PD and the microbiome Posted on January 19, 2021January 19, 2021 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert What is the microbiome? The human gut harbors trillions of micro-organisms referred to collectively as the microbiome. Current understanding is that the microbiome provides a number of benefits to the human including help with digestion of food, help with warding off harmful microorganisms, aid in the absorption of particular nutrients, and creation of needed vitamins. […] Read More
Let’s Talk About Palliative Care and Parkinson’s disease Posted on January 12, 2021January 12, 2021 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and their care partners are always searching for ways to make their lives easier, healthier and fuller. Using the principles of palliative care to enhance PD-specific care is one way to do that. Palliative care is a medical approach for those with complex illnesses, in which the focus is on […] Read More
Planning for the What Ifs – Multiple System Atrophy Posted on January 5, 2021 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert Advanced Parkinson’s and Multiple System Atrophy As part of our Planning for the What Ifs series, today we continue to expand the definition of advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) by discussing one of the atypical parkinsonian syndromes. In a past blog we explored two other atypical parkinsonian syndromes – Progressive supranuclear palsy and Corticobasal degeneration. Today we will […] Read More
A New Perspective on Being a PD Care Partner Posted on December 15, 2020December 16, 2020 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert An Inside Look at Parkinson’s Disease Care Partners Being a care partner for someone with Parkinson’s disease (PD) can be a difficult, but potentially very rewarding role. Making it even more challenging is the fact that the role is assigned without consent of the care partner, without any training and without the option of refusal. […] Read More
Therapies for non-motor symptoms of PD in clinical trials Posted on December 9, 2020December 9, 2020 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert The pipeline for Parkinson’s disease (PD) medications is extremely crowded these days, with multiple medications at various stages of research and development. Currently most of the approved medications for PD address the motor symptoms of PD – tremor, slowness, stiffness, and walking difficulties. Medications are also available to help people overcome OFF time or improve […] Read More
Parkinson’s Partners: Introducing Medical Students to Parkinson’s disease Posted on December 1, 2020 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert As all of you know very well, Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex disorder that affects so many parts of a person’s life. In order for physicians to fully understand the impact the disease has on people with PD, it is not enough to learn the science and medicine of the condition. But how is […] Read More
Where are they now? APDA’s research success Posted on November 24, 2020February 11, 2021 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert Q&A with APDA research grant recipients Since 1961, APDA has been a funding partner in many major scientific breakthroughs and has awarded more than $49 million in research grants to date. APDA funds individual research grants and fellowships to scientists performing innovative Parkinson’s disease (PD) research. Grants are awarded through a competitive application process […] Read More
Is a vaccine for Parkinson’s disease possible? Posted on November 3, 2020October 30, 2020 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert As the world awaits an effective vaccine for SARS-CoV2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), vaccines and vaccination are at the front and center of the news and in our minds. A vaccine is a substance that is introduced into the body in order to stimulate the immune system to provide protection against a particular disease. […] Read More
Update on COVID-19 and Parkinson’s disease Posted on October 27, 2020January 3, 2021 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert Latest Research on COVID-19 & Parkinson’s disease UPDATE: This post (originally published in June) has been updated with the latest information available. We will continue to keep this post up-to-date as new information develops. As citizens of the world, we all continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. And as members of the Parkinson’s disease (PD) […] Read More
Peripheral neuropathy and Parkinson’s disease Posted on October 20, 2020October 20, 2020 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert Today I will address the potential link between Parkinson’s disease and a common neurologic condition called peripheral neuropathy. This topic was submitted via the Suggest a Topic portal. I am grateful for your suggestions so please continue to let us know what you’d like to learn more about! In order to understand what peripheral neuropathy […] Read More
