The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), a professional association of attorneys dedicated to improving the quality of legal services provided to older Americans and individuals with special needs, established May as National Elder Law Month as a way to educate people with disabilities, seniors and their families about their legal options in dealing with long-term and health care planning, Medicaid, Medicare, elder abuse, fraud, estate planning, and other important issues.

In November, Jo Rosen, President and Founder of Parkinson’s Resource Organization was awarded NAELA’s National Elder Leadership Award recognizing her selfless leadership to help people with Parkinson’s and their families gain understanding of the legal issues and benefits available when dealing with a chronic illness like Parkinson’s. According to Ms. Rosen, “It is crucial to assist people with Parkinson’s and their families in finding legal services and resources to improve their quality of life.”

What is Elder and Special Needs Law? Elder and Special Needs Law are specialized areas of law that involve representing, counseling, and assisting people with disabilities, seniors, and their families in connection with a variety of legal issues, from estate planning to long term care issues, with a primary emphasis on promoting the highest quality of life for the individuals. Typically, Elder and Special Needs Law attorneys address the client’s perspective from a holistic viewpoint by addressing legal, medical, financial, social and family issues.

What Are the Issues Addressed By Elder and Special Needs Law Attorneys? Elder and Special Needs Law attorneys advise clients about what they should consider with regard to retirement income, long-term care, lifestyle and housing needs, and preferences. In addition, wills, living wills, durable powers of attorney for property and health and insurance coverage are issues that seniors should discuss with Elder Law attorneys.

All too often, Americans wait to deal with these issues in times of crisis, rather than working with an Elder or Special Needs Law attorney before the crisis occurs. By planning ahead and looking to the future, seniors and people with special needs can ensure a better quality of life and that they have the services and support they need as they get older.

Learning about the various services and government programs that are available to the elderly and persons with disabilities is a daunting task, and Elder and Special Needs Law attorneys are uniquely positioned to provide the expertise needed to navigate a complex web of rules and regulations

Who Are the Clients of Elder and Special Needs Law Attorneys? In addition to seniors, Elder and Special Needs Law attorneys deal with the entire life spectrum. From people with disabilities to those facing the end of life, Elder and Special Needs Law attorneys promote planning now for the future.

The value and importance of National Elder Law Month is that it not only highlights the legal issues unique to us as we age; it also empowers consumers with information on selecting a skilled, compassionate and knowledgeable attorney to work with them

About Elder and Special Needs Law Elder and Special Needs Law are specialized areas that involve representing, counseling and assisting seniors, people with disabilities and their families in connection with a variety of legal issues, with a primary emphasis on promoting the highest quality of life for individuals. Typically, Elder Law and Special Needs Law address the convergence of legal needs with the social, psychological, medical and financial needs of individuals. The Elder Law and Special Needs Law attorney handles estate planning and counsels clients about planning for incapacity with health care decision-making documents. The Elder and Special Needs Law attorney also assists clients in planning for possible long-term care needs, including at-home care, assisted living or nursing home care. Locating the appropriate type of care, coordinating public and private resources to finance the cost of care and working to ensure the client’s right to quality care are all part of the Elder and Special Needs Law practice.

Parkinson’s Resource Organization (PRO) is launching its invitational campaign to Elder Law Attorneys throughout the United States to join the WELLNESS VILLAGE so that the PRO constituents can find the legal help they need in planning for their future or helping them through their current legal/financial crisis.

If you are in New York, we are proud to invite you to consider being in touch with Attorney Ronald Fatoullah.

ParkinsonsResource.org/general-information/ronald-fatoullah

If you are in California please consider being in touch with Attorney William R. Remery.

ParkinsonsResource.org/spotlight/william-r-remery

Check this Wellness Village category often to find the newest Elder Law Attorney Villagers.

ParkinsonsResource.org/elder-law

Researchers determined that stimulation of specific acupuncture points with electroacupuncture protects the brain by creating antioxidative and antiapoptosis (the process of programmed cell death  that may occur in multicellular organisms) effects. The electroacupuncture protected the substantia nigra, a part of the mid-brain. The substantia nigra is an important part of the brain in controlling movement. Parkinson’s is caused by the deterioration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The substantia nigra supplies the area of the brain involved with motor action with dopamine. Dopamine is an essential nutrient for the brain and has neurotransmitter functions, it is also a precursor for norepinephrine and epinephrine.

