Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

25/02/2014 - 10:00:33Back to Entertainment Home Billy Connolly realised he was suffering from Parkinson's disease after a fan noticed a problem with the way he walked. The 71-year-old star was spotted by an Australian doctor, who was on tour with a group of dancers in America, and he insisted the comedian showed a "strange gait" which led to Billy being diagnosed with the degenerative nerve disorder. Billy told a US radio station: "It was the strangest thing of all. I was walking through the lobby and every time I had gone through there was a crowd of boys and girls and a couple of adults. It turned out they were dancers from Australia. "The guy who was in charge of them came over to me one day and said 'Billy, I'm a big fan, I'm from Tasmania'. "He said, 'I'm a surgeon and I have been watching you walking, you have a strange gait'. That was the way he put it. "He said 'You're showing distinct signs of early onset Parkinson's disease, see your doctor'. I think it was the way I held myself when I was walking. Then they did blood tests and various other little bits and pieces … Continue reading →

River Edge resident Ted Stein is no stranger to fundraising for good causes. PHOTO COURTESY OF TED STEIN River Edge resident Ted Stein's team participates in the Parkinson's Unity Walk last year. In April, Stein will participate in his seventh year of the annual Parkinson's Unity Walk in Central Park in New York City. Although the event's not until April, Stein is starting to fundraise now. Ever-motivated, Stein said he wants to get the word out. "I try to fundraise year round between now and the actual walk in April," he said. "Now is really the time to step it up for me. Our team is participating in the Parkinson's Unity Walk 2014 in New York's Central Park, to help raise awareness and funds for Parkinson's disease research. We have formed this team because more than one million people in the U.S. are living with Parkinson's disease." Stein said it's not only about raising money, but also an opportunity to get friends and family together for a great cause. They raised more than $300,000 for research in the past, with nothing but corporate donations. "It's pretty significant," said Stein. "Over 300 teams participated in New York last year. We were … Continue reading →

An Auckland biotech company is putting its trial of an experimental Parkinson's disease treatment on hold following the withdrawal of previous animal research. Living Cell Technologies (LCT) has suspended patient recruitment for a clinical trial testing the xenotransplantation of specially encapsulated pig-derived cells (NTCELL) as a treatment for Parkinson's disease. Earlier research from the company had shown the implanted cells were effective in treating animal models of Parkinson's disease in rats and monkeys. However, following the discovery that the original data from rat study was incomplete, LCT has retracted the study, published in the journal Regenerative Medicine. "The publication is being withdrawn following an internal quality assurance audit which showed that the source data for the study held on file at LCT are incomplete and therefore the efficacy conclusions in the publication cannot be confirmed," the company said in a press release. In the light of the retraction LCT, which is a listed company on the Australian stock exchange, announced its early stage human trial taking place at Auckland hospital would not be recruiting further patients. One patient is already taking part in the trial and will continue treatment as planned. The company said this was a "precautionary measure" to … Continue reading →

hagerstown, md. >> An educational program regarding Parkinson's disease will take place April 4 in Hospice of Washington County, 747 Northern Ave., Hagerstown. Managing Parkinson's Disease, sponsored by Hagerstown Parkinson's Support Group and Johns Hopkins Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder Center, will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Experts will provide information and tools to help in the management of Parkinson's disease, with topics covering medical treatment, physical therapy, speech therapy and more. The event will also be an opportunity to connect with others affected by Parkinson's disease and collect information on community resources. Registration is required. Cost is $10 a person to those who register by March 14, and $15 a person after March 14. Breakfast and lunch are included. For more information or to register, contact Art Guyer at (240) 625-2722 or aguyer42@myactv.net. Two area support groups for those with Parkinson's disease meet monthly. Next meetings are: Chambersburg: 2 to 4 p.m. March 18 at Northgate Commons, 1500 Northfield Drive, Chambersburg. For more information, call Warren Leach at 264-2808 or KathyAnn Smith at 263-3524. Hagerstown: 11:45 a.m. March 6 at Western Sizzlin Steakhouse Restaurant, 17567 York Road, Hagerstown, Md. For more information, contact Art Guyer at … Continue reading →

For Immediate Release: Feb. 18, 2014 Media Inquiries: Sandy Walsh, 301-796-4669, sandy.walsh@fda.hhs.gov Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Northera capsules (droxidopa) for the treatment of neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (NOH). NOH is a rare, chronic and often debilitating drop in blood pressure upon standing that is associated with Parkinson's disease, multiple-system atrophy, and pure autonomic failure. Symptoms of NOH include dizziness, lightheadedness, blurred vision, fatigue and fainting when a person stands. People with neurogenic orthostatic hypotension are often severely limited in their ability to perform routine daily activities that require walking or standing, said Norman Stockbridge, M.D., Ph.D, director of the Division of Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs in the FDAs Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. There are limited treatment options for people with NOH and we are committed to helping make safe and effective treatments available. The FDA is approving Northera under the accelerated approval program, which allows for approval of a drug to treat a serious disease based on clinical data showing that the drug has an effect on an intermediate clinical measure (in this case, short-term relief of dizziness) that is reasonably likely to predict the outcome of ultimate interest (relief of dizziness … Continue reading →

