An on-line training module for GP’s and healthcare professionals to increase awareness of Parkinson’s disease, has attracted over 3,000 participants from as far away as New Zealand.

Parkinsons’ Disease Society’s (PDS) 2007 membership survey showed that 50% of people with Parkinson’s believed there was a lack of understanding from GP’s and professionals about how to spot and treat the condition.

As a result the PDS commissioned BMJ Learning to produce an on-line module to help users increase their knowledge and skills in how to care for patients, and how to increase knowledge and skills to assess and refer people with suspected Parkinson’s Disease.

Daiga Heisters, PDS National Education Adviser, comments:

“We were delighted with the response to the training. The target of 400 participants to complete the module in the first 6 months was exceeded with over 3,000 completing in the first 5 months. This reflects the interest health care professionals have in increasing their knowledge on the management of Parkinson’s and the effectiveness of BMJ Learning’s marketing campaign”.

Alveena Igbal, from Derby City PCT who took the course, said:

“As our elderly population increases so does the challenge to deal with chronic disabling conditions like Parkinsonism. In this context I have found the BMJ Learning module very useful.”
(more…)

By Kimberlee Roth
Special to the Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com

Christina Hart, 51, of Chicago was not happy when her doctor recommended drugs to lower her cholesterol and blood pressure. With serious concerns about side effects, “I did not want to go that route,” she said.

At the suggestion of a relative, Hart sought care from Michelle Brannick, a chiropractor and naturopath in Riverside. Naturopathy relies on natural therapies such as acupuncture, massage, nutrition, homeopathy and lifestyle counseling to help the body heal and stay well.

Hart’s treatment plan included changes in her eating habits, exercise and nutritional supplements. Within three months her “scary blood pressure” of 210/190 was down to safer levels. “I feel great, terrific. … It’s a huge thing to know that your body can take care of itself for you if you know what to do for it.”

Hart, however, was “shocked” to find out that naturopathic doctors such as Brannick aren’t licensed by the State of Illinois. “For all the good they do, they should be,” she said.

The Illinois Association of Naturopathic Physicians, a state affiliate of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, with about 20 active members, including Brannick, agrees that Illinois should license and regulate naturopathy, just as it does conventional medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic, pharmacy and many other professions. Fourteen other states license naturopathic doctors. (more…)

By WILLIAM HATHAWAY, Courant Staff Writer
http://www.courant.com

Connecticut handed out $20 million to scientists working on groundbreaking research into the use of embryonic stem cells Tuesday, becoming among the first states in the nation to step into a role the federal government has refused to take on.

Exploring how to regenerate muscle or bone destroyed during warfare and understanding how brain cells go bad were among the 21 projects selected by the state’s stem cell research advisory committee, which was charged with dispersing the first installment of the state’s 10-year, $100 million commitment to stem cell research.

Faced with federal restrictions on the use of embryonic stem cells, Connecticut, California, New Jersey, Maryland and Illinois have all responded by agreeing to fund stem cell research on their own. Tuesday’s grants were among the largest awards to be dispensed by a state so far.

Scientists believe stem cells hold keys to treatments for a host of diseases, but some critics argue that research using embryonic cells – which are obtained by destroying the developing embryo – should be banned or severely restricted.

“Without hope, there is no quality of life,” said board member Robert Mandelkern, a committee member and state coordinator of the Parkinson’s Action Network. “This committee has given people hope.” (more…)

BY LINDSEY TANNER
http://www.suntimes.com

In a small study with big implications, researchers found some of the strongest evidence yet that sudden infant death syndrome may be caused by brain stem abnormalities.

The finding “takes the mystery away from SIDS,” said Marian Willinger of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which funded the study. “It should take the guilt away from any parent who has lost a baby because they always wonder, ‘What did I do wrong?’ Now, they need to really understand, ‘My baby had a disease.”’

The brain stem abnormalities involve an imbalance in the way the brain uses serotonin, a chemical that influences breathing, body temperature and arousal from sleep. These functions are thought to go haywire when susceptible babies are exposed to certain risks, such as sleeping on their bellies. (more…)

Forbes.com

(HealthDay News) — A new U.S. study finds that marijuana may help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, while a second report suggests the “club drug” Ecstasy could yield insights into Parkinson’s disease.

Both findings were presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, in Atlanta.

In the first presentation, researchers from Ohio State University in Columbus found that marijuana may contain compounds that can slow memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

In their study involving rats, a team led by psychology professor Gary Wenk searched for ways to reduce Alzheimer’s-linked brain inflammation.

Wenk was already familiar with data that found that long-term marijuana users had lower rates of Alzheimer’s disease than the general population. His team sought to find a compound that might reduce disease-linked brain inflammation but avoid the drug’s psychoactive effects.

“We are using a component of marijuana that stimulates the same centers in the brain that marijuana does,” Wenk said. The synthetic compound, which is very similar in composition to marijuana, is called WIN-55212-2 (WIN).

Experiments conducted on young and old rats revealed that WIN is “a very effective anti-inflammatory, it reduces brain inflammation,” Wenk said. (more…)