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HAPS Happenings
HOUSTON AREA PARKINSON SOCIETY
1475 W. GRAY, SUITE 175 HOUSTON, TX 77019 (713) 626-7114 FAX (713)
942-7349
February 1999 VOL.XXV, NO.2
Living With Horses
By Jerry Finch
The internet has much to offer for those needing
information about just about anything including PD. Some of the sites are strictly
technical, while others give personal glimpses into the lives of people dealing with
Parkinson’s. While searching for information to answer a question posed by a member,
I found a great site with personal stories by a number of people with Parkinson’s
telling how the disease has affected their lives and how they have adapted to the changes
it has caused.
The owner of the site (http://www.newcountry.nu/) is Jerry Finch who,
after being forced by his PD to retire, has started a not for profit organization (http://habitatforhorses.org)
to rescue abused and neglected horses and, among other things, rehabilitate them to
provide therapy (Hippotherapy) for physically and mentally handicapped children and
adults. This is his story.
I wasn’t born on a horse
but whenever I questioned my father about it, he’d just wink at my mother and make a
comment that I might have been conceived on one. I was riding when I was three, started
working as a wrangler at age ten and left my first horse for the big world when I joined
the Navy. It took thirty years but I came back to my roots after two of my daughters grew
up and the third, Cathi, turned 13 and started pleading for a horse of her own.
It happened at a time when I
started having serious medical problems* which, combined with a high pressure job led my
doctor to tell me that it was time to change my lifestyle or die. My wife has a way with
logic. Although I loved my job, she told me there was no way I would be allowed to die and
leave her with a teenage, horse-loving daughter. Considering the alternatives, we packed
up and moved to the country.
My new home is fifty acres in
Southeast Texas, just a few miles from the most horse-centered town in my part of the
country. It has a two acre lake, flooded over with starving bass, ten acres of woods with
the rest in pasture, and a little bitty farmhouse. Within months we built a barn, ran
fencing all over the place, and watched the population of Cowville grow from three humans
to over a hundred assorted horses, cows, pigs, goats, chickens and ducks.
Most of the animals are gone
now because my daughter grew up and my health became too bad to continue. Cowville is down
to three horses, all of them retired, two dogs, my wife and I. Every morning you’ll
find me right here in Cowville, watching Jake chase ducks, fixing fences or riding Scout
bareback along endless trials.
This is where my heart is,
this is my home. All that I have been comes down to this point, this small section of
land. And I have never been more at peace.
This is where the cowboy rides
away…..
* Serious Medical Problems
Refers to Parkinson’s
disease, a neurological problem which Ali, Billy Graham, the Pope and I share with about a
million other souls. Other than constant hand tremors, severe leg cramps, a stumbling walk
and endless nights without sleep, I hardly notice it
"Ask Dr. Jankovic"
Director, Parkinson's Disease Center and
Movement Disorders Clinic,
Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine
Q: Can strokes cause Parkinson's disease?
A: Parkinson's disease (PD) is only one, albeit the most
common, cause of parkinsonian symptoms (tremor, slowness, muscle stiffness, loss of
balance) Parkinsonism, however, may be due to other causes besides PD. One of the most
common causes of parkinsonism, particularly in the elderly, is one or multiple strokes.
These strokes may be relatively mild and without symptoms, and may, therefore, not even be
apparent to the patient. In addition to the obvious risk factors, such as high blood
pressure and diabetes, there are several clinical and radiographic (CT or MRI) features
that suggest the diagnosis of vascular parkinsonism (VP). To seek evidence for or against
the role of cerebrovascular disease in parkinsonism, and to identify clinical features
that suggest vascular etiology, we conducted a careful chart review of patients evaluated
at the Parkinson's Disease Center
and Movement Disorders Clinic, Baylor College of
Medicine, who presented to us with symptoms of PD, and were thus diagnosed as having
parkinsonism. The findings of this study were just published in the January 1999 issue of
the Archives of Neurology. We used a vascular rating scale to identify two patient groups,
one with strong evidence of cerebrovascular disease (VP), and one with typical
(idiopathic) PD. Clinical features of parkinsonism were then compared between the two
patient groups. Three hundred and forty-six (346) patients, 69 with VP and 277 with PD. We
found that the VP and PD groups were clearly differentiated by clinical manifestations and
by evidence of cerebrovascular disease. Although one-quarter of our patients had onset of
parkinsonism within one month of clinical stroke, the vast majority could not recall any
symptoms that would suggest a stroke. Patients with VP were older, more likely to present
with gait difficulty rather than tremor, and were less likely to respond to levodopa
(Sinemet) as compared to patients with PD. VP patients were also significantly more likely
to have predominant lower body (leg) involvement, postural instability and a history of
falling, urinary incontinence, memory problems (dementia) and mood fluctuations. These
clinical findings correlated well with evidence of large or multiple small strokes
(lacunes) on imaging studies such as MRI and CT scans of the head. It is not known how
often cerebrovascular disease causes parkinsonism, but it may account for more than to 10%
of all cases of parkinsonism over the age 60.
