The Woman Who Detects Parkinson’s Disease With Smell
We know Parkinson’s disease as that physical disability of being able to move and speak normally. One of the main problems caused by Parkinson’s, is to be able to identify its manifestation prematurely. Therefore, it is very positive that a surprising case in Scotland has given researchers some hope.
A woman, Joy Milne, can detect this disease only by smell She discovered this ability with her closest relative, her husband, who she noticed a change in body odor a few years earlier.
Parkinson’s disease is a disorder that directly affects physical movement in the human body Its cause is the death or degeneration of some neurons and the known substantia nigra regions. Especially affected are the regions called basal ganglia, whose function is to ensure correct control of movements.
Thus, this disease produces negative effects on the physical activity of any person, such as stiffness, tremors, postural instability, or slowness of speech 75% of patients who suffer from this disease are over 65 years old, while the remaining 25% are minors.
The woman who detects Parkinson’s by smell
One of the most notable dramas of this disorder is its almost impossibility of detecting it in time to be able to, at least, avoid its development in the most aggressive phase. Researchers specialized in diseases of this type assure that in 90% of cases it is impossible to detect any type of symptom until it is too late.
However, recently the possibility of preventing the aggressive development of Parkinson’s has begun to be seen. An ordinary woman, with a normal life but with an excellent sense of smell, Joy Milne, from the city of Perth (Scotland), saw how this fact has represented a tremendous advance in the field of research into the disease.
Her name came to light when at the University of Manchester (England), incredulous at such an event, they decided to invite her to check to what extent what she said was true. Mrs Milne claimed to have detected no less than a whopping 6 years before of the definitive manifestation of Parkinson’s in her husband. And this is simply done by sniffing a garment before washing it.
The definitive test to prevent
The team that wanted to carry out the research, also from the University of Perth, proposed bringing together 16 people, half with Parkinson’s and the other half 100% healthy. From these individuals, the clothing items were taken, both pants, shirts and other accessories.
Joy handled all the clothes, sniffed them well, and without thinking too much, identified with labels those people who would not suffer from Parkinson’s and those who did have it The result was clamorous. He was right in all cases, he was complete. Years later, he was informed that the items classified as suspicious confirmed his prediction. The owners ended up developing the disease.
Encouraging results
“I was skeptical, to be honest. But it has been thanks to Joy that we have made so much progress in this field,” says one of the professors at the University of Manchester, involved in the study. With such a humble and natural technique, 10 other molecules have been detected that diagnose the presence of Parkinson’s before it fully manifests.
In the UK, 1 in 600 people suffer from Parkinson’s disease, with a total of approximately 130,000 cases. Trauma that leaves patients unable to detect it worsens their condition. Many denounce the lack of progress in the last 25 years, and pressure the English government to allocate more resources to research, so there is great urgency to find a solution.
However, scientists advance that we must be careful with this smell technique, since it is not, by any means and despite its incredible results, the definitive test. At the moment, Joy Milne’s case is exceptional, and nowhere else in the world has a similar technique been glimpsed nor has anyone else been found with the same gift.
