Before Parkinson’s disease lays waste to the body, it begins to rob people of their voice.

It may be subtle at first… but researchers believe they can use that to help detect the disease earlier than ever.

A team of scientists at the University of Haifa in Israel has developed a voice analysis program that can spot the differences between normal speech, and the speech of people who are suffering from Parkinson’s disease – even if they don’t know it yet themselves.

Not only that, but the program can track the changes and show whether the disease is worsening or – on a more positive note – treatment is working, according to the study published in the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research.

What’s especially encouraging about the test is that it involves no poking, no prodding and no scans or X-rays. At a time when people – especially seniors – are zapped with enough radiation to power small reactors and forced to give enough blood to feed a village of vampires, that’s terrific news.

Parkinson’s, of course, does far worse than ruin your speaking voice. And while those altered speech patterns may offer an early clue, they’re not the only warning sign.

There are others – and like the speech patterns, they could be subtle at first. But pay attention to them, because the key to slowing this disease is spotting it before the bigger symptoms appear, like the notorious whole-body tremors.

One of those warning signs may be the loss of smell. In fact, since 90 percent of Parkinson’s patients lose some of their sense of smell, researchers believe a simple scent test could also help sniff out this dreaded disease.

If you or anyone you love is at risk for Parkinson’s or has any of the warning signs, don’t delay – but don’t jump on the drug train either. Many of the meds used to treat this condition are dangerous and addictive.

Dr. Jonathan Wright has written extensively about natural treatments for Parkinson’s disease, including coenzyme Q10 and vitamin B2. You can learn more by visiting his Web site and searching the archives.

Also remember that many patients treated for Parkinson’s disease are actually suffering from something else entirely, from benign and treatable tumors to drug reactions.

A skilled natural doctor can make the right diagnosis and help you find a safe treatment that will keep you healthy without doing even more damage to your body and mind.