The significance of our findings is that the diagnosis of VP should be
considered in all patients who present with atypical features, such as "lower body
parkinsonism" (a term first used by us in a report a 1989 article) without tremor,
particularly in a setting of high blood pressure, diabetes, and a history of heart disease
and smoking. In addition to controlling these stroke risk factors, the physician may
recommend the use of certain blood thinners (such as aspirin) to minimize the risk of
recurrent strokes. Although compared to those with typical PD, patients with VP do not
generally respond to anti-parkinsonian medications, levodopa (Sinemet) is still the most
effective symptomatic treatment.
Joseph Jankovic, M.D.
Baylor College of Medicine
Department of Neurology
Tel: 713-798-5998
josephj@bcm.tmc.edu
College Station Opens New Information & Referral
Center
A new APDA Information and Referral center
opened in College Station recently. The Caring, Sharing and Comparing Support Group of
Bryan-College Station, over 50 strong, felt that there was a need for such a center in the
area and, with APDA, founded the center at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Dr. R. Malcolm Stewart, director of the
Fogelson Neuroscience Center and Medical Director for the I&R Center at Presbyterian
Hospital in Dallas will be co-medical director of the site with Dr. Timothy Roe who is the
head of the Regional Rehabilitation Program at St. Joseph’s.
For more information, call support group
founder Bill Erwin at 409-696-6966.
Latest News!
1. A study by Dr. Caroline Tanner and her
colleagues at the Parkinson’s Institute in Sunnyvale, California has shown that
Parkinson’s disease in patients diagnosed after the age of 50 is not caused by a
defective gene. Instead they suggest that research should focus on environmental causes
such as chemicals used in pesticides.
The group studied over 19,000 male twins
and found 193 confirmed cases of PD. Of those diagnosed over the age of 50, the likelihood
that the twin would develop the disease as well was no greater than that for the general
population. This held true whether the twins were identical or fraternal. If the disease
were genetic in origin the identical twins, who share all genes, would be expected to both
develop PD.
In the case of younger patients, a fairly
small number – under 10% - whose PD begins before 50 genetics is a factor and the
gene has been identified for some time.
According to Dr. Michael D. Wlaker of the
National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, this is a landmark study providing
extremely important information.
2. One of a number of possible new
treatments for PD involves transplanting cells of pig or rat testicles directly into the
brains of Parkinson’s patients. These cells have a way of protecting themselves from
rejection by providing an immunological barrier. They secrete a substance which causes
white cells that attack them to die.
The cells, called sertoli cells, have a
normal role of nourishing developing sperm. Dr. Paul Sanberg, of the University of South
Florida, says that this role involves secreting growth factors which are similar to those
made in the brain.
Dr. Sanberg believes that first clinical
trials of this therapy in PD are at least two years away. But he reports that another
team, in San Francisco, has started using another type of testicular tissue to treat
stroke patients.
There is hope in all of this. The
more they learn the closer a cure becomes!
Sharing the Wealth
The three public service announcements
produced by McCann Erickson for the Parkinson Coalition of Houston have been so successful
that several other cities have asked to have them changed for use in their areas. So far
they have been adapted for The Parkinson’s Institute in California, WILL COPE of
Oregon, the Central Ohio Parkinson Society in Columbus and DAPS of Dallas.
Since they began running on nine local
television stations the number of calls from families who did not know that free services
were available has grown steadily. They have been so effective that McCann Erickson has
entered them in several national advertising competitions. We wish them the best of luck!
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February 22, 1999 11:47 AM 