“Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.” Carol Burnett “You can do anything you decide to do.” Amelia Earhart Vitamin B Complex: Supplementing with a Vitamin B Complex is frequently done to augment our nutritional intake. Our genetic machinery can not produce vitamins, so we must obtain them from our diet for human health. B vitamins are the backbone of many different and complete physiological processes, including the brain. This knowledge empowers us to understand the crucial role B vitamins play in our health, whether in the absence or presence of Parkinson’s. The brain under a ..read more

“Be the kind of person who takes supplements – then skip the supplements.” Michael Pollan “One, I am skeptical of the effectiveness of nutritional supplements.” Michael Shermer Supplementing Our Treatment Plan: We all contribute to this collective knowledge, using various supplements and over-the-counter compounds to manage our Parkinson’s. Besides exercise, what other strategies can we share to maintain our quality of life (QoL)? Of course, many of our Neurologists and Movement DIsorder Specialists frown on us using said supplements, and I am never sure why. Is it because they need to follow ..read more

“I tell everyone: ‘I am not my disease. I am a person with Parkinson’s, and I aim to live life fully.’ For me, it’s all about giving back. How can I leave the world a shade more beautiful?” Barbara Salsberg Mathews “Before, when I was asked about my condition, I would go into defence mode. But now I’m comfortable saying: ‘I have Parkinson’s – and this is what it looks like.’” Caitlin Nagy Introduction: Again, all of the quotes used in this blog post are by people with Parkinson’s. On a recent search, I found this article highlighting comments/quotes/stories from various people with Parkinson’s ..read more

“[joking about the length of the Rolling Stones’ career] You have the sun, you have the moon, you have the air that you breathe – and you have the Rolling Stones!” Keith Richards “There are some Rolling Stones songs that are just stunners.” John Lydon Introduction: We embarked on a musical journey to Atlanta, Georgia, to see the Rolling Stones concert last night. This journey was not just about the Rolling Stones, but about the culmination of a lifetime of musical experiences. I have been fortunate to see most of the groups and artists that I have admired the most over the years, including Led ..read more

“Everything I know now . . . the pitfalls, the highs and lows, everything . . . it taught me and made stronger.” Ray Allen “There is no black-and-white situation. It’s all part of life. Highs, lows, middles.” Van Morrison Start of the Story: I play Monday and Wednesday in two Men’s Golf Groups. It is both fun and competitive. For several months, I have been writing a review article about exercise and Parkinson’s. [Why do we need another article about exercise? Wait and see if you think it might be different and valuable to your understanding of exercising with Parkinson’s.] I had been writing ..read more

“Parkinson’s can be the wake-up call to transform yourself into a better person.” John Baumann “No matter what science can do for people living with Parkinson’s, we must prepare our brain and body to face all difficulties.” Nikolas Koukoulakis Introduction: All of the quotes used in this blog post are by people with Parkinson’s. On a recent search, I found this article highlighting comments/quotes/stories from various people with Parkinson’s: “23 powerful quotes about Parkinson’s disease,” written by Sarah McGrath. Definitely check it out; it is worth your time to read it (click here ). “Many ..read more

“Winning comes down to who can execute under pressure.” Billie Jean King “No pressure, no diamonds.” Thomas Carlyle Scenario #1: You’re lying on the floor for a stretch in a physical therapy session. You rise to your feet, and the world starts spinning suddenly. You feel dizzy and disoriented, and the room takes a few minutes to stop its dizzying dance. This is a classic case of orthostatic hypotension. Scenario #2: You are celebrating your grandchild’s birthday with family and have just eaten a big meal. All of a sudden, you feel dizzy and light-headed and like you are goi ..read more

“Nature creates unity even in the parts of a whole.” Eugene Delacroix “The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” Aristotle Hypothesis: A paper published by Chase et al. [Chase, Thomas N., Ahmad AL‐Sabbagh, Minako Koga, and Kathleen Clarence‐Smith. “Reduced Plasma Levodopa Fluctuations with More Frequent Administration of a Novel Carbidopa/Levodopa Functionally Scored Tablet.” Clinical Pharmacology in Drug Development (2024)] asked an interesting question: Could taking a smaller dose of levodopa/carbidopa more frequently than the usual dose prevent motor complications? “A fist is more than ..read more

“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 April. We commemorate World Parkinson’s Disease Day on the birthdate of Dr. Parkinson. James Parkinson was born on April 11, 1755, and died on December 21, 1824. Following the lead of one of my favorite Physical Therapists, Claire McLean, hopefully, you will participate in the “Stand up to ..read more

“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 March): •On March 11, 2014, I received my diagnosis of Parkinson’s. Thus, this marks the 10th anniversary of having a disease with a name attached to me for the remainder of my days. •On January 23, 2015, I participated in a Patient Interview about my personal experience with Par ..read more