Journey with Parkinson’s: During an Intermission

“Hope is a function of struggle.” Brené Brown “What we know matters but who we are matters more.” Brené Brown Why do we learn? “The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in …

Always, With Parkinson’s

"Our illness is often our healing." Mooji "Life was always a matter of waiting for the right moment to act." Paulo Coelho The Beginning of the Thought:  I was at the driving range recently hitting golf balls.  And this guy walks by wearing a T-shirt that said: "Always on, Never off."  It struck me as …

Brief Report: Link Between Physical Activity and Health-related Quality of Life in Parkinson’s

"The body achieves what the mind believes." Jim Evans “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” Albert Einstein Overview: Dr. Ehlen and associates work in the Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine, Berlin, Germany and Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht, Netherlands.  Their publication is open-access and is cited …

Planet Patient vs Planet Researcher: From Both Sides, Now

"I cannot always control what goes on outside. But I can always control what goes on inside." Wayne Dyer "Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers." Voltaire Setting the Stage: This is Mariëtte Robijn-  She lives in the Netherlands and was diagnosed with Parkinson's at the young age of 46.  Mariëtte has …

Daily Inspiration (Mantra) from the 2018 PWR! (Parkinson Wellness Recovery) Retreat

"One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter." James Earl Jones "Good actions are a guard against the blows of adversity." Abu Bakr Introduction:  A new part of the recently completed PWR! (Parkinson Wellness Recovery) retreat for 2018 in Scottsdale, AZ was something termed "Daily Inspiration …

Understanding The Positive Health Benefits of Gratitude

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘thank you,’ it will be enough.” Medieval German Theologian Meister Eckhart "The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention." Khalil Gibran. Preface: Gratitude is right for you. The Roman philosopher Seneca said, "Nothing is more honorable than a grateful …

Living and Working with “HOPE” in the Presence of Parkinson’s

"Life is difficult. This is the great truth, one of the greatest truths-it is a great truth because once we see this truth, we transcend it." M. Scott Peck "Life is hard. Life is beautiful. Life is difficult. Life is wonderful." Kate DiCamillo Introduction: A student and loyal reader of this blog recently asked “What …

Dopamine Agonist Withdrawal Syndrome (DAWS) in Parkinson’s

"Some remedies are worse than the disease." Publilius Syrus "Each patient carries his own doctor inside him." Norman Cousins Summary: Dopamine agonists are widely used in the treatment of Parkinson's, especially as a first-line therapy. Some patients on a dopamine agonist experience side-effects that require either tapering or discontinuation of the drug.  First described in …

64 Quotes on Persistence to Help Your Journey With Parkinson’s Disease

“Kites rise highest against the wind – not with it!” Winston Churchill "Energy and persistence conquer all things." Benjamin Franklin Introduction: On January 1, LinkedIn announced that I had a work anniversary of 32 years at The University North Carolina at Chapel Hill ( if you include my postdoc at UNC-CH, this is a grand …

7 Tips and Healthy Habits for Working with Parkinson’s

"Nothing will work unless you do." Maya Angelou "The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today." Elbert Hubbard Précis: Over the past eight weeks, some loyal readers and several friends have asked me: "Is everything  okay?"; "Has my health taken a downturn?"; "Have you stopped writing your blog?"; "I have …