This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------5E9B16F37B36 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit First a P.S. (A Prescript): If you are categorically opposed to long posts DELETE now. If you're not interested in theorizing DELETE now. If you go ahead and read it anyway, DON'T BLAME ME. (From: Your Resident Heretic) a.k.a The Long Ranger minus Tonto AND Silver . . .See'Cause. . (..A Cause, B Cause..oh well..).. I'm ALLERGIC to horses . . .and feathers. . . . Actually this comes to you from my newly erected stainless steel Quonset hut high up on the ever beautiful and famous NORTH FACE where there are no airborne allergens....because there is no...AIR.... It was interesting to see how long the last guy lasted who tried to interrupt the list. Good job. It looked like a medical version of the Unabomber's Manifesto --Ted Kawhatever with a stethoscope,. . hey, maybe it was a note from ...no...you can't e-mail a letter bomb, oh well. Okay, I'll quit. Back to for serious.. Since you have shown yourselves to be so good at shooting down fakes, frauds, and even honest mistakes, I personally don't think anyone has come up with any really substantive reason that would refute my theory. Since I think this is one of the basic reasons the list exists, I'd like to see if anyone can. Any takers? Anyone who is not interested just delete any notes from me. I'll duly label them from the "heretick" so everyone will know who's speaking & about what. What I would do would be put anything evidence that I get (for or against) on the list, and everyone try to disprove it, or substantiate it, whichever. I would like to use evidence that comes up incidentally in people's posts here too if that is okay. Since Don has already said anybody can use anything he writes that can help, I think it's okay with him if I use one of his posts as an example: donald mckinley wrote: > > vivian should know but don't when i eat i have trouble in breathing through > my nose. got to stop eating so i can breath. put on my oxegen i do good with > my eating. hate to say any thing to my nero. does any one else have the > trouble? this is new to us. thank you. > > [log in to unmask] > 73/26 lima,ohio > I would call the currently accepted theory the "Lame Brain Theory" (just a hint of prejudice, can't help it). I'll call mine the "NOT" Theory", unless someone can come up with a better name. In Don's example I don't know what the "Lamebrainers" would say. Us "NOT's" would say it's not the fact that he is getting the oxygen that makes the difference, but rather what he is NOT getting when he is on the oxygen - airborne allergens. I just read a post on the Allergy list where a man with MCS - Multiple Chemical Sensitivities takes oxygen along when he goes to new buildings because of his extreme sensitivities to the chemicals in building materials. I also realized oxygen helped, but didn't have a clue as to why, when I was taken by ambulance to the ER when I had a threatened miscarriage. So whenever I got half a chance I'd ask for oxygen. The reason was I believe, that when I was on oxygen I wasn't breathing allergens and I got better. What do you lamebrainers say?? As with any debate should be rules to keep things on track so here are some to start with: 1. We are discussing only WHAT is believed - the theory not WHO - who believes its. (Because obviously we could quit right now otherwise, since it'd be just me - one of a group of people who as a group are known to HALLUCINATE and be confused and said to be demented....against all the BRAIN SPECIALISTS of the last century. Talking about No-BRAINERS. Let's see, the statistical odds would be .....eeeeeekk, forget it. So it's WHAT, not WHO, and that means I can take no personal offense at anything that is said about my theory. Purely a fact finding mission. I will say, though, that I have posted on the Harvard Webforum several times, the list here, the allergy list at Texas A&M, and the Shy-Drager list at Vanderbilt, and have talked with neurologists and allergists at Johns Hopkins and an allergist at UVA, my neurologist, allergist, and GP, so I feel like I've spread it all over the whole wide world, or..er. .the whole world wide...WHATEVER. Anyway, nobody has said anything that is of much substance against it in my opinion. 2. No GLOBAL condemnations. They are of no practical use. You can only deal with specific reasons. So you can't say something like, "It is neurologically unsound." Or "It conflicts with all the research in the universe." or "It's goofy", etc. Only specifics allowed. 3. Cannot use guesses as to motive as an argument. Like, "you're just not accepting PD", or "you're grasping at a straw", as a reason to dismiss it or a debate point. Only specific facts. Or, the usual, "it's all in your head" dismissal. 