Greg is a 53-year-old man from Nova Scotia. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease 7 years ago. His symptoms began with facial tremors and uncontrollable blinking of his right eye. Within two years he began to have difficulty in swallowing, and facial tremors. An MRI and LP were done to rule out other neurological disorders. He did have a two arachnoid cysts in his left frontal lobe, but MS was ruled out even before PD was diagnosed.

There was no reason for him or his doctors to suspect CCSVI, however since stem cell therapy was not a possibility he began to search out other treatments online. He saw a video online that was posted by Dawn Skinner and was impressed by her passion for the Liberation procedure and her battle cry," Liberation for all, anything less is not acceptable!" (I believe that her sister is the source of the quote, as I remember.) he tried to contact several people who posted videos including me. There has been some speculation that CCSVI may have some connection to other neurological disorders such as fibromyalgia, PD, Alzheimer's, etc. Some symptoms of PD are similar to Multiple Sclerosis. This is a quick refresher for those who may not be familiar with PD. The first name that comes to mind is Michael Fox, his struggle with PD and advocacy for stem cell research.

Parkinson's Disease is one of several motor system disorders, which are the result of the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. The four primary symptoms of PD are tremor, or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face; rigidity, or stiffness of the limbs and trunk; bradykinesia, or slowness of movement; and postural instability, or impaired balance and coordination. There is no known cure at this time, although a cocktail of drugs has shown promise in controlling the symptoms. Greg was given levodopa combined with carbidopa. Carbidopa delays the conversion of levodopa into dopamine until it reaches the brain. Nerve cells can use levodopa to make dopamine and replenish what the brain has lost. He had a therapy called deep brain stimulation (DBS). In DBS, electrodes are implanted into the brain and connected to a small electrical device called a pulse generator that can be externally programmed. DBS can reduce the need for levodopa and related drugs, which in turn decreases the involuntary movements called dyskinesias that are a common side effect of levodopa. Bromocriptine, pramipexole, ropinirole,and rasagiline are other drugs he has been treated with in the past. He has actually had fair results with the DBS.

In January, 2011 Greg was tested and found positive for CCSVI. Since the problems were found by venography, the doctor did the procedure. He has had improvements, although he still takes two of the medications he took pre-procedure. Interesting at the very least. His neurologist has refused to see him, BTW