown from the brain washing -of our minds -
that we are ill and it is called, -PD -when actually it has always before now -
and up until now called -death -
and nothing is ever gone it is just translated into another form,
ashes to ashes -
from the dust man was made and into dust we do return...


In the evolving knowledge of man's brain/drs. brains as well
there is NO ABSOLUTE,
we are human -
our knowledge is limited - our years of life are numbered -
our technology grows and then it is stolen from us -(the dark ages)
history repeats -
therefore knowledge is temporal...fleeting -
and so it is-


Who can Straighten what G_d has made crooked...

wow - can't wait to read; from the title and abstract alone i totally agree; anxious to see the details!

i wish i could look at this positively. but i tend to see it through my jaded eyes as somone else , and there are many, who just wants to leave his mark ..I don't care what they call it , but there is such a thing. It follows a progressive deterioration of symptoms that are well laid out - there is such a thing, they need to treat it.

sorry - i can't fake it. but then tomorrow is another day. Thanks madelyn.

grumpy paula

Paula - they're not denying the disease, just acknowledging that it is not monolithic. We've known this for years - it looks different in many of us. There will not be a cure unless they understand what they are curing.

Keep your chin up!

yes and subtypes are up and coming. I just hope they don't get distracted to the point of less treatment development. But then i'd like to see a treatment in my lifetime, which is unrealistic.

OT note: i have a sinus infection, an abscess in my mouth, my father fell and broke his hip today after just mending from breaking five ribs and i spent the day in the hospital with a throbbing toothache. That's just for starters , so when i saw there is no such thing as Parkinson disease my reaction was to say....oh shut up.


paula

I do think there are "subsets" of PD pts--that istradefylline for instance will help one group but not another because their form of PD does not respond to adenosine A2A receptor antagonists...another group responds to Mirapex well, without the compulsive side effects seen in a different sub group. Though I see Paula's point--if it gets too complicated, why attempt to develop a therapy that will help only a sub group of PD pts. Where's the pay off for that? on the other hand, maybe these subsets could qualify under the "orphan drug" program. (tongue in cheek)
Paula, here's hoping you and your dad mend quickly. there is no pain like a tooth ache. madelyn

hah! Paula - bet i'm crankier than you! i pulled a shoulder muscle last week that resulted in such pain that contorted the way i slept, that resulted in a pinched nerve, that made me lose control of my left hand and wrist. My neuro told me to get to an emergency room; i settled for the walk-in clinic next door instead of driving 30 miles to the nearest ER because i can't afford the gas. The good news is that anti-inflammatories, a muscle relaxer, and vicodin have reduced the pain and are slowly restoring movement.

hope your dad is recovering - and you too! i suggest vicodin. when we're both up to it, i'll meet you on the phone for a glass of wine!

Gee Carey misery loves company. THanks for lightening the load...lol

paula

I have been watching PBS which is doing one of their fundraisers... It's on neuroplacticity and features Dr. Norman Doidge and his book "The Brain that changes itself"... I just read it and they have learned a great deal about how our brains function and how it adapts. Neuroplasticity can be both positive (improvement) or negative (deterioration). I found it very encouraging because it gives hope that by understanding the human brain, we can learn to manipulate it -retrain it. Sometimes it's very hard work. The most encouraging thing was that knowledge about the brain and how it works may lead to learning what we have to do to restore what has been lost, and then doing it. I really do believe we underestimate our capacity to heal. I'm struggling to prove it. The down side of course is that I just might do more damage and end up demented

I agree with the statement, but lets not be to hasty to do away with the labels... As the old saying goes, don't forget which side your bread is buttered on.