4. Can't chicken out. "The brain is so complicated...I give." The brain is that, but at least we can see which makes more horse sense as Don says. And we do have at least part of that complex thing that is a brain to use to try to figure out .... And if nobody wants to argue, maybe I'll just take potshots at the competition. Or post anything I find out that's related to it. Any truth or fact has an inherent advantage, it agrees with all other facts, and so the person who is stating a fact may have it confirmed in ways that he is not even aware of. Things will automatically fit. Conversely a false theory will have phenomenons, questions, & conflicts spring up all around it. When that is happening I think that it's time to look over your theory. It's probably not so great after all. If you have forgotten what mine is, here is the latest update: Is this okay? Thanks Janet. ([log in to unmask]) --------------5E9B16F37B36 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii; name="MYSTORY.HTM" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline; filename="MYSTORY.HTM" Content-Base: "file:///C|/JANET/MYSTORY.HTM" <Bass HREF="file:///C|/JANET/MYSTORY.HTM"> PARKINSON'S DISEASE, MSA & ANAPHYLAXIS???/MY STORY <P> The following is my observations, theories, and experiences with Parkinson's Disease. I am just another person with Parkinson's. I'm not an authority or expert of any kind. Anaphylaxis is not generally thought of as I am describing it, (or I wouldn't be writing this) however it is a "multiple system", "systemic", or "whole body" allergic reaction and as such my M.D. allergist says he could not say that it could not include neurological symptoms that are not currently thought of as being a part of a whole body allergic reaction. <P> (PART I) SUMMED UP IN A SENTENCE: <P> I believe that airborne allergens cause the Parkinsonian & Multiple System Atrophy symptoms that I have. <P> (PART II) MY THEORY-A SHORT VERSION: <P> THE FOLLOWING EXPLAINS WHY I HAVE PARKINSON'S DISEASE IN MY OPINION; <P> I have a long list of things that I test positive to on allergy tests. They cover such a wide range of substances that I am exposed to some number of my various allergens to some extent every day. <P> I no longer have localized reactions to my known allergens - (sneezing, etc.) (Even though I was told emphatically by one of the foremost authorities on allergies in the US, Dr. Peter Creticos of Johns Hopkins, that I WOULD I don't.) He says I WILL REACT because I test positive. If he is correct then the Parkinsonian/MSA symptoms that I have MUST be it, because it is the ONLY reaction that I have-(and that seems to be what happens) <P> (And why not? If the people's air who breathed carbon monoxide caused it, and the viral encephalitis'people's air caused it,is it not reasonable to suggest that my air can cause it too?) <P> Instead, because of long exposure to a great many of my known allergens, and probably the "rain barrel" or cumulative effect of all of my allergens, I now have "multiple system", anaphylactic, or whole body reactions when exposed to them. <P> My IgE blood test shows that I have the potential for producing lots of histamine when I an exposed to my allergens. <P> Since I am exposed to some of my allergens to some extent daily, I produce histamine & lots of it every day. <P> Histamine is a POTENT vasodilator. Therefore I believe histamine is responsible for my swelling (edema) in my hands & feet. I believe it is also the cause of my low blood pressure (hypotension). I believe this effect of histamine is potentially dangerous and could under severe enough circumstances cause anaphylactic shock, but since I take L-dopa every day (which is converted to dopamine), and dopamine is used to treat anaphylactic shock, it counters this potential threat. I believe the palpitations that I experience are a result of my heart's effort to compensate for the vasodilation and keep my vital organs (brain,etc) perfused, to prevent cell damage or death in a very severe reaction. <P> Histamine also causes muscle spasm and I believe it is responsible for the chronic, sustained cervical (neck) muscle spasm which is shown on my MRI (or just looking at it for that matter). I believe this neck muscle spasm in turn is responsible for my Parkinsonian symptoms, and plays a very crucial role in my condition. I believe this because during an 8 week period when I was taking NO medication at all (due to pregnancy) I could make ALL my Parkinsonian symptoms GO AWAY briefly, simply by massaging my neck muscles a very long time with a hand held heat/massager. (It is also interesting to note that my movements became jerky right before they became normal - like a bad electrical connection - there was NO medication involved. I believe that the following research: <P> http://hypnos.m.ehime-u.ac.jp/Congress2/CNC.HTM <P> also confirms this because the researchers found that under ischemic conditions, (which I believe exists in my case because of compression of the carotid arteries due to neck muscle spasms) histamine concentrations in the striatum rise. Histamine regulates the concentrations of other amino acid neurotransmitters in the straitum - GABA, glutamate, etc - and although dopamine was not specifically mentioned, if it has the same effect on dopamine, the amount of dopamine in the straitum is reduced