Embryonic Stem Cells and My Faith

My mother had Parkinson's Disease (PD) for sixteen years. She died from PD in 2005, but she had slipped away from me in small increments for years. Her PD made me interested in the possibilities of stem cell research, especially embryonic stem cell research. As a Christian, I was also concerned about the ethics of embryonic stem cell research. After studying both the science and the ethical issues, I came to firmly support embryonic stem cell research.

First, I dealt with the science. Was the promise of embryonic stem cells real? Yes. Embryonic stem cells can become any cell in the body. If scientists could learn the secrets of embryonic stem cells, then any cell in the body could be replaced. If embryonic stem cells could be coaxed to become dopamine producing neurons, then Parkinson's disease could be treated. The potential was there. Only time and new research would prove the efficacy. Embryonic stem cell research also provided a way to gain insight into the cause of disease. How much better to prevent the disease from ever happening than to have to cure it.

Next, I dealt with the ethics of stem cell research. To date, the best way to get embryonic stem cells was to harvest them from a less than fourteen day old fertilized egg. This procedure destroyed the fertilized egg, so the question I had to face was whether I believed that a fertilized egg was a human being or, most importantly for me, had a soul. If the fertilized egg were a human being or had a soul, then, no matter the benefits, I could not support stem cell research.

I looked both to my faith and science for the answer. Psalm 39 says "He knit me together in my mother's womb." I understand that to mean that only in the womb does a fertilized egg become a human being and receive a soul. That was scant justification. The Bible also states that we are created in God's image. Scholars have interpreted this to mean that the image of God is our mind. There is no mind present in a fourteen day old embryo, no central nervous system, no brain. This helped, but did not decide the issue for me.

Science ultimately provided the key for me. We now know that fifty percent of all eggs fertilized naturally during a woman's lifetime do not implant. So, if a fertilized egg had a soul, God was letting half of all souls be wasted. I simply do not believe the God I know would act so capriciously. For me, the issue was decided. I could support embryonic stem cell research wholeheartedly.

I do not know when an embryo receives a soul. I know that it does not happen before it implants in the womb.

Parkinson's Disease:Failure to Initiate

I attended the monthly Parkinson's support group last Saturday (January 19, 2008). A neurologist spoke, so there was very good attendance. There were several new faces. I met with the caregiver's while the Parkinsonians exercised.

Parkinsonians tend to turn into the world's most accomplished couch potatoes. This fact was worried about by several different caregivers. Some said "I can't get my PDer to exercise." Others said, "He doesn't want to do anything, go anywhere." There was general consternation at this phenomenon.

What the caregivers did not realize was that lack of initiative is very much part of Parkinson's Disease. One of the symptoms of the disease is a failure to initiate. Parkinsonians have a difficulty beginning any task. The result is too often they just sit. Caregivers must help them get started, encourage them to move, and insist they engage in social activities. That is not easy.

I found that having a routine that included activities every day was very important during the sixteen years that I was my mother's caregiver. I was the first up every morning. I woke her at the same time each morning and dispensed her first medicine of the day: her levodopa/carbidopa and other Parkinson's meds. I made sure she was up and on her way to the bathroom before I went to prepare breakfast.

Midmorning, I checked my e-mail while she exercised in the same room. I could prompt her if she needed encouragement. Sometimes, I had to insist she leave the television and join me, so that she could exercise. She always came when I insisted. Early in her battle with Parkinson's she had become a conscientious exerciser with no prompting needed. She changed as the disease progressed.

Every Sunday we went to Sunday School and ate out. This was an important time for her. In a safe setting, she could socialize with people she had known for years. Eating out changed the monotony of my cooking. I purchased an adult bib at a local medical supply house which made eating out much more enjoyable because she did not have to worry about dropping food on her good clothes.

Everyone is different, but I encourage you to have a schedule, both daily and weekly. Stick to it as much as possible. Always remember to help your Parkinsonian begin any activity. Above all, join a support group.

Parkinson's Disease Revisited: This is a Downer.

I just finished reading an article on Parkinson's Disease(PD) entitled "Beating a Dead Horse." The author's focus was on the untreatable symptoms of PD. His premise is that the focus on dopamine replacement in PD and its success has obsured the true nature of PD as a progressive brain disease that begins in the brain stem.

If he is correct, and I believe he may be, then a cure for PD is much more complicated than replacement of the dopamine generating cells in the brain. His theory puts PD in the same category as Alzheimer's and other progressive brain diseases. His theory also explains the intractable symptoms of PD that develop after many years.

So a reality check. A break through in stem cell research will alleviate some of the symtoms of the disease, but will not stop its progression. What we need is an understanding of the cause and how the disease progresses. We are a long way from a cure. More research is imperative. Our government needs to focus on health not war.

What the Doctor Does Not Tell You About Parkinson's Disease

My mother had Parkinson's Disease (PD) for the last sixteen years of her life. During that time I tried to learn as much as I could about the disease. I am still active in the local support group.

If you or a loved one has had PD for any length of time, you already know the following, but if you are new to PD, this may help.

EXERCISE! EXERCISE! EXERCISE!

We've known that exercise was just as important as medication in the treatment of PD. Now, we know the earlier a Parkinsonian starts a program of regular exercise, the better the Parkinsonian does. Get your neurologist to prescribe physical therapy and demand that the therapist provide you with an exercise program you can do at home.

Go to a neurologist that sees lots of Parkinsonians. You may love your family physician or your internist, but PD is a complex disease, you must have a neurologist.

Watch out for constipation! The biggest muscle system you have is your digestive system. It slows down with PD. Blockages can kill. Tell your neurologist if you have constipation, then follow the doctor's advice. Mother started out with prune juice and Metamucil and ended taking Metamucil and Miralax daily. Eat a high fiber diet, if you can.

Watch out for respiratory infections. Parkinsonians take shallow breaths. As the disease progresses, any cold can turn into something life-threatening. See your family physician or internist when you catch a cold. Respiratory infections kill Parkinsonians.

A word for caregivers: a symptom of PD is a failure to initiate. This means Parkinsonians have a hard time beginning any task including exercise. You may have to help them get started.

Watch out for depression. Most Parkinsonians will experience depression that needs to be treated with medication. Tell your neurologist if you are feeling down.

For more information join a support group. Both the Parkinsonian and the caregiver need the help support groups provide.

Parkinson's Disease from a Caregiver's Perspective

I did not intend to blog about Parkinson's disease (PD) , but I know that a former caregiver's viewpoint can be helpful. My mother had PD for sixteen years and I was her primary caregiver. She developed a tremor in her right hand that led to the diagnosis, but a year before that she had an impaction in her colon that was treated by a colon, rectal specialist. I believe that was her first symptom of PD because PD affects the involuntary muscles, the ones that move without us thinking about it. Involuntary muscles run the digestive system and are greatly affected by PD. The muscles slow and a PD sufferer becomes constipated. As the disease progresses such slowdowns can be life threatening. In the first years of my mother's disease, we fought constipation with prune juice and Metamucil and a high fiber diet. Eventually, my mother progressed to Miralax and Metamucil every morning. Every person with PD and their caregiver must be aware of the dangers of constipation and take an active role in combating it.

As I said, we ate a high fiber diet. One of the things that meant was no white bread. We always had a hearty dark bread to eat. The consequence was that when my mother and I went somewhere to eat barbecue (in Texas its always served with white bread) she was like a kid in a candy store. She would eat her bread and mine. I often wondered what people who did not know our situation thought of this little old lady so happy to have white bread.

Parkinson's Disease Support Group

This is the third Saturday of the month, so there is a Parkinson's disease (PD) support group meeting. I do not have PD, but I am in charge of programs this year and must attend. I think I may have reached my limit as to PD, but I will finish out this year. I was a caregiver for 16 years. PD is bad, the whole family suffers. This support group kept us going for all those years. I give talks on PD around the city and meet too many people in the beginning stages. I wonder how they feel after I finish my talk. Do I take away hope?