Could not believe this when I found it but in the next few days will follow this post up with this man's follow up!  A sad day to see something like this happen anywhere in the world.

LONDON, ON, October 20, 2009 . . . London, Ontario researchers are determining if chewing gum will help people with Parkinson’s disease to swallow better. With a grant from Parkinson Society Canada, neurologist Dr. Mandar Jog, and speech language pathologists Angie South and Stephanie Somers of the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), University of Western Ontario hope that chewing gum will help improve swallowing for people with Parkinson’s.

“We hope that having people with Parkinson’s chew gum will improve their sensory motor memory,” says Dr. Mandar Jog, head of the Movement Disorder Program at LHSC.

According to Joyce Gordon, President and CEO of Parkinson Society Canada, a major problem for people with Parkinson’s disease is the difficulty they have swallowing as their disease progresses. “This kind of research goes a long way toward improving the quality of day to day living for people with Parkinson’s,” says Gordon.

The one year pilot project Sensorimotor priming for improving swallowing function in patients with Parkinson’s disease will test how long improvements in swallowing and secretion last if patients chew gum several hours a day.

“It’s already had a huge impact within our clinic,” South says of the response of those people who have tried it. “We’re having clients coming back saying they are swallowing better with meals”

Over 100,000 Canadians have Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative disease that causes swallowing difficulty as the disease progresses.

The researchers are among five London grant recipients awarded funding by Parkinson Society Canada recognized at a Parkinson Society Southwestern Ontario event held Tuesday, October 20, 2009 in London.

Ran into these guys as I headed to Los Angeles this morning. 5 members of the US Gold Medal winning Sledge Hockey Team.  Those medals look pretty cool up close! 

As the Olympic/Paralympic experience comes to an end for us all an amazing picture of Branko being a part of this amazing event.  Branko was chosen to represent  UBC in the Paralympic torch relay!  An amazing experience!

First time Just Giver Team rider in 2010 Marc Bowles took the time to reach out and make a difference in his community.  Marc's story begins with the loss of an uncle to Parkinson's and also a father who has been living with Parkinson's for over 20 years.  Welcome to the team Marc.

Following written by Marc Bowles

If you ever wondered why you would want to give up a beautiful Saturday to stay indoors and meet people, the South Okanagan Health Fair and the opportunity to share and create awareness for Parkinson’s Disease was a great excuse. 

On March 5^th and 6^th, I was fortunate to apply and be part of the SOHF and found incredible inspiration from the many people with PD or family members supporting PD that stopped to visit and share their stories with us. Over 3,500 hundred people came through the doors on Saturday during the Health Fair. The "us" I am referring to is a local Penticton member by the name of Jack Stewart who I now consider a great friend, supporter and inspiration as I prepare for the Just Giver for Parkinson’s Tour. Jack not only stopped by to introduce himself, he spent 5 hours at the booth with me, greeting people and sharing his inspiration with those looking for answers. As a result we are expecting the local Penticton chapter to have several new members at the next meeting.  Other local members that made their impact were Jean Sneddon, Bob Hawthorne and Mary-Lou Spence, all whom I look forward to seeing at the next Penticton group meeting. 

One word comes to mind when summarizing the stories of the day…perspective. Listening to people “tell their story” is truly inspirational when meeting them for the first time and listening deeply to how they approach life, choose to be in this life and live there life. A life I would say to the fullest. Taking time to meet and learn from all the ‘Jacks” has made the training and this ride far more than a personal ride for my own dad, it has brought another level of connection to a community of people we can make an impact for and a perspective of a greater appreciation of what this means to people living positively with PD. 

March 5^th and 6^th was definitely more than a great day for riding, it was a lesson on living positively with Parkinson’s. Thanks Jack  

Marc and Jack pose for a picture in the Just Giver / PSBC booth!

Jack mans the Booth!

With cherry blossoms in full bloom its pretty hard to deny that winter is over and spring is right around the corner.  Gavin, Mark, Branko, Laura and myself got out for a nice ride in the White Rock area this weekend.  Great day for a ride and we made it back in doors 10 minutes before the rain hit!

A view from the back of the group!

I recently came across this interesting site which is full of great resources and information in regards to all movement disorders. 

www.wemove.org

funny, came across this acoustic version!  bizzarre to say the least!

here is the MJF commercial again but without link in case some of you did not get a chance to see it!