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Billy- You seem to hang on to the notion that the diagnosis of PD is impercise. The clinical signs and symptoms are quite specific. While there are things it can be confused with when those illnesses are excluded by lab tests and the disease has progressed I would suspect that the histopathological findings at autopsy would show PD in 95%+ of the cases. PD is real!! It is not just a label invented by the medical profession. Your idea of us going on a placebo controled study would ie reasonable if there was a question of diagnostic and theraputic validity. The placebo contolled studies have been done in the past and have shown unequivicaly that most but not all patients that have the symptoms we call PD are helped by l-dopa. A theraputic trial is indeed helpful in the diagnosis but there are some people who are somewhat l-dopa resistant. Studies continue and brains of PD victims continue to be studied and corrolated with the symptoms exhibited during life. Research is important in real illness, an attitude readjustment may be useful and help us cope but I am aware of no evidence that it changes the histopathological course of the disease. Denying the illness will not make it go away. Failure to do research because "polititions are crooks" and waste our tax money is no answer. Billy, I would like to hear some positive suggestions- besides the one of getting stoned and playing ostrich. My solution is to take an active role in our treatment by educating ourselves in treatment options. (And not to accept explainations like "This is the way I do it"). Participate in research trials for both the benefit of yourself and the rest of us, support research initiative politically like the Udall Bill and yes Billy donate your brain for research after death. Eh? Charlie Heather Elizabeth Baird wrote: > > Like, I think that all Parkinsons patients should be subject to a > placebo test, eh? This would be the way to determine if you > really have Parkinsons or not. Now, please tell me why this > would not work. > [log in to unmask] -- ********************************************************** CHARLES T. MEYER, M.D. MADISON, WISCONSIN ****************************************************