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Charlotte, I welcome the opportunity to explore the discussion points further. In regard to the time until the cure is found you wrote: >[Dr. Fischback of the National Institutes of Neurological Diseases and > Stroke, which does most of the PD research, and grants most of the >dollars in the U.S., says that with enough funding it may be able to be > done in less than 5 years. What concerns me is that it is possible to read statements like the one above and forget four things. The first is that little word MAY, and the second is that after the cure is found there will be the 5 - 10 year wait I mentioned while it is tested etc. The third is that the word cure has several meanings and that the doctor may be talking about high levels of management while we are dreaming of rising from our beds and walking (in a figurative sense for most of us:) It is my belief that it takes one kind of mindset to be positive over a 5 year period and a different kind of mindset to be positive over a 10 to 15 to 20 year period. We will all have to use our own best judgement to decide which of these mindsets to adopt. you wrote: > [ Let's define prevention as eradicating the incidence of PD, and > therefore, in future, no cure needed. And let's define cure, as a way > to reverse/repair virtually all damage, and halt progress of disease > that already exists, and very nearly a cure, virtual cure, for > therapies that make an outstanding improvement by repairing the brain > and greatly slowing progression and/or protecting the brain from further > degeneration: Thanks Charlotte - exactly the point I was trying to make - that the phrase "the cure" is used to cover all of the above and that if our deliberations are to have any meaning and if we are going to decide anything about our attitudes to the future we need to stop using the phrase 'the cure' in such a generalised way. > * Since they are already making real progress in repairing human > brain tissue, and there is some research for strategies in slowing > progression, there is a REALISTIC expectation for a Cure or > Virtual Cure in 5 to 10 years or less. I don't agree that it > requires solving the causes of PD to cure it, but it would be > helpful in halting the progression. Charlotte - The only thing I remember saying we would need to know the cause for was prevention. I don't doubt that the cure (in one form or another) is coming. I have no doubt whatsoever that every dollar spent on PD research is a dollar well spent- I don't doubt that the more that is spent the sooner we will get results. The point I am making is that if they found the cure today it would be at least 5 years before it became generally available. So in terms of when we could hope to be actually cured we need to add 5 years to the periods given. When we do that even the above 'realistic' period becomes 10 to 15 years in subjective terms. Which means that someone diagnosed today will have had PD 10 to 15 years before the cure is available. Look at the PWP you know who have had PD that long already. Ask yourself, or better yet ask them,if they feel they have had PD for a long time or a short time. 10 to 15 years is not a short time to have had PD. 10 to 15 years is not 'soon' in PD terms - and 10 to 15 years is a best case scenario. I am not trying to be negative - I am not trying to scaremonger - I'm not even trying to prove I'm right and someone else is wrong; what I am doing is trying to get across my concerned that if we just accept the 'good news' without questioning it and putting it into perspective, we are going to put ourselves into the wrong positive frame of mind (as mentioned before). I don't see that as an unreasonable thing to do - but I've been wrong before:) Dennis. I'd like to end by discussing your response to my '## time is running out - we must have the cure now comment'. I agree with everything you say about the need to have the cure/or virtual cure found as soon as possible, but, speaking as a full blown, bona fide, fully paid up member of the "Baby Boomer" gimme generation I find myself amused that we take that gimme attitude into even this arena. Its the 'must' that gets to me