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(From Jeff) Recently I asked my neurologist about the advisability of adding the prescription drug Hydergine to my regimen. She is reluctant to do so at this time, as she is not aware of documented research which would indicate a beneficial effect in the treatment of PD. In his book, 'Natural Health, Natural Medicine' (Andrew Weil, MD) Dr. Weil says (pg 320) about Hydergine: "Nerves in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) are supposed to be irreplaceable, which is why strokes and traumatic injuries to the brain and spinal cord can be so devastating. One treatment worth trying in such cases is the prescription drug Hydergine, derived from ergot, a natural fungus. It is nontoxic and may stimulate some regeneration of nerve function. One drawback is its expense, since you will have totake high doses for months or years; cheaper generic forms are available. Try 5 mgs three timeas a day for at least 3 months. Sublingual tablets are more effective than oral ones, but new liquid capsules may be even better. Extracts of the leaves of the ginkgo tree increase cerebral blood flow and are wlso worth trying in cases of brain injury." Obviously the sentence 'may stimulate some regeneration of nerve function' is an eye-catcher. Sheldon Saul Hendler MD, PhD in his book 'Doctors' Vitamin and Mineral Encylclopedia' writes (pg 36): "Hydergine is perhaps the best known of the purposted memory-enhancing drugs (aka cognition activators). It is one of the most widely used drugs worldwide, though still little-known in the U.S. Hydergine is said to retard aging of the brain, improve memory, counteract senility in some cases and generally keep the gray matter humming optimally." Dr. Hendler continues: "Hydergine affects enzyme systems that are involved in the electro-chemistry of nerve signals. There is evidence that Hydergine increases the level of nerve-signal transmission, especially at dopamine and serotonin receptor sites in the brain. There are .... numerous double-blind studies showing that Hydergine can be helpful in chronic senile cerebral insufficiency, a form of diminished mental capacity characterized by confusion, loss of short-term memory, disorientation and depression. It is caused by the aging process, including narrowing of the blood vessels to the brain." "Patients with this disorder who get 1.5 mg tablets of Hydergine three times per day have consistently performed substantially better on a number of subjective and objective tests related to mood, memory and cognition than have control patients receiving placebos. Usually three months of such treatment is needed before these benefits are observed. Some believe the drug must be continued indefinately in these cases. So far no serious side effects have been noted. Hydergine is available as a prescription drug. It is certainly an interesting substance worthy of more research, especially in the US." In a comprehensive paper taken from t he web prepared by Robert L. Matthews re Dr. Iacono, Loma linda, and pallidotomy comes the following excerpt: "Dr. Slater is working with Dr. Iacono as they make new discoveries about PD by means of the SPECT scanner. "reseults of the scan are showing us that Parkinson's patients have a greatly reduced flow of blood to the brain before receiving a pallidotomy", states Dr. Slater. 'As soon as the morning after surgery, scans show a greatly increased flow of blood to the brain tissue. We observe dramatic improvement in frontal lobe function by increased blood flow and metabolism; possibly impacting depression, motivation and the higher human attributes. We have been doing this for several months now and followup testing shows that circulation continues to improve as time passes.' Iacono is guarded about drawing conclusion too soon, but conjectures that stopping the hyperactive phenomena in the Parkinson's brain may allow circulation to return to normal. While there may be no new brain cells available, he postulates that there are probably some number of neurons that have been suppressed, not working very hard, that could be pressed into more vigorous service, thus improving the mental and physical functioning of the patient. Dr. Iacono and Dr. Slater believe that they are able to compile more data, SPECT will help them come closer to knowing what causes PD and how symptons canbe fully alleviated." Don Berns, the first bilaterial pallidotomy of Dr. Iacono (which was very successful) stated in his 18 month post-op update that he was himself taking 4 Hydergine/day. This is the question I pose to you: Are any of you aware of studies (domestic or foreign) done with this drug? Are any of you taking Hydergine? Your thoughts, reactions, etc? If Dr. Iacono thinks it worthwhile why isn't the drug used on a wider basis? Regenerating nerve cells and imjproving t he blood flow to the brain obviously would seem to be a beneficial blessing to us all. Can Hydergine help do this? General thoughts, comments? Regards, Jeff Carper --