By Michael S. Okun MD Journal of Parkinson’s Disease 2024 article on tax credits for Parkinson’s disease. What positive benefits will a tax credit for Parkinson’s disease provide? Could we level the playing field for persons with Parkinson’s to access appropriate multidisciplinary services? Can society benefit from a strategic investment into a forward leaning, practical, preventative and proactive multidisciplinary care policy. In this months parkinsonsecrets.com blog I will explore the positive impacts of a U.S. tax credit for Parkinson’s disease, based on the freshly published paper in the ..read more

By Indu Subramanian M.D. I was recently inspired to write a paper on delivering the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease following one too many negative stories from people living with the disease. ‘Words matter’ and the words at the moment of diagnosis will affect people for many years to come. This month’s blog is dedicated to ‘delivering the diagnosis’ with both ‘compassion and hope.’ The blog is based both on a paper I co-wrote, but also on an expanding literature on this topic. The ‘lasting memory’ of a Parkinson’s diagnosis Many people have described to me the emotional impact and the vivid ..read more

By Michael S Okun One of the big stories of 2023 in Parkinson’s disease was the emergence of a ‘seeding assay’ as a potential biomarker for Parkinson’s disease. We keep hearing over and over about a ‘Parkinson’s breakthrough.’ I prefer to think of the current moment in Parkinson’s history as an ‘inflection point,’ rather than a breakthrough. As a collective group of stakeholders, we are now moving with purpose toward biological definitions, staging and classifications for Parkinson’s disease. There remains a lot to ‘unpack,’ so in this month’s blog, I will explain where we are, and where we ma ..read more

By Indu Subramanian MD Can we focus on the person with Parkinson’s disease and still be informed by the evidence? You bet we can. Can we achieve optimal health and healing by focusing on what matters most? Yes we can. Can we shift the person with Parkinson’s from a state of pure survival, to one of thriving? It is possible. In this months blog, I will, with help from Dr. Sushma Kola from Northwestern University, teach you about integrative medicine and share tips on how to ‘integrate’ them into your overall Parkinson’s strategy. Check out our newest paper on Integrative Medicine in Parkinson’s ..read more

By Indu Subramanian MD This month we tackle the topic of stigma in Parkinson’s disease. Would it surprise you to learn that 50% of those diagnosed keep it a secret? Do you know the types of stigma? Do you know how stigma can lead to social isolation? Do you know how to identify and to address PD related stigma? Dr. Indu Subramanian along with her colleagues Dr. Brad McDaniels and Dr. Soania Mathur address all of these topics and more in this months parkinsonsecrets.com blog. The authors along with Dr. Greg Pontone have a new article in Parkinsonism and Related Disorders on the topic of stigma ..read more

By Michael S. Okun This is a really terrific article in everydayhealth.com discussing skin cancers and the importance of making the diagnosis and initiating appropriate treatment. Does it surprise you that if you happen to have Parkinson’s disease, you are at twice the risk for the development of a skin cancer called melanoma? In this month’s blog, we will take a closer look at the data and ask the question, ‘why don’t we counsel folks about this risk at ‘every clinical visit’ to the doctor or advanced practice provider?’ Melanoma is devastating but potentially preventable. This is one of ma ..read more

Drs Ariane Carpentier, Ramzi Salloum and I recently wrote an editorial on the ‘sources of harm’ for Parkinson’s disease (PD) persons and we presented potential solutions for the healthcare system (2023). Our editorial comment was based on the recent article by Ritzi and Walter from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (2023 Parkinsonism and Related Disorders). The hospital is a dangerous destination for persons with PD. Achieving the highest quality inpatient hospital care for persons with PD is not as ‘straight-forward’ as you may think. Each year, approximately one third of persons with PD will ..read more

By Michael S Okun MD A lot of buzz has been generated as a result of the emergence of skin biopsies and DaTscans as potential diagnostic tests for Parkinson’s disease and for ‘parkinsonisms.’ The promise and the hope of these tests has been accompanied by ‘confusion’ as to ‘what they are’ and ‘when to apply them.’ In this month’s parkinsonsecrets.com blog, I will review the key information persons with Parkinson’s disease, family members and clinicians should all ‘know’ about these two diagnostic tests. Additionally, I will touch on the roles that these ‘tests’ may play in the future developme ..read more

By Michael S. Okun M.D. The news of a significant breakthrough in the development of a Parkinson’s disease biomarker spread at near hypersonic speed and it generated a ton of excitement in the field. What does it all mean? What is this biomarker and where did it come from? Will it affect me if I have Parkinson’s disease? How will it influence our search for new Parkinson’s therapies? Did you know the real breakthrough was in 2008-2016 as the methods for seeding assays were developed for another disease (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, prion). I will address all of these questions and more in the wa ..read more

By Michael S. Okun Now that I have entered my third decade of practicing as a Parkinson’s neurologist, I have observed an expansive number of ‘vitamin and supplement based strategies’ designed to treat Parkinson’s. April is Parkinson’s awareness month, and I thought it would be fun to share what I have learned about vitamins over many years of practice. I will attempt to make a strong argument that ‘everyone with Parkinson’s should be on one multi-vitamin a day,’ especially if taking levodopa replacement therapy. A nice article in June 2017 appeared in the Ottawa Citizen about the dangers of ..read more