His nonprofit foundation has three main goals: first, find a way to halt progression of Parkinson's with GBA. Next, identify a regenerative approach to repair the damage it wreaks. And finally, find a way to prevent it altogether. Accomplishing even just the first would be to do something that's never been done. Despite years of effort and capital from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to funding from Google founder Sergey Brin treatments for Parkinson's disease have remained as elusive as those for other devastating neurodegenerative conditions, like Alzheimer's. "It has been extremely challenging, and many clinical trials have failed," said Dr. Dimitri Krainc, chairman of the department of neurology and director of the Center for Rare Neurological Diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "However, we have learned important lessons from these failures." The disease was first described two centuries ago, in 1817, by British surgeon James Parkinson. In a document he called "An Essay on the Shaking Palsy," Parkinson described a condition characterized by "involuntary tremulous motion, with lessened muscular power." We know now that Parkinson's results from loss of brain cells, including those that produce the chemical messenger dopamine, important for coordinating movement. Treatments … Continue reading →

Over the past two decades, medical cannabis has become an alternative treatment option for many medical patients across the globe. While medical studies in this area are by no means complete, there have been many promising findings both in the medical lab and outside of it, which may be indicators of future treatments that could be based on medical cannabis. A disease called Parkinsons disease has recently moved to the forefront of medical investigation involving medical cannabis treatments. Parkinsons disease is a neurodegenerative brain disorder that occurs when there is a slow reduction in the amount of dopamine produced in the human brains nerve cells. Dopamine is the brain chemical that allows coordinated and smooth muscle movements in the body. Because the disease affects a persons movements and begins gradually, and because there is no laboratory test for the disease, it can be difficult to spot early on. Through a thorough examination of a patients medical history and repeated neurological exams, most cases can be diagnosed. Parkinsons disease is not generally diagnosed in younger people; age 60 is the age when it usually begins to affect a patient. For the disease to affect a patient noticeably, 60-80 percent of a … Continue reading →

Good Samaritan at Vincennes is now offering a new treatment for Parkinsons disease.Physical therapistJoy Uy andoccupational therapistJames Schenk of Good Samaritan are certified providers for this Parkinsons treatment program. LSVT is a new approach to treatment of Parkinsons disease involving the concept of neuroplasticity, the brains ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. This approach aims to address the internal aspects of Parkinsons disease symptoms, leading to significant functional movements. There are two sections of LSVT, BIG and LOUD. LSVT BIG is a standardized treatment protocol, which is customized to the unique goals of each patient including both gross and fine motor skills. LSVT LOUD is customized to the unique communication goals of each person across a range of disease severity and communication impairments. Over the last 25 years, the National Institutes of Health have been researching and developing LSVT BIG and LOUD to help treat patients with symptoms associated with Parkinsons disease. Uy says she and Schenk are currently utilizing the LSVT treatment protocol to manage the symptoms of Parkinsons patients in Good Samaritans Rehabilitation Center. Here is the original post: Good Samaritan now offers new treatment for Parkinson's - Terre Haute Tribune Star … Continue reading →

NEW YORK: A single dose of a life-extending protein hormone -- naturally produced in both kidney and brain -- may lead to rapid improvement in cognitive and physical performance, indicating potential for the development of treatments for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, a study has shown. The findings showed that administering hormone klotho like a drug improved cognition, including spatial learning and working memory, as well as the ability to navigate and to learn new tasks -- deficiencies which may lead to age-related neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease -- in young, ageing or impaired mice with normal or low levels of the hormone. However, it remains unexplained how the piece of the klotho hormone that was injected into the bodies of the mice caused these effects since there is no evidence that klotho is able to enter the brain from the bloodstream, the researchers said. "It makes us wonder about the connection between the body and the brain," said Dena Dubal, Associate Professor at the University of California - San Francisco. "What we saw with acute klotho administration may be similar to what happens with exercise, which also improves cognition and brain health, although we don't know how," … Continue reading →

Image caption Ever since Ben Parkinson was a young boy he had wanted to be a paratrooper and he realised his dream when he joined the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery A paratrooper who survived some of the the worst-ever battlefield injuries has asked lawyers to investigate concerns over his care. Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson lost both legs and suffered more than 40 injuries in a landmine blast in Afghanistan in 2006. The 31-year-old from Doncaster and his mother are now calling on his care providers for more help. NHS England said it was working to arrange reviews of his care. Lawyers claim his care providers are in breach of the Armed Forces Covenant. More stories from around Yorkshire The covenant is a promise that those who serve, or have served, in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly. L/Bombardier Parkinson was two weeks from finishing a tour of Afghanistan when his Land Rover hit a mine. Medical staff did not expect him to survive the explosion. The former paratrooper's care is provided by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), NHS England and Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) but his mother, Diane Dernie, said the organisations failed to … Continue reading →