A cure at last!

Free at last, free at last! The liberating words of Martin Luther King immediately came to mind the moment I read the news! The headline jumped off the page.

“Doctors find cure for Parkinson’s…”

I know that I personally have been waiting almost 20 years for this news. Some of my friends even longer. And newly-diagnosed PwP (People with Parkinson’s) may be buoyed by such an extraordinary announcement.

So what new development can we credit for this astounding news?  Could it be successful stem cell implants?    The identification of a long-suspected pesticide that has been killing our brains? A simple dietary modification? Or perhaps a one-pill miracle drug that has been in development for years?

No, it’s simpler than all of that. Here it is my friends.

Now, lest you think this is some malarkey being sprung across us, you might want to check on the details of the article and the source. You can find it here .

While doubt may be attributed to an Irish press championing an Irish cultural tradition, the authors can indeed be venerated. It was actually an Italian study, with Italian participants. Yes, they were doing Irish dancing but the Italians who were deemed “cured” of their PD, were clearly not doing some other form of dance – not ballet,  not jazz, not “club”, nor any other form of cultural or heritage dancing. They were doing Irish dancing.

Sadly, not everyone in  this study was cured of their PD. The control group ( 12 people) received only physiotherapy and no one was apparently cured.  I sincerely hope these 12 are given the opportunity to take Irish dancing classes themselves in the near future or, at the very least, explore their own cultural history of Irish dancing. This ancient rarely-seen reel shows the real roots of the Irish reel in their homeland.

Lest you get  the impression that I am in any way disparaging dance as a prescription for PD, please understand, I am not. I have written in past postings about the benefits of  dancing for PwP (see Tiny Dancer ).  I have supported organizations such as Dancing with Parkinson’s, and know many people who continue to reap the benefits of dance. I personally do not know anyone who has been cured of their PD through dance (though I do not know any Italians who have a background in Irish dancing).

What I do know is that the internet brings me almost weekly news about a “cure” for Parkinsons. Foundations raise millions in a quest for a cure. It’s understandable that PwP would have a hunger for news of a cure. Yet, it seems to me, that a cure is not in the cards for the foreseeable future. I think Parkinsons UK is closer to the mark when they say, in response to the question “When will there be a cure for Parkinson’s”,  answers as follows:

We believe that a cure would mean that people could live entirely free from the condition. But because Parkinson’s varies so much from person to person, there may not be a single ‘cure’.

Instead we may need a range of different therapies that can be used in combination to meet the needs of the individual and their specific form of the condition.This mix may include treatments, therapies and strategies that mean we can:

• slow or stop the progression of the condition
• replace or repair lost or damaged brain cells
• control and manage particular symptoms
• diagnose Parkinson’s at the earliest possible stage.

This could involve both medical treatments such as drugs and surgical approaches, coupled with lifestyle changes, for example to diet and exercise.

Not quite as simple nor nearly as encouraging as the Irish dance but probably more on the mark. Unless your Italian, than I say “Andiamo! Riverdance!”.