There have been rapid and remarkable changes over the recent past in treating Parkinson's disease. The development of new drugs and an understanding of how best to use them and the older drugs have significantly improved the quality of life of people with the disease. There are two general approaches to the treatment of Parkinson's disease with medication. The first approach attempts to slow the loss of dopamine in the brain and the second approach attempts to improve the symptoms of Parkinson's disease by other means. Parkinsons Disease: Driving a Car Parkinsons disease is a type of movement disorder that can significantly impair driving skills, cause safety concerns, and force many people with the condition to stop driving a car. Thats because the primary symptoms of Parkinsons disease can seriously interfere with the complex task of driving a car. These symptoms are: Tremor -- trembling in the hands, arms, legs, jaw, or head Rigidity -- stiffness of the limbs and trunk Bradykinesia -- slowness of movement Postural instability... Read the Parkinsons Disease: Driving a Car article > > Most patients with Parkinson's disease can be adequately treated with drugs that alleviate their symptoms. If medications are not sufficiently effective, new, … Continue reading →

By April Charlton/acharlton@theadobepress.com Email this story Print this story Sheriff Ian Parkinson, center, talks with dignitaries during the San Luis Obispo County womens jail groundbreaking at the SLO County Sheriffs Department last Friday . //Phil Klein/Contributor For the last three years, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson has been questioning when the long-awaited womens jail expansion project was going to break ground. Parkinsons query was answered Friday, Feb. 7, as he and other local officials donned hard hats and dug golden shovels into the dirt outside the County Jail complex, officially breaking ground for a new womens jail facility. Its been a long three years, Parkinson told a crowd of about 50 people that attended the groundbreaking ceremony. Its not about the building. Its really about the ability to program and change behavior. The planned expansion includes construction of a brand-new 38,000-square-foot, 198-bed womens housing unit that will also have space for treatment programs aimed at helping reduce the recidivism rate of inmates. Research indicates those inmates that participate in rehabilitative programs, such as substance abuse treatment and job-training programs, while incarcerated are less likely to become repeat offenders when they re-enter society. Female inmates at County Jail dont … Continue reading →

(PRWEB) February 13, 2014 Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or TMS, is a new FDA approved treatment for neurological and psychiatric conditions. It is particularly being used to treat Parkinson's Disease, strokes, migraine headaches, severe depression and dystonia. Depending on the severity of the condition, the treatment may be repeated several times before the healing process begins. The way TMS treatment works is through weak electrical currents or a magnet that causes slight discomfort in the brain. Due to the current, the brain cells in the area are stimulated. Depending on the condition and the goal of treatment, the process may stop certain impulses or messages from being sent throughout the body or it may help send messages. The weak electrical or magnetic pulse can interrupt certain signals from the brain, which helps prevent the physical condition or improves the brain's ability to send certain messages. Jimmy Johnson will host a new "Leading Edge" segment on TMS treatments. During the program, you will learn how the treatment works, the impact it has on the brain and the potential downsides of using the treatment. The segment will explain the benefits, risks and potential side effects of the treatment so that you can understand … Continue reading →

TMS therapy treatments help some with extreme depression. Though depression is often dubbed the common cold of mental health, the disorder can be crippling and nearly a third of those who suffer find little or no relief in the flood of anti-depressants now on the market. For them, a new but expensive treatment option may offer hope where everything else has failed. Transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, is an outpatient procedure during which magnetic pulses are focused on a part of the brain that becomes sluggish during depression. In essence, the pulses speed things up. "It saved my life," said Kelsey Pop, a psychiatric nurse in Orlando. At 29, she has suffered from major depression since she was a teenager including an acute episode last summer that landed her in the hospital for 11 days. "Over the years I saw psychologists and psychiatrists and therapists, I was put on a series of medications and I was hospitalized several times. Nothing else helped." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved TMS therapy for treating drug-resistant depression in 2008, but insurers have been slow to cover the procedure. In 2012, when Medicare began limited coverage, a handful of Central Florida providers including … Continue reading →

For the last three years, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson has been questioning when the long-awaited womens jail expansion project was going to break ground. Parkinsons query was answered Friday afternoon, as he and other local officials donned hard hats and dug golden shovels into the dirt outside the County Jail complex, officially breaking ground for a new womens jail facility. Its been a long three years, Parkinson told a crowd of about 50 people that attended the groundbreaking ceremony. Its not about the building. Its really about the ability to program and change behavior. The planned expansion includes construction of a brand-new 38,000-square-foot, 198-bed womens housing unit that will also have space for treatment programs aimed at helping reduce the recidivism rate of inmates. Research indicates those inmates that participate in rehabilitative programs, such as substance abuse treatment and job-training programs, while incarcerated are less likely to become repeat offenders when they re-enter society. Female inmates at County Jail dont receive one-on-one counseling, and treatment varies at the aging facility because of overcrowding. Areas at the jail that could be used for individual counseling are used to house inmates. County Jail has an average, daily population of … Continue reading →