HI MY NAME IS BOB AND I HAVEN'T POSTED HERE BEFORE. I'M 47, WITH PD DIAGNOSED 28 MONTHS AGO WITH A FAMILY HISTORY OF THIS ILLNESS. I'M A PHYSICAL THERAPIST AND AN ACUPUNCTURIST, INVOLVED IN THE MENS MOVEMENT AND IN DOING SHADOW WORK WITH INDIVIDUALS AND COUPLES. I AM SINGLE AND HAVE INCREDIBLE SUPPORT FROM THE MENS ORGANIZATION I BELONG TO, THE MANKIND PROJECT .....WWW.MKP.ORG. CHECK IT OUT. IT IS THE GREATEST THING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME. I WANT TO COMMENT ON ALTERNATIVE THERAPY. JED, I SEE YOUR ANGER AT YOUR MOTHER'S ILLNESS PROJECTED AT THE HOMEOPATH...MY JUDGMENT FROM NOT OWING MY ANGER ABOUT MY PD AND PROJECTING IT ON OTHERS. YOU SPEAK OF THE MANY DEATHS CAUSED BY HOMEOPATHY. IS THIS A BELIEF OR A TRUTH? IF IT IS A TRUTH, WHERE IS THE DATA? YOU MAKE NO MENTIONS OF THE THOUSANDS OF WELL DOCUMENTED MEDICAL MISADVENTURES AND DEATHS DUE TO DRUG THERAPY. I TAKE PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS. MY NEUROLOGIST SAYS THE MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT REALLY DOESN'T KNOW THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF THESE DRUGS. THE STUDIES I'VE SEEN AS SHORT AND OF A SMALL SAMPLE. AND KNOWING THIS DATA, I WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE THESE DRUGS. OBJECTIVE MEDICAL RESEARCH IS A PRODUCT OF THIS CENTURY AND UNFORTUNATELY, FUNDED IN A LARGE PART BY THOSE WHO WILL MAKE A LOT OF MONEY THOUGH THESE DRUGS. ON A DIFFERENT NOTE, I AM A TRAINED ACUPUNCTURIST. PART OF MY TREATMENT PLAN INCLUDES ACUPUNCTURE BY A TRADITIONALLY TRAINED ACUPUNCTURIST. I FEEL BETTER AFTERWARD. I WALK BETTER AFTERWARD AND I HAVE MORE ENERGY..IN MY HEAD? I DON'T GIVE A DAMM. TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE HAS BEEN AROUND THOUSANDS OF YEARS. I HAVE EXPERIENCED IN MYSELF AND SEEN THE RESULTS IN MY PATIENTS. THERE IS STRONG BODY/MIND CONNECTIONS IN TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE. THE PATHOLOGY MAY BE THE RESULT OF COMPLETELY UNRELATED DISRUPTIONS OF CHI IN AN APPARENTLY UNRELATED PART OF THE BODY SYSTEM. IT IS BASED ON THE FIVE ELEMENT THEORY.TOO MUCH TO EXPLAIN HERE. MY PERSONAL BELIEF, CALL IT NEW AGE OT WHAT EVER, IS THAT BECAUSE OF CERTAIN CHOICES I MADE AND BECAUSE OF A FEW EVENTS THAT I HAD NOT CONTROL OVER, THAT I GREW UP IN SHAME, FEELING UNLOVED AND UNLOVABLE AND THAT THIS PUT A STRAIN ON MY SYSTEM TO THE DEGREE THAT GENETICALLY SUSCEPTIBLE CELLS IN MY BRAIN COULDN'T TOLERATE THE STRESS AND BEGAN TO DIE. AND THE STRESSED BODY SYSTEMS THAT I BELIEVE CAPABLE OF FIXING ANYTHING WERE OVERWHELMED AND COULD NOT DO THERE JOB. THUS THE PARKINSON'S. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT MY HEART NEED TO HEAL FIRST AND THEN MY BRAIN MAY FOLLOW.......AND THEN IT MAY NOT. I AM WORKING ON THIS FIRST ITEM. AND I CONTINUE TO TAKE THE DRUGS. I HAVE A NEUROLOGIST THAT I AM COMFORTABLE WITH AND WHO SPENDS A HALF HOUR WITH ME EACH VISIT AND ANSWERS ALL OF MY QUESTIONS.. I HAVE A NATUROPATH I SEE, WHO AM COMFORTABLE WITH AND WHO ANSWERS ALL MY QUESTIONS. HE SPENDS TIME WITH ME AND WE HAVE A SET OUT TREATMENT PLAN. IT MAY NOT HELP.........BUT IT MIGHT. I SEE AN ACUPUNCTURIST WHO I LIKE AND KNOW THAT IT HELPS. MAYBE FOR A SHORT TIME BUT WHO KNOWS WHETHER OR NOT THESE ALTERNATE THERAPIES ARE PERHAPS SLOWING THE ADVANCEMENT. AND IF I FEEL BETTER AND THEREFORE CAN USE LESS SINEMET THAT IS CONSTANTLY PRODUCING FREE RADICAL THAT ARE HARD ON MY NEURAL TISSUE, SO I WILL CONTINUE TO BE OPEN TO ANY AND ALL WHO OFFER SOLUTIONS AND TRUST MY ABILITIES TO MAKE DECISIONS AND CHOICES TO THE THERAPY ROUTE I TAKE. FOR YOUR INFORMATION , THE VOICE RECOGNITION SOFTWARE IS NOT AVAILABLE TO CANADIANS. I HAVE TO FIND SOME IN THE US WHO WILL ORDER, PAY FOR, AND THEN SHIP[ ME THE SOFTWARE..........PRETTY CRAZY EH! ROBERT J FARRELL \|/ ----- / \ <| o o |> | ^ | .............o00o.......\....~.../.......o00o........... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |