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Contents of this page: What is Parkinson's? Calendars Internet/Interactive Patients' sites Caregivers Organizations Advocacy Hospitals Medications Physical therapy Procedures Physicians Holistic Medicine Living Side effects Government issues Research and developments Long term care Sources of Data Open category Miscellaneous subjects

(*) indicates links that go off-site.

	What is Parkinson's?
What it is. Measurement Look-alikes Young?		First of all, what is Parkinson's? How is it defined, and how is the intensity of the disease measured? There are a number of diseases similar to Parkinson's, but with significant clinical differences. It is wise to understand what these "look-alikes" are, because the original Parkinsonian symptoms may eventually lead to a diagnosis of a look-alike, in which case a different treatment protocol may be indicated. Young onset? Young family? Here are data for them too.
	Calendars.
Calendar About Calendars		Events are happening in the Parkinson community all the time. Wouldn't it be great if there were a calendar of events so each of us could plan our time in advance and attend more of them? Unfortunately, no comprehensive calendar exists, but we've shown the events we know on our link. Your input on future events in your area would be much appreciated.
	Internet/Interactive
The "Listserv" Chat Groups Forums		Because the internet now exists and is available to so many people, there are now features available that might only have been dreamed about not too long ago. Here are three patient-oriented approaches that wouldn't exist without the internet.
	Patients' sites.
Personal Site List Portraits of Hope (*)		Fellow persons afflicted with Parkinsonism are our first concern. We list a number of websites produced by Parkinsonians that discuss their dealings with the disease in one manner or another. Like the saw about the blind men and the elephant, each of us inspect the disease in our own way, each coming up with our own answers about it. This will provide a way of gathering many observations to get a better perspective..
	Caregivers.
Caregivers Caregivers' List.		Whether it is that other special person or the whole family - or preferably both and more - caregivers are important. I am fortunate in that I don't need one yet - but that does not minimize their importance. It does limit my knowledge as to what sites to recommend.
	Organizations.
Foundations U.S.Regionals Support Groups Newsletters		Parkinson organizations come in several varieties - National (and International) Foundations, and Local Support Groups. Many of these organizations put their newsletter on the web too. The e-mail list server, discussed above, is a sort of international support group of its own.
	Advocacy.
Current Status		Advocacy, in the United States, was once fairly straightforward: pass the Udall Bill and get funds for Parkinson's appropriated. Lately it has become more complicated, as it now consists of getting money that has not yet been earmarked to be spent on Parkinson's. Allowing stem cells to be used in reseach is also important to Parkinson research.
Above this point, almost all the links tied to other people with Parkinson's. Their incentive is to get rid of this disease. But there is another group of people to whom Parkinson's is a livelihood. I don't question their altruism: they too would like to rid the world of Parkinson's. To mix a metaphor, as long as Parkinson's is around, it's their bread and butter, so they want a piece of the pie. This may have an influence upon the contents of their web pages.
	Hospitals.
About Hospitals Go to Hospital Sites		Many hospitals feel compelled to have websites, and many of these websites have pages about Parkinson's. Here's a word about them, and a list of the hospital websites which we have found.
	Medications.
Interactions Manufacturers Pharmacology A Drug Database(*) NMS		Drug interactions are a major concern with Parkinson medications, and one source of information is available here. What are the common medications, what do they do, and who make them? Web pages by the manufacturers about the medications also carry information on Parkinson's. Also, read about NMS.
	Physical Therapy and Exercise.
Exercise P.T. Session Occupational Music Therapy Tai Chi Other therapies		Physical Therapy (PT) may take many different forms, and there are certain exercises, we are told, that are particularly good for people with Parkinson's. Besides exercise, there are speech therapy, occupational therapy, music therapy, t'ai chi, yoga, and more.
	Procedures.
Pallidotomy (*) More on DBS		There are two types of procedures performed routinely for Parkinsons. One involves killing off a small part of the brain - either the globus pallidus (a pallidotomy) or the thalamus (a thalamotomy). The other (deep brain stimulation or DBS) involves puttimg the equivalent of a pacemaker into the patient's brain and stimulating the patient's thalamus or sub-thalamic nucleus Experimental procedures currently being studied involve the introduction of growth stimulating products, including foetal (human, porcine, and other) cells, into the patient's brain.
	Physicians.
About doctors		It is the nearly unanimous conclusion of the people on the Parkinson's Disease Information Exchange (see listserv, above) that Parkinsonians should be seen by doctors who are more than just neurologists, but rather "Movement Disorder Specialists," which in most cases equates to specialists in Parkinsonism. If surgery is performed, make certain that you choose a competent neurosurgeon, preferably one who performs this type of surgery frequently and who has a good record..
	Holistic Medicine.
Holistic data (*) Typical Meds Practicioners		Holistic protocols and over-the-counter medications may be quite effective, or they may work in good part through the placebo effect. They may interact with the drugs you now take, or they may not. They may be pure and consistent in strength, or they may not. In short, it would take a lot of time and money to prove the efficacy and safety of any one procedure, and the investment by a corporation in a project like this would probably pay not for itself.
	Living.
Dressing Eating Dentistry Assists		When one has Parkinson's, certain everyday chores become more difficult, and one must learn how to do things that were once autonomic.
	Side effects.
Sexuality Sleep Disorders Speech Problems Constipation		Parkinson's Disease and the medications that you take for it can affect your sleep habits, your eating habits and desires, your sexual habits and desires, your excretory function, and many other aspeccts of your life. One of the more frequent consequences of Parkinson's is that it can bring on clinical depression (CD).
	Governments.
Disability Income		It would be hard enough to cover the relationship between Parkinson's and the Government if there were only one country to deal with. But many countries are involved and they may each be involved in many different ways.
	Research and Developments.
Research News		Our key to a future free of Parkinson's Disease! We can't give a good up-to-date picture of where we are, but we can cite several major projects that we understand are being looked at, and we can suggest places that might help you do this for yourself.
	Long Term Care.
Long Term Care (*) Assisted Living (*)		Long Term Care of persons with Parkinson's Disease is a topic most would prefer to avoid, but most caregivers will have to face. This is a brochure that should be read by all long term care facility employees and followed to ensure the health of people with Parkinsons. Perhaps we can find some other useful suggestions on the subject. Assisted living may be an option.
	Sources of data
Latest News Reference Data		Where does one look for the latest news? How about reference material, like medical definitions? There's often not much telling where things will appear, so here are some likely places to look.
	Open Category
		Something important that has been overlooked? We show this "open category" to indicate that we can add more categories when the need arises.
	Miscellaneous.
Photos		This site started with the display of the photos of Parkinsonians. We hope that after you have found this page, you would have bookmarked it or listed it as a favorite to start your searches from. But if you have done this, there might not be an obvious way to get back to the photos. There is now. We are planning to add similar links to artistic endeavors such as poetry soon.

E-mail me with comments at epr@airmail.net.

	It is a sad fact that every web page like this must add "Disclaimers apply." Revised 13 July, 2004

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