Wellnews by Scott LaFee

Too often, Parkinson's disease, a degenerative age-related neurological ailment without cure, is diagnosed well after irreparable damage has been done. But that may soon change. Researchers at the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine say gait — the manner in which people walk — could be an early marker for the disease.

"The disease is currently diagnosed by tremors at rest and stiffness in the body and limbs," said Xuemei Huang, an associate professor of neurology at Penn State University. "By the time we diagnose the disease, about 50 to 80 percent of the critical cells called dopamine neurons are already dead."

Huang and colleagues say clinical observations of Parkinson's patients suggest their arm swing is asymmetrical: One arm swings much less than the other as they walk. The researchers hypothesize that it may be possible to accurately measure arm swing and develop guidelines that could point to the early onset of Parkinson's before other symptoms appear.

"There are wide-scale efforts to find drugs that slow cell death," said Huang. "When they are found, they could be used in conjunction with this technique to arrest or perhaps cure the disease because they could be given before great damage has occurred."

BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

According to "The Odd Brain" by Stephen Juan, hospitalized mental patients rarely complain of headaches.

STORIES FOR THE WAITING ROOM

In the 1700s, it was believed that one way to cure a headache was to tie a piece of hangman's rope around the skull.

Fortunately (or not, depending upon one's point of view), public hangings were quite common then and there was an abundance of product, which tended to provide hangmen with a good second income.

PHOBIA OF THE WEEK

Homichlophobia — fear of fog

DOC TALK

ART — Approaching Room Temperature. In other words, dead.

MEDTRONICA

Running Planet

runningplanet.com

If your New Year's resolutions include getting out and pounding the pavement, here's a good starting line. There are multiple how-to guides, from casual running schedules to preparing for a marathon. You can also read articles about running or chat with fellow folks-on-the-move. This is a commercial site so, naturally, there are plentiful links to purchasing running gear, coaching services and the like.

BEST MEDICINE

Completing an annual physical, a doctor asked his patient if he had any questions or concerns.

"Well," said the man, "I'm thinking about getting a vasectomy."

"That's a pretty big decision," replied the doctor. "Have you talked it over with your family?"

"Yeah. They're in favor 15 to 2."

OBSERVATION

No matter how rich you become, how famous or powerful, when you die the size of your funeral will still pretty much depend on the weather.

— Humorist Michael Pritchard

LAST WORDS

Too late for fruit, too soon for flowers.

— English poet and writer Walter de la Mare (1873-1956)

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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