Nicotine eases Parkinson's symptoms

The neurological disorder that manifests itself as Parkinson's Disease could be assisted by way of nicotine ingestion, according to new research released this week.

In the research, monkeys (a genetic cousin to humans) were given nicotine inside of a beverage and then were treated with traditional drug treatments for Parkinson's Disease. The result: tremors and involuntary movements were decreased by 50 percent.

In addition to being given nicotine before drug treatments began, the monkey group was also given the addictive substance after traditional Parkinson's treatments had begun. In those cases, a 35 percent reduction in dyskinesias (involuntary movements) was witnessed.