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March 30, 2007 06:08:08 pm, Categories: Medicine, Skepticism, 202 words Miracle on Pope John Paul II Street: Not Likely The International Herald Tribune is reporting that a French nun has declared that she was cured of Parkinson's through intercessory prayer to the late Pope John Paul II--just the miracle the Vatican needs to declare John Paul to be a saint. (Apparently he was fast-tracked for sainthood soon after his death.) But wait a minute, you might be saying, isn't Parkinson's a degenerative disease for which there is no cure? So, uh... isn't the real miracle here that THE VATICAN HAS FOUND A CURE FOR PARKINSON'S?!?! I mean, if it were true, sister Simon-Pierre would have a moral obligation to submit herself to a battery of scientific tests, as the world's first person to ever beat Parkinson's. Here's a bet: the original diagnosis of Parkinson's was a misdiagnosis. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune: As many as 200,000 of the estimated 1 million people in North America who learn they have Parkinson's disease, a progressive disorder marked by tremors and slow movement, may be misdiagnosed because the condition requires special expertise to recognize and treat. Somebody get that nun's head inside an MRI machine, stat, before her "Parkinson's" comes back. (Hat tip to the Zeitgeister for pointing out that it was probably a misdiagnosis.) Posted by Christopher Mims 16 comments ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn