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Just thought I would let everyone know that I have looked into the connection between nicotine & PD, and there does seem to be some credible studies suggesting that nicotine slows down the development of PD symptoms, as identified from animal models tested, but also from clinical reviews of smokers versus non-smokers. The mechanism behind this apparent effect is suggested to be neuro-protective. What is not so clear is the therapeutic value of nicotine in those people currently suffering from PD. In one study a modest reduction in symptoms was suggested, but I could not find any indisputable science to back that up. Nevertheless, I decided that with my father's case he really doesn't have too much to lose, so today I bought nicotine patches (a pack of 7, low dose, 14mg per patch over a 24 hour period). I applied the patch to my father's skin today for 2 hours only, just to monitor any adverse reactions. Tomorrow I may leave the next patch on for 5 hours. If no adverse reaction, I might try leaving the patches on for 24 hrs per day for about a week. Now given that my father is a non-smoker and has been so for over 20 years, these patches were not recommended for him as per the instruction leaflet, but this is an unusual use of the nicotine patch so I have had to disregard that warning. So far no adverse reaction, and of course too soon to even think about any positive response to existing symptoms. Will update you all when I give this enough time to indicate one way or the other. Robert ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn