On this first World Parkinson’s RECOVERY Day, we can begin a broad and open discussion of the real needs of those diagnosed, moving beyond the fixation on “incurable”, medication, “must find a cure” dogma.The notes below are part of a much broader document in “Rethinking Parkinson’s Disease” and may trigger discussion in the Parkinson’s and wider community so we can truly move towards wellness rather than waiting for “experts” to find a “cure”.
WHAT DO WE NEED NOW?
Vision
We need:
• to look beyond the selfishness and self-serving paradigm of cause-disease-cure to explore a broader concept of wellness creation becoming more powerful than disease creation and maintenance.
Research
We need:
· Untied and unbiased research into the known causes of Parkinson’s, shown to be:
o Trauma/stress that may be inherited, personal or social;
o Toxins from food, personal care, home care, industry or agriculture;
o Stealth infections.
Leadership
• Illness has celebrities dedicating themselves to improving lives of those living with Parkinson’s disease and ongoing research.
• We need people of this stature to promote the concept of wellness and to help raise funds for the research above.
Innovation
We need:
• a new look at evidence and new standards for evidence that promotes broad and real-life studies;
• new ways to interpret past and current trials that do not necessarily prove what is claimed;
• innovative ways to reach people at risk of neurodegeneration;
• new Centres of Excellence focusing on wellness strategies.
Discourse
We need:
• open and respectful conversations between Western allopathic medicine and Complementary/alternative medicine practitioners and researchers, exploring the
contribution that all forms of medicine and research can offer to people with Parkinson’s and those in the prodromal period;
• engagement of government agencies like the National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia, and similar bodies in other countries, with complementary/
alternative medicine practitioners and researchers as equal partners in the work to improve the health status of all people in our society;
Funding
• We need funding for genuine and clinically supported lifestyle and dietary prevention strategies that is untied.
• National governments have a responsibility to enhance the health of their constituents (a responsibility most governments neglect in favour of illness treatment) and must
allocate a much greater percentage of research funding to prevention research distant from vested interest, with guidance from Western allopathic medicine and complementary/
alternative medicine in equal measure.
• All governments should allocate at least one per cent of their health/illness budget each year to prevention research and education with equal voices from Western allopathic medicine and complementary/alternative medicine.
While these aims may seem Utopian, they are achievable if there are people of good will and determination who are prepared to be strong in the face of vigorous and, often, unjustifiable opposition.
We CAN achieve some or all of these needs if we all focus on wellness and illness prevention, talk openly to our Western allopathic medicine and Complementary/alternative medicine
practitioners, politicians and business leaders. One person is a whisper, a thousand people is a murmur, 100,000 people (1 per cent of those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease) demand attention, and one million people constitute a roar that will be heard around
the world. It starts with you and me.