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Hi, It may or may not be of any interest, but my mother was in the L-Dopa trial at Columbia Presbyterian Hosp under Dr. Duvoisan in 1967. She has PD since 1948, and was very severely disabled, and had been for some time. She responded (I guess she really had PD ha ha -- a little gallows humor), and in fact was able to turn in bed for the first time in more than 15 years, then was able to get OUT of bed, which scared my Dad half to death when he suddenly found her up and about! Yes, she was able to do a little walking, and I even have a picture of her putting up her hair, in, what else, 1940's finger waves and pin curls with hair clips from 1948--time had stood still for her. Sadly, the straight L-Dopa became too much for her--she already had cognitive problems, and the hallucination were too much. She went into a fast decline when they took her off her meds, and she died in 1972 unable to speak, move or recognize anyone. Her sister got PD a few years later, and now I have it. I've been waiting for a cure since 1948, or as good as a cure. Certainly something better then levadopa/carbidopa and the myriad of adjunctive meds and surgeries, all of which are just "patches." I'm tired of being told, we can cure it in 3-5 years, or 7-10 years if only we had the money. Well, Damn it, they DO have the money, but they're not fully funding the Parkinson's Agenda, just like they didn't spend much on the Udall Act. I don't want my son to have to face what I'm facing! I WANT THEM TO SPEND WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO SPEND ON THE UDALL ACT AND ON THE PARKINSON'S AGENDA----AND I WANT IT NOW! If they started to spend all they are supposed to spend today, which they couldn't--it takes time for the NIH and others to put the funds in motion and for researchers to get hot on PD research once they see where the money is, then by the time research really discovers enough for a therapy, and clinical trials1,2, and 3 take place, and then the FDA gets a whack at it, it will be more than 10 years--much more. I have been waiting for over HALF A CENTURY for real progress--like at least a way to stop PD. Because with all the meds and surgeries, we, especially young onset PWPs will end up just like my mother in 1972 and just like Mo Udall in 1998! So let's tell the NIH--SHOW ME THE MONEY!!! MONEY THAT WE HELPED THE NIH TO GET THROUGH YEARS OF ADVOCACY AND HARD WORK--AND WHILE WE'RE AT IT, TELL YOUR SENATORS TO STOP THAT RIDICULOUS BROWNBACH BILL AND PASS THE FEINSTEIN BILL--ALLOW THERAPEUTIC CLONING--WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO WAIT FOR POLITICAL CLAPTRAP--WE ARE DYING!!! Charlotte Mancuso On Wed, 5 Jun 2002 11:41:25 -0400 "Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD" <[log in to unmask]> writes: > Dear Friends, > I just received this today, and thought others might be interested. > It's > hard to believe it's only been 32 years! Best, > Kathrynne > ============================================================== > > If you have a friend or relative who might benefit from our > timely, authoritative health news and information service, please > forward this e-mail to them. To sign up for this daily e-mail, > new subscribers should click to > http://www.intelihealth.com/signup?r=EMIHC000 > > ======================= > TODAY IN HEALTH HISTORY > ======================= > > On this date in 1970, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration > approved the drug L-Dopa, or levodopa. The drug revolutionized > the treatment of Parkinson's disease, a disorder of the body's > motor system that can cause rigidity in the body, abnormal > walking, shaking or tremors, unsteady posture, and slowed > movements. L-Dopa and other related drugs help the body make its > own dopamine, a neurotransmitter normally produced by a part of > the brain called the substantia nigra that is missing in > Parkinson patients. Although there is no cure for Parkinson's, > some of its symptoms can be eased with L-Dopa and other drugs. > > Copyright InteliHealth, Inc., 2002. All rights reserved. > > -- > Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD > "Ask the Parkinson Dietitian" http://www.parkinson.org/ > "Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease" > "Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy for Parkinson's disease" > http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/ > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn