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bobc wrote:

> I have had a problem with drooling / excessive saliva... Is it a
> symptom of PD ? Can it be controlled?

Hello,

According to Dr. Abraham Lieberman's book "Parkinson's Disease"
drooling by PWP is not due to excess saliva but rather to
insufficient swallowing caused by bradykinesia.  For people without
PD, automatic swallowing handles the saliva.  With PD the muscles
involved are affected by bradykinesia, so we swallow with less force
and frequency.  The muscles will weaken and undergo atrophy unless
we make conscious efforts, not only to remember to swallow, but also
to keep in practice by incorporating swallowing into our exercise
routines.  If this doesn't work, there are medicines that decrease
saliva production.

Dr. Lieberman's book, a paperback published by Simon and Schuster (I
don't receive any benefits from this plug) contains the most thorough
discussion of PD symptoms I have seen.

Phil Tompkins
Hoboken NJ
age 61/dx 1990