Health Notes, April 6th 2008, by Sarah Stacey

Painting with Parkinsons

In January 2005, artist Kathy Lewis, then 51, found she had difficulty holding her sketch book while she painted her tiny meticulous pictures.   ‘My left hand had developed a tremor. I’d had a twitch in my left foot before and odd aches and pains for about ten years but this was new.’  Her GP told her that, on the basis of clinical observation, it could be Parkinson’s Disease or multiple sclerosis – ‘but he didn’t think it was a brain tumour…’. 

Over the next few months, Kathy went through a battery of tests including an MRI scan, which gradually eliminated the options.  In the autumn, she was told she had a very mild, early stage form of Parkinson’s disease.  Her reaction was ambivalent.  ‘I felt relief they knew what was wrong with me – and that it wasn’t more serious and urgent.  But at the same time, my world changed – the wheels fell off.  I wondered how on earth I would manage,’ she remembers.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition that mainly affects movements.  A tremor, usually beginning in one hand, is the first symptom for 70 per cent of people.  Slowness of movement (bradykinesia)  and stiff or rigid muscles are also common.  Other symptoms include sleep disturbance, depression, constipation and urinary urgency. 

The condition is due to the loss of nerve cells that produce a chemical called dopamine which helps send messages from the brain to coordinate movement. It’s not known why this happens though some people may inherit a genetic susceptibility to develop it.  According to the Parkinson’s Disease Society, there’s some evidence that high exposure to environmental toxins, including certain pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers, may be involved.  The risk increases with age, with symptoms often appearing after 50 although ‘young-onset Parkinson’s’ may occur before 40.  Very rarely, ‘juvenile Parkinson’s’ is diagnosed in patients under 18.

After her diagnosis, it took Kathy time ‘to get used to the idea that I was not invincible’.  But she refuses to let it take over her life:  ‘It’s an ongoing challenge but I won’t let it define me.’  So far, only her left side is affected significantly: ‘the tremor is more noticeable when I’m anxious or excited and my left foot wobbles more.  My right ‘painting’ hand doesn’t wobble at all… yet.’  Coordinating two activities at once, such as writing while holding the phone, is an ongoing difficulty.  But if – or when – the wobbles affect her work, she has a cunning plan:  ‘I could change to painting big bright pictures, standing up and using an easel.  And if I can’t use my hands, I shall take up singing!’

Kathy, who has just started taking low dose medication to increase the level of dopamine in her brain, eats well and exercises daily - walking, swimming, doing yoga and pilates.  According to scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, regular exercise may prove one of the most fruitful therapies for Parkinson’s patients.  Drugs have been ‘somewhat disappointing to prevent disability related to walking and balance’, says Lisa Shulman, associate professor of neurology, but preliminary research suggests that specific exercise routines may actually be able to retrain the brain, giving physical and emotional improvements.

Meeting others with Parkinson’s is very important to Kathy, who lives on her own: ‘I‘ve met such lovely people through the Parkinsons Disease Society: it’s such a huge support.  It’s comforting to compare notes with people who understand.’

For more information, Parkinson’s Disease Society, freephone helpline 0808 800 0303, www.parkinsons.org.uk. To see Kathy’s work, www.kathylewis.co.uk

Extra vitamin C can halve your risk of stroke

Research shows that people with high blood levels of vitamin C nearly halve their risk of a stroke.  As well as eating lots of fruit and veg, pharmacist Shabir Daya recommends supplementing with Unique C by Food Science of Vermont, which gives 1000mg of non-acidic vitamin C (so it doesn’t upset the stomach) plus minerals and bioflavonoids.  £14.95 for 90 tablets (three months supply).  Click here.

Wonder shampoo for babies

Daniel Galvin Junior’s Organic Baby HairJuice Cucumber & Melon Shampoo (£3.49 for 125ml from Waitrose and Tesco) is ‘fantastic’, according to a reader whose baby Ava, 16 months, has very sensitive skin with eczema on her body.  ‘Her skin flares up if I use any other shampoo.  It’s wonderjuice!’ 

Book of the Week:  Who’s That Woman in the Mirror?

This Q&A format book for babyboomers by life coach Keren Smedley gives genuinely helpful advice on issues affecting the post 50s generation, from sex and money to looking and feeling good. To order a copy for £7.59 from Amazon, just click here.