In life with Parkinson’s, we must embrace ugliness to find beauty
Can there be anything beautiful in Parkinson’s disease? It’s so easy to see the ugly and clutch the feeling that all is lost. I hate to say it, but sometimes we need to…
The Impatient Patient — Doc Irish
Doc Irish is a “patient research scientist,” not a real doctor. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 49 in 2020. He has an amazing family, is married with four children, owner of a healthcare market research firm. Believed to have eventually developed the disorder due to herbicide exposure while working for a landscaping company in high school and college – initial concerns were all about possible causes and trying to rule out genetic links. Now, focused on how can we try to make sense of brain-body dynamics… and how to accelerate real-world therapies.
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Thoughts on broadening Parkinson’s stimulation treatments
In recent columns, I touched on my frustrations with clinical trials and how, as a patient, I felt out of the loop regarding meaningful research and development. Despite all my efforts to get…
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With Parkinson’s disease, can we teach old dogs new tricks?
Do you ever notice how symptoms of Parkinson’s disease sometimes seem to start at the perimeter? You might first get a twitch in your pinkie finger or thumb, or it might be some…
How I imagine a ‘flex capacitor’ could help me time-travel with Parkinson’s
Flash back with me to the mid-1980s to early ’90s, the acting heyday of our beloved Michael J. Fox and his “Back to the Future” film series. Remember how time travel in…
Turning to science to paint a better picture of Parkinson’s disease
When you’re asked about Parkinson’s disease, how do you describe it? Do you have any particular ways of imagining Parkinson’s that are helpful for you to understand or explain the disorder? Any pictures,…
