The Parkinson's Experience podcast

• 113 Gait and Balance Explained

  It is difficult to believe that in the over 100 episodes of the Parkinson's Experience, we have not talked extensively about gait and balance. Gait and balance is something a lot of us Parkies face at some point in our journey. This symptom can be very scary and life limiting and, therefore, important. Why does this happen and what can we do? I spoke with a researcher in this space, Dr. Dan Peterson, who has a lab and studies people with movement disorders and making some progress on finding some help. The discussion is next. Stay tuned.  Resources: FOG tricks & hacks paper : https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000201159 Mancini article about gait: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41531-025-00897-1 Nice presentation by Bas Bloem (leading expert in PD, on the benefits of exercise generally for PD): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6d0J81VomY https://gaitandbalancelab.asu.edu/ https://www.dbsandme.com/en.html

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• 112 Owning Your Truth - a YOPD Story

  Some of my favorite episodes are when we hear personal stories from people on the same journey as us. Every story is different but all of them can help us find our way, learn from each other and get motivated to live your best life. On today’s episode, I have a conversation with Lisa Volenec. She was diagnosed as young onset PD which is defined as diagnosed at age of less than 50. It is estimated that only about 10% of the PD population is diagnosed with young onset. However, we know this is growing due to many factors including pesticides and our diets. This is a growing concern for health policy and community support organizations. Lisa represents this demographic. Still working at a TV station and under a lot of stress, you’ll hear how she navigated her disease and employment over the years. How she came to a place where she decided to "own her truth." She will also open up about the decision to have DBS surgery and the outcomes from that. https://www.dbsandme.com/en.html https://www.michaeljfox.org/news/early-onset-parkinsons-disease https://www.3newsnow.com/rebound/positively-the-heartland/stunned-by-an-early-onset-parkinsons-diagnosis-omaha-woman-now-finds-purpose  

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• 111 The New Medication Delivery Pumps Explained

  Have you heard about the new medication delivery systems or pumps recently approved by the FDA? It has generated a lot of buzz at support groups, clinics and social media. What do these pumps do that makes them different and a new tool for our Movement Disorder Specialist to use to help People with Parkinson's live well with Parkinson’s? What can you expect? When should I ask my doctor about if its right for me? I asked Dr. Ospina these questions and more, including the new long-acting oral levodopa called Crexont.  She has answered other important questions in the past and has a great way of explaining things so regular people can understand. If you want to learn more about the pumps or even a recommendation of when to go from oral to pump to DBS, this is your episode. https://www.vyalevhcp.com/ https://www.onapgo.com/ https://crexont.com/.  https://www.dbsandme.com/en.html 

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• 109 Connect and Prepare for the Heat

  As the earth continues to get warmer and we see record high temperatures across the globe, scientists tell us that this pattern is going to continue and be more common. Higher temperatures, more frequently has led to more heat strokes and other conditions when people aren’t prepared for this situation.  Additionally, people with neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s are at greater risk for heat related complications, A recent article published in JAMA Neurology, describes the issue, what to look for, and how we, as individuals and community, can help to prevent people from heat related complications. It was co-written by my guest today, Indu Subramanian, MD, a neurologist and movement disorders researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Al Saad, MD, a neurologist with expertise in climate change at the University of Colorado. With summer around the corner, this is a great time to prepare for the heat and work with your healthcare team on a plan to prevent any heat related issues. We as a community need to look out for our neighbors, friends and family. Our neighbors   may be isolated or scared if they have Parkinson's diseasae or are older. As a community, we should come together to identify people who may need our help during a difficult situation such as heatwaves and higher temperatures, especially in areas in the world where they are not prepared to assist. We should keep in touch, check in, offer some water.   Learn all about how to prepare, provent, find help as well as recognizing the symptoms of heatstroke on this episode of the Parkinson's Experience. https://www.parkinsonsecrets.com/  https://parkinsonsnewstoday.com/news/heat-intolerance-rising-parkinsons-risk-climbing-temperatures/ https://www.uclahealth.org/providers/indu-subramanian https://www.dbsandme.com/en.html  

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• 108 Parkinson's Research Update - The Future Is Bright

  We are well into 2025 so saying Happy New Year is not appropriate anymore. I think now people are asking others how they are doing with their resolutions. I have just one goal this year and that is to learn something new. I’ll let you know how I do. Send me your resolutions in the comment section. I am excited for you to listen to my conversation with Dr. Brian Fiske, Chief Scientist for the MJFF. I like to kick off the new year/new season with a medication update. This year we are going to get an update on the research landscape and what it means compared to previous years. There are therapies in various stages of clinical testing using several different therapeutic approaches.  It is exciting to learn about what to expect in the future and how we all can contribute to move things forward faster. Let’s learn from Dr. Fiske what we now know about the biology of Parkinson’s, genetics and the environment’s contribution, the advances in testing for a Parkinson’s diagnosis, and where we stand in slowing the progression of the disease. This podcast is sponsored by  CND Life Sciences, home of the Syn-One Test ® - the first commercially available skin-based test to help clinicians diagnose Parkinson’s and related disorders. CND Life Sciences supports the care of patients facing the potential diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disease. CND’s Syn-One Test® helps clinicians to diagnose suspected synucleinopathies using skin biopsies to detect, visualize, and quantify phosphorylated alpha-synuclein located in nerves in the skin. The Syn-One Test is performed in CND’s CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratory located in Scottsdale, AZ.   https://www.michaeljfox.org/state-field https://www.michaeljfox.org/ppmi https://www.michaeljfox.org/trial-finder https://cndlifesciences.com/ https://cndlifesciences.com/syn-one-test/  

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