It's not likely Parkinson's disease. It's more likely to be
essential tremor, also called familial tremor. It's the kind of
shaky hands that are most noticeable when making precise movements,
like drinking a glass of water, sewing, holding a newspaper or
writing. It's called a benign tremor to signify that it doesn't
indicate a threat to health or longevity. It's not benign in its
consequences for leading a normal life.

The hands might not be the only things that shake. The head can bob,
and the voice can take on a tremulous quality because the vocal
cords quiver.

''Familial'' in the ''familial tremor'' name has real meaning. This
kind of tremor has a genetic basis. About 75 percent of children of
an affected parent will also have the tremor.

One peculiar aspect of essential tremor is that alcohol just about
always abolishes it temporarily. Alcohol, of course, cannot be used
as a treatment. But you might find that a before-dinner drink allows
you to get through a meal with steady hands.

Medicines can often control the tremor. Inderal (propranolol) and
Mysoline (primidone) are two popular and usually successful
medicines for it.

In some people, medicines do not control the tremor, and it is so
incapacitating that people cannot perform the normal activities of
daily life. For these people, surgical procedures, such as
stimulating the brain with wire electrodes that carry small levels
of electric current, can quiet shaking hands.
10/03/06(Sun Herald.com)