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 …

Effect of Forgiveness on Health

"When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future."  Bernard Meltzer "The first step in forgiveness is the willingness to forgive." Marianne Williamson Précis: Recently had a friend go through a difficult break-up from a marriage. The notion of getting past the failed relationship, achieving forgiveness, …

B Vitamins (Folate, B6, B12) Reduce Homocysteine Levels Produced by Carbidopa/Levodopa Therapy

"The excitement of vitamins, nutrition and metabolism permeated the environment." Paul D. Boyer "A substance that makes you ill if you don't eat it." Albert Szent-Gyorgy Introduction: Claire McLean, an amazing-PT who is vital to my life managing my Parkinson's, posted a very interesting article about the generation of homocysteine from the metabolism of levodopa …

Diet and Dementia (Cognitive Decline) in the Aging

"When diet is wrong medicine is of no use. When diet is correct medicine is of no need.’’ Ancient Ayurvedic Proverb ‘‘What is food to one man may be fierce poison to others.’’ Lucretius (99 B.C.-55 BC). Précis: Last month in London, England, at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2017, there were several presentations …

The Yack on NAC (N-Acetyl-Cysteine) and Parkinson’s

"Once you choose hope, anything's possible." Christopher Reeve "Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence." Lin Yutang Introduction: N-Acetyl-Cysteine (or N-acetylcysteine, usually abbreviated NAC and frequently pronounced like the word 'knack') is an altered (modified by an …

Parkinson’s Awareness Month: Greetings from North Carolina, USA

With Parkinson’s you have two choices: You can let it control you, or you can control it. And I’ve chosen to control it.” US Senator Isakson “Perhaps I am stronger than I think.” Thomas Merton Précis: A brief overview about Parkinson's disease, highlights from our Moving Day NC Triangle Planning Committee during "Parkinson's Disease Awareness …

Parkinson’s Awareness Month: Veterans Health Administration PD Video Series

"My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging." Hank Aaron "Nothing worth having comes easy." Theodore Roosevelt Introduction: Several years ago, the Veterans Health Administration produced videos to educate/inform our veterans about Parkinson's …

“Go the Distance” With MAO-B Inhibitors: Potential Long-term Benefits in Parkinson’s

"Life is 10 percent what you make it, and 90 percent how you take it." Irving Berlin "My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength." Michael Jordan Précis:  (1) A brief review of the major classes of …

200 Years Ago James Parkinson published “An Essay On The Shaking Palsy”

"I have a form of Parkinson's disease, which I don't like. My legs don't move when my brain tells them to. It's very frustrating." George H.W. Bush "I discovered that I was part of a Parkinson's community with similar experiences and similar questions that I'd been dealing with alone." Michael J. Fox Summary: Two hundred …

Evidence that Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s are Not Transmitted by Blood Transfusion

"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 …