Tremor Gram – January 2026

Living with Essential Tremor

The day-to-day challenges of living with essential tremor can be draining – physically and emotionally. Part of the mission of the IETF is to provide hope and support for people impacted by ET. We have a special section on our website dedicated to living with ET. If you haven’t seen it, take a look. It includes:

Treatments: See a list of current treatment options, including surgical procedures and medications.

Support Groups: Browse a list of dozens of ET support groups worldwide, that can connect you with people like you who are impacted by ET.

Coping Tips and Devices: Take a look at our list of assistive devices, therapies and coping techniques suggested by medical professionals and others. If there are coping tips or devices you use which aren’t listed here, let us know so we can check them out and share them with others.

Find an ET Specialist: This searchable database includes more than 550 neurologists from all over the country who specialize in movement disorders.  

ET Medical Alert Cards are Available Online

The IETF has made it easy and convenient for you to receive a personalized Essential Tremor Medical Alert Card. We have a template setup on our website that allows you to fill in your information and print your card right from your own home!

The card states, “I have a condition called Essential Tremor” and explains what ET is. It includes a section where you can list an emergency contact, your doctor’s name and any allergies or other medical conditions. 

The cards are free to anyone in the ET community. Carry them in your wallet or billfold in the event of an emergency or to show to others who might have questions about your condition.

Click here to see the template and print yours today!

Order Your ET Awareness Posters

National Essential Tremor Awareness Month (NETA) is just a couple of months away. In preparation, we are offering essential tremor (ET) awareness posters once again this year.

Because of the popularity of our 2025 posters, we are offering these same posters again. These posters compare ET and Parkinson’s disease (PD), sharing the similarities and differences. ET is commonly mistaken for PD and sometimes even misdiagnosed.

The posters can be displayed in the workplace, local community center, library or other public places. We are offering them FREE (limit 5 please). Just complete the online form to receive yours.

Watch Tremor Gram and the latest issue of Tremor Talk magazine for more details about our National Essential Tremor Awareness Month campaign in March.

Research Study Recruitment

PILOT Study of Essential Tremor

Dr. Elan Louis and his team of tremor researchers at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) are conducting a new PILOT study of essential tremor (ET). They need help from the ET community. If you are at least 80 years old and have been diagnosed with essential tremor in the last 2 to 5 years, then please contact the UTSW researchers at the following email address: tremor@utsouthwestern.edu. Please include your contact information in your message, including your name, telephone and the time zone or state.

They are conducting a feasibility study during which they plan to contact you once and ask over the phone 10 questions, including age, gender, medication history, treatment received for ET, and location of tremor symptoms. After completing the screening, they will ask you if you would be interested in a future study.

Physiologic Correlates of Vocal Tremor Affecting Those with Essential Tremor

Two Locations:

• University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
• Mass Eye & Ear, Boston, MA

Essential tremor is one of the most common movement disorders in the world. Approximately 30% of these individuals exhibit a vocal tremor, with the majority being female. This study will evaluate mechanisms of vocal tremor and their effects on communication, with the goal of advancing current and future treatments.

Eligible participants must have essential tremor and vocal tremor and be willing to travel to Utah or Massachusetts (compensation and travel included).

For the Utah study, please contact Jessica Ku (Clinical Research Coordinator) at Jessica.ku@hsc.utah.edu

For the Massachusetts study, please contact the Simonyan Lab at simonyan_lab@meei.harvard.edu

Study of Familial Characteristics of ET with Identical Twins

Dr. Elan Louis and his team of tremor researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) are conducting a new study of familial characteristics of essential tremor (ET). They need help from the ET community. If you have ET and have an identical (monozygotic) twin sister/brother with ET, please contact the UTSW researchers at the following email address: tremor@utsouthwestern.edu

Please include your contact information in your message (including your name, telephone, and mailing address) and the preferred way to contact you.

Both you and your identical twin sister/brother would be interested in answering questions about your tremor and provide us with a videotape performing daily tasks like using a spoon or drinking from a glass (instructions will be provided).

You and your sibling may live anywhere in the United States and still qualify to participate; all interviews will be conducted via phone and mail.