A better treatment for essential tremor

Murray Bocian, 76, was prone to spilling things: His hands were so shaky that he had to begin using a child's sippy cup. Murray was battling a condition called essential tremor, and it was impacting many aspects of his daily life. A nervous system disorder, essential tremor starts in the brain and triggers shakiness in the extremities, most often the hands. For most of the 10 million Americans living with essential tremor, lifestyle changes and medications can help manage symptoms. But when the condition interferes with daily activities as it was Murray, more targeted therapies are needed. For decades, the solution has been to open the skull and operate on the brain. Now there's a new incision-less procedure called high-intensity focused ultrasound — HIFU — which can be done with an MRI scanner in a single two-hour outpatient session. And the effects are immediate. On this episode, we hear from Murray and speak with his surgeon, Albert Fenoy, MD, who explains how this new procedure works, who is a candidate, and how HIFU is improving the quality of life for patients living with essential tremor. Podcast transcript