Do you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, getting enough sleep? Well, you are not alone. It seems lack of sleep is an epidemic in the US. In particular, getting a restful night’s sleep is very difficult for the majority of people with Parkinson’s. Why? What is going on and how can we improve our the quantity and quality of our sleep? This is a meaty topic to tackle. It is very important to understand it and make changes to improve your situation. Luckly, we were able to get a highly qu...
Jun 18, 2025•52 min•Season 6Ep. 9
Did you know there is a connection between loss of smell and Parkinson’s disease? In fact, it may turn out to be a predictor of the disease up to 10 years before a clinic diagnosis of PD. Here are some interesting stats: · 100% of major brain disorders are associated with smell loss · 96% of newly diagnosed people with Parkinson’s have lost some ability to smell · 70% of people living with smell loss don’t know it until they are tested · 50% of people over the age of 60 may be living with smell ...
May 28, 2025•26 min•Season 6Ep. 8
This is a very important topic and one in which you can make a difference. Our environment is sickening the population. Parkinson’s disease is one example of a condition that likely was caused by pesticides and other toxic chemicals in our water, food, air and soil. All of us can contribute to preventing future generations from getting Parkinson’s and other diseases. Those already diagnosed may benefit as well. If we avoid these chemicals now, we may slow the progression of the disease just as e...
May 07, 2025•32 min•Season 6Ep. 7
$41M, 41 days, 2800 miles. Those are the stats for Team Human Potential who competed in the World’s Toughest Row. The boat race happens annually and showcases teams of four, rowing across the Pacific Ocean from California to Hawaii. Patrick Morrisey with Team Human Potential became the first person with Parkinson’s to finish the race. They raised over $41M for the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research. Amazing. We spoke with Patrick and his skipper, Brendan Cusick about their experie...
Apr 08, 2025•46 min•Season 6Ep. 6
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 gro...
Mar 10, 2025•42 min•Season 6Ep. 4
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 levo...
Feb 26, 2025•29 min•Season 6Ep. 3
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...
Feb 13, 2025•35 min•Season 6Ep. 2
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 ...
Jan 28, 2025•56 min•Season 6Ep. 1
I had a random request from a listener a few months ago. She was struggling with her hearing and wondered if it could be another symptom of Parkinson’s. My first thought was no, I hadn’t heard of that before. But, I told her I would look into it. To my surprise, hearing loss and Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is another gift PD can give. So, let’s explore the what, how, and why People with Parkinson’s may experience hearing loss or APD. First we will learn about the differences between heari...
Dec 17, 2024•41 min•Season 5Ep. 22
As we wind down the year with a final couple of episodes, this may be the most important topic. November is caregivers’ awareness month. The Caregiver Action Network (CAN) mission is to promote resourcefulness and respect for tens of millions of family caregivers across the country. This not-for-profit organization is responsible for caregivers’ awareness month. It is vital that we recognize this important person in our lives. They are the unsung heroes in our journey with Parkinson’s or any oth...
Nov 26, 2024•34 min•Season 5Ep. 21
This episode is one of the reasons I started this podcast called the Parkinson’s Experience. We have four people with Parkinson’s including myself sharing their lived experiences with all of you. The subject is the hacks we use to compensate for challenges we face while living our best life with Parkinson’s. So, what is the definition of “hacks’? If you Google it, you will first see links to the HBO show of the same name. Not helpful for this purpose. Basically, most definitions I found were of ...
Nov 21, 2024•42 min•Season 5Ep. 20
After the series on Art Therapy, I was reflecting on all the great stories of how each guest truly benefited from their experiences with their mode of creative expression. It isn’t just people with Parkinson’s benefiting. Everyone can benefit from attempting a new art activity or going back to what you used to enjoy. Then I started thinking what happens in our brains and body? How do these activities provide such joy and symptom relief? I spoke with the Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at...
Oct 01, 2024•26 min•Season 5Ep. 19
I’ve had a wonderful time this summer speaking with people with Parkinson’s who have found joy, meaning and symptom relief using one or more forms of artistic expression - let’s call it art therapy. If you haven’t listened to the first three, please do. I found inspiration and information in each one. I hope you will as well. This is the fourth episode in our art series and the topic is music. Just like the others we have discussed; music therapy involves no pills and side effects. There are ong...
Sep 11, 2024•36 min•Season 5Ep. 18
Welcome to Part 3 of our series on the influence the Arts have on people with Parkinson’s and frankly most other conditions. It’s amazing what scientists are discovering about how much music, dance, painting, etc can be beneficial for brain health. I’ve been humbled by our guests. The more I listen to these amazing, brave people, the more I’m impressed by their skills, reliance and courage. It takes guts and dedication to start something new or continue to hone your craft while managing a progre...
