"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.
"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 …
Continue reading "Living and Working with “HOPE” in the Presence of 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 …
Continue reading "Dopamine Agonist Withdrawal Syndrome (DAWS) in Parkinson’s"
“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 …
Continue reading "64 Quotes on Persistence to Help Your Journey With Parkinson’s Disease"
"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 …
Continue reading "7 Tips and Healthy Habits for Working with Parkinson’s"
"Just put one foot in front of the other." Austin Peck "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." Henry Ford Introduction to Part 1: From May 28-June 3, >100 people came to Scottsdale, Arizona for the PWR! Retreat. The final tally had >50 people-with-Parkinson's, more than 30 care partners …
"Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?" George Carlin "If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend." Doug Larson The Dilemma: At some age in our life, maybe, …
Continue reading "Driving Under the Influence of Parkinson’s"
"I owe my life to blood donors. I'm forever grateful to people who donate." Niki Taylor "We are linked by blood, and blood is memory without language." Joyce Carol Oates Synopsis: Could either Parkinson's or Alzheimer's be communicable diseases from human blood products? A recent study shows there is no evidence for these neurodegenerative disorders …
“There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.” Homer, The Odyssey “Man is a genius when he is dreaming.” Akira Kurosawa Précis: There are many manifestations associated with Parkinson's; one of the more frustrating aspects is the alteration of sleep patterns. Herein is a brief overview of sleep …
Continue reading "Sleep Disturbances in Parkinson’s and the Eagles Best Song Lyrics"
"Your brain - every brain - is a work in progress. It is 'plastic.' From the day we're born to the day we die, it continuously revises and remodels, improving or slowly declining, as a function of how we use it." Michael Merzenich "The root of all health is in the brain. The trunk …
"In giving advice I advise you, be short." Horace "The journey is what brings us happiness not the destination." Dan Millman Introduction: Last month, I presented the Whitehead Lecture to the UNC School of Medicine (SOM). Here is what that means: "The annual Whitehead Lecture serves as an unofficial convocation for the School of Medicine. …
Continue reading "2016 Whitehead Lecture: Advice, Life Stories and the Journey with Parkinson’s"
Journey with Parkinson's 