Parkinson's: Wrong Diagnosis!

PHOENIX, AZ   (American Health Newswire) -- This year, tens of thousands of Americans will face a devastating diagnosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, or dementia. But doctors now say sometimes when people think they have one of these debilitating diseases; their brains are really saying they have something else -- a neurological disease that affects one in every 200 adults over age 65.

"I couldn't walk properly, I couldn't keep my balance." Ramona luckman, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's, told American Health. "You start to feel like your feet are attached to the floor, and you can't pick your feet up. I couldn't get my words out."

In 2007, a doctor told 69-year-old Ramona Luckman her symptoms added up to one thing -- Parkinson's.

"That just threw me for a loop, and I started to cry," Ramona said.

But two agonizing years later, CT scans confirmed Ramona didn't have Parkinson's at all. It was NPH -- normal pressure hydrocephalus. NPH is a buildup of cerebral spinal fluid that enlarges the ventricles -- those black spaces you see in the brain.

"They believe that the symptoms are a result of the expansion of these fluid-filled spaces," Joseph Zabramski, M.D., neurological surgeon at Barrow Neurological Institute explained.

Although symptoms of NPH can mimic Parkinson's, dementia or even Alzheimer's, treatment for this neurological disorder is very different. A programmable shunt was placed in Ramona's brain. It drains about a cup of fluid a day through a long tube into her abdomen.

"What happens is when you start to drain the fluid, the patient's

symptoms dramatically resolve," Dr. Zabramski said.

It worked," Ramona said. "I feel that I've got about 85 to 90 percent of my abilities back."

Now, with a steady hand and an eye for every detail, Ramona is healthy, happy and back in control.

More than 750 thousand Americans may be living with NPH with many of those unaware they are affected. Studies have shown about five percent of dementia is actually caused by NPH -- not Alzheimer's. Although NPH can occur at any age, it's most commonly seen in adults over age 60. 

Fish Oil for Maintaining Weight and Muscle Mass

(American Health Newswire) - A new study has revealed that including fish oil in the diet may be the key in maintaining weight and muscle mass for chemotherapy patients. Cancer, a peer - reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, published a study explaining how the omega - 3 fatty acids in fish oil may help fight against malnutrition related to lung cancer.

Dr. Vera Mazurak, PhD, of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, along with her team of researchers, tested their theory on non-small cell lung cancer patients by measuring the weight loss and muscle mass in those receiving fish oil against those who received standard care.  

The trial lasted about 10 weeks, and involved 16 patients who received fish oil (2.2 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid/day), and 24 patients who did not. The weight of all patients was recorded at the beginning of the study, and throughout their chemotherapy. Blood was also collected for measuring eicosapentaenoic acid concentration.

Results showed sixty-nine percent of patients who received the fish oil maintained their weight and muscle mass, and those with the largest increase in eicosapentaenoic acid in their blood had gained more muscle. In comparison, only twenty-nine percent of those receiving standard care maintained their weight and muscle mass.

According to Dr. Mazurak "Fish oil may prevent loss of weight and muscle by interfering with some of the pathways that are altered in advanced cancer. This holds great promise because currently there is no effective treatment for cancer-related malnutrition". Dr. Mazurak also notes that fish oil is safe, non-toxic and comes with virtually no side effects.

The authors of  Cancer concluded that receiving two grams of fish oil per day holds a greater advantage in maintaining muscle mass and weight during chemotherapy, when compared to only receiving standard care. The study also found that fish oil may be beneficial for other forms of cancer, diseases, and the elderly at risk for muscle loss.

SOURCE: Cancer, published online February 28, 2011