Death in Parkinson’s Disease

Posted on by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert

End-Stage Parkinson’s Disease & Risk of Death It’s hard to think about the tough stuff. The what ifs, the...see more worst-case scenarios, the unknowns. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive condition, which means that it gets worse with time. However, for many people, the worsening is gradual, maybe even imperceptible at times. This affords you many […]

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Planning for the What Ifs: Parkinson’s Disease & End of Life

Posted on by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert

End-Stage Parkinson’s Disease & Risk of Death It’s hard to think about the tough stuff. The what ifs, the...see more worst-case scenarios, the unknowns. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive condition, which means that it gets worse with time. However, for many people, the worsening is gradual, maybe even imperceptible at times. This affords you many […]

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Bringing Parkinson’s awareness to the big screen: John’s story

Posted on by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert

How John Became an Unlikely Celebrity When John Capone was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) at the young...see more age of 39, he never imagined acting in a movie with A-list celebrities. The news of his diagnosis was tough to handle at first, and he quickly became overwhelmed by depression and anxiety. But this tough […]

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Unique Influences on Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms

Posted on by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert

How Geography, high altitude and cold weather can play a role Through APDA’s Ask the Doctor portal, we receive...see more many questions on a vast array of topics. (Feel free to submit your own question at any time.) Many readers have noted that geographic or seasonal factors seem to impact their Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms and […]

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Wearable devices that suppress Parkinson’s disease tremor

Posted on by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert

Non-Invasive Devices to Suppress Tremors For some people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), medication doses treat their tremor very well....see more However, for others, medication doses are clearly effective for symptoms of slowness and stiffness, but they are ineffective for their tremor. In these cases, deep brain stimulation (DBS) or focused ultrasound may be suggested to help […]

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New laboratory tests for Parkinson’s Disease

Posted on by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert

Currently, Parkinson’s disease (PD) diagnosis is based on a visual clinical exam, done by a doctor (ideally a neurologist...see more or movement disorder specialist) in their office. This means that motor symptoms such as tremor, stiffness and slowness must be apparent before a diagnosis is made by the neurologist – yet those visible symptoms don’t often […]

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Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease: Bryan’s Story

Posted on by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert

Bryan Hill: Living with Young Onset Parkinson’s Parkinson’s disease (PD) is often thought of as an older person’s disease....see more But did you know that people in their 30s and 40s can also be diagnosed? It’s called Young or Early Onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD or EOPD) and to raise awareness and shed light on the perspective […]

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APDA Salutes Parkinson’s Disease Care Partners

Posted on by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert

Care Partner Tributes and Stories for Family Caregivers Month November is National Family Caregivers Month — a time to...see more recognize and honor family care partners across the country. We all know how integral care partners are to each Parkinson’s disease (PD) journey and while they should be celebrated year-round, now is a great time to […]

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New Treatment for Slowness & Stiffness in Parkinson’s Disease

Posted on by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert

In 2018, Focused Ultrasound was approved to treat tremors in people with PD.  Now, the FDA has approved expanding...see more the indications of Focused Ultrasound (FUS) for Parkinson’s disease (PD) to also include treatment of bradykinesia (slowness) rigidity (stiffness), and dyskinesias.  Individual ultrasound waves do not contain enough energy to do any damage as they pass […]

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Levodopa dosing and food intake for people with Parkinson’s disease

Posted on by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert

The challenges of levodopa dosing and food intake I receive many Ask the Doctor questions about food intake and...see more levodopa ingestion, and I know it’s a tough balance for many. Instructions on how best to take levodopa can seem contradictory. On one hand, people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are told to separate levodopa from food […]

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