by Neil R. Greenspan, MD, FACG What is constipation and why is it important? Constipation is the most common...see more gastrointestinal complaint affecting approximately 15 % of the North American population. Certain subgroups have an even higher risk (e.g. in the over 65 population 26% of men and 34% of women are affected). It is remarkable […]

Read More

It is common for Parkinson’s Disease patients to feel weak. They frequently describe their legs as feeling, “like they’re...see more made out of lead,” “like they’re in concrete.” But they will also feel weak all over, or describe weakness in their hands or arms. In fact, when Parkinson’s Disease patients are tested for strength they are […]

Read More

Some of the lessons that doctors learn are incorporated into clinical practice but may never get written down because...see more these common sense, hard learned observations aren’t “publishable.” They comprise the “art” of medical practice. One of the central problems in Parkinson’s Disease is the difficulty in doing two things at the same time. There is […]

Read More

One of the major problems in Parkinson’s Disease is called “bradykinesia,” which means “slow” (brady) “movement” (kinesia). This is...see more somewhat different than “akinesia” which is discussed in a different section. Bradykinesia is one of the most disabling features of PD They move slowly, so they do everything more slowly than they used to. This means […]

Read More

Rhinorrhea is the technical term for runny nose. It literally means “fluid from the nose” and can refer to...see more anything flowing from it. Carol Jacques, the nurse practitioner who worked with me for several years, pointed out many years ago that a lot of our patients with Parkinson’s disease had a runny nose. I didn’t […]

Read More

What is Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis? As Parkinson’s Disease progresses, up to 40 percent of the approximately one million Americans...see more living with the illness will develop psychotic symptoms, primarily hallucinations, but also delusions. These symptoms can be an indication of Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP), but unfortunately, many patients are not diagnosed. Sometimes, the symptoms of PDP […]

Read More

Pain is an unfortunately common problem in Parkinson’s disease. Of course, pain is common in the general population, especially...see more among older people. A recent American study found that pain affected about twice as many people with Parkinson’s Disease than those of the same age and gender without PD. About 50% of Parkinson’s Disease patients in […]

Read More

One of the many issues that Parkinson’s Disease patients often have that no one understands are good days and...see more bad days. So many times, Parkinson’s Disease patients come into the office and the patient or family says, “Today’s a good day, he’s not usually this good at home.” “Today’s a bad day. Usually he can […]

Read More

by Elliott Perlman, MD PD patients often have a lot of difficulty with their vision, although, when I examine...see more them in the office, the visual acuity is often normal. Problems can come from difficulty in moving the eyes and eyelids, as well problems with blinking and dryness. Most of these conditions arise from Parkinson’s Disease […]

Read More

There is no test to diagnose Parkinson’s Disease Although Parkinson’s disease is a specific, well defined disease that can...see more be reliably diagnosed at autopsy, it is defined in life by clinical criteria. This means that the diagnosis rests entirely on the information (history) that the patient provides plus the physical examination. There is no test […]

Read More