Life in the Presence of Parkinson’s: A Daily Mantra

"Gratitude is the greatest prayer. Thank you is the greatest mantra." Swami Nithyananda "My mantra: Brainless exercise is a lost opportunity for improvement." Michael Merzenich Definition: Mantra, man·tra (/ˈmantrə/) noun: mantra; plural noun: mantras.1. (originally in Hinduism and Buddhism) A word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation. "A mantra is given to a …

World Parkinson’s Day 2022: Hope Has Not Been Canceled

"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 …

Journey with Parkinson’s: Adding a New Journey

"Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me." Carol Burnett "It needs to be said and heard: it's OK to be who you are." Hailee Steinfeld  Adding a New Journey: In the preceding blog post, I spent a considerable amount of time writing about the quality of life, self-management of our …

Journey with Parkinson’s: Managing Daily Life

"I decided I can’t pay a person to rewind time, so I may as well get over it." Serena Williams "Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts." Nikki Giovanni Adding On to Your Life With Parkinson's: Many people, when they get their diagnosis of Parkinson's, will make immediate …

Mindfulness Meditation for Parkinson’s

"Mindfulness is the miracle by which we master and restore ourselves." Nhat Hanh "Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." Carl Jung Introduction: This post is one of my repeating themes. This one is on mindfulness meditation. Why would someone keep repeating a topic? Well, why do I do it? For the following reasons. First, I …

2016 Whitehead Lecture: Advice, Life Stories and the Journey with Parkinson’s

"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. …

Believe in Life in the Presence of Parkinson’s

“Life is not only merriment, it is desire and determination.” Kahlil Gibran "Nothing will work unless you do." Maya Angelou Dedication: I recently participated in a Parkinson Wellness Recovery (PWR!) Instructor Workshop in Greenville, SC (July 30-31, 2016); now I am certified in PWR!Moves.  This post is dedicated to the workshop instructor Jennifer Bazan-Wigle; and …

The 23andMe Parkinson’s Research Study

"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." Carl Sagan "A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work." Colin Powell Introduction/Background: Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement. It evolves slowly, usually starting as either stiffness in a hand or a small tremor. Over time, Parkinson’s progresses; …

The Evolving Portrait of Parkinson’s

“Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” Betty Friedane  “If we own the story then we can write the ending.” Brené Brown Précis:  To showcase the amazing art/photography/videography of Anders M. Leines who lives in Norway, which gives me the opportunity to voice an opinion about the emerging picture/image …