by 50-60%. This would explain why all my Parkinsonian symptoms went away simply by massaging my neck muscles: -no muscle spasm = no ischemia =reduced histamine levels = increased dopamine levels = alleviation of symptoms. This also would seem to provide the ingredients for a vicious, ever worsening cycle or progression of the disorder. More histamine (increasing sensitivity to allergens) = more muscle spasms = more ischemia = more histamine = less dopamine = need more Sinemet, but because of ever worsening muscle spasm less is getting through to the substantia nigra. <p> (Also, I wonder if the ischemia induced increase in histamine would mean an automatic proportionate increase in sensitivity, so that even a person who is usually only mildly allergic would become hypersensitive??) <P> When I asked Dr. Peter Creticos of Johns Hopkins whether histamine could cause this particular neck muscle spasm he consulted his expert on histamine receptor sites whose opinion was, no, since there were no histamine receptor sites in that muscle, however this research and other research that I have seen seem to suggest that the receptor sites act differently (anomalies) under ischemic conditions than they normally do. And also I don't have receptor sites where I'm supposed to either (nose, etc.) since I don't react there, even though he emphatically stressed to me that I would since I test positive. I don't. <P> I believe that many of the mental symptoms that I have experienced: bradyphrenia, anxiety, uneasiness, agitation, confusion, somnolence, lethargy, insomnia are due to anaphylactic reactions because many of these are specifically named out in Merck Manual's description of an anaphylactic reaction & anaphylactic shock. I also believe this because I have these symptoms when I am exposed to the things that I am most allergic to (cat dander, or actually a protein in the saliva of cats), or to be more accurate the fuller my "rain barrel" is, (cumulative effect of all my allergens) the worse my symptoms are. <P> Here are some things that the Merck Manual says about anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock that parallel Parkinsonian symptoms: (Merck Manual l6th ed/Merck Research Laboratories copywrite 1992 by Merck & Co. Inc.) pg. 438 ..(Sudden Death Syndrome??) .."Tachypnea and hyperventilation are present, but apnea may be a terminal event when the respiratory center fails owing to inadequate cerebral perfusion." pg 438 .."Mentation may be preserved, but lethargy, confusion, and somnolence are common." Pg 330 "Vasodilation and escape of plasma into the tissues causes urticaria (rash) and angioedema..."Pg 331. "Arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) and cardiogenic shock may develop if the reaction is prolonged." Pg 331 "..the patient feels uneasy, becomes agitated and flushed, and complains of palpitation, paresthesias..." It also mentions laryngeal (voice box) edema, bronchospasm, & incontinence. <P> I believe this explanation accounts for the WIDE DISPARITY of symptoms and course of the disease among Parkinson's patients,and variations under different circumstances for the same patient. It accounts for age related, toxin (only to certain people), environmental, hereditary, and rural reasons for a cause. <P> (PART III-(AT LEAST EIGHT AND ONE HALF YARDS) <P> I am 45 years old and was diagnosed with Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease in 1992. The diagnosis was downgraded to Multiple System Atrophy in ~1996. I was also diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome during this time. I also have had allergy testing done twice during this time and both showed that I have a number of severe allergies. One M.D. allergist estimated that I was more allergic than 80% of his patients,(even though I have NO typical allergic symptoms (sneezing, rhinitis, watery eyes,), etc other than a postnasal drainage.) <P> I had a severe episode of depression about the time I was diagnosed in 1992. My first symptom of Parkinson's was a tremor in my right thumb. My medications were Eldepryl and later Sinemet. I was told that ~80% of the cells in my brain that produce dopamine were dead and soon they would all be dead and I must take L-dopa to supply the missing dopamine to relieve my symptoms. I accepted this and the disease went on fairly routinely until 1996. <P> The first event that made me begin to wonder about my disease and to question what I had been told about it occurred during the winter of '95-'96. That winter we had a blizzard. I stayed outside quite a while one day sled riding with my children and began to realize that I was tremendously better. I had been very sick and had hardly gone anywhere. My husband's parents were there and I was embarrassed because it looked like I was completely normal and had just been faking illness. But more than that I was so glad I was so well and wondered why. I believe now the reason was that the snowfall had cleared the air and trapped allergens on the ground and my symptoms alleviated for that reason. Back then, I had no idea why