Columns

The symbiotic conductor/exercise training, which centers on a mental construct for shifting perspective that I’ve described in previous columns, helps me to live better with Parkinson’s. Putting it in place as an early intervention (unknowingly on my part) was a crucial piece of this successful outcome. If we…

In the beginning, God created man. And man wasn’t altogether too happy about it. So, God created woman, and man was quite pleased. We were made for fellowship with one another. We were not meant to be or to live alone. There is a reality TV show called “Alone,”…

In previous columns, I have discussed using the conductor (in particular, the resting mind state) to suppress faulty input from the second dopamine center, thus reducing the effects of Parkinson’s symptoms. Is there any evidence to support this besides my ramblings? The first piece of evidence is my own…

Several years ago, I read an article about a man with Parkinson’s disease who was arrested by police in Surrey, England due to a misunderstanding surrounding his condition.  He was sitting on a wall near a street and watching Olympic cyclists approach. Before he knew it, he was…

A friend of mine sent me an article about a self-funded clinical trial using stem cells to treat a patient named George Lopez, who has Parkinson’s. I was intrigued. For many, myself included, the term “stem cells” meant only embryonic stem cells and evoked controversy. I had numerous questions,…

I have written about “the conductor,” a mental construct useful for shifting perspective. The conductor likely has major neural components in a network of areas in the brain: the default mode network, the salience network, and the executive network. In this column, I will focus on the default mode…

I was helping my 86-year-old neighbor get dressed. After getting her shirt on, we grabbed her medications, and a sheriff, who was in the house with us, grabbed her shoes. I held her arm as we shuffled down the ramp together to where my husband was in the car. …

The idea for the title of my column, “Possibilities with Parkinson’s,” arose from my attempts to understand what was happening to me. Because I do not display the dramatic motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, but have many of the non-motor symptoms, I seek out research that can help explain…

I met my friend Kathy when she came to our exercise class more than two years ago. She has Parkinson’s, too. Over the past year, we have developed a “big sister, little sister” relationship. Exercising is part of our time together, but we do so much more, including cooking, shopping,…

I recently zigzagged across the country, preparing to make my new home on the Eastern Seaboard for the winter. While my dad, Jim, observed my journey from afar, he sent me a message saying, “Maybe while you’re wandering around the country, you should wander home.”…