View from the Front Window: Happy New Year from the Journey with Parkinson’s

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." Ralph Waldo Emerson "And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been" Rainer Maria Rilke A View of Parkinson's: Looking out my window in my office in the front of the house, I see much going …

A Parkinson’s Disease Scorecard of Symptoms

"Measure your success by your inner scorecard versus an outer one." Robin Sharma "I never keep a scorecard or the batting averages. I hate statistics. What I got to know, I keep in my head." Dizzy Dean The Reason for a Parkinson's Disease Scorecard: We go see our Neurologist every six months, and one of their …

How Do You Feel When You Wake Up Each Morning With Parkinson’s?

"Be willing to be a beginner every single morning." Meister Eckhart "There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope." Bernard Williams A Beginning: On April 30, 2015, I posted the blog "How Do You Feel When You Wake Up Each Morning?" (Click here to read it). Essentially, I quickly inventory myself …

Parkinson’s: Some Jazzy Blues Holiday Music

"Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life." Art Blakey "There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind." Duke Ellington Intro to the Introduction: This blog primarily focuses on Parkinson's and (hopefully) gives helpful advice about various aspects of the disorder. Along this journey, I have shared a lot about myself, and …

A Cross-over Event for a Blog Post Published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease

"Nothing stinks like a pile of unpublished writing." Sylvia Plath "There are three difficulties in authorship; to write any thing worth the publishing — to find honest men to publish it — and to get sensible men to read it." Charles Caleb Colton Introduction: I spent over 40 years in an academic environment. The critical …

Happy Thanksgiving: Live On, Our Lives Have Not Been Canceled By Parkinson’s

"Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself." Harvey Fierstein "Don't get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life." Dolly Parton Introduction: On October 23, 2015, I posted a blog entitled "Poetry to Parkinson's'." I go back occasionally and revisit old blog posts. Today, "Poetry to Parkinson's"(click here) was …

Brief Report: Comparison of the COMT Inhibitor Opicapone to Entacapone in Parkinson’s

"When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life is hard,' I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'" Sydney J. Harris "Comparison is the death of joy." Mark Twain Overview: Recently, I have presented two blog posts on COMT (Catechol-O-methyl transferase) Inhibitors: "COMT Inhibitors in Parkinson's: Tell Me More, Tell Me More" (click here) and "Addendum …

Words Worth Living in the Presence of Parkinson’s

“You can observe a lot just by watching.” Yogi Berra “Though the road's been rocky it sure feels good to me.” Bob Marley Introduction: Since my diagnosis with Parkinson's, I seem to have become a collector of quotes and sayings. Some make me smile, like the one above from Yogi Berra. Some make me take …

Science Sunday: The Benefit of Taking Naps and Using Non-Sleep Deep Rest to Improve the Quality-of-Life in Parkinson’s

"I usually take a two-hour nap from one to four." Yogi Berra "Persevere. Plan. Strategize. Focus. Breathe. Write. Let go: relax. Forgive. All this failing: take a nap." Mary Anne Radmacher Introduction: Many experts in the field of neurology believe that most if not all, neuropsychiatric disorders are linked to atypical sleep patterns. And guess …

Parkinson’s: The Cave

"Welcome out of the cave, my friend. It's a bit colder out here, but the stars are just beautiful." Plato "It doesn't matter if a cave has been in darkness for 10,000 years or half an hour, once you light a match it is illuminated." Paramahansa Yogananda Introduction: I am always searching for a topic …