"Where Life Meets Parkinson's." A blog for Parkinson's education, research advances, treatment strategies, and personal reflection. The goal is to provide support and resources to anyone either with Parkinson's disease or with any neurodegenerative disorder.
"Patience and fortitude conquer all things." Ralph Waldo Emerson "I know of no higher fortitude than stubborness in the face of overwhelming odds." Louis Nizer Overview: Recently, I reviewed a clinical trial involving ablation of the globus pallidus by focused ultrasound to treat Parkinson's (click here to read this blog post). Some time ago, I …
"Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it's less good than the one you had before." Elizabeth Edwards "Health is wholeness and balance, an inner resilience that allows you to meet the demands of living without being overwhelmed." Andrew Weil Introduction: The goal is to review the role(s) played by dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine (also …
Continue reading "The Complex Role of Neurotransmitters in Parkinson’s"
"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." Anais Nin "The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible." Oscar Wilde Introduction: I have been reading and learning about the "normal heart" in Parkinson's, ultimately trying to better understand the autonomic nervous system. While reading, I ran …
Continue reading "Sudden Unexpected Death in Parkinson’s (SUDPAR)"
"It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor." Marcus Tullius Cicero "Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being." Plato Introduction: I have been convinced for a while that exercise is medicine. This blog post summarizes two publications: Crotty, Grace F., and Michael A. Schwarzschild. "Chasing …
Continue reading "Exercise and Neuroprotection in Human Parkinson’s: The Long and Winding Road"
"Come grow old with me. The best is yet to be." William Wordsworth "As long as I am breathing, in my eyes, I am just beginning." Criss Jami Introduction: Recently, an exciting and in-depth review article about inflammation and the immune system and their dysfunction in the pathway of Parkinson's was published. The citation for …
"A myth is a lie that conveys a truth." C.S. Lewis "Myths are made for the imagination to breath life into them." Albert Camus Introduction: Parkinson's is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. Thus, Parkinson's occurs relatively frequently in adults. Unfortunately, it can be a complex disorder for physicians to make a proper diagnosis, and it …
Continue reading "Fifteen Myths and Common Misconceptions About Parkinson’s"
"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." Melody Beattie "Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other." Randy Pausch Gratitude: Since beginning this blog in 2015, I have mentioned gratitude numerous times and written about gratitude several …
"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending." C. S. Lewis "A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities." J. R. R. Tolkien Introduction: There are a lot of ways one could take the topic of this post, "the balancing act of …
"There is no medicine like hope." Orison Swett Marden "If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today" Nhat Hanh Introduction: I have been putting the 100th change/addition/modification to a manuscript that was just submitted for publication. The manuscript concerns the role of SARS-CoV-2 (aka, COVID-19) to promote neurodegeneration in Parkinson's …
Continue reading "World Parkinson’s Day 2022: Hope Has Not Been Canceled"
"Apathy is the acceptance of the unacceptable." John Stott "I don't know, I don't care, and it doesn't make any difference." Jack Kerouac Definition: Apathy (ap·a·thy, /ˈapÉ™THÄ“/) lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern. Occurrence of Apathy in Parkinson's: The presence of apathy in Parkinson's is between 17% to 70%, the wide range is partly due …
Journey with Parkinson's 