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My family physician has spoken to me of her interest in the possibility that PD may have a viral cause. Of course she refers me to my neurologist when questions re my treatment for PD come up. (I get my medical care from a HMO.) But she did take some time, despite her busy family practice, to look into it. She told me that she did not find much information about this. If you look back on my family's medical history, there was at least one death related to the WW1 flu epidemic. My personal experience is that my first PD like symptoms began about 6 months after being treated at my HMO for illness related to having the flu (lung congestion and cough). This caught my physician's attention, when she was reviewing my medical records. Prior to this flu related treatment, about my only HMO experience was an annual physical and treatments for sports related injuries. (Although my first HMO doctor mistakenly thought my early PD symptoms, tremor and weakness in my right hand, were caused by Carpal tunnel syndrome. This resulted in a Labor & Industries evaluation by a neurosurgeon, who quickly suspected that I actually had PD, and sent me back to the HMO for further tests and evaluation by a neurologist.) Amantadine has long been an apparent effective part of my treatment for PD. Although the original 100mg x 3 day has been reduced to 100 x 2 day (breakfast and with lunch around noon). When I took a third Amantadine late in the afternoon, it apparently caused me to have difficulty sleeping. But I have not had the flu since I began taking Amantadine. (I have also had a "flu shot" from my HMO the past several years.) Charley 50, first diagnosed 1993 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn