Healthsifter by mary desmond pinkowish, since 2003

Violent Dreams May Predict Onset of Parkinson's, Other Neuro Diseases

As you recall from high school biology, you're paralyzed while you dream so you don't actually hurt yourself or someone else while you dream of catching the big one or smashing the office copy machine, a la Office Space (see Inception for more). But neurologists are learning more about a condition they call REM sleep behavior disorder, in which the paralysis normally experienced during REM sleep is lost and people actually move around violently. The disorder occurs more often in men, and they've been known to hurt themselves--as well as anyone they happen to be in bed with. Odd, yes. But the real problem is that REM sleep behavior disorder behavior seems to predict the onset of diseases including Parkinson's and Lewy Body dementia by years. In some studies, 80% to 100% of people with REM sleep behavior disorder eventually develop one of these illnesses. Read more about this in Wired Science today, where they includes some interviews with scientists who study the disorder.

Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Parkinson's Disease

Evidence is growing that vitamin D has a health impact that extends beyond its essential role in bone formation. e! Science News reports on data from a Finnish study of 3,000 people. This is interesting because humans get some vitamin D as a result of sun exposure, and Finns probably get less sun than any other group in the world. Anyway, compared to people with the highest blood levels of vitamin D, those with the lowest levels had triple the risk of Parkinson's.  

Eat more fish and more fortified cereals and milk to get enough D. But no megadoses of the stuff. 

Need more information? Here's the abstract of the article as it appears in the current issue of Archives of Neurology.

Vitamin D and Parkinson's Disease

Speaking of vitamin D, a study just published in the Archives of Neurology suggests that low vitamin D levels are more common in people with Parkinson's disease than in those with Alzheimer's disease or in healthy people of a similar age. This suggests that low vitamin D levels may play a role in the development of Parkinson's or that Parkinson's depletes vitamin D. It's just preliminary, but it's interesting in light of other recent news about vitamin D.

Online Parkinson's Community

If you have an interest in Parkinson's disease, visit this online community for patients at PatientsLikeMe.
They also have communities for people with mood problems, HIV infection, ALS, and MS.  The information they compile from their members seems well-organized and useful.

The Genetic Basis of Parkinson's Disease

ScienceDaily has published an excellent summary of the newest information about the genetic basis of Parkinson's disease. Quoting here, the article explains that the most recent studies, conducted in different populations around the world, indicate that

"Parkinson's disease is largely caused by inherited genetic mutations that pass through scores of related generations over hundreds, if not thousands of years. These genetic influences, which can be small but additive, or large and causative, overturn common beliefs that the neurodegenerative disease mostly occurs in a random fashion or is due to undetermined environmental factors."

What do these findings mean for people who are already sick with Parkinson's or who have a family history of the disease? Not clear at all. You should understand that these scientists are talking about increased risk for the disease, not the inevitability of developing the disorder. It's interesting that one of them is quoting as saying that no known environmental factor is as influential as these genes are. No doubt they have lots more to learn, though.
Parkinson's Disease Foundation
National Parkinson Foundation
MedlinePlus