Author Archives: Administrator

About a month ago I read the obituary of David Servan-Schreiber who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 1992 at the age of 31.  At the time of his diagnosis Dr. Servan-Schriber was a neuroscientist and was expected … Continue reading →

I was watching my mother walk yesterday with her cane.  She takes small steps with her feet close together.  She veers off to the right regularly as she loses her balance.  Her feet get tangled up with each other. There’s … Continue reading →

This article will appear in the June, 2011 issue of The Torch, the newsletter of the Parkinson Foundation of Western PA. The answer is “yes”.  We’ve long been told that people taking Sinemet (levodopa) should limit protein consumption until the … Continue reading →

Standard Medicare Part D is prescription drug coverage.  After you pay a $310 deductible, you pay 25% and Medicare pays 75% for your prescription drugs.  Once Medicare has paid $2,840 for your prescription drugs (unless you have supplemental insurance that … Continue reading →

As a general rule, on the rare occasions that I buy bacon, ham and other meats I buy products that don’t contain nitrates and nitrites.   The other day, my mother and I ate a pepperoni pizza at a local restaurant.  … Continue reading →

Interesting experimentation is happening in Fort Wayne, Indiana in a cooperative venture with the city’s philharmonic orchestra’s innovation task force, the local Parkinson’s support group and Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Music as Medicine program. The researchers have been … Continue reading →

As often happens, I believe I’m thinking creatively only to discover that real researchers are exploring the very real benefits of light therapy for Parkinson’s patients and patients with dementia. A quick internet search reveals that researchers at the University … Continue reading →

My mother’s been sitting under the bright light every morning for the past month or so.  Since about the time she began the light therapy I’ve been doling out her supplements every day.  She took them irregularly on her own.  … Continue reading →

After several years of no falls, my mother fell four weeks ago.  She fractured her right wrist when she held it out to break her fall.  The good news is she didn’t hurt or bruise anything else.  No black and … Continue reading →

I’ve noticed that my mother is stronger and sharper in the spring and summer and by the time December 21st rolls around she gets kind of confused and weak after dark.  Her neurologist says it may be depression but I … Continue reading →