Seminar shares latest breakthroughs in fight against Parkinson's
By Angela Randazzo Special to the Acorn

The goal of the informational seminar on Parkinson's disease at the Simi Valley Senior Center on Saturday was to give the more than 50 in attendance additional knowledge about the disease, practical suggestions for living with it and a measure of hope.

Susan Kline, communications coordinator for the California Neuroscience Institute of St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, the event's sponsor, welcomed an audience that included a group of Parkinson's patients and their caregivers.

"We are here to help you find resources and bring a message of realistic hope," Kline announced.

The seminar's keynote speaker, movement disorder specialist Dr. Robert Hutchman, shared the latest strategies for controlling the progression of the debilitating disease that, according to estimates by the National Parkinson's Foundation, affects 1.5 million Americans.

Parkinson's is a slowly progressing and degenerative disease usually associated with tremor or trembling of the arms, jaw, legs and face; stiffness or rigidity of the limbs and trunk; bradykinesia, or slowness of movement; and postural instability, or impaired balance and coordination.

"Parkinson's is caused by the loss of dopamineproducing neutrons deep in the brain stem in an area we call the midbrain," Hutchman said. "(There are) a cornucopia of symptoms that can vary from patient to patient."

Hutchman, a native of Belfast, Ireland, came to the United States in 1972 and earned degrees from Wayne State University in Michigan and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

His practice, the Hazel Hutchman Memorial Neuroscience Center in Reseda, specializes in the treatment and research of the disease.

"Parkinson's is a multifaceted disorder . . . we're not entirely sure yet what is the biggest contributor," Hutchman said. "We do know there are several contributors- genetic mutation, environmental toxins, traumatic injuries or infections to the brain."

Many of those in attendance Saturday knew all too well the devastating effects of Parkinson's.

"My husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's about a year ago," said Jean Rom, a Camarillo resident who attended the event with her 77-year-old husband. "We go to a lot of seminars and meetings to get all the information we can."

"It's (Parkinson's) slowed me down a little," Joe Rom said.

The disease has been brought into the public spotlight by actor Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's and, like so many others, hopes a cure is on the way.

During the seminar, Hutchman outlined the variety of drugs on the market to control the effects of the disease.

The drug Sinemet, he said, used in combination with newer drugs to optimize treatment, is still the gold standard for treating motor-skill symptoms.

Hutchman said patients in his practice who worked in mines, foundries, chemical factories and welding shops and war veterans exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam now have Parkinson's.

"We suspect these patients have developed the disease due to environmental toxins, accelerating the normal progress of dopamine neutrons and causing the cells to die quicker than they normally would," said Hutchman.

While drugs target symptoms from tremors to sleep disorders to hallucinations, Hutchman said the patient can also do things to combat the disease.

"If your speech is slurred, then practice talking loud and clear, slowly enunciating every word instead of mumbling or speaking in a hushed voice," he said.

Hutchman encouraged patients to take control of their disease.

"Don't let Parkinson's rule your life," Hutchman said. "You have to stay physically, mentally and spiritually active. Use it or lose it."