IN SWALLOWING: Recently, research published in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine concluded that acupuncture has potential “therapeutic effects and long-term efficacy for neurogenic dysphagia.” Dysphagia is a medical term for difficulty with swallowing. Neurological dysphagia is due to disorders of the nervous system such as Parkinson’s. Signs and symptoms include difficulty with food control in the mouth, difficulty initiating swallowing, choking, coughing, nasal regurgitation and a feeling of food getting stuck in the throat.

The research indicated that patients receiving acupuncture responded significantly better, having better levels of food and fluid consistencies. The researchers suggest more studies of a larger sample size to confirm the results of this study.

IN RESTORING DIGESTION: These new studies find that acupuncture relieves digestive impairment due to stress. This finding suggests that acupuncture is an effective modality for the treatment of functional dyspepsia (indigestion). Dyspepsia usually involves pain of the upper abdomen, bloating and sometimes nausea, heartburn and belching. Dyspepsia is also linked to GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease.

In Eastern philosophy, yin and yang balance in the body, resulting in good health. When disease encroaches, it is a result of an imbalance between these two energies.

One effective treatment for restoring health seems to be acupuncture. The Western medical community is trying to put the philosophy to the test. Among the test subjects are people with Parkinson’s, and among the methodologies is acupuncture — the practice of sticking needles into certain locations on the body at varying depths. The sensation of needle insertion is said to resemble a mosquito bite. Acupuncture is generally divided into a series of sessions of about 30 minutes each.

In China, acupuncture is common. Acupuncture has provided relief from the tremors of Parkinson’s for many.

Currently in the Parkinson’s Resource Organization WELLNESS VILLAGE, Dr. David Shirazi ParkinsonsResource.org/spotlight/2769/ is, among others, in the category of Acupuncture. Dr. Shirazi graduated from Howard University College of Dentistry, in Washington D.C. and earned a Master’s degree in Oriental Medicine from Samra University. He has completed over 2000 hours of continuing education in TMD and facial pain, craniomandibular orthopedics, and sleep disordered breathing.

He has also completed a hospital mini-residency in oriental medicine at the China Beijing International Acupuncture Training Centre which is the only organization the World Health Organization (WHO) has authorized to teach internationally on acupuncture and herbology, and another at Kyung Hee University and Medical Center, the top medical hospital and medical school in Korea.

Billions of dollars have been spent in research and discovery by government and private organizations but without any success. One of the main reasons for this colossal failure to develop diagnostics and therapeutics for diseases of the Central Nervous System (CNS) is the inability of the scientific and medical community to develop technology to deliver drugs across the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) into the Central Nervous System. No matter how therapeutically effective the drug is in laboratory experiments but if it cannot reach the Central Nervous System, it ends up being discarded or not pursued. The Blood-Brain Barrier is a physical barrier in the brain that shields the Central Nervous System from any harmful substances (viruses, bacteria, toxins, etc.) in the blood. The same physical barrier becomes a major obstacle in diagnosing and treating brain diseases such as PD because the protective action of the Blood-Brain Barrier excludes most drugs from entering the Central Nervous System.

Needless to say that for developing a curative treatment for brain diseases, a drug must cross the Blood-Brain Barrier and reach the Central Nervous System, find its target with precision and neutralize it. The most explored/tested approach is the development and use of small molecule drugs which can easily cross the Blood-Brain Barrier. Recently, there has been a couple of very encouraging reports about small molecule drugs for treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases in animal models. Unfortunately, not only do these small molecule drugs, in general, stop working after a while, they also often have nonspecific biodistribution leading to unbearable toxic effects, in addition to low therapeutic indices and development of drug resistance shortly after the initial treatment, thus reducing the therapeutic efficacy even further. That is why most patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases have to struggle with finding the right medicine for their condition but such a medicine does not exist so far.

A small biotech company in San Diego has come one step closer to developing diagnostics and curative therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. This company has developed a novel class of miniaturized highly specific antibodies, known as “Pico-antibodies”, with remarkable ability to breach the hitherto impermeable Blood-Brain Barrier, which so far has been a global medical problem in the way of curative treatment for brain diseases. Antibodies are molecules with unsurpassed specificity than any other molecules, including small molecules published recently. However, the problem with the conventional antibodies is that they have very poor Blood-Brain Barrier permeability. The miniaturized antibodies developed by the San Diego based Biotech Company have been demonstrated to cross the Blood-Brain Barrier and bound with great precision to intended Alzheimer’s targets in transgenic mice models, thus alleviating toxicity concerns associated with small molecule drugs. Now they have developed similar drugs for Parkinson’s disease, which will start undergoing rigorous testing in PD-like transgenic mice by a doctor at UCSD, a world renowned neuroscientist.