it had happened. <P> Other similar events occurred around this time. On two occasions my husband & children went on trips and to keep from staying home alone I went even though I was too sick to go. On both occasions I was much improved. On one trip my symptoms did a complete reverse - it was time for my medication and normally I would be very bad, but instead my symptoms went away for a time. (I believe now that there were very specific reasons why these two places were so good - on one we stayed in a new house, new clothes (because of pregnancy), higher elevation, cleared, mown grounds, & a lot of time spent outdoors, the other trip was under similar circumstances - very good allergywise.) Each time when we returned home my symptoms were much worse. <P> I would like to note briefly here that occurrences like the ones that I am relating are so common that there is even a name for them - "paradoxical kinesia". They are referred to in about every book that I have read on Parkinsonism. In Dr. Duvoisin's "Parkinson's Disease - A Guide for Patient & Family" Raven Press copywrite 1991 it is discussed on page 37. (Third Edition). These occurences are neatly filed under "Phenomenon". (shouldn't happen given what we accept about the disease, but occurs so frequently we can't deny their existence so we just say, "beats me - I don't have any idea why it happens..) <P> What I am saying is that these "phenomena" have lost some of their mysteriousness to me. I believe the "phenomena" that I have experienced are predictable and repeatable. Other little puzzling enigmas that I have read about or experienced myself suddenly become much clearer, in other words when you are getting closer to the truth, the "head scratcher"things that happen begin to be more "..sooo...could that be why that happens...hmm" ) <P> In 1996 I was told I had Multiple System Atrophy because I was showing quite a bit of evidence of autonomic nervous system involvement, (slow eye focus, incontinence, low blood pressure, breathing problems, digestive problems, lots of pain, insomnia were some of the symptoms that I developed during my ordeal,(though not all of these were present at first) - mental symptoms like uneasiness, agitation, stuporishness, eventually a 50 lb weight loss, ate only baby food, it got to the place that it seemed that ALL of my body's systems were just shutting down. <P> In March, 1996 I found out I was pregnant. It was unreal. Out of concern as to what effect my medication would have on the baby, I went off all my medication for eight weeks at which point I ended up in the ER with a threatened miscarriage, and generally in BAD shape. I went back on Sinemet, but as little as I could get by on for the nine months. During the eight week period on NO MEDICATION and suffering much, I found that I could make ALL my Parkinsonian symptoms go away for a short period of time simply by massaging my neck muscles a long time with a hand held heat/massager. Then Pooh logic takes over - if I have the symptoms because I don't have dopamine then if I don't have the symptoms I MUST have dopamine. (Wonderful deductive reasoning!!). But I prefer this type of reasoning to the kind that throws reality in the phenomenon bucket when it clashes with theory - I prefer to question theory rather than reality. Anyway, since now I had dopamine, what was the problem? I think I may never know. -Then I realize that because I am on very minimal medication that I know under what circumstances my symptoms fluctuate. The fluctuations take on a very distinct pattern depending on very specific circumstances - how much exposure I have to those substances that I have tested positive for on allergy tests and the one that I am most allergic to - cat dander - invariably causes the most drastic symptoms. I am almost totally convinced that my symptoms are brought on by what I am breathing, though as with asthma other things - stress, cold, emotion anything that worsens muscle spasm has the potential for making it worse. <P> When I went to my neurologist (who is a movement disorders specialist and very knowledgable) for an explanation, I had barely got inside his office door and had not yet uttered a word when he said, "I KNOW what you're going to ask me, and I DO NOT KNOW the answer." <P> Under the assumption that allergies was the cause or at least a major contributor to my condition, we proceeded to do what we could to reduce my exposure to allergens. We literally gutted the whole house, replaced carpets with hardwoods, took out drapes, linens, clothing, rugs, upholstered furniture, just about anything that would hold dust was on the "get rid of" list. We had been considering some improvements anyway, so we decided to do it all now, which extended the time and consequently my suffering, so I wished later on we hadn't. Anyhow after an unbelievable ordeal of me moving all around, etc we moved back in. I knew though that if it were allergy related the central heat system was going to be a bug-a-boo and it was. Because of this we had the ductwork professionally cleaned. They