Parkinson's is on the increase

Dr. Philip Rutherford talks about his experience with Parkinson's disease. 
April is Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month.
Cara Brady/Morning Star

Published: April 16, 2009 6:00 PM

In the fall of 2000, Philip Rutherford was a busy family physician in 
Armstrong. He noticed that he had an ache in his left arm and tingling in 
his left hand and when it didn't go away, he saw his doctor and was referred 
to a specialist for tests.
"It was quite a surprise to be told at 44 that I had what I perceived to be 
an old person's disease. I had Parkinson's disease patients but they were 
all older," he said. "It took awhile to sink in but I think I accepted it 
well. It's a progressive disease and I know what's going to happen."
Rutherford said there is an increasing incidence of what is called 
young-onset Parkinson's, before age 50, with some as young as 18 years old. 
Parkinson's is a neuro-degenerative disease that happens when the cells that 
produce dopamine, a chemical that carries signals between nerves in the 
brain, die. Symptoms include tremour, stiffness and slowness, balance and 
muscle problems and others like fatigue, writing changes and sleep 
disturbances.
There is thought to be a genetic component to the disease in about six per 
cent of cases while other people may have some kind of predisposition that 
may be triggered by environmental toxins, infections, post-concussion or 
other factors. The use of illegal drugs can trigger Parkinson's in some 
young people. The majority of cases are of unknown cause with no family 
history. Diagnosis is made by assessment by a neurologist and there is no 
cure, but medication can help reduce symptoms.
"I started to get a bit of tremour when I was stressed or anxious and I 
would limp when I got stressed," said Rutherford.
"As a physician, you're obviously aware of how you appear to your patients. 
I'd be self-conscious and there were certain procedures I couldn't do. My 
writing was getting smaller and smaller and I had difficulty keeping patient 
records. Then there were the things like drooling. Patients don't find that 
attractive. Sometimes they would ask me if I was feeling well."
He and his wife, Carol, a registered nurse, talked to their son, now in his 
teens, about the disease and the changes. Rutherford loved his work and his 
patients and continued to practise until he had to make the difficult 
decision to retire last March.
"There is stress in living with a chronic disease. The medications are 
effective for controlling symptoms and they work for a time but almost 
everyone will have side effects or they will cease to be effective. Surgery 
is helpful for some people," he said.
"I have had to recognize myself as having a disability and that's a 
difficult process. I have become more empathetic and look at the person, not 
the disability."
He finds regular exercise, like biking, hiking and cross-country skiing - he 
had to give up downhill skiing - are beneficial, and that it takes longer to 
do things like eating and dressing.
Rutherford is making it his project to work locally on the possible 
implications of environmental factors contributing to Parkinson's disease. 
He was involved with the campaign to stop the use of pesticides on school 
grounds in Armstrong. He is also concerned about Fish and Wildlife Branch 
plans to use the pesticide rotenone in Gardom Lake to kill non-native 
species and re-introduce other species. He fishes at Gardom Lake and thinks 
that caution should be used with wide-spread use of any pesticide. He cites 
studies that link long-term, low-dose exposure to pesticides to a higher 
incidence of Parkinson's disease and some researchers find a connection 
between exposure in the womb and developing the disease. It appears that the 
disease may appear long after the initial trigger, whatever that might have 
been.
Rutherford feels hopeful about help for Parkinson's disease in the longer 
term. New research on the genetic components of Parkinson's disease is being 
funded by Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, whose mother has the disease.
"There is a lot of research being done and there is likely to be a 
significant break-through in the next five to 10 years," he said.

Rayilyn Brown
Director AZNPF
Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
[log in to unmask] 

----------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn