Hello --

Interesting points.  What about a statement such as cause of death being
"complications resulting from Parkinson's Disease?"

By all means, rant on.  :-)    ;-)

Carole Menser
PWP Ted (54/46/40)
Northern California


-----Original Message-----
From: William A. Parrette <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Saturday, March 02, 2002 12:17 PM
Subject: On life, death, and definitions (just a tiny rant) :-)


>Hi all,
>
>        I  hope  that  what  I  am about to write here doesn't make me
>     sound emotionless or like I have no feelings.  Take this into ac-
>     count along with the fact that I am on the Digest and at times am
>     forced to read them a day or two late due in  part  to  my  work-
>     travel.  And, please understand I am not flaming anybody nor am I
>     trying to start a flame-war.
>
>        But the recent postings about Parkinson's causing  death  made
>     me  twinge  more  than just a little.  And, even though I haven't
>     posted recently, the number of times that this  emotional  state-
>     ment  was  made  --  and  the absolute, indisputable, surety with
>     which the statements were made -- finally got to me.  (the  reli-
>     gion-oriented  tag-line may have had something to do with it too.
>     (-:)
>
>        So please note that the following is In My Humble Opinion:
>
>        I've only been dealing with this dis-ease for about six  years
>     now.  But, as I understand it, Parkinson's is a label placed on a
>     variety of neurological symptoms and conditions for  which  there
>     is  no  other name, cause, or cure.  Whether the symptoms include
>     Bradykinesia, Dyskinesia, Micrographia, Ataxia --  what  ever  --
>     the Parkinson's label is attached to the condition if the patient
>     responds favorably to one of the "Parkinson's medications (usual-
>     ly the combination of Carbidopa and Levodopa)."
>
>        It  is  also my understanding that the current medical thought
>     and theory on the dis-ease is that it is caused by  the  lack  of
>     Dopamine-producing  cells  in  the  Substantia  Nigra area of the
>     brain.  And, if this is true the only way that they are currently
>     able  to make that determination -- the lack of the Dopamine-pro-
>     ducing cells -- is in an autopsy.
>
>        I may be "splitting hairs" here.  But, as much as  I've  tried
>     to  make  my  thought  processes more right-brained, I seem to be
>     fairly stuck in a left-brained body this time around.  And, as is
>     typical  of  a  left-brainer,  I happen to have a need for having
>     things in order, organizing things, and having exacting ideas and
>     definitions.
>
>        Again, please note that the following is In My Humble Opinion:
>
>        Nobody dies *from* Parkinson's.  The lack of  specific  brain-
>     cells  whose only known purpose is to smooth the movement of mus-
>     cles when in the waking  state  doesn't  cause  death.   Instead,
>     IMHO, that a person may pass over *as a result of* having Parkin-
>     son's.  Maybe it's something different than  being  left-brained,
>     but I do *NOT* believe that Parkinson's is a fatal dis-ease.
>
>        I  may  pass over after falling down some stairs (which I have
>     unfortunately had some experience with recently )-:), or not  be-
>     ing  able  to  move fast enough to get out of an emergency situa-
>     tion, or not being able to swallow my food, or not being able  to
>     step  on  the brake in my car quick enough, or trying to beat the
>     train at crossing the tracks, or  not  having  a  parachute  open
>     correctly  for me, or falling overboard on a boat trip, or refus-
>     ing to be fed intravenously,  or  any  of  a  thousand  different
>     things.   But, in any of these cases, Parkinson's did not *CAUSE*
>     my passing -- *HAVING* Parkinson's caused it.
>
>        Well, that helped.  The knot in my stomach has loosened up and
>     I  feel  better.   Thanks for listening, thanks for helping me to
>     blow off a little steam.  I'll go back to lurk-mode for  a  while
>     (after  all,  nobody  has posted about computers and the 'Net re-
>     cently (my reply specialty (-:)).  Everyone take care,  be  well,
>     and always grok in fullness ...
>
>Bill--
>  ...who is a little sad today because he ran over his Dogma with his
Karma.
>
>.. William A. Parrette ...... 7177 Heritage Drive ....+------------------+
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>.............. http://w3.one.net/~wap/ ...............+-oOO--(_)--OOo----+
>
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