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Stephen.... The following is a "for what it's worth" comment:

Tho I've had PD for approximately 22 years the disease has apparently
progressed at a much slower rate for me than it has for your dad.  Also, I'm
nearly 20 years younger than he is...  I've had a unilateral pallidotomy with
excellent results.  My daily PD-drug intake is much less than your father is
taking.

That said, I began taking CQ10 (Coenzyme Q10), admittedly with some
skepticism, about 6 or 7 months ago because I was beginning to experience
memory loss (forgetting individual words I'd used for years, however ,
infrequently).  Please note I attribute the memory loss as much to
job-related stress as to the PD.

After taking ONE 30 mg CQ10 daily for about three months I noticed a slight
(SLIGHT!) improvement in that while I still had to occasionally grope for a
familiar word, it wasn't happening quite as frequently as it did prior to
beginning  the CQ10.  At that point I added in a second 30 mg CQ10 daily and
noticed another SLIGHT improvement above the original.

With the above as incentive, 4 months ago I added two 60 mg. Ginkgo Biloba
caplets daily to my supplement regimen, and have noticed further SLIGHT
improvements.

NOTE--->  I believe because total improvement overall is COMFORTING
emotionally, in part THAT eased the stress induced by the original memory
loss.  Therefore, while I DO credit the addition of both CQ10 AND Ginkgo
Biloba to my daily diet I believe improvement is not TOTALLY due to the
supplements (that's an educated guess... I ain't no doctor!)

The above is my own experience with memory loss and CQ10, plus Ginkgo Biloba.
I have absolutely no idea if your father would benefit from the addition of
one or both of these supplements to his daily regimen.

Stephen, m'friend, I think one of the most difficult things we have to accept
in life is either our own personal losses and/or the loss of the parent we
known all these years while that parent is still LIVING.  I strongly empathize
with you and your father because not only do I have Parkinson's but my mother
has had what is now severe "minor" stroke-induced dementia for over 10 years.

It's terrible to watch someone we love decline so much over the years till
they reach a point where they cannot recall events that just happened a moment
ago.  Even worse is when their family and friends of a lifetime stop calling
or visiting them because "they wouldn't remember anyway." (Hey!  let's get
honest - those friends are scared of the dementia themselves or just don't
CARE enough)

Finally, Stephen, I think besides seeing that they get decent medical help
about the only other thing we can do for someone having dementia is to
comfort them if and/or when they express their own fears of what's happening
to them, and to not make it TOO easy for them to give up their own autonomy
while protecting them at the same time.

Barb Mallut
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From:   Parkinson's Information Exchange on behalf of Direct Imagination
Sent:   Tuesday, December 23, 1997 9:06 AM
To:     Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN
Subject:        CQ10 and PD

A few months ago there were quite a few new items regarding Coenzyme
Q10.  My father (72) has had PD for about 15 years, and is having a lot
of trouble with both dementia and short term memory.  Does anyone have
any experience with CQ10 and advanced PD, and recommendation with with
how much CQ10 to take?  Thanks.  Stephen Hubbard  [log in to unmask]
(213) 217-7764

Ray Hubbard and his medications
200 mg of CR 6 x day
250 mg Sinemat 6 x day + 1/2 at 2 am
2.5 mg Parlodel 3x day
50 mg 1.5 per day Zolof
0.125 mg Lanoxin per day