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Barb Patterson and "All"... Following is a copy of the ENTIRE article which was posted in part earlier today by Barb P .(I'm presuming that Barb P. received an abbreviated version of the original article). I initially thought I'd not copy/post the original however feel compelled to do so now. Truthfully, I found the original article to have virtually no new PD information, and feel it was written in a smug, "You DOCTOR always knows what's best for YOU" attitude, with that smugness "softened" by the author's throwing Parkies a bone by acknowledging that we ARE considered (presumably the medical community) to be very educated about our disease. Overall, I think this message comes across as not only simplistic, but gives incorrect advise in saying the MD shouldn't give out TOO MUCH PD INFO TOO SOON to the Parkie because they wouldn't want to cause them "distress." Is it better to leave us in ignorance with that overbearing paternalistic point of view? Do we just do what the medical professionals tell us to do BLINDLY? I don't think so! READ ON for entire article: Barb Mallut [log in to unmask] --------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1998 Nando.net Copyright © 1998 Reuters News Service WASHINGTON (March 24, 1998 9:07 p.m. EST New drugs are offering new hope for Parkinson's disease patients, although there is still no cure, top neurologists said Tuesday. Writing in a special supplement to the journal Neurology, Dr. Warren Olanow, at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, and Dr. William Koller of the University of Kansas in Kansas City, said doctors should know about how, and when, to use new treatment options. Parkinson's disease (PD), which affects an estimated one million people in the United States, begins with shakiness, progressing to total loss of muscular control and sometimes dementia. There is no cure. "Levodopa (L-dopa) is the most effective drug in the treatment of PD," Olanow and Koller wrote. "Virtually all patients benefit from treatment." Parkinson's is characterized by a lack of dopamine, an important message-carrying chemical involved in movement and muscle control, in the brain. Levodopa helps replenish it. But levodopa works well for only about five years. Dopamine agonists -- which augment the effects of dopamine -- provide help, especially early on in the disease, they said. These included bromocriptine, sold as Parlodel by Novartis and pergolide, sold as Permax by Athena Neurosciences Inc. "Three new dopamine agonists have recently been introduced to the market: cabergoline (Cabsar or Dostinex), pramipexole (Mirapex, sold by Pharmacia and Upjohn) and ropinirole (Requip, sold by SmithKline Beecham)," they added. Cabsar is not marketed in the United States but is sold in Europe. Counseling, good nutrition and exercise were also important, they said. Drugs that stop disease progression by protecting nerves are needed, but no drug had been shown to do this yet, they wrote. Selegilene, a drug known as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, might help, they said. Other drugs that might help and were used by some doctors included anticholinergics, which affect the brain chemical acetylcholine, the antiviral drug amantadine and COMT inhibitors, which affect levodopa. Surgery is another possibility, including the transplant of brain cells from aborted or miscarried fetuses, but this technology remains experimental. "Education about PD can provide the patient with understanding and a sense of control," they wrote. But knowing too much too soon could be distressing, they added. "PD patients tend to be well-educated and often bring new treatments to the attention of their physician," the report added. However, they said it was important to make sure all treatment information was properly screened. "Misinformation, particularly on the Internet, could lead to unauthorized, inappropriate and potentially harmful treatments, diets or exercise programs," they wrote. Parkinson's is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's, afflicting about 1 percent of all people over 50, or 1 to 1.5 million Americans and millions more around the world.