I recently joined the news group (3days ago) upon learning my father had been diagnosed with PD. The medical profession, and my reading on the internet, confimed that there was no definitive test for PD.....My father was prescribed Sinemet.....some improvement in tremor of the hand....but his gait became even worse...pushed back on the medical profession....family did not believe PD was the correct diagnosis....Medical community insisted PD was correct diagnosis.. My Mother ( who had previously been misdiagnosed, and turned out to have had a tumour on her spined).....pushed back hard at the medical profession and insisted on a brain scan......bingo.....father now has a brain tumour and is scheduled shortly for MRI...... Thank you Barb Patterson for the welcome to the newsgroup. I will stick around for a day or two, just in case anyone wants more details and then sign off. Good luck to you all. Your newsgroup is a most informative effort. Thank -You