hooked up a huge vacuum in the basement and literally pulled air from the upstairs rooms. I was sitting in one of the bedrooms upstairs after they left and it was time for my meds and instead of being bad, my symptoms did another reverse and I became normal for a few hours. (The ductwork wasn't so wonderfully clean, but it was the fact that they had PULLED the air out of the rooms). This was another instance that made a lasting impression on me. After the renovations and multiple filtering of our central heat/AC system, I improved dramatically. <P> I will roughly define the differences in my symptoms by listing my symptoms at my worst state and how they are now. <P> At my worst I had in varying degrees of severity: (1) Mental symptoms - depression, anxiety, agitation, confusion, mental fogginess (word search was in slow motion). It was like being so sleepy I would have to try hard to make sure what I said made sense - my children said I was "just there"- stuporishness, insomnia, inability to concentrate,etc. (2) Bowel & bladder incontinence at times. (3) PAIN -almost exclusively right sided - neck, arm, leg,etc. (4) Intermittent loss of hearing, slow eye focus, loss of smell (4) Fifty pound weight loss - even during pregnancy) (5) Circulatory: Low blood pressure, discoloration, swelling,heart palpitations, coldness - right side (6) Right sided infections - nose, eye, skin, (7) Classic Parkinsonian symptoms - Tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, right side. (8) Micrographia - (small handwriting)(9) Slurred speech, also low volume and slow (10) drooling (11) Breathing difficulties, etc. <P> Now I have no significant mental symptoms, no incontinence, I am gaining weight and eating about anything, hardly any infections, much less pain, normal blood pressure, I have regained a portion of normalness that I had lost, ie driving, taking care of personal needs, taking care of baby, family, etc. some cooking & household chores, shopping, at times I have even felt really good for awhile, and I can make ALL the symptoms go away in a good enough situation allergywise. <P> Here are some more examples: <P> I was evaluated by Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills, an allergist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. A young doctor took my history and after I had been in the room ~20 minutes I got really bad. I could hardly think, speak or move. I learned later he had a cat for a pet at home and his clothing had been worn around him. Then I was allowed to sit in the "patient sensitive area". After ~10 minutes, I was COMPLETELY NORMAL. Medication was not a factor. <P> My husband is a programmer and part of his company manufacturers computer chips. A strictly dust-free environment must be maintained in the manufacture of computer chips because dust can ruin computer chips. So he got permission for me to come and visit the chip line to see how it affected me. I sat in the "airswept" room where they put on their special lab suits and not in the line itself so it wasn't perfect but very good, and I was tremendously improved, almost normal, while there. <P> -While staying with a friend of the family for a few weeks I discovered that if I played "Mrs. Clean" - washed bedding, gown, cleaned room thoroughly, I could sleep without pain - (I was on minimal meds because of pregnancy). <P> -I stayed in a Courtyard Marriott for several weeks and found that if I went to the indoor pool/hottub room after the hottub had been in use for a time that I could move normally for some time (on minimal meds w/pregnancy) but as soon as the forced air heat came on it was all over. There are many, many more examples. <P> As the examples show, it appears to be true not only in the extremes but also in the smaller things - ie rainy days are better, showers help, steamed down rooms are better, places like golf courses where there are few people and no animals are better, usually hospital rooms & many doctor's patient rooms are better because of good filters, hard floors that are regularly cleaned are better, conversely crowded places are bad, cars or the smaller the enclosed area is and the more allergens it contains the worse it is, and it is amazing how many references are incidentally made in books on Parkinson's that I've read - things like - the patient or spouse telling the doctor that they couldn't demonstrate the disability because he's so much better at the doctor's office, or many references to symptoms just disappearing at times for no identifiable reason, or the fact that showers always help, or a walk, or that they always avoid crowds,etc. Also things like time to disability may vary as much as 30 years on groups of people who all have virtually the same number of dopamine producing neurons - 0 -begin to make sense. Added to that many,many confirmations in my own walking test lab - ie worse in almost every case when around people who have animals, worse around where concrete work is done, worse in certain cars, better in model homes, etc & etc. <P> I was evaluated by Dr. Stephen Reich of Johns Hopkins in 1997 he said that I did not have Multiple System Atrophy, just Idiopathic Parkinson's. So I have gone from a diagnosis of Idiopathic Parkinson's in 1992 to Multiple System Atrophy in 1996 and back to Idiopathic Parkinson's in 1997. I believe all the diagnoses were correct. The last Parkinson's specialist I saw was pretty amazed at how well I did on the neurological tests. <p> PART IV - PARKINSON'S PONDERINGS: Some of my thoughts, reasonings & logic that led to my conclusions- <P> - Wonder if the reason there are no known causes of PD that respond to Sinemet-- is that they do respond to Sinemet? <P> -I agree with whoever's doctor said that it is not just protein that competes for absorption of levadopa - but any food, protein being worse because it takes longer to digest. <P> -I heard an older M.D. allergist tell a patient that really even though we think of allergies & asthma involving children, that the older we are the more likely we are to become hypersensitive because by virtue of our age we have had much more exposure to allergens. <P> -In discussing "my cause" with Dr. Stephen Reich of Johns Hopkins, he commented that the joke is that if a building caught on fire the Parkinson's patients would be the first people out - we were talking about "paradoxical kinesias"- I wonder - it wouldn't be because they got a shot of adrenalin (epinephrine) would it? <P> -According to Merck, epinephrine(adrenalin) is a direct pharmacological antagonist to histamine. <P> Is autopsy really that good of a time to talk about dead brain cells? I'm asking a serious question. <P> -Arteriosclerosis is one cause of Parkinsonian symptoms - right? Well there's more than one way to stop up a garden hose - (or artery) (1) Put something in it to stop it up - arteriosclerosis or embolus, OR (2) Squeeze it together really tight -compression- by maybe neck muscle spasms? in the case of the artery. <P> -You could also decrease the water(blood) pressure which would happen if you dilated (enlarged) the inside diameter of the tube(hose artery), and histamine is a "POTENT vasodilator", so that when you stand up the blood pressure goes down. <p> -I believe I'm correct in saying that the carotid arteries that go up either side of your head supply the substantia nigra. When I press my neck muscles in the back of my neck I believe I can "feel" blood flow up the carotids. <P> -Studies show that histamine receptor sites do odd things (anomalies) when the carotid vessels were occluded (stopped up). My uneducated guess would be they would probably demonstrate the same anomaly if the vessels were compressed,right? <P> -Approaching it something like a geometry proof, though it's been a LONG time since I did any of that, anyway sort of "DUH" logic we can figure out some things. STATEMENT: Cats can cause mental problems in some people. (Sounds idiotic doesn't it, but wait let's see how we came to that conclusion.) GIVEN: Merck Manual is a reasonably reliable source of information. GIVEN: Cat dander is a very common allergen. GIVEN: Some people become HYPERSENSITIVE to allergens and have whole body reactions (Anaphylactic). GIVEN: In describing such a reaction Merck says symptoms may include "agitation, uneasiness" which are mental symptoms, but also says may develop signs of shock, which when we look up shock the symptoms include "lethargy, confusion, & somnolence (or sleepiness), which also are mental symptoms. THEREFORE WE CONCLUDE THAT: Cats can cause mental symptoms in some people. DUH. <P> -Try another one. STATEMENT: Cervical (neck) muscle spasms may cause Parkinsonian symptoms. (Fantastical sounding - how do we figure that? GIVEN: Arteriosclerosis sometimes causes Parkinsonian symptoms. GIVEN: Arteriosclerosis causes ischemia (and hence Parkinsonism) because of occlusion of the blood vessels. GIVEN: You may also interfere with blood flow through arteries by compression (squeezing tight) on the vessel. GIVEN; Muscle spasm tightens & contracts the muscle along with anything running through it (nerves or blood vessels) and therefore may compress the arteries or veins (as in Thoracic Outlet Syndrome). THEREFORE US DUH PEOPLE CONCLUDE THAT': Neck muscle spasm may cause Parkinsonian symptoms. <P> -It is only one small "Simon Says" baby step to say that- GIVEN: Histamine is released during allergic reactions. GIVEN: I have allergies. GIVEN: My MRI shows I have chronic, sustained, cervical (neck) muscle spasm. GIVEN: Merck says histamine causes muscle spasm. THEREFORE ME,DUH PERSON THAT I AM: thinks it is at least reasonable to suspect that: Allergies cause my Parkinsonism. <P> -The only difference then between occlusion and compression of an artery could be that in occlusion the resulting ischemia would be constant in the case of arteriosclerosis but perhaps not in compression because the blood stoppage could be intermittent. (TIA-Transient ischemic attack?) Ischemia is the condition resulting from tissue or organs not getting adequate blood supply). Could this possibly be the reason my symptoms all went away by simply massaging my neck