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Famed pastor says there's a cure for Parkinson's Robert Schuller is under scrutiny from medical experts and those suffering from the disease. By JENNIFER MUIR The Orange County Register October 17, 2008 GARDEN GROVE - Robert H. Schuller announced Sunday during an internationally televised sermon at the Crystal Cathedral that his friend has discovered a cure for Parkinson's disease, sparking a backlash among those who suffer from the neurological disease and bewilderment among medical professionals. Schuller was introducing a different guest for his "Hour of Power" sermon when he made the announcement, promising his congregation that the medical researcher would soon fly in from Pittsburgh "to share with us how God helped him to discover a cure - that's the word they use - for Parkinson's disease." But no one else in the medical community has heard about it. "This is giving people false hope," said Bob Kendall, 48, who was diagnosed seven years ago. "To me this is really sad. If there was a breakthrough and a cure, it wouldn't be a televangelist announcing it, believe me. There are a lot of people up in arms." Neurological experts say they're not aware of any breakthrough. Dr. Neal Hermanowicz, director of the movement disorder program in UCI's Department of Neurology, said it would be unusual for such a discovery to remain a secret, as promising work in progress is routinely presented and discussed at medical conferences. "I don't know of anybody anywhere in the world who is close to a cure for Parkinson's disease," said Hermanowicz, who was first asked about Schuller's sermon by a patient on Thursday. "Usually if something big is about to occur, there's evidence presented at our meetings," he said. "So if somebody has something really big it would be unusual to have no inkling of it in advance." Schuller told congregants that he learned about the breakthrough while at a recent conference in Toronto for members of Horatio Alger, a nonprofit group that honors community leaders who have achieved success "through honesty, hard work, self-reliance and perseverance over adversity," the group's Web site says. "One of my friends there is a famed researcher and he whispered to me, 'I've done it,'" Schuller said during the sermon. "I said, 'You have?' I've known him 20 years. He has discovered a cure to Parkinson's disease and he will be with me here in person in a few weeks." He did not disclose the researcher's name during his sermon, but a spokesman confirmed Friday that the pastor was referring to Dr. Peter J. Jannetta, a professor of neurosurgery and namesake of the Jannetta Center for Cranial Nerve Disorders at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Penn. The spokesman, Michael Nason, referred questions about the research to Jannetta. A secretary for Jannetta said he was not available for comment. "We want to be very cautious at this point on what we say further," Nason said. "We think that this has tremendous, very positive ramifications, and we want to take care that we help the doctor make sure that this is responsibly reported." In his sermon, Schuller said the research has been "triple-checked" and will appear in the London-based medical journal Lancet. A representative for Lancet declined to comment, saying that the journal's "peer-review process and all correspondence with authors are confidential." Parkinson's disease is caused by the degeneration of dopamine cells in the brain. Symptoms include tremors, slow speech and a shuffling walk. More than 1.5 million people across the U.S. suffer from the disease, according to the American Parkinson's Disease Association. There is no known cure, and recent research has primarily focused on finding ways to slow its development, determine its cause and better treat the symptoms, Hermanowicz said. While he's not aware of Jannetta's expertise in Parkinson's research, Hermanowicz said Jannetta is a known expert for surgeries that stop facial twitching, and that the University of Pittsburgh is home to many well-respected neurologists. Kendall, who lives in Ashland, Ohio and is on disability because of the disease, first heard about Schuller's announcement Monday, when he was emailed a link to the "Hour of Power" webcast. Ever since, he's been calling the Crystal Cathedral and Allegheny General Hospital for answers. "Why would someone in his position stand up and say something like that?" Kendall said. "It makes you angry." Nason acknowledged the Crystal Cathedral has received phone calls about the sermon from viewers suffering from Parkinson's, and cautioned people not "to put a total answer on it without first finding out what the significance of the paper is." The church is hopeful Jannetta has found a cure, and they're looking forward to him appearing as a guest on the show, Nason said. Dixie Bullington, a 75-year-old paralegal who has Parkinson's, says she's waiting to see proof. "I'm not one to jump on something quickly just because somebody says it," said Bullington of La Mirada. "I would want to see the research and talk to the neurologist about it and see where the research came from..You would think there would be some headlines in the paper about it if that were true." Hermanowicz learned about Schuller's announcement from a patient, and offered some hopeful advice. "I tell my patients that there is reason for optimism," he said. "It's of intense interest and effort by a lot of very bright people. "I don't know of a fix for Parkinson's disease that's foreseeable in the immediate future, but there's a lot of effort going on around the world." Watch the video of Schuller's announcement here: Click on the second segment, titled "Interview with Miroslav Volf." Register contributor Jane Glenn Haas contributed to this story. Contact the writer: (714) 796-7813 or [log in to unmask] Rayilyn Brown Director AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn