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bonnie thanks for printing this article on the list.she didnt use much of my materail - said it was too controversial = but they printed 4 pictures of me - one very unflattering of me personally but great for parkinsons -took up nearly the whole front page of the section. Actualy none ofo the pictures werevery pretty, but they were realikstic depictins of esercises - anyway it is all in a good cause..... thanks hiklary Bonnie Rowley wrote: > > All, > I hope this isn't a repeat. Jeana sent it while my pc was in the shop & I > just dug it out from under a mound of e-mails. > > March 12, 2000 > > New treatments to control Parkinson's disease > By Karen Goldberg Goff > THE WASHINGTON TIMES > > Jeana Bartlett first noticed her right hand trembling while > she sat in the bleachers watching her sons play football. She attributed the > shaking to nerves. The shaking kept occurring though, and neurological tests > proved inconclusive. The trem-ors got worse, and Mrs. Bartlett, then in her > mid-30s, became more scared. She was downright terrified when she was driving > and could not take her foot off the accelerator. > Further tests showed the Augusta, Ga., woman had Parkinson's disease, a > neurological condition doctors initially dismissed because of her young age. > "Parkinson's was considered 'an old person's disease,' " she says. "But > I was actually relieved to find out that is what I had. I thought I was a > hypochondriac or psychotic or had a brain tumor." > About 1 million people in the United States suffer from Parkinson's > disease. About 20 percent of that number are younger than 40, according to > data from the National Parkinson's Foundation. Though the disease is not > fatal, it gets progressively worse. To a younger person, that can mean > decades of adjusting medication, undergoing surgery and dealing with > sometimes debilitating physical symptoms. > "The issues for young people with Parkinson's are very different," says > Hilary Blue, a 51-year-old Annandale woman who has had Parkinson's for 27 > years. "Older people are expected to get all sorts of conditions as they age. > The acceptance is very difficult when you are young. You have to think about > issues like will you be able to work or take care of your children." Mrs. Blue, who had to give up driving a car a few years ago, says she is > considering having DBS. She belongs to a support group in Annandale and takes > part in a Parkinson's exercise class. > "I definitely find it helps," she says of the class. "It keeps my > muscles working and helps me to cope. I dream of being alive when the cure > comes, so I need to keep my muscles moving." > > All site contents copyright © 2000 News World Communications, Inc. > > > > > Bonnie > daughter of Jim 77/72 > * * * > Live well * Laugh often * Love much > Join SPARKLE > [log in to unmask]