Doctor offers new approaches to battling Parkinson’s

Doctors say it’s hard to pinpoint just how many people in Central Oregon are suffering with Parkinson’s disease.

However, it’s estimated that 26,000 people in Oregon and Southwest Washington have the challenging brain disorder, which leads to shaking (tremors) and difficulty with walking, movement and coordination.

Bay Area Dr. Eric Collins was in Bend Saturday. discussing the latest treatments available for Parkinson’s patients.

The treatments include new medications and deep brain stimulation. That stimulation acts like a brain pacemaker and is an effective way to control people’s symptoms with medications.

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t look very close that we are to finding a cure,” Collins said. “There’s more treatments coming, things having to do with stem cells, things having to do with gene transplants into cells. At this point, there’s nothing really that looks like a cure in the next five to 10 years.”

Collins suggests telling your doctor every symptom you’re experiencing, because there are many related to the disease.

The Central Oregon Parkinson’s Council, who hosted the conference, has teamed with Carino’s Italian restaurant for a fundraiser on Tuesday, Nov. 13.

If you present the fund-raising flyer to your server, Carino’s will donate 20 percent of your purchase to the organization.