{"id":122,"date":"2013-03-03T09:54:36","date_gmt":"2013-03-03T14:54:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thehopenet.org\/blog\/?p=122"},"modified":"2013-03-03T09:54:36","modified_gmt":"2013-03-03T14:54:36","slug":"essential-tremor-sufferers-seek-answers-and-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehopenet.org\/blog2\/essential-tremor-sufferers-seek-answers-and-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Essential tremor sufferers seek answers and help"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is an article that was in the Vero Beach 32963 \/ February 14, 2013 Newsweekly by Siobhan McDonough, Correspondent.<\/p>\n

Hector Rocafort remembers the day 15 years ago when his right hand started trembling for no apparent reason and from that point on mealtimes were a disaster. \u201cI couldn\u2019t eat properly,\u201d he said of his efforts to use a fork with his dominant hand. \u201cWhile eating a salad, a piece of lettuce would fly in one direction, a piece of tomato in the other. I\u2019d be lucky if I could get a cucumber!\u201d the 84-year-old retired police officer said last week at the Essential Tremor Awareness Conference hosted by the Alzheimer & Parkinson Association of Indian River County.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.Rocafort was one of 160 people who went to Northern Trust Bank on Thursday to hear doctors detail symptoms,
\ncauses, treatments and research associated with essential tremor, a progressive neurological disorder characterized by uncontrollable shaking of the hands and arms and sometimes other parts of the body including the legs, trunk, head, voice and chin. Some 10 million people in the United States have essential tremor. There is no known cause. Symptoms range from mild to severe and the condition affects mostly older people with symptoms worsening as they age. However, children can also experience essential tremor.<\/p>\n

Joan Marie Barringer, a professional counselor, was only five years old when she started to tremor. She would have occasional episodes, especially during gym class when she was tasked to walk on the balance beam. \u201cI was terrified. My whole body would start to shake.\u201d She didn\u2019t know what she had and was unable to supply an educated answer to family members, classmates and others who queried, \u201cWhy are you so nervous? Why do you shake so much?\u201d \u201cI felt frustrated and very alone,\u201d said Barringer, who was eventually diagnosed at age 32 and later realized that she wasn\u2019t the lone sufferer of essential tremor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a big secret for a lot of people,\u201d she told the group, many of whom closely identified with her personal account of \u201cfeeling embarrassed and alone.\u201d She encouraged people to attend support groups, to try a holistic mind, body, spirit approach to treatment in addition to a medical one, and to evaluate their diet and exercise.<\/p>\n

Dr. Roberta Rose, a neurologist who practices in Vero and Sebastian, also spoke to the audience, offering an overview of essential tremor. While the condition can be debilitating it does not shorten a person\u2019s life span, she said. It also doesn\u2019t mean someone will develop Parkinson\u2019s disease if they have essential tremor, however some research suggests that essential tremor can also occur with other brain and nervous system problems such as dystonia, parkinsonism and certain nerve conditions passed down through families.<\/p>\n

There has been no medicine developed specifically to treat essential tremor, she said, however Propranolol, a beta blocker, and Primidone, a drug used to treat seizures, have been widely used and proven effective in some cases. Both drugs can have side effects.<\/p>\n

In studies, alcohol and Botox have also shown to be effective in reducing certain tremors in patients. There is no single test to diagnose essential tremor, but a person with frequent tremors should have a thorough physical exam, have blood work done and a family medical history taken.<\/p>\n

Rose implored those diagnosed with essential tremor to take things in stride. \u201cIf you take the right attitude, anything you are confronting will be easier, and that is as important as any medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also discussed deep brain stimulation, a surgery for those with severe tremors that\u2019s done to inactivate the thalamus, a structure deep in the brain that coordinates and controls muscle activity, without purposefully destroying the brain. Experts think that the abnormal brain activity that causes tremor is processed through the thalamus.<\/p>\n

With brain stimulation, electrodes are placed in the thalamus during surgery. The electrodes are connected by wires to a type of pacemaker device called an impulse generator that is implanted under the skin of the chest below the collarbone. Once activated, the device sends continuous painless electrical pulses to the thalamus, blocking the impulses that cause tremors.<\/p>\n

Patients can externally turn the generator on or off with a special magnet provided to them. Stimulators may last for several years, and the generator replacement procedure is fairly simple.<\/p>\n

The stimulation provides moderate relief to about 90 percent of patients with essential tremor, studies show. Still, brain stimulation should only be considered in cases in which tremors significantly impair one\u2019s lifestyle. Rose cautioned that surgery has risks, and the procedure is not for everyone.<\/p>\n

However anxiety-stricken Jerry Peterson, 71, of Sebastian, was about having deep brain stimulation in 2009, his tremors had gotten so bad \u2013 he had lost his job in retail, and his fine painting skills were greatly diminished \u2013 he felt it was time to face his fears in the hopes of a favorable outcome.<\/p>\n

And favorable, he got. \u201cIt was worth it,\u201d he said after detailing his surgery with others. \u201cIt\u2019s changed my whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/a>Dr. Fatta Nahab, a neurologist in Miami, wound up the conference with details on recent studies on essential tremor, and a status report. The bottom line: Whilst aggressive measures are being taken by researchers to pinpoint causes and origins of essential tremor, it remains largely a mystery.<\/p>\n

\u201cEssential tremor is at a very critical time,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very difficult time for the field.\u201d
\nNo gene has been identified as associated with essential tremor. There is no known cause. No one knows how to customize treatment for what kind of tremor a person has. There are no medicines developed specifically for essential tremor. There is limited understanding of the causes, brain regions, medications and how the med[icine…]<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of unanswered questions,\u201d he said, urging people who are able to, to participate in case studies. \u201cWe need your help …… research moves forward, science advances because you all get involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Rocafort, brain stimulation was a step in the right direction. He has no regrets about his decision to have surgery, so much so that he is considering having another one done to improve his left hand\u2019s functionality.\u201cI feel like a new man,\u201d he said buoyantly of the first go-around. \u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is an article that was in the Vero Beach 32963 \/ February 14, 2013 Newsweekly by Siobhan McDonough, Correspondent. Hector Rocafort remembers the day 15 years ago when his right hand started trembling for no apparent reason and from that point on mealtimes were a disaster. \u201cI couldn\u2019t eat properly,\u201d he said of … Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6,10,26],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nEssential tremor sufferers seek answers and help - HopeNet<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thehopenet.org\/blog2\/essential-tremor-sufferers-seek-answers-and-help\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Essential tremor sufferers seek answers and help - HopeNet\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The following is an article that was in the Vero Beach 32963 \/ February 14, 2013 Newsweekly by Siobhan McDonough, Correspondent. Hector Rocafort remembers the day 15 years ago when his right hand started trembling for no apparent reason and from that point on mealtimes were a disaster. \u201cI couldn\u2019t eat properly,\u201d he said of ... 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