Breakthrough drug for PD, Alzheimers etc.

Then again there are treatments available now that weren't available years ago [not cures but things that can help in some way] so every generation has the same problem. But I do understand what you mean because my first thought when I heard of the Alzheimers 'cure' is 'ten years is too far away' . I had read that Alzheimers is a sort of diabetes of the brain; not sure if this research is focussed on that? I keep eating a couple of spoonfuls of coconut oil each day as I'd read that can help prevent it [probably doesn't but it stops me worrying even more]. I find that, whenever there is a shortage of 'news' the press [even the Observer is guilty of this] digs up something from the BMJ that's been known for ages and scares people with it. Slightly off topic here but I find that, when I turn the computer on each morning I'm bombarded with very sad news items that make me feel unhappy [even if I don't read them, I've seen the headline]. So sorry that your husband is so upset this morning Mishap .

tegan yuk. Pure saturated fat.
Stops you getting Alzheimer's by killing you via heart disease/stroke first. And there are more enjoyable ways of consuming saturated fat if that is what you are hoping for.
There is a lot of unscrupulous marketing of coconut oil as a miracle substance at the moment. It's great for a massage oil (or lubricant) if you like the smell.
Puzzles may or may not prevent Alzheimer's but they are better for you than spoonfuls of fat.
I agree Mishap it is cruel when they publish these headlines. It is very cynical behaviour designed to sell more copies.
As the scientist explained so clearly on R4 Today prog yesterday, it is a new molecular target within the brain cells that her team have discovered that might eventually lead to drug treatment to prevent the death of brain cells. If enough people complained to the publications and the press standards authority I suppose they might.

Yes it is hard. My OH is a scientist by training (doctor) and even he, who knew straight away that it would be decades before this drug would be licensed (if it ever is), felt a little lift and had to deal with the crushing blow of knowing it would be too late for him.

I am not sure what this sort of headline does - let them tell us about it when it is ready to go on general prescription.

PD is a b****r of a disease and the emotional factors can be problematical. I have been picking up the pieces all morning.

It is inevitable that headlines like this have there effects. Not helped by the lack of science training amongst journalists. But even New Scientist sometimes has rather sensational headlines.

My mother, a nurse, was always bombarding us with miracle cures for my husband's diabetes, then spinal cures after he fell off a ladder, then anything to do with the brain after he was diagnosed with cerebellar ataxia. She read the Daily Mail, which always exaggerated everything.
She died before he was diagnosed with brain cancer. I do not think she ever read down to the bit where it said it would be ten years before it was available.
There was something on the radio this morning about the RVI in Newcastle wanting to do research on type two diabetics and giving them an 800 calorie a day diet for 8 weeks to see if it cured their diabetes.
I remember reading about this a couple of years ago, so why has it taken so long to do the research?