December 7, 2009, 5:38 pm A New Understanding of Essential Tremor By THE NEW YORK TIMES In today’s Science Times, the personal health columnist Jane E. Brody discusses the common but mysterious ailment known as “essential tremor” — the uncontrollable shaking of the hands, head or other body parts that occurs during voluntary movement. “Without knowing what causes it,” Ms. Brody writes, “doctors have been slow to come up with treatments to subdue it. As a result, millions of individuals suffer to varying degrees with embarrassment and humiliation, social isolation and difficulties holding down a job or performing the tasks of daily life.” Elan D. Louis, M.D., M.Sc. This week, Dr. Elan D. Louis, a professor of neurology and epidemiology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, joins the Consults blog to answer readers’ questions about essential tremor. “Until very recently, essential tremor was thought to have no known pathology, no changes in the brain, which led to a medical dead end,” Dr. Louis said. But in the last five years, discoveries in three areas — the brain, clinical findings and genetics and environment — “have changed our understanding of this disease.” Do you have a question about essential tremor? See Ms. Brody’s column, “Shedding Light on a Tremor Disorder.” Then please post your questions and comments for Dr. Louis in the Comments box below. Update | Dec. 11 1:45 p.m. Thank you for your questions and comments. See Dr. Louis’s responses below. Dr. Louis will no longer be taking questions.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 05:47:13 +0000
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