Man with Parkinson's Disease Relieved of Tremors Thanks to Science
Yesterday we got to meet 3-year-old Grayson Clamp, a deaf toddler who recently heard the sound of his dad's voice for the very first time thanks to the miracle of modern science.
Today we have the pleasure of witnessing yet another modern marvel: A New Zealand man who suffers from Early Onset Parkinson's Disease being fully relieved of his motor symptoms thanks to Deep Brain Stimulation.
Andrew Johnson was diagnosed with Parkinson's four years ago, at the age of 35.
Last November, and then again this past February, he underwent a surgical procedure known as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), during which he had two probes implanted in his brain to help control his motor functions.
He elaborates:
[The filaments] are connected to a wire that runs down my neck to a implanted pacemaker device which fires (at the moment) 2.8 volts per second of electricity into my brain to mimic the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Andrew has been documenting his life with Parkinson's on his blog YoungAndShaky.com in the hopes of raising awareness and promoting research.
Andrew notes that while DBS has been "hugely beneficial to his quality of life," it is not a permanent solution.
"Airport security scanners can turn it off, so I get touched up now instead of just scanned," he says. Also, as the symptoms worsen over time, the DBS "will become less effective."
"It's not a cure," he clarifies. "It doesn't stop or slow the disease it just replaces the effects of the medications I take."
But the lack of side effects and the absence of tremors certainly make it much easier carry on hoping that a real cure will be found before long.