As the founder and moving force behind PRO for twenty-two years, Jo Rosen is working toward making this the first PATIENT DRIVEN research in the world. Jo’s personal mission to raise funds for this exciting new research in hopes of achieving human clinical trials for a possible cure is strong. You are invited to contact Jo Rosen personally to further discuss the details of this project, answer your questions and, hopefully inspire you to join her in funding this scientific research. The company doing the research is a for-profit company founded and run by scientific entrepreneurs.

Drs. Ed and Lynn Lipskis and their staff strive for continuous improvement at all levels of service. Our doctors have each completed more thatn 1600 hours of post graduate continuing education in all phases of dental education. This level of expertise reflects our philosophy of lifetime learning.

St. Charles Family Dentistry Ltd. is very traditional in offering al the services your family may need: cleanings, fillings, crowns, braces, extractions, and tooth whitening. Being traditional does not mean being average, we strive daily to exceed your expectations!

Our practice philosophies have expanded to include a more holistic approach and we respect the individual’s opinions regarding topics such as fluoride and amalgam.

We also want our patients to be informed about cosmetic dentistry, tooth whitening,orthodontics, and TMJ/orofacial pain therapies. Your comfort is important to us. We offer nitrous oxide analgesia to help ease any fears you may have. We encourage you to look through these pages whenever you have an interest or concern about your dental health needs and care.

Our general dental practice is located in St. Charles, IL and concentrates on family dentistry, orthodontics,  implant restorations and cosmetic dentistry. Our office is a modern state of the art facility designed specifically to offer you comfort and convenience while providing superior service and quality. We work with our patients so they can achieve and maintain a beautiful smile and healthier teeth and gums. Our knowledgeable, friendly team is available to answer your questions.

St. Charles Family Dentistry

516 E. Main Street
St. Charles, IL. 60174
630-377-3131

www. St. Charles Family Dentistry

Preceded in death by Daniel, her beloved husband of 53 years. Survived by daughters and sons in law Laurie Glickman and Jim Leewong and Carol and Arnie Vinstein and by grandchildren Andrea and Hilary Leewong and Sam Vinstein. Born in Brooklyn, NY to Aaron and Jennie Friedman, lived in Uniontown PA and Lancaster CA and for the past 25 years in Marina del Rey. She was a wonderful mother and grandmother, talented artist, gracious hostess, and warm and loyal friend who loved life and was interested in everyone and everything. In her later years she enjoyed starring in the “Call Your Nana” Internet radio show with Hilary. Services will be held Sunday April 15 at 3:00pm at Eden Memorial Park, 11500 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills, CA. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to Parkinson’s Resource Organization Daniel and Miriam Glickman Memorial Respite Fund.

Or, perhaps you are seeing subtle changes in memory, cognition or physical abilities that you know will require a higher level of care or assistance than cannot be handled at home.

Where do you go to learn about your options? Who do you call to help explain the differences? And above all, how do you know you’re making the right decision?

There are Referral Agencies that provide FREE services to families helping them decide how best to fulfill the needs of their loved ones. They provide answers to these and other equally important questions. They help you select a number of viable options and then schedule personal tours for you and your family.

Some of the Referral Agencies will even accompany you on the tours to ensure that all the important questions get asked AND answered.

A reputable REFERRAL AGENCY makes certain that every residence is state licensed, pre-selected and prescreened so you can have peace of mind that you, indeed, have made an informed decision.

Who do I call?

What questions should I ask?

What are my options?

When seeking the help of a referral agency for placing your loved one, whether you’re looking for a nursing home, adult family home, board and care home, assisted living facility or other senior housing facility, it pays to check out the referral agency to see how they operate and understand exactly what services they are providing.

