Living

"Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up." - Ann Bradford This quote stuck with me for a couple of days. And it...

There, I have said it. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. No, this isn’t a pity party. It is reality. I try to write positively about Parkinson’s...

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is difficult to diagnose because symptoms vary so widely between patients. Although my dad's diagnosis was relatively straightforward, at the beginning, we wondered if his tremors could...

When I was a teenager I used to play poker. Each player was dealt 5 cards. We had to throw out the cards that were thought to be useless and...

One of the most undesirable and socially stigmatizing symptoms that I experience from being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease is hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis is a posh fancy-shmancy medical term, which when loosely...

Another pandemic? You must be kidding me? No! The fastest growing neurological disorder in the world is Parkinson's disease (PD). In India, ancient texts suggest Parkinson's disease existed as far...

Urinary dysfunction ... the silent "U" in the ABCs of Parkinson’s symptoms. I think there must be a Parkinson’s symptom for every letter of the alphabet. The Letter "U" is...

"Blindness cuts us off from things, but deafness cuts us off from people." - Helen Keller I agree with Helen Keller's statement that a decrease in hearing does cut us...

By integrating healthy habits, we can get ahead of our Parkinson’s disease (PD) and feel more in control. Here are my 7 healthy habits I recommend for people with Parkinson's. Learn...

Sometimes, our lives transpire in such a way that it seems that the universe is trying to prepare us for future challenges. Be this through success or failure, our adult...

The term resilience can have many meanings. It is associated with personality traits or a description of character, and prior to 2020, resilience was more widely used in academia than...

As I watch my dad’s Parkinson’s progress, I’m always looking for ways to combat his symptoms. He already addresses diet, and exercise on his own. But I think that we...

"Swallowing is a big deal for Parkinson’s people," Dad explains one early morning. I know that he is hinting at one of his current challenges although he doesn’t outright say...

Those of us with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have concerns about the various symptoms looming in our future. I have heard people discuss if, when, or how fast they might lose...

You can read part one of this letter here: Letters to Myself: Basic Training Dear 18-year-old Dan, In September of 2016, you’ll learn that the rigidity of dystonia prevented your...

This month, I observe the sixth anniversary of my deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery for Parkinson's disease (PD). As I reflect on that experience, I am reminded of some of...

Nighttime is not good for Posy. Actually, it never has been. Why was a very confident, happy child so fearful of the dark? Every shadow was a bad person coming...

Are your infrequent "number 2s" giving you the blues? It’s possible that you aren’t getting enough fiber in your diet. In case you missed it, see The Benefits of Fiber...

What brings us happiness does not always mesh with what is found to be healthy. Chips, cookies, cake, and too much of a good thing are a great example of...

This article is the third and last of my melanoma series. In case you missed it, you can read about my diagnosis and how I've been coping in the articles:...