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Wed, 30 Sep 1998 20:49:07 -0000 Becky Potts <[log in to unmask]> wrote: <<<< It seems odd that smokers would be less likely to get PD because smoking is one type of chemical exposure. Maybe the non-smokers are exposed to more harmful second hand smoke. I'll have to really look into the smoking factor. >>>> Hello Becky, While smoking, first hand or second hand, several chemicals enter the persons body. Most of those chemicals are very harmful for the health of the smoker and causes lungdiseases and severe forms of cancer. However in cigarettes, etc. is also a chemical called nicotine. Nicotine is a chemical that normally is present in the brain to make it function correctly. Smokers have more nicotine in their body cq their blood cq their brain than non-smokers. The higher level of the nicotine is the probable reason that smokers are less succeptable for PD. There has been research about this, that confirmed this hypothesis. There even have been attempts to make a nicotine-patch as a treatment against PD. Until now it is still under investigation. The existing anti-smoke nicotine-patches are NOT suitable for use as a treatment for PD. (TOO much nicotine of course is no good either!!) BTW: I would NOT advise anyone to start or go on smoking, because of the possible positive effect by the nicotine. The chances are you will never experience the effect on PD, because you'll be dead first from the negative effects of smoking!!! There must be some material about this in the archives of the list. Perhaps you could ask someone to look it up for you. Good luck with your project, Hans.