Pasted below is the April, 1995, issue of the Perkinson's Newsletter of the Delmarva Peninsula. This was uploaded to me by J. Williams for re-posting to this List. Best, Bob ----------------------------------------- PARKINSON'S NEWSLETTER of the Delmarva Chapter, American Parkinson Disease Association April 1995 - 4049 Oakland School Road Salisbury, Maryland 21801-2716 1-410-543-0110 ***FAX (410)749-1034***PRODIGY PNFX85A***AOL WI LLMMSJ SENATE INTRODUCES UDALL BILL Senator Mark Hatfield introduced the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research, Assistance, and Education Act in the Senate Thursday, April 8, 1995. This is important legislation to us for at least three reasons. First and foremost, it is an authorization bill which should lead to more federal funding. Second, it has been a stimulus which has made individuals in the Parkinson's community more interested in self-help through political activism. It also could be an impetus for unity of purpose and effort by the various national Parkinson's organizations and could lead to absolute unity in the future. I attended a pre-introduction breakfast in the Hart Senate Office Building. There were several speakers: Joan Samuelson of Parkinson's Action Network, Senator Mark Hatfield, Congressman Fred Upton, Norma Udall, and Mark Udall. A plea for unity among the various Parkinson's groups by syndicated columnist Morton Kondracke ended the breakfast with an upbeat feeling. After the breakfast I sought out the official from the National Parkinson Foundation to convey regrets from Mrs. Janet Melvin, president of the Lower Delaware Support Group, who had planned to join me at the breakfast and lobby the legislators from Delaware. Janet had to stay home to care for her mother who suddenly became ill the day before. I found him and leaders of the other national Parkinson's organizations in a conference room in Senator Hatfield's office suite. FIREWORKS! After the breakfast, people scattered. Many had some lobbying to do. I had some free time before my first appointment, so I sought out the representative from the National Parkinson Foundation. I found him and lots of other "brass" from the national Parkinson's disease groups when I was ushered into a conference room in Senator Hatfield's office. Salvatore Esposito [new American Parkinson Disease Association president], Frank Williams [A.P.D.A. executive secretary], Paul Smedberg [A.P.D.A. Washington representative and lobbyist], Dinah Tottenham Orr [Parkinson's Disease Foundation executive director and de facto representative for the United Parkinson Foundation], Rolf Ostern [Ostern Foundation president and de facto representative for the Parkinson's Institute], Nathan Slewett [National Parkinson Foundation chairman], Joan Samuelson [Parkinson's Action Network president], Sue Hildick and Megan Sexauer [Senator Hatfield's legislative assistants], and Will Johnston [an uninvited but very interested guest] were seated around a table. The women were pushing for a unified effort to put together a massive grass roots campaign. The invited men's body language and lack of camaraderie said all was not well. The N.P.F. and the A.P.D.A. top representatives seemed particularly averse to working with anyone else. The representative from the Ostern Foundation seemed reluctant but willing to try for a unified campaign. Since the biggest player in the room, the A.P.D.A., was not in favor of even seriously talking about a unified effort, the subject was dropped, and the ladies' faces fell. I tried to rekindle the effort by mentioning that Salisbury has the capacity to merge all the organizations' mail data bases, eliminate duplications, and send a joint letter and stuffers to the total mailing list in ten days. Salisbury could be the neutral territory, and the combined mailing list could be destroyed when it was no longer needed for the legislative push. There was no interest expressed by the major players. It is disheartening for those of us with Parkinson's to see our national leaders appear to be so protective of their organizations that they are willing to forego what many think is our best hope for the future. Unification of the various Parkinson's organizations into a single entity may or may not be in our best interest. Friendly competition and not having all researchers marching to the same drummer are probably to our advantage. Speaking with one voice, loud and clear, on the legislative front is imperative. Columnist Morton Kondracke who has been on the Washington scene for thirty years says we need to show unity of purpose and to speak with one voice. Senator Hatfield's office stressed the need for a unified voice and a concentrated effort. On the positive side, it is nice to know that