I guess that anyone with any experience of Parkinsons is familiar with dopamine. It (or the lack of it) is the root of the condition. The NHS website describes it succinctly: Parkinson's disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in part of the brain called the substantia nigra. This leads to a reduction in a chemical called dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter, that is, a chemical that stimulates neighbouring cells to transmit messages around the nervous system. Just about everything our bodies do depends on communication from our brains so as these transmitters diminish, we can expect all manner of symptoms. I delayed speaking to my GP for several years after noticing that I was finding it more difficult to move my right hand probably due to fear and denial. I think it was my wife who persuaded me that I really ought to have it looked at. I asked for an appointment to see a GP at my local surgery b...