You are not looking for merely a “bed broker” who operates by simply passing your contact information on to innumerable potential nursing homes, assisted living, adult family homes and board and care home choices just to receive a commission if you should ultimately choose one of those senior housing options. Some of these services are free to you, but you can pay for a service that provides no value other than to simply pass on your contact information. When they are asked to provide more personalized service they may be more motivated by the size of their commission than the quality of care your loved one will receive.  While it is common in the industry for elder-care facilities to pay commissions to placement services, and that in and of itself is not necessarily a negative, it is important to make sure you understand whether your senior housing placement agency has you or their potential commission at the top of their mind when making a recommendation. Under the pressure of an emergent situation with your loved one, this may be something that most families don’t think about, but it should be of concern.

Questions to ask before enlisting the services of a senior living placement and referral agency; some of the answers should not necessarily deter you from hiring a particular agency; it’s a practice of gathering good information:

§ Is your staff paid or on commission? Most referral agents are paid commission …This may not be criteria for quality.

§ Will you show me housing options if they do not pay you a referral fee?

§ Do you routinely inspect the facilities you recommend?

§ Is your staff qualified to determine the level of care needed for my family member?

§ What are your criteria for determining the suitability of referred facilities?

§ Do you periodically review the status of the people you have placed? How often?

§ Do you require background checks of your staff? This is not required and may not be customary.

§ Are background checks required for facility staff that you recommend?

Bottom line, don’t just “let your fingers do the walking” through the local Yellow Pages or Google alone to find a reputable referral agency. Some states do not require licensing or credentials, so don’t assume that state licensing requirements for referral agencies are enough to ensure the security and well-being of your loved one.

Take a proactive stance—do your homework to find out as much as you can about an agency’s practices, success rate and ability to continually monitor elder-care facilities BEFORE making a decision to use their services.

Ask for references. Ask around the community such as senior centers, chambers of commerce, determine their local reputation. See how they are involved in the community. See if they have an active business license. See if they are incorporated. See who is involved in the agency. Do they have a strong and professional image in the community? Do they have the best interest of you and/or your loved one in mind?

In some states there are “medically based” paid agencies you may be able to check them out through the Society of Certified Senior Advisors or the National Association of Geriatric Care Managers.

As the WELLNESS VILLAGE on the Parkinson’s Resource Organization website grows, referral agencies are being invited to join. Please watch for yet another resource in the VIRTUAL village http://parkinsonsresource.org/wellness-village/

Previous articles, written in PRO’s newsletter, have described the relief from dyskinesia (jerky movements) with oral appliance therapy. Dr. Brendan Stack has pioneered those efforts. I have treated movement disorders for many years and have helped educate most of the dentists in Southern California who currently treat Parkinson’s patients.

Is “movement” the only problem that PD patients face?

Studies show that chronic pain is the prominent complaint of Parkinson’s symptoms. Recently published research from the Department of Rehabilitation, Hatsukaichi Memorial Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan states that; “Patients with PD are more likely to suffer from pain. Indeed, the chief complaint of patients with severe motor disturbance and severe pain is pain rather than motor disturbance.”¹

Parkinson’s patients have nervous systems that are easily stimulated. Chronic pain from any physical structure is a potent stimulator of the central nervous system (CNS). Stimulation results in jerky movements, grinding of teeth, facial pain and Restless Leg Syndrome. So quieting the nervous system by relieving pain goes a long way to improving quality of life. Treatments designed to reduce pain and relax muscles both internally and externally are necessary for optimum relief.

Parkinson’s patients can’t breathe well at night!

An article published in the Journal of Neurology Review states: “Sleep disorders in Parkinson’s disease are present in 60-98% of patients and reduce the quality of life.”²  The prominent sleep disorder with Parkinson’s disease is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).³

People with OSA have symptoms of insomnia, chronic daytime fatigue, high blood pressure, GERD, interrupted sleep, headaches, facial pain and cardiovascular disease. Disturbed sleep results in light or restless sleep that does not allow for the production of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) giving the body the ability to heal. So restoring proper breathing during sleep can result in dramatic improvements in their symptoms.

Coordinating therapies, triage (separating injuries) and making proper referrals for a team approach is extremely important. It requires a greater look on overseeing of care. Dentists trained in an interdisciplinary approach are qualified to fulfill this role. Patients in our Centre are individually and comprehensively evaluated for a specific treatment plan that is designed for them. Our techniques are non-surgical and holistic, meaning that we look at the whole body. The result is better over all stability, balance, reduction of inflammation, pain, restoration of proper breathing and quality sleep.

The improved balance, reduction of inflammation and pain will allow for more freedom to exercise, which is so necessary for people with Parkinson’s disease.

What dentists are qualified to take charge and oversee your treatment?

The answer is dentists that have demonstrated their knowledge of treatment for chronic pain and sleep disordered breathing. They do so by being certified in these subjects by organizations dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.

These areas have been the focus of my practice for over 20 years. I have devoted the past 12 years to research and teaching protocols for evaluation and treatment of these disorders. The non-surgical techniques and comprehensive evaluation system that I have developed are currently being utilized at the University of Tennessee Craniofacial Pain Center. You have the comfort of knowing that there are an additional 11 TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centres located in the U.S., Canada and New Zealand whose dedicated doctors are credentialed in craniofacial pain and sleep disordered breathing.

1. Toda K, Harada T., Prevalence, classification, and etiology of pain in Parkinson’s disease: Association between Parkinson’s disease and fibromyalgia or chronic widespread pain. Tohoku J Exp Med. 2010;222(1):1-5

2. Mondragon-Rezola E, et. al. Sleep disorders in Parkinson’s disease: insomnia and sleep fragmentation, daytime hypersomnia, alterations to the circadian rhythm and sleep apnea syndrome. Rev Neurol 2010 Feb 8;50 Suppl 2:S21-6.

3. Noradina AT, Karim NA, et. al. Sleep-disordered breathing in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Singapore Med J. 2010 Jan;51(1):60-4.

Steven Olmos, DDS, DABCP, DABDSM, DACSDD, DAAPM, FAAOP, FAACP, FICCMO, FADI, FIAO Founder, TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centres International

CLICK HERE to view listing in the PARKINSON’S RESOURCE ORG WELLNESS VILLAGE 

The costs of each stage of care can be shockingly high. If you take the time to go over your options before you need to use them, it can make a huge difference—a chance to plan is a chance to spend and save smarter.

So many parents face a weighty triangle of expenses in middle age—college tuition for the kids, elder-care costs for parents and other relatives, and, of course, the responsibility of saving for retirement. An overview of how you stand financially in these three key areas can help you make plans going forward.

Here are some general ideas to consider in managing the costs:

Start by evaluating your finances. If you have time and a good rapport with whom you are dealing (spouse, partner, or family member) you have a valuable opportunity to settle a lot of important details. If there’s not a pending emergency, it’s a good idea to schedule a family meeting to make sure you understand what assets you have and how you want those assets applied to long-term care. Even if an elderly relative is older but in relatively good health, it might make sense to check the cost of long-term care insurance as a backstop for your savings. The premiums will definitely cost more—sometimes considerably more—than the average 50-year-old would pay, but depending on your situation, such a move might make sense.

Make sure key documents are in place. It’s also important that you have your critical documents in place, such as a current will, relevant legal and health powers of attorney, and any written instructions relevant to his/her care, funeral wishes, and property issues. All that information should be stored in an agreed-upon place that all key decision makers can get to easily.

Start researching care options now. In every community, there are guides to various community programs, assisted-living centers, and nursing homes. These are generally good places to start gathering information on possible locations and services you might need and to start comparing costs. The worst time to gather this information is after crisis that requires an immediate decision. It might be best to work with the ill person in selecting these services if he or she is willing to do visits and compare features. It might also make sense to hire the services of a certified geriatric care manager to help assess proper care options and review insurance options to make sure those services are paid for.

Make sure the care option fits the stage of health as well as the budget. Home health aides obviously allow an ill person to stay in the home and have company when traveling outside, but adult day care can be a cheaper option. Also, part-time caretakers can handle key tasks and supervision as needed—keep in mind that responsible college students need money more than ever and can help with grocery shopping, cleaning, meal preparation, and supervision on health issues that medical personnel don’t always need to be present for.

Once the clock starts, be prepared to negotiate. Remember that various assisted-living and nursing facilities have turnover and that if a center isn’t full to capacity, there might be wiggle room on rates and fees. Also, key cost drivers can be basic items you might never think about—tissues, toiletries, wipes, adult diapers, laundry service, and other support items that residents use in these facilities either individually or with help. Buying or supplying these items from outside the facility may save a considerable amount of money.

Consider shared rooms if money is tight. Private rooms are expensive in any setting, and it always makes sense to check the shared-room option in a facility as a way to save money. Of course, make sure the rooms—and roommate—are acceptable to the family member.

Consider meeting with a Financial Advisor like Reesa Manning. CLICK HERE  for her listing in the PRO WELLNESS VILLAGE

She’s new to the WELLNESS VILLAGE and the commitment to her career as a financial advisor is based on real-life understanding of the economic curveballs that life can throw. Reesa’s expertise and interest is in helping couples manage their finances. When one partner passes the other is well prepared to make the transition into flying solo

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s have been inert to medicinal treatment partly because most drugs cannot reach the central nervous system (CNS). Why? There is a physical barrier, known as the blood-brain barrier (BBB), inside the brain that protects the CNS from harmful substances in the blood such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, chemicals and biological substances. Only nutrients needed for the brain can cross the BBB into the CNS. Mother Nature made this barrier for our own protection. Unfortunately, when something goes wrong in the brain, the protective action of the BBB does not allow most pharmaceuticals/drugs to enter the CNS. As a consequence, most brain diseases have been immune to therapeutic intervention, which has been a global medical challenge for centuries both in humans and animals. A company in San Diego has come a long way to overcome hurdles of the BBB impermeability.

It has developed a technology to deliver drugs into the CNS. This technology was validated in a mouse model last year by a world renowned UCSD neurologist. Now this company has gone even further. It announced on February 22nd that its scientists have developed a blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeable therapeutic drug to control the function of one of the most prominent Parkinson’s disease targets, alphaSynuclein, which is involved in the formation of Lewy bodies.

In laboratory experiments this candidate drug has been shown to interact with the Parkinson’s pathogen with high precision at a very low dose. With this begins our journey on the “Road to Cure Parkinson’s Disease.” We currently have small quantities of this potentially powerful drug. The goal is to generate large quantities for a comprehensive study to establish therapeutic efficacy initially in animals and then in humans. The animal study will involve at least 90–120 Parkinson’s transgenic mice, and probably will take 6–8 months for completion. The data from the ongoing PK (pharmacokinetics) study on the company’s Alzheimer’s drug will be useful to determine the dose regimen for the Parkinson’s drug.Last month’s article, entitled “REVERSING PARKINSON’S
Treating Neurodegenerative Parkinson’s disease”, discussed the two types of molecules in pharmaceuticals, i.e., small molecules and macromolecules. Most small molecules such as Aspirin, Motrin, and Levodopa, etc., are BBB permeable. For decades the process of drug discovery has been centered on designing, developing and selecting small molecules for treating brain disease with scant regard for non-specific targeting and organ distribution, which lead to undesirable side effects. In addition, small molecule drugs have low therapeutic indices and develop drug resistance shortly after initial treatment.

A handful of FDA approved small molecule drugs that slow down the disease symptoms in some patients stop working after some period, leaving the patient helpless. Daily we see our friends and relatives inflicted by Parkinson’s frequently changing medications, trying to adjust dose and consulting different  physicians in search of a better drug, which so far, sadly, does not exist. Thus, in spite of remarkable BBB permeability, the small molecules based drugs have been plagued with lack of specificity, development of drug resistance, low therapeutic indices and frequent administration, in addition to being inept to cure the disease.Macromolecules are large molecule modern drugs such as proteins and antibodies which are otherwise effective in laboratory experiments outside the human body, but have been discarded during their development for clinical use due to a failure to deliver them in sufficient quantity to the CNS. Antibodies are molecules of unsurpassed specificity but conventional antibodies do not cross the BBB. Antibodies are molecules which humans make against a foreign substance such as a cold virus to neutralize its effect but these antibodies are too big to cross the BBB. Although neurodegenerative diseases have been known for many decades and despite enormous research efforts both by private sectors and government institutes, due to the hurdles of BBB, there are no diagnostics and curative treatments for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Similar to antibodies, most pharmaceutical drugs are also unable to cross the BBB into the CNS, making brain disease inert to drugs.

With more than 50 million people afflicted worldwide by neurodegenerative diseases, this epidemic summons an immediate response from local, national and international communities to develop early diagnosis and treatment. With the aging population living longer, the number of people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases will continue to escalate unless highly specific curative drugs (minimally toxic) are developed today. Disease curative drug is the one that, in addition to treating the symptoms, halts the disease progression. In the January issue of Newsworthy Notesappeared the article PARKINSON’S DISEASE A COLLABORATIVE, which focused on identifying the key issues, which have been in the way of developing curative treatment for neurodegenerative diseases. The main issues were: 1) Limited understanding of the disease etiology; 2) The inability of most drugs to go across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) into the central nervous system (CNS). Continued efforts to understand etiology have lead to the identification and characterization of the key pathogenic proteins involved in causingParkinson’s.

Most neuroscientists believe that therapeutic intervention to regulate the function of some of the already identified pathogenic proteins will alleviate, halt, and/or reverse the disease process. Realizing the urgent medical need, a small Biotech Company based in San Diego, California, has undertaken the challenge of developing diagnostics and therapeutics for the world’s most debilitating neurodegenerative Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Funded by a grant from the US Government and angel funds, the company first focused upon tackling one of the biggest challenges of medicine, which was to overcome the hurdles of Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) impermeability. After two years extensive research efforts, the company’s scientists developed a proprietary technology which breached the hitherto impermeable BBB in a mouse model. The validation of its technology was done by a well known UCSD neuroscientist.

To demonstrate BBB permeability, the scientists developed an Alzheimer’s disease specific pharmaceutical macromolecule, which when injected in the tail vein of a mouse traveled across the BBB into the CNS where it specifically bound with the amyloid-plaque found in the brain of Alzheimer’s transgenic mouse. Having demonstrated BBB permeability, the company is now trying to scale up the production of its drug to establish therapeutic efficacy against Alzheimer’s disease.Having been encouraged by the BBB study of its Alzheimer’s drug, the company launched a program last October to develop BBB permeable therapeutic molecules for Parkinson’s disease. It has now developed a drug to neutralize one of the pathogenic proteins, alphasynuclein, with a known link to Parkinson’s. The company is now in the process of gathering resources to advance this potential pharmaceutical to preclinical and clinical trials.

From the previous two articles, many people with Parkinson’s have expressed an interest in participating in this research but indicated that $100,000 was out of their reach. As the founder and moving force behind PRO for twenty two years, Jo Rosen has, once again, gone to bat for the Parkinsonians and their caregivers working toward making this the first PATIENT DRIVEN research in the world. In conferences with the attorneys and the management of the Biotech Company, a mechanism is being developed to reduce the minimum subscription amount to $25,000 per individual investor. Jo’s personal mission to raise funds for this exciting new research, in hopes of achieving human clinical trials for a possible cure within 12 to 18 months is strong. One must still be an experienced and sophisticated investor and meet certain criteria, however, if you are, or know someone, who is an experienced, sophisticated, investor with a desire to help underwrite this expensive research, you are invited to contact Jo Rosen personally at 760-895-5161 to further discuss the details of this project, answer your questions and, hopefully inspire you to join her in funding this scientific research. The company doing the research is a for-profit company founded and run by scientific entrepreneurs.

In early 2000, Dr. Olmos made the decision to focus solely on these conditions and he opened the doors to the first TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre where he continues to provide these successful treatments. Through the years of providing this healthcare, Dr. Olmos has been able to assist Parkinsons patients with reduction of movement disorder, improved balance, reduction of pain and improvement of breathing disorders such as OSA (obstructive sleep apnea), which improves the quality of their life.

At TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre of San Diego we understand how these conditions can affect the daily life of our patients and we are dedicated to non-invasive treatments for Chronic Pain Relief and oral appliance therapy for Sleep Disorder Breathing and Apnea, which patients with Parkinson’s Disease have a very high incidence.

Dr. Olmos is founder of a select group of 12 highly trained Centres located internationally including the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry Pain Center, where he is an Adjunct Professor. With over 4000 hours of continued education, Dr. Olmos has trained many of the dentists currently treating Parkinson’s patients through the courses that he has given over the last 12 years. He has developed protocols that include state-of-the-art technologies that have contributed to the advancement of care for all patients through research produced at our TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre of San Diego.

Steven Olmos, DDS
DABCP, DABDSM, DACSDD, DAAPM,
FAACP, FAAOP, FICCMO, FADI, FIAO

TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre of San Diego
7879 El Cajon Blvd
La Mesa, CA 91942

Phone: 619-466-2774
Toll Free: 877-786-7724
Fax: 619-466-2873
www.TMJTherapyCentre.com
Email: info@TMJTherapyCentre.com
URL: http://tmjtherapycentre.com/patient/centre/tmj-sleep-therapy-centre-la-mesa