Parkinson's Disease

Imagine you know that in a few decades you will be struck with an incurable disease. How much energy would you put into trying to find a cure before it's too late?

Well after learning that he had a genetic mutation that results in a high risk of Parkinson's disease, Google co-founder Sergey Brin has decided to spend millions of dollars on an innovative genetic study, which will attempt to conduct research by, you guessed it, search. Sergey's mother also has Parkinson's.

Genetic discovery company 23andMe, which was founded by Sergey's wife, will team up with the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center to enroll 10,000 Parkinson's patients. Participants will have their genotype mapped using 23andMe. All the data will be put into a database that can be searched for correlations and new information.

This gets me thinking — with the increased sophistication of genetic testing perhaps the rich will be able to direct the focus of scientific research in the future.

Source

One of the ways we motivate ourselves to get involved in races is by adding a bit of philanthropy to it. Apparently, celebrities need the same sort of motivation. Recently, Ryan Reynolds declared that he is going to run the New York City Marathon to raise money for Parkinson's disease (his father has been diagnosed with the disease). He wants it to be known that he is not a runner, but is willing to run for the greater good. Nonetheless, it's inspiring to everyone and anyone who has ever contemplated running a race for charity. Here are highlights:

By some tragic backwards prophecy, I find myself signed up to run in the New York City Marathon. Every other day I train. I run like a bastard all morning. Not since the discovery of Junior High School has a torture been so effective. Why on earth would I willfully do this? On behalf of my Father, Jim Reynolds, who's spent the last 15 years in a life or death struggle with Parkinson's disease.

To find out why he chose running and to see how you can help out Ryan just read more

A new drug has been approved by the FDA to treat early Parkinson's disease. I always thought it was a disease that afflicted older folks, but remembered Michael J. Fox was only 30 years old when he announced that he had the disease.

With Parkinson's disease the substantia nigra, a part of the brain, begins to malfunction and eventually die, disrupting then halting the production of the chemical dopamine. And dopamine is important since it sends messages to your brain telling your body when and how to move. When a person has Parkinson's, those messages are delivered more slowly, which explains the trembling commonly seen in Parkinson’s patients.

This new drug called Neupro is actually in patch form that you apply once a day. It delivers the drug called rotigotine, which works by mimicking the action of dopamine in the brain.

Previously, patients would have to take pills orally. When the medicine wore off, symptoms would worsen until more pills were taken. The patch is more effective because it offers a continuous release of the drug.

There have been a few reported side effects including skin irritation where the patch is placed, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness and insomnia. The FDA said that these are typical with this kind of drug.

About 1 million people in the U.S. have Parkinson's disease. Wow - that is more than I would have thought. Plus it is chronic (meaning there is no cure), and progressive (meaning it keeps getting worse). This disease impairs people's ability to control their movements, and also impairs their speech. It's great to hear there's a new drug that could help people deal with their symptoms better than taking oral pills.

Source

Think there's an over the counter drug that could lower your risk of Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and colon cancer?

Well, there is, but you won't find it at the pharmacy. Try going to your local coffee shop counter to get a hold of this wonder drug.

As if you weren't already convinced that coffee belonged on a pedestal, this dark and dreamy beverage is beloved for its ability to wake you up, cure your headaches, and keep you regular.

And now, studies show that downing 1-3 cups of caffeinated coffee a day could reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes by less than 10%. But having 6 cups a day cut a woman's risk by 30%. Talk about overtime at Starbucks.

On the same note, the more java you drink, the less likely you are to develop Parkinson's disease.

So feel good about brewing up a cup (or 2 or 12) because overall, research shows that coffee is far more healthy for you than it is harmful.

Fit's Tips: Sipping hot coffee throughout your day can cause small fractures in your teeth called crazes. They happen when your teeth expand and contract from exposure to hot foods or liquids. Try sipping your cup of joe all at one sitting to prevent this from happening.