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I am Wilson DeCamp, and I live in Leesburg, VA.  I was diagnosed with  PD in
2004 at age 68.  At the present time, my symptoms are relatively mild  -
unilateral tremor - and pretty well controlled by Sinemet 3X daily.  I  pay
attention to my diet - lots of veggies - and take Coenzyme Q10 and vitamin  C, even
though neither has been shown to help.

As a note of my personal background, I am a Ph.D. chemist, and recently
retired from 25 years with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  Although  I
never worked on drugs for PD, I consider myself reasonably well informed about  a
wide variety of issues about pharmaceuticals - especially how they are
studied  and brought to the market.

Now, having seen a few weeks of postings, I would like to make a few
requests of subscribers:

1. When mentioning drugs, please remember that drugs are frequently  marketed
in different countries under different names.  It's very important  that we
know where you are located - at least the country.  Moreover, a  drug sold in
the US may not be approved in Canada or the UK, and vice  versa.

2. There is always a nonproprietary name for a drug.  It will usually  be
marked that way on the label, or your pharmacist can help you.  If you  refer to
your drug by both the trade mark (e.g., Sinemet) and the nonproprietary  name
(carbidopa-levodopa), it will help all of us understand better how to help
you.  Also, if you know the nonproprietary name, you pharmacist may be able  to
tell you if there is a less expensive generic equivalent that you can discuss
with your physician.

3. PLEASE, when you are passing along information you have found on the
Internet or at the library, STATE YOUR SOURCE.  I my years of professional  work,
I have had many experiences where people have asked me about a new cure  for
their condition, but could only say that they "heard it from a  friend".  That
doesn't help to get more information.  And remember  that there are a lot of
ideas that haven't been proven in clinical  studies.  Circulating information
about unproven cures may raise your hopes  unreasonably.  But with a source,
you may be able to find out about who is  investigating the drug, and maybe even
be able to get accepted into a clinical  trial.

Wilson DeCamp

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