muscles a very long time when I was taking no medications at all?? <P> -Could this be another reason that some types of Parkinson's do not respond to Sinemet, and could it also cause the declining response to Sinemet with "progression" of the disorder? <P> PART V-TESTING: (To my fellow Parkinson's sufferers only)- <P> (Objective: To get unnaturally CLEAR air. CLEAN air is not good enough, since I have the wonderful ability to get sick when exposed to nature itself - pollen, animals, etc.) Of course my allergies are not the same as yours so you'd have to find out by allergy testing or whatever, what you're allergic to, to know what you need to stay away from, anyway I'll just use mine as an example.) <P> If you are interested in doing a test there are probably endless ways to test it out for yourself with a test of your own design which could be much simpler than mine. I did some of these because they were done publicly and under circumstances that would not be as easy to deny, but there are probably a multitude of very simple ways to do a test. (One relatively simple test I did was: Our main bath has no outside windows so I scrubbed it down thoroughly, walls, ceiling, floor, all surfaces, taped up all air entrances, steamed down the room, made sure there were no dust catchers- curtains, linens, etc- my husband cleaned the exhaust fan, put multiple filters as good as I could find on the one heat register, turned on the exhaust fan and my symptoms went away after I had been in the room awhile.) But a test away from your usual environment is probably best with special attention given to (1) only new clothing (2) thoroughly cleaned car (3) as few people and animals as possible (4) the best places allergywise you can get - a new house or hotel room, the beach or mountains, a golf course, or whatever depending on your particular sensitivities. (I'm getting used to doing weird things (that may not be good for everyone to try) like being outside in the rain, waiting OUTSIDE doctor's crowded waiting rooms, going off hours to restaurants and asking to be seated away from other people, staying in only NEW hotel rooms and taking tannic acid along just in case. You get the picture. <P> (If you try any of this I'd appreciate knowing what the results were.) If you decide to here are some things that have helped me: <P> (1) I was told in the beginning that if it is allergy related the longer I could stay away, the better I would be, so look MAINLY for improvement over time, although there is often quick results,you can't expect them EVERY time to the degree you might think, because other factors sometimes affect it - stress, exercise, etc - similar things that might affect asthma. <P> (2) Deal with it as you would the Ebola virus except, it is affecting only ONE person in the house, and they are the ONLY one who can tell if it is working or not. <P> (3) If you are newly diagnosed or have mild symptoms or medication is still able to mask your symptoms almost totally, you will not be able to "sense"any difference. <P> (4) A caregiver is not a good judge, it is something that the sufferer must judge, because they are the only ones who can tell, and because of medications, etc (it is possible to attribute just about anything to medication - too much, too little, side effect, interaction),it is even difficult for them at times. <P> (5) Note that in the UVA incident it was only ONE person's clothing that had been around animals that caused that bad of a reaction - I am THAT hypersensitive. I was told also that clothing that contained allergens was particularly bad because with moving around the allergens are constantly put into the surrounding air. (We have certain clothing that we wear around the house or when the children are with me). <P> (6) In my allergy test results there are indoor & outdoor substances -- pet dander, house dust, pollen, mold, some trees & grass, ragweed, etc, so outdoors is not as wonderful as you might think. Dr. Creticos told me that "cat (dander) is ubquitous" - measurable in about every public place - and that is only ONE of my particular allergens. <P> (7) Our central heat/A/C system is bad news for my condition as I have said and we are still trying to decide how to best take care of that problem, not only does it accumulate dust, etc in the ductwork that even the pros can't get out good enough for me (I've tried it), but it blows around what is brought in by other means. At present I have put as good filters as I can find on the return, the central filter & each vent and multiple filters in the rooms I use, but just the fact that it blows everything around is not too good. <P> (Note) To those with low blood pressure problems - Shy-Drager, orthostatic hypotension etc - this site might be of interest - http://shuttle-mir.nasa.gov/science/spinoff/bloodpre.html <P> Also,it has been proven by past experience that despite my best efforts I make errors, but I keep trying anyway, so let me know if you find any. Any comments are appreciated. Thanks, Janet ([log in to unmask]) --------------5E9B16F37B36--