many people such as Senator Hatfield and his staff are willing to help us in spite of our family fights. All of us with Parkinson's want to have a better life to look forward to. There is only so much we can do for ourselves. We try to help ourselves, but we need more. It is in our interest, in the national interest, and in the interest of all humanity to find an effective cure for Parkinson's disease now. A telephone conversation with Frank Williams April 18 confirmed the A.P.D.A. position. The A.P.D.A. is 100% for passage of the Udall legislation, but firmly against any cooperative effort by the various national Parkinson's groups involving a merging of mailing lists. "We are for the Udall Act, but business is business." We who have Parkinson's appreciate what the national organizations are doing for us, but feel that "business" should not come ahead of medical progress. Maybe the campaign for passage of the Udall Act will be a real grass roots operation, people pushing for the legislation both with and in spite of our national organizations. Perhaps the national groups will be willing to work together for the common good if we lobby them as well as our legislators. All of us in the Parkinson's community can benefit from increased federal spending for medical research specifically aimed at finding the cure, and all of us should be willing to work together! ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE Our February meeting featured Dr. Ed "Doc" Shaner, DDS of Ocean City, Maryland, and his presentation on the natural or homeopathic products for control of Parkinson's, general well-being, and longevity. Doc Shaner made no claims for the various drugs specifically for Parkinson's disease. He did point out that anti-oxidants are thought to slow dopamine producing neuron cell destruction or reduction caused by free oxygen radicals. He likened our bodies to engines. An engine may become clogged, have dirty sparkplugs, and run inefficiently for thousands of miles. The engine develops its problems so slowly that the driver does not even notice. But, a tune-up can do wonders! Specifically Doc Shaner mentioned: Co-enzyme Q-10 is recommended for cardio-myopathy with dosage of 100 to 1,000mg per day. Lecithin in large amounts is good for pain. Beta carotene, vitamin "C", vitamin "E", selenium, DHEA metabolite, Pycnogenol, and chromium picolinate are possible anti-oxidants. Omega-3 is recommended, particularly for skin problems. This very brief synopsis was delayed a month to find out about a reported recommendation of Pycnogenol by Frank Williams, Executive Secretary of the A.P.D.A., and receipt of an audio tape and literature extolling the virtues of Pycnogenol from a man in Staten Island. Later I received a testimonial letter extolling the benefits of Pycnogenol for Parkinsonians from the man in Staten Island written by a lady with Parkinson's. I had met the lady last summer, and she said she was a seller of natural remedies. I called the man who sent me the material and asked him if he was a dealer for Pycnogenol. He admitted to being a "distributor like your executive secretary." According to Doc Shaner, beware of exaggerated claims and consumer sellers, particularly those with pyramid distributorships. I spoke with our executive secretary about his apparent endorsement and personal selling of the product at the "fireworks!" meeting in Washington. He said he was a distributor to friends and family rather than to Parkinsonians. He told me he would _speak to_ his friend and stop the use of his name in selling the product. Frank Williams' health problems are heart transplant related rather than Parkinson's disease related. The product is not generally recommended for Parkinson's disease. There is no such thing as a panacea. Drugs are like socks and dresses. One size fits all is a lie. The other thing "Doc" Shaner recommended is exercise. Exercise is for everyone, but the types and amount will vary with one's ability. +++++++++++ INSERVICE PRESENTATIONS AVAILABLE Upon request, I will present a program explaining what Parkinson's disease is, how it is diagnosed, what the most common symptoms are, how it is usually treated with drug therapy and the likely side effects of drug therapy, what alternatives there are to drug therapy, and what unusual care (including diet) is needed by a Parkinson's patient, including hints for caregivers. The presentation is made by me as a Parkinson's support group member who is a Ph.D. rather than a credentialed medical practitioner. I speak from my experience and the experiences of others as well as from "textbook learning." The content of program can be geared to fit the needs of any particular audience. No one knows all there is to know about Parkinson's. Several