Possibilities with Parkinson's - a Column by Dr. C

The challenges of any chronic disease require the mental attitude of a warrior. Like the code of the samurai, the CHRONDI Creed is both a guide for battle and for living. CHRONDI is an acronym from the first letters in the words chronic disease. The letters stand for each…

Parkinson’s disease (PD) pain is unique, so finding words to describe it is difficult. Not all those with a diagnosis experience pain. But for some, like me, pain is the major, disabling symptom. It is important to find words that describe the pain experience as clearly as possible. There is no…

No one told me that breakfast bacon, ham, or sausage would make me feel awful! I had seen my off-periods worsen after a heavy meat meal, but I shrugged it off as “just a bad off-period.” Now, after being on levodopa for five years, I am positive that animal…

Living with Parkinson’s disease is a struggle against the loss of both motor and cognitive functions. One must invest effort into an action plan that reduces the impact of the disease — a rehab plan. This effort is daily (sometimes hourly) and can be exhausting. Living with PD is…

In my column about time management, I mentioned a nagging inner voice saying, “You did not get enough done today.” That phrase ties to an old “tape,” inner dialogue left by the voices of parents and childhood teachers that says, “You are never going to amount to anything. You are…

I used to be able to put long hours into just about anything I tackled: research, teaching, helping others, painting, writing, and gardening. But PD gobbles up time, just like the video game character Pac-Man gobbles up dots while chasing ghosts. Although I’m retired, I have less free time to…

Depression is often associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD), as is apathy. But there may be a subtle difference between the two. At the risk of oversimplifying, let’s define depression as a state of sadness and loss of interest, and apathy as an apparent lack of motivation. Put sadness and…

Search on the internet for early signs of Parkinson’s disease. Surprisingly, you will not find foot drag on most of the lists. Yet, Ali Samil, in the chapter “Cardinal Features of Early Parkinson’s Disease,” in the book “Parkinson’s Disease: Diagnosis and Clinical Management,” lists foot drag as an…

The brain is a plastic organ continually reshaping itself in response to the stimuli it receives and the way those stimuli are processed. The old adage “use it or lose it” applies even in the face of a challenging disease like Parkinson’s. Computer gaming can help with brain training by…

Brain training happens all the time. The goal of Parkinson’s disease (PD) rehabilitation is to use training to limit the effects of the condition. When training the brain, it is important to be mindful of what it is doing while implementing a practice of mental attentiveness. This specific type of…