"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.
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." Albert Einstein "Be a voice not an echo." Albert Einstein Abstract: The VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, reported the results of a six-month single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized study using Parkinson's patients with early- and late-stage disease. They asked the question of whether …
Continue reading "Brief Report: Low-Dose Niacin Improves Motor Function in Parkinson’s"
"Live neither in the past nor in the future, but let each day absorb all your interest, energy and enthusiasm. The best preparation for tomorrow is to live today superbly well." William Osler "It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person …
Continue reading "Science Sunday: Ashwagandha and Parkinson’s"
"It’s not what you do some of the time that counts, it’s what you do all of the time that counts." Jack LaLanne "The essence of decay is inactivity." Jack LaLanne Background: The function of our spine and all the bones and muscles, and associated tissues connected to this region are crucial for our everyday life. …
Continue reading "Parkinson’s and Axial Rotation (Part 2, Thoracic Spine)"
"You can go to heaven if you want. I'd rather stay in Bermuda." Mark Twain “Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." Roald Da Introduction: Heading to Bermuda for a much-needed break may have been crazy in the middle of another COVID-19 surge, with Delta and Omicron variants spreading like wildfire. Nonetheless, after …
Continue reading "Parkinson’s and Life Lessons Learned in Bermuda"
"I'm a simple man, and I use simple materials." L. S. Lowry "I'm a simple, simple man." Jeremy Renner Introduction: There is a start and end to every blog post. The beginning of my post here takes one back to October 20, 1977. We were in a car, getting ready for the concert by Lynyrd …
"Stop measuring days by degree of productivity and start experiencing them by degree of presence." Alan Watts "It's so much easier to measure life in experience points." Felicia Day Introduction: How do we value ourselves to society, work colleagues, neighbors, and our loved ones and family? We each have some sort of 'value' that others …
"Don't let yesterday use up too much of today." Will Rogers "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength." Corrie Ten Boom Today: A constant theme here is to embrace today, try not to live in the past, and importantly, try not to fear what has yet happened in …
"I think everyone has the same question on their mind: Is the glass half-full or half-empty?" Oliver Stone "Something has to matter. Otherwise, a person's life will be miserable and empty." Tim Sandlin Introduction: When you think about Parkinson's, it is a disorder where you balance your daily life with enough dopamine or run on …
“Because you are alive, everything is possible.” Thích Nhất Hạnh “Keep swinging.” Hank Aaron Dopamine is Important: Dopamine has the chemical structure of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine and is a member of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, which means it delivers a message in the central nervous system. The enzyme L-DOPA decarboxylase removes carbon dioxide …
“Neurons that fire together wire together. Mental states become neural traits. Day after day, your mind is building your brain. This is what scientists call experience-dependent neuroplasticity,” Rick Hanson “Any man could, if he were so inclined, be the sculptor of his own brain.” Santiago Ramón y Cajal The Brain and the Central Nervous System …
Continue reading "Reflection on Friday- Exercise is Medicine"
Journey with Parkinson's 