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Morphine pump?? Is there something about this disease that I don't know about yet?? Nic 59/17 On 22 August 2011 19:02, <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > _How a dog helps treat Parkinson's | The Sun |Woman|Health|Health_ > ( > http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/health/health/2970830/How-a-dog-helps-tr > eat-Parkinsons.html) > > > > ASTONISHED medics have revealed a remarkable treatment for Parkinson's > disease - a PET DOG. > Incredible improvements in a 28-year-old woman with the brain disease have > been credited to her pooch. > Three years after being diagnosed, she was taking large doses of four > different drugs a day to control symptoms. > She also had a morphine pump for 14 hours a day and was deteriorating > fast. > But after being given a highland terrier by a friend, doctors reported > major improvements in symptoms and a drop in the drugs she needed. > Amazingly, she no longer needed her daily morphine. > Doctors at Imperial College London, who report her case in the Journal Of > Neurology, said: "Remarkably sustained benefits occurred, with improvement > in her walking and symptoms including appetite, sleep and bowel function, > as well as socialisation." > Docs are unsure how the dog had such a dramatic effect, but they say that > having to walk, feed and look after the pet encouraged her to exercise > regularly. > One theory is that the responsibility of looking after the dog and the > exercise involved may have had an effect on dopamine, the brain chemical > involved in both the movement and thinking areas of the brain. > It is the loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain that leads to > Parkinson's and some drugs used to treat it stimulate areas of the brain > that > produce the chemical. > Allergies > Having the pet may have led to a stimulation of dopamine-producing cells > in a similar way. > It is the first time these kind of effects have been reported in > Parkinson's, but pets have been shown to have other health benefits too. > And it's not just dogs. Cats, rabbits and even goldfish can cut the risk > of allergies in children, lower the chances of developing hayfever and > reduce blood pressure. . . > HEART ATTACK: Having pets lowers the risk of dying after a heart attack > by three per cent, according to a report from Purdue University in > America. > ALLERGY: Children exposed to two or more dogs or cats during the first > year of life were 66 to 77 per cent less likely to have any allergies, a > study > at the Medical College Of Georgia, USA, found. > DEPRESSION: Researchers at the University Of Missouri found levels of > serotonin increased after owners stroked their dogs. Antidepressants work > by > increasing levels of the same brain chemical. > HAYFEVER: The allergy, which effects around 15 per cent of people in the > UK, is 30 per cent lower among cat owners, according to Japan's Himeji > Medical Association. > ECZEMA: Children with dogs in the home for the first three years of life > were half as likely to develop eczema, Marshfield Clinic in America found. > BLOOD PRESSURE: One study at the Baker Medical Research Institute, > Australia, showed pet owners had significantly lower blood pressure than > non-owners. > OVERALL HEALTH: Older people with dogs make 21 per cent fewer visits to a > doctor than non-owners, research at the University Of California showed. > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > 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