World Parkinson’s Awareness Day April 11, 2024

"Don't give up. Don't ever give up." Jim Valvano “You may be the only person left who believes in you, but it’s enough. It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness. Never give up.” Richelle E. Goodrich World Parkinson’s Disease Day is April 11: Parkinson’s Disease Awareness month is the month of …

Journey With Parkinson’s: Five Days in March that Changed My Life’s Perspective

"To understand the living present, and the promise of the future, it is necessary to remember the past." Rachel Carson "Remembering the past gives power to the present." Fae Myenne Ng Introduction (NOTE: the Title should really read 5 days in March/1 day in January; but I liked the symmetry of the 5 dates in …

Parkinson’s: The Loss of a Friend

"I would rather die a meaningful death than to live a meaningless life." Corazon Aquino "What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us." Helen Keller Sadness: The title was one word, "Sadness," and the note was brief. My friend, a fellow Person-with-Parkinson's (PwP), passed away …

Science Sunday: Passive Muscle Stiffness in Exercise-induced Muscle Damage

"It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment." Marcus Tullius Cicero "Life yields only to the conqueror. Never accept what can be gained by giving in. You will be living off stolen goods, and your muscles will atrophy." Dag Hammarskjold Introduction: …

The Importance of Exercise to Help Manage Parkinson’s

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." Lou Holtz "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." John Wooden A New Paper Describing the Benefits of Exercise in Parkinson's: Corcos et al., (Corcos, D.M., G. Lamotte, N.S. Luthra, and …

A Parkinson’s Disease Scorecard of Symptoms

"Measure your success by your inner scorecard versus an outer one." Robin Sharma "I never keep a scorecard or the batting averages. I hate statistics. What I got to know, I keep in my head." Dizzy Dean The Reason for a Parkinson's Disease Scorecard: We go see our Neurologist every six months, and one of their …

How Do You Feel When You Wake Up Each Morning With Parkinson’s?

"Be willing to be a beginner every single morning." Meister Eckhart "There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope." Bernard Williams A Beginning: On April 30, 2015, I posted the blog "How Do You Feel When You Wake Up Each Morning?" (Click here to read it). Essentially, I quickly inventory myself …

Parkinson’s: Some Jazzy Blues Holiday Music

"Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life." Art Blakey "There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind." Duke Ellington Intro to the Introduction: This blog primarily focuses on Parkinson's and (hopefully) gives helpful advice about various aspects of the disorder. Along this journey, I have shared a lot about myself, and …

A Cross-over Event for a Blog Post Published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease

"Nothing stinks like a pile of unpublished writing." Sylvia Plath "There are three difficulties in authorship; to write any thing worth the publishing — to find honest men to publish it — and to get sensible men to read it." Charles Caleb Colton Introduction: I spent over 40 years in an academic environment. The critical …

Words Worth Living in the Presence of Parkinson’s

“You can observe a lot just by watching.” Yogi Berra “Though the road's been rocky it sure feels good to me.” Bob Marley Introduction: Since my diagnosis with Parkinson's, I seem to have become a collector of quotes and sayings. Some make me smile, like the one above from Yogi Berra. Some make me take …