Dealing with Parkinson's Disease

Researchers at Cardiff University are hoping to launch a study to discover if there is clinical evidence that drumming classes are improving the lives of Parkinson’s disease patients. Parkinson’s disease is more than just a tremor. It’s a slow, exhausting loss—of movement, balance, speech, even parts of the mind. It creeps in, day by day, because the brain is losing nerve cells that make dopamine—a chemical that helps control both motion and mood. That’s why people with Parkinson’s often struggle with walking, standing up, or simply turning around. Some experience sudden “freezing,” where their feet won’t move at all, especially in tight spaces like doorways. Over time, many also face memory problems and cognitive decline from Parkinson’s-related dementia. But in a quiet corner of Wales, something unexpected is helping: samba music . Sparky Samba: Finding Rhythm in a Body That’s Lost It Eirwen Malin knows Parkinson’s disease firsthand. She lives with it. After her son attended a sam...

Suddenly my eyelids feel so heavy, and at the worst times. It's happened when I am just talking with someone-my eyes are closing, eyelids so heavy, I struggle to keep my eyes open. The person I was talking to thinks I'm bored and am really rude.  Was I hypnotized? It's probably the autonomic nervous system taking a break. Blinking is usually a natural reflex. Parkinson's Disease can cause a person to stare and the autonomic nervous system forgets it's time to blink.    I started doing an eye exercise to strengthen my eyes and remind my brain to blink. I'm not sure if my ophthalmologist would endorse this technique, but here it is.  The exercise is 8 steps. I basically look in each direction, hold it for a second and blink. Look in the next direction and repeat. Look up and left, blink Look up, blink Look up and right, blink Look right, blink Look down and right, blink Look down, blink Look down and left, blink Look left, blink I repeat this for a minute. Afterwa...

The name of this blog is changing from screwpd to parkinsons48.blogspot.com   The former name has caused confusion about the blog's content and also caused it to be flagged as not safe for the workplace.  Hopefully the name change to parkinsons48 gets this blog indexed and crawled by the search engines. Are you wondering, "Is there anything I can do to help?" Yes, you can help and it won't cost you anything but a few minutes of time. Post the new url on a few of your favorite social media sites and to relevant groups.  Thanks for your help. Like and Share!  

  April is Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month, chosen because it is the birth month of James Parkinson, who first identified the symptoms of Parkinson's disease more than 200 years ago. Parkinson's Disease, or PD, progresses and affects everyone differently, and symptoms vary from person to person. It can be a mix and match when you go to a PD support group meeting. The most commonly visible symptoms are tremors or shaking, but the condition can also manifest in many other forms, such as slowness of movement, muscle rigidity, speech changes, fatigue, sleep disturbances and mood disorders. There is currently no cure, however researchers are working to find a cure, as well as better treatments and support for people living with the condition.