New Treatments for Parkinson’s Disease Posted on October 19, 2021 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert Exploring seven recently approved Parkinson’s treatments Remarkably, in the last five years, seven new medications have been approved for the treatment of the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), with two approved in 2020. That’s exciting progress! And while it is great to have so many choices, the various options can be confusing — so […] Read More
The Future of Parkinson’s Disease Treatments – UPDATE Posted on September 21, 2021September 21, 2021 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert The Parkinson’s disease (PD) research community is extremely eager to find a medication that is disease modifying or neuroprotective (meaning it protects the nerve cells from damage or degeneration). There have been many attempts over the past number of years to demonstrate through clinical trials that particular compounds have neuroprotective effects but to date, these attempts have […] Read More
Lower back pain and Parkinson’s disease Posted on August 24, 2021August 23, 2021 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert Lower back pain and Parkinson’s disease Lower back pain is an extremely common problem in the general population, as well as for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). It tends to make moving more difficult, adding to the challenges of PD. Tim Nordahl, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Boston University gave an excellent presentation as […] Read More
Nia Technique, Alexander Technique, and Feldenkrais Method: Mindful movement-based practices for Parkinson’s disease Posted on August 10, 2021 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert Mindful movement-based practices are popular complementary therapies in Parkinson’s disease (PD), defined as healing practices involving movement of the body while focusing on the mind. They are performed in addition to standard therapies with the goal of improving quality of life. Many of you probably have heard of yoga and tai chi, but there are […] Read More
The Effects of the MIND and Mediterranean Diets on Parkinson’s Disease Posted on May 4, 2021May 25, 2021 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert New research into the best diets for Parkinson’s disease reveals the Mediterranean and MIND diets may be associated with later-age of onset of PD There are not many aspects of life that a person feels are under his or her control – especially if that person happens to have Parkinson’s disease (PD). But diet – […] Read More
Telemedicine & Parkinson’s Disease Posted on April 23, 2021April 29, 2021 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert TELEMEDICINE & PARKINSON’S DISEASE Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care providers across the country started offering telemedicine as a method of receiving care in order to ensure the safety of the Parkinson’s disease (PD) community and medical staff. Telemedicine has many advantages for the PD community beyond just alleviating the pandemic-related safety concerns, and […] Read More
The many variations of carbidopa/levodopa – the mainstay of Parkinson’s disease treatment Posted on March 9, 2021March 9, 2021 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert How carbidopa/levodopa is used to treat Parkinson’s disease symptoms Loss of neurons in the brain that use dopamine to communicate is one of the hallmark features of Parkinson’s disease (PD), causing slowness, stiffness, tremor and balance problems. Replacing the brain’s dopamine is therefore one of the key treatment strategies to help improve the motor symptoms […] Read More
Vocal Therapy & More — Let’s Talk About LSVT Posted on February 16, 2021May 27, 2021 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert Improving Speech & Movement Through Lee Silverman Voice Treatment Programs for Parkinson’s Disease People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) often find that they have difficulty with their speech and their ability to be properly understood in conversation. Their voice may not be as loud, or their articulation as clear as it once was. They may speak […] Read More
Use of Cannabidiol (CBD) for PD symptoms Posted on February 9, 2021February 10, 2021 by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert Understanding CBD People with PD are eager to find alternative methods to help their symptoms, leading many of these patients to look into whether other therapies, such as medical marijuana, also known as medical cannabis, can be useful. Previously, I wrote a blog on medical marijuana and PD which you may find interesting. More recently, I […] Read More
Let’s Talk About Palliative Care and Parkinson’s disease Posted on January 12, 2021May 24, 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
