NB || the content regarding a drug, Park Ensonz, is pure fiction || NB
IN "THE STUDIO"
Hello and welcome to a new year! This is Ari Naidoo in the Durban studios of Radio ZABC. We're halfway through January and I hope you are prepared for an industrious 2023.Our studio guest today is Dee Zees, son of the well-known international nerve disorder manufacturer, Park Ensonz. Dee Zees produces customised movement disorders and supplies these to millions of customers, who range from the ordinary, like myself, to famous boxer Muhammad Ali, actors Alan Alda and Michael J. Fox, singer Neil Diamond, Rev. Jesse Jackson, comedian Billy Connolly, as well as millions of others worldwide.
I will try to keep the interview as open-ended as my producer will allow.
THE "INTERVIEW": PART 1
Ari: Good day, Mr Zees, and welcome to ZABC.
Dee Zees: Thanks for having me - and please call me Dee.
Ari: Ok, Dee - welcome to South Africa! What brings you to Durban?
Dee Zees: Well, as you know, my dad - Dr Park Ensonz - and I are always looking for new business opportunities, and there appears to be some potential in your beautiful country.
Ari: Great! Firstly, Dee, for those listeners who might not know, what does your product do and are there side-effects?
Dee Zees: Okay, in a nutshell, we manufacture a movement disorder product called "Park Ensonz" (yes, named after my dad), and we distribute it at no cost to the user. This product causes parts of the user's brain to deteriorate. Essentially, it slows down users' movements, introduces tremors and causes problems with their balance, etc. We are so confident of our product that we offer a lifetime guarantee! It can also be customised to include add-ons, such as an inability to swallow, a weakened sense of taste, impact on sleep patterns, to name a few. But, for example, when it comes to hallucinations, we do not take responsibility for side-effects resulting from a user's choice of accompanying drugs - that is to be sorted between the users and their neurologists, not us.
Ari: That's impressive, Dee! But explain to us how you can afford to distribute Park Ensonz at "no cost to the user"?
Dee Zees: Well, our product targets and kills specific nerve cells in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra, that's responsible for making dopamine, a chemical responsible for regulating the body's movement. Our product, Park Ensonz, attacks these dopamine-producing cells, thereby limiting its dopamine production. Then, (and this is genius) Park Ensonz has an arrangement with pharmaceutical companies to manufacture dopamine substitutes. These are sold to neurologists who, in turn, prescribe them for people who get our product, Park Ensonz, free! It's a win-win situation for us all.
Ari: Okay, but WHEN does someone decide to "get your product" Park Ensonz? That question's been bothering me, Dee, so...
Dee Zees: Our researchers have found that there are millions of traumatised people, worldwide. Some may have had work-related traumas (for example, court cases), family traumas (especially divorces and deaths), accident related traumas (especially head injuries), or some may have been exposed regularly to chemicals at their places of work, or spent significant amounts of time in the vicinity of crop spraying on farms: all these trauma candidates are eligible for lifetime supplies of Park Ensonz! It's a golden opportunity for us.
Ari: Hmmm...okay...it sounds logical. You said at the start of this interview that there was potential for business in South Africa. Please elaborate...
Dee Zees: Sure! There is evidence in certain parts of South Africa, of communities who believe that a movement disorder is associated with witchcraft and that such people should stay at home and not be treated. We need to convince such communities that it is not witchcraft or evil magic. We must encourage them to seek assistance from their local clinics, where we would be assisting, mostly, with the supply and sale of PD drugs. Having said that, South Africans appear to be having their fair share of traumas at work, on the roads and at home. So, maybe we can also assist with the supply and distribution of Park Ensonz.
Ari: That's a reasonable argument, Dee. Right now, though, we need to have a break, dear listener, so please click on Rob Georg's Parkinson's Awareness song and we'll be back after Rob's song. Enjoy it!
THE "INTERVIEW": PART 2
Ari: Welcome back to the second part of our interview. Our studio guest, today, is Dee Zees, businessman and son of movement disorder manufacturer, Park Ensonz. During the break, Dee, you mentioned research into a non-motor impact of Park Ensonz such as new, physical surroundings. Would that include getting used to a new environment when going away on holiday? I spent a week away from home in December and I'm still recovering from the experience!
Dee Zees: Yes, exactly that! Our researchers have anecdotal evidence of many parkinsed people (I'm using your term, okay) struggling to adapt to changed or new surroundings. For instance, we are aware of the following issue: "If furniture is moved around in the home or a familiar space, then people with Parkinson's Disease (PD) may experience anxiety when adapting to a new walking path or new seating area. The same applies to experiencing the unfamiliar (for example, new chairs and floor surfaces, using the bathroom, getting in and out of the bed, etc.) in new accommodation when on vacation." Ari, do these observations above, echo what you have observed over the years?
Ari: Yes, they do! Absolutely! Have your researchers indicated why this might be happening to parkinsed people?
Dee Zees: Well, our researchers suggest the following: "One reason is that PD people may become used to deploying specific motor skills and relying on familiar visual clues to determine a set of actions, executed quite confidently when at home. That same confidence is not present when they are on holiday and out of their comfort zones. Even leaving shopping bags or suitcases on a walking path at home may be a potential source of visual frustration for a parkinsed person". I can confirm to listeners that this kind of break in confidence has also been Ari's experience.
Ari: Thanks for that, Dee. Vacation accommodation can be a source of frustration for us PD people.
Dee Zees: Sadly, that is the case. The impact is probably similar to having one's PD medication or dosage changed. Such a change can disrupt what one's body has become accustomed to, thereby creating havoc - I guess you've not experienced this because you're not taking any conventional PD drugs, right, Ari?
Ari: (Hey, who's conducting this studio interview, Dee? :-) Yes, you're quite right. Since my diagnosis in 2013, I've avoided all PD drugs, opting instead for a complementary therapy. In January 2022, exactly a year ago, I started taking alternative medicine as part of an Ayurvedic regime for PD, consisting of three natural remedies, one of which contains an extract of Mucuna Pruriens, a natural source of Levodopa in a tiny dose. The regime was preceded by a three-month detox and serious lifestyle change, mainly weaning myself off stimulants and certain foods. To date (it is now January 2023) my mental capacity remains good but my physical capacity has been gradually deteriorating - for instance, my tremors often get in the way of my carrying out an action. BUT, there are no unpredictable side effects! So, I am extremely grateful. And I am also respectful of all those parkinsed people on a conventional, PD drug regime!
Dee Zees: Good going, Ari - you should be proud of yourself!
Ari: I am! And, thanks for making the time to come in to the ZABC studios - we appreciate it. Safe travels, Dee. Next week, dear listeners, we hope to interview Albert Zheimer, the forgetologist.
Well, everyone out there, we're almost at the end of our studio time, so I'm going to end with a second PD reflection, the Mitch Faile song, "Blame it on the Parkinson's". If you have five minutes, I do recommend that you watch the whole story unfold, as the music and the visuals are great! Till next time, this is Ari Naidoo signing off...have a great week. Bye! I'm out...
