"SNOITCELFER"!
I enjoy playing with the English language, while trying to maintain my readers' interest. If I need to draw your attention to specific text or an idea, I could type it in reverse so, this underlined-in-red text would then appear to you as: ".esrever ni ti epyt dluoc I". Okay, got it?
Because it will confuse an unsuspecting reader's brain, I have been limiting the length and context of reversed text messages to Facebook birthday greetings to close friends, such as ".orb ,YADHTRIB YPPAH" and many friends will respond with a ".irA ,sknahT". I would be relieved if you had already worked out the reversed text ("SNOITCELFER") in the title above. I will be using a non-PD related illness of mine to draw attention to PD-related issues.
In this long overdue Post 54, I will "tcelfer" on my (A) recent observations (including some speculation) of PD especially after another precautionary prostate biopsy as well as on some recent developments in (B) PD research and development. Both issues have required me to observe and analyse as objectively as I can so that my post is worth reading. And I have connected the dots for you, dear reader.
My prostate & my Parkinson's
I have had an enlarged prostate gland (urologist number three surgically reduced its size in 2021 and did a biopsy at the same time), also known as BPH. I have been treated by four urologists each with a different approach. I have also had four biopsies (2004, 2008, 2021 and 2024) so, over a 20-year period, four different urologists have removed some prostate tissue to work out why I had a fluctuating PSA level. My PSA level was at a dangerously high "16" in 2014 but then dropped to "7" with medication ("5" is regarded as a safe level). Urologist number three speculated in 2021 before my prostate reduction surgery that the dramatic drop in PSA level was due to a double dose of similar prostate meds (between 2014 and 2021) that consequently resulted in false "low" readings during any blood test for PSA. Sigh!
Let's return to this notion of the increased/adjusted dose as many of my friends who are people with Parkinson's (PwP) have related similar stories: when one or more of their Parkinson's Diseases (PD) symptoms worsened then their doctors promptly increased their medication dosages! In many cases the one change - and this is anecdotal - is that the window periods of both the "on" and "off" times change accordingly. So, my double dose of meds from urologist number three was sneaky, medical aid paid for it, I thought I was being healed and so I never thought of getting a second opinion. Retiring to a new province forced me to do so as I had to source a new GP who, in turn, recommended a new urologist.
There are rare occasions when a PD misdiagnosis can indirectly result in death. The actor Robin Williams, who committed suicide, was diagnosed with PD but his autopsy, requested by his wife, showed that he had died with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). There is a moving documentary on the impact of LBD and this actor, called "Robin's Wish...". Also, a friend in Durban whose dad was diagnosed with and treated for PD for many years actually had a brain tumor. He died from this a month ago. So, how significant is the grey area in the accurate diagnoses of us PwP?
👀 Interesting developments 👀
NATURAL & MAN MADE Neuroplasticity (a.k.a. neural plasticity), as indicated earlier, refers to a "process that allows the brain to receive information and form appropriate adaptive responses to the same or similar stimuli...[including] environmental, social, behavioral, and pharmacological stimuli". The broad definition of ''neuroplasticity" and 'responses to the same or similar stimuli', nowadays, includes chemical and electronic device stimuli. This is underpinned by a multi-billion dollar research and development industry. And the PD R&D wagon rolls on...
SMOKING & PD There appears to be a "link between low doses of carbon monoxide, similar to those received by smokers, and a decreased risk of developing Parkinson's disease." This research was driven by the observation that not many smokers seem to have developed PD. So, as the "low-dose carbon monoxide may slow the onset...[of] Parkinson's disease...", the next step is to examine the effect of "orally administered carbon monoxide in patients with Parkinson's...". Hmmm...
WEARABLE SENSORS FOR GAIT FREEZE An international machine-learning contest has resulted in the development of "a wearable sensor that can monitor and measure freezing of gait (FOG)...could replace...time-consuming video [analysis] by expert reviewers". These wearable sensors would allow artificial intelligence experts to examine FOG episodes in PwP and even assess whether or not prescribed medications were having the desired effect.
USA PARKINSON'S REGISTRY "...Legislature...would create a Parkinson's disease registry in New York...[requiring] hospitals, medical centers and physicians to report all cases of Parkinson's within 180 days." This PD registry already exists in four other states in the USA. It is believed that such a record will assist with appropriate treatment and research. It is also believed that industrialisation and neurotoxins exposure has led to about 90,000 US citizens to have been diagnosed with PD annually.
DEPRESSION, ANXIETY & PD "Anxiety is a common non-motor symptom of PD." What is interesting is the fact that anxiety is "part of the disease itself" a direct result of altered brain chemistry! While there are different forms of anxiety, they may be caused by psychological as well as biological factors, both of which are useful for Parkinson's to feed on and make us feel worse. But we PwP should guard against constant worry becoming a form of anxiety as our PD symptoms tend to get worse: I can attest to this!
Till next time, dear reader: be safe!
