April 11 is World Parkinson's Day
My friend Steve has Parkinson's disease. I recall when he first got the diagnosis and how stoic and wry he was concerning the disease progression. I took a keen interest in current therapies and kept hoping we could get him in a stem cell program but alas, it has not happened to date. |
I even volunteered to take the treatment with him as a symbol of solidarity.
He has been taking the meds which I took in my young to late 20s as part of the Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw metabolic tuning aspects of their life extension protocols and I am aware of the side effects some of these drugs entail.
I just hope that the guy gets more than just the standard pharmaceutical regimen as a treatment. I have always been one to push the envelope and I'm afraid that the levodopa approach is that 'same ole' dated and probably neurotoxic therapy and there must be better modalities available ...
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Amantadine (NMDA inhibitor) Buspirone (G-HT1A agonist) Fluoxetine (SSRI) Propranolol Clozapine (D4/D1 antagonist, 5-HT2 antagonist) Olanzapine (D1/D2/D4 antagonist) Naloxone (opioid antagonist) |
Nabilone (cannabinoid receptor agonist) Sarizotan (D4 and 5HT1A agonist) Istradefylline (KW-6002, adenosine A2A antagonist) Fipamezole (JP-1730, alpha-adrenergic antagonist) Levetiracetam (Keppra) Talampanel (AMPA antagonist) Idazoxan (alpha-2 antagonist) |
The various dopamine agonists are appearing to be somewhat a less promising stop gap than they were originally envisioned. While bromocriptine and those others I took present lower complications the most one might expect is a later onset of the severe parts of the disease.
April 11 is World Parkinson's Day, and April is Parkinson's Awareness Month. It marks the birth date of James Parkinson who was a neurologist, geologist, scientist, and activist most responsible for the discovery of parkinsonism and it's symptoms, sequela, and it's impact on those we know and love.
The red tulip which represents Parkinson's disease was developed by one J.W.S. Van der Wereld who was a horticulturist of dutch descent who suffered with Parkinson’s disease.
He dedicated and named his specific red tulip for James Parkinson.
Despite all we know there is still much we don't. I cannot help but feel that stem cells are about the only real answer at this juncture in the progression of that research up til now.