hundred new _learned_ articles appear in medical journals every year. Research is being done in many countries of the world. The cause of most Parkinson's is not known. There is no diagnostic laboratory test which will confirm or refute a visual diagnosis of Parkinson's. There are many cases which go undiagnosed for years, and some diagnoses of Parkinson's are in error. There is disagreement in the medical community as to what the best treatment should be for the average Parkinson's patient, and no one is average. I have never seen two Parkinsonians with the exact same set of symptoms at the same time. The presentation is aimed at explaining the most widely accepted theories and practices of treatment and care. Handouts and printed brochures will be provided. There is no charge for this program in Delmarva. (in 5 point type) At the suggestion of the new APDA Director of Chapter Operations: The information and reference material contained herein concerning research being done in the field of Parkinson's disease and answers to readers' questions are solely for the information of the reader. It should not be used for treatment purposes, but rather for discussion with the patient's own physician. The only sure thing in life is change _except from vending machines. (in 23 point cursive) The only way to keep your health is to Eat what you don't like, Drink what you don't want, and Do what you'd rather not. Puddinhead Wilson (Mark Twain) (return to 11 point CG Times) VISION PROBLEMS AND PARKINSON'S DISEASE Our next support group meeting will feature Dr. Gary Rubin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore. Although Parkinson's is a disease of the brain, it effects the whole body and our senses in various ways. Our medications also have side effects. The interaction between Sinemet and glaucoma has been known for years, but the effect of Parkinson's itself on vision is just starting to be understood. We often have reduced spatial contrast sensitivity [the ability to distinguish form with different degrees of contrast between what is being looked at and its background] compared to the general population, and ophthalmologists in Salisbury do not test for this. We may have difficulty moving our eyes from the end of one line of type to the beginning of the next or controlling eyelids thanks to reduced muscle control. A dose of Sinemet changes my visual acuity. A very recent issue of Neurology reported that newly diagnosed Parkinsonians have a reduced ability to differentiate color hues. A unique solution to balance-walking problems connected to Parkinson's and vision was shown on People in Motion [PBS (Ch28-Salisbury)] at 9 pm April 14. We in Salisbury are fortunate. We have the SEE program working for our senior citizens, and the first low vision assistance device produced for Wilmer is being used by a Salisbury school child. VISION AND PRINT The Parkinson's Newsletter uses several _tricks_ for ease in reading. The body of most articles is printed in 11 point [type 11/72nds of an inch tall] CG Times [a typeface with small decorative marks called serifs on ends of letters to guide the eye from one character to the next], proportionally spaced [W and M take more space than i,l,f, and other characters], using upper and lower case letters. The paper is 90 brilliant which is whiter than average. The type you see is composed of dots heat transfer printed on the paper with a density of 360,000 dots per square inch. This density makes very sharp, very black letters, which do not bleed through and provide high contrast on the whiter than average paper. The newspaper columns make eye movement from the end of one line to the beginning of the next easier. More empty white space would make for easier reading but use more paper. I hope you can read this without glasses. Note: The _disclaimer_ is 5 point type. DR. STEPHEN REICH (Director, Parkinson's Clinic, Johns Hopkins) DATE CHANGED TO FRIDAY, MAY 26 AT 1:00 With a mix-up on Johns Hopkins' graduation day date, mixed signals between me and Coordinator Paula Goldberg, a shortage of space for a sit-down lunch thanks to new exercise equipment at Chesapeake Rehab. Hospital, and pending sale of NovaCare which owns Chesapeake Rehab., the firm time for Dr. Reich's annual presentation is now May 26 at 1:00. Erase your calendar note on the 25th and write in the 26th. -30- The Parkinson's Newsletter of the Delmarva Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association is published 10 times per year by Will Johnston, chapter president. The circulation (April, 1995) is 496 copies, and currently domestic circulation is without charge. Hardcopy distribution by 3rd class U.S. mail 496 this issue. A few local notes have been edited out for INTERNET posting.