Finding comfort and solace among friends

Tariq Malik

For Michael Chang, it’s all about comfort.

Each day, the 52-year-old Alhambra resident treks down to Huntington

Beach for help with his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease, an

illness that afflicts about 1.6 million Americans nationwide.

“It’s been about 15 years,” Chang said of his bout with Parkinson’s.

“I’m just looking for an easier way to deal with it.”

He may have found that way in Surf City.

Chang is one of the newest members of the Parkinson’s Club, an

organization formed last month at 18700 Main St. to offer an alternative

treatment to those afflicted by the illness.

“We have about 15 patients right now,” said Tiffany Song, research

development manager for the club, adding that the organization is hoping

to reach nonprofit status in the near future. “We formed because we have

a treatment we feel should be made available to all Parkinson’s

sufferers.”

At the club, patients use a combination of herbal medicine and

physical training to increase muscle control. They also use a device

which administers a small amount of electric current into the body to

increase metabolism.

Although the cause of Parkinson’s disease is unknown, the illness

strikes at the brain and slowly affects the motor skills of its victims.

Symptoms may appear at any age, but it is uncommon in people younger

than 30, and the risk of developing it increases with age. It occurs in

all parts of the world, and men are affected slightly more often than

women. It is the same illness plaguing actor Michael J. Fox.

Primary symptoms include limb rigidity, such as that found in

arthritis, as well as uncontrollable tremors and bradykinesia -- the most

prominent and disabling aspect of the disease.

Bradykinesia appears as a difficulty in initiating or completing

motions of the body, as well as a slowness in movement. Like tremors and

limb rigidity, it is caused by the lack of dopamine -- a neurotransmitter

that assists in the flow of impulses to nerve cells -- in certain parts

of the brain.

Postural instability, the impairment of reflexes used for adjustment

and abrupt changes in body position, is another primary symptom.

Ultimately Parkinson’s patients can be left without the ability to walk

or control their limbs.

“Sometimes my tremors get so bad that if I start falling, I can’t stop

myself, and I hit the ground anyway,” Chang said, adding that after his

first visit to the club he felt better. “It’s much better than taking the

drugs traditionally prescribed, which come with side effects.”

Doctors typically prescribe dopamine protectors, receptor agonists and

other medications to replace the missing neurotransmitter and slow down

the effects of the disease, club officials said. The medication can

adversely affect the body’s gastrointestinal system, as well as cause

nightmares and memory loss, they added.

“The side effects could be painful after a while, and sometimes be

even worse than Parkinson’s itself,” Chang said.

Although dopamine has been a standard treatment for quite some time,

larger and larger doses are needed over time to achieve the same effect,

said Judy Harmer, an associate professor of nursing at Golden West

College who specializes in gerontology and chronic diseases like

Parkinson’s.

“The use of alternative medicine for this disease, to the best of my

knowledge, has not been well-studied,” she said, adding that when

traditional means cannot heal patients, they begin to look elsewhere.

“It’s important that people know that there are sharks out there looking

to prey on them.”

Song stressed that the club exists only to help Parkinson’s sufferers.

There are no membership fees, and treatment costs vary for each patient

depending on the severity of their illness.

Dr. John Raber, a general practice physician who evaluates Parkinson’s

victims before they enter the club, said in addition to its

rehabilitation goals, the group also has a social role.

“The group offers patients a place to meet others with the same

disease and share their experiences,” he said. “That’s very important.”

That opportunity and social support, Harmer added, is crucial for

Parkinson’s sufferers, who may feel trapped and alone, watching their own

bodies disintegrate around them.

Chang agreed, adding that the club allows a chance to discuss the

history of his illness with others and learn new exercises to keep his

muscles in check.

The Parkinson’s Club has drawn members from all over the Southland and

beyond, including a couple from the Virgin Islands whose treatment will

be subsidized by the organization because of the distance traveled. Song

said while Huntington Beach is its first office, the club hopes to open

more across the country.

“In the meantime, I’ll just keep being comfortable and hopefully

[continue] getting better,” Chang said.