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New invention that alleviates Parkinson’s disease symptom without medication hits the market. Neurologists who treat Parkinson’s are elated with results of the NextStep®. The device allows “freezing” victims to walk again.
Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) -- Mike Tucker is a big guy who loves protecting others. At the 1996 Olympics, he was a bodyguard for Michael Jordan, Mary Lou Retton and Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf.
"I was a police officer, in the gym six days a week, rode a bike 40 miles on the weekend, and I could bench press 350 pounds," said Tucker.
But not anymore. While working at the Olympics, Tucker realized something was wrong.
"I noticed when I was there, my left side got a lot weaker," he said.
At 40, Tucker developed Parkinson’s disease -- a disease that would slowly kill his muscles.
"Every day, you get worse than the day before," he said.
He was forced to retire and now works in his wood shop. Tucker was doing OK until one day he and his family went out for lunch.
"My legs wouldn’t take me where I wanted them to, and I was leaning on the chairs and watching my family sit there and watch me," said Tucker. "It was pretty heartwrenching to see them watch me try to get to the table. I was determined at that point I was going to do something about that."
That something was his patented invention called the Next Step (www.icanstep.com). He took a cane and added a small lever that flips out to the side when the cane is pressed down and falls back into place when the pressure is released, allowing the eyes to trick the brain.
"I’m not able to move hardly at all," said Tucker. "But if I use this cane and I have an obstacle, I can step over it and get the next foot up there."
Now at age 50, Tucker’s hands and legs still quiver, but he is able to walk -- all because he refused to give up.
"The cane really is like a miracle for me," he said.
Before Parkinson’s, Tucker spent his adult life helping people. He hopes his invention will allow him to again help others. For more information about Next Step, call (888) 344-7687 or www.icanstep.com.
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Gene Abnormality Tied to Getting Parkinson’s Disease at a Younger Age
ST. PAUL, Minn. - People with a certain gene mutation are more likely to get Parkinson’s disease before the age of 50 compared to those without the gene abnormality, according to a study published in the September 18, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
For the study, researchers analyzed the genes of 278 people with Parkinson’s disease and 179 people without the disease.
The study found 14 percent of the people with Parkinson’s disease carried mutations in the glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene compared to only five percent of people without the disease. The gene abnormality was found in 22 percent of people who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease before age 50 compared to 10 percent of the people with disease onset after age 50. Mutations in the GBA gene cause Gaucher's disease, which is a rare disorder that prevents organs, such as the spleen and brain, from working properly due to the build-up of a fatty substance called glucocerebroside.
“Our results confirm that GBA mutations are risk factors for Parkinson’s disease and may lead to getting the disease at a younger age,” said study author Lorraine N. Clark, PhD, and coauthor Karen Marder, MD, MPH, with Columbia University’s Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, and Departments of Pathology and Neurology, in New York. “We found those people with GBA mutations developed Parkinson’s disease nearly two years earlier than people without the gene abnormality.”
The study also looked at how Jewish ancestry affected the likelihood of getting Parkinson’s disease at an earlier age since some studies have found people with Jewish ancestry are more likely to have GBA mutations.
Of those with Parkinson’s disease, researchers found the gene abnormality in 17 percent of the participants with Jewish ancestry compared to only eight percent of those without Jewish ancestry, suggesting that it may be an important risk factor in people with Jewish ancestry.
The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 20,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit www.aan.com. |