Aug 27, 2024•23 min•Season 5Ep. 17
Welcome to part two of our four-part series on the arts and Parkinson’s disease. If you haven’t listened to part one, you can definitely listen to this one but I encourage you to listen to part 1 on photography and hearing from our guest, Torrance York, who spoke passionately about photography and how it helps her gain perspective on her journey with Parkinson’s. In this episode, I am thrilled to have Pat Beilman as my guest to discuss dancing and it’s benefits for PwP and others. Dancing can he...
Aug 20, 2024•26 min•Season 5Ep. 16
So, I hope you enjoyed the first episode in our four-part series on the Arts and their potential for a better quality of life for people with Parkinson’s. We are going to take a quick brake in the series since this is the 100th episode of the Parkinson’s Experience. To celebrate and acknowledge he 100th episode, the interviewer became the interviewee. One of my fellow support group attendees and an upcoming guest on the podcast , asks if she could interview me for the 100th episode. So, we are r...
Aug 01, 2024•26 min•Season 5Ep. 15
This episode kicks off our 4-part series featuring people with Parkinson’s who found one form of the arts to be helpful with managing symptoms and gaining perspective. We will explore four different art disciplines – photography, dance, writing and music. We wanted to hear directly from the person with Parkinson’s rather than an expert on the research on why the arts can be an important part of your Parkinson’s therapy. So, each episode will be a personal story about that person’s challenges and...
Jul 22, 2024•41 min•Season 5Ep. 14
Last episode we spoke with a MDS and Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University about integrative medicine. This episode is a great follow up to the previous one. This time it is student at the University of Cincinnati leading the charge to bring an integrated approach to Parkinson’s care. She formed a not-for profit organization called Parkinson’s Together. It brings students from multiple disciplines to help with patient care. That may include law students, engineers, finance but mainly stud...
Jun 25, 2024•33 min•Season 5Ep. 13
What is integrative medicine and how is it different than what we are used to which is mostly silos of care and mostly Western medicine? My guest today will offer an alternative to this, a better way to treat a patient with a condition or disease. Dr. Britt Stone, an Assistant Clinical Professor at Vanderbilt Medical Center, spent her pandemic time pursuing a fellowship in Integrative Medicine at University of Arizona. She will describe how clinicians can work together with the families of peopl...
Jun 18, 2024•37 min•Season 5Ep. 12
In April 2010, Allison (Allie) Toepperwein experienced a tremor in her left hand while living in Austin, Texas after giving birth to her daughter. Around eight months later, in December 2010, Steven Eury noticed a tremor in his right hand while filming the birth of his son 1100 miles away in North Carolina. The following year, Steven received a diagnosis of Young Onset Parkinson's Disease (YOPD). It took another 4 1/2 years, and 2 1/2 months after Allison's divorce before she, too, was diagnosed...
Jun 04, 2024•38 min•Season 5Ep. 11
What stage are you in? Do people ask you that question? If so, do you tell them? Do you even know? What are the stages and what do they mean? Frankly, I have never asked my movement disorder specialist neurologist what stage I am in. I don’t know why. We have never discussed it. However, learning and knowing more about how your doctor is tracking the progression of the disease is, I think, important. So, today we are going to speak with a movement disorder specialist. He will explain the stages ...
May 23, 2024•28 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Earlier this season on episode number 088 titled “the Skinny on Skin” we learned about the various skin disorders that can manifest in people with Parkinson’s. Well, on the flip side, the skin is the largest organ in our body. It must hold all kinds of secrets to our health. It turns out alpha-synuclein gets deposited in the skin of patients with synucleinopathies, which includes Parkinson’s and related diseases. Therefore, a skin biopsy can be used to diagnose and confirm these diseases. Not on...
May 15, 2024•40 min•Season 5Ep. 9
What do you know about your gut? In the last several years, research has led us to a more detailed understanding of the role of the gut – which includes the stomach, intestines, and colon. This isn’t your father’s understanding of the gut. So, what does the gut have to do with it? It being the possible cause of many diseases including Parkinson’s disease. In this episode we will learn about how the gut has a direct communication with the brain. We all know the saying, “follow your gut”. The dire...
May 07, 2024•27 min•Season 5Ep. 8
The topic today is one of those difficult to discuss symptoms that most of us try to avoid and deal with it on our own. Not a great idea. So, let’s learn about and discuss our bladders. You might have an overactive one which is also referred to as hyperactive or underactive one also referred to as hypoactive. Unfortunately, the probably of anyone having bladder problems grows as we get older. However, people with Parkinson’s have an even higher incident. Listen on to learn why bladder problems o...
Apr 18, 2024•38 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Welcome to the third episode in our three-episode series on exercise. During the process of researching for this episode, I have found more and more studies showing that exercise does help reduce symptoms of PD. Very exciting to be able to take control of your journey by including certain exercises in your day and week. My guest today, Dean Laws, did just that. After a period of denial and apathy, his buddies, or mates since Dean lives in Australia, urged him to take control and start running ag...
Mar 28, 2024•43 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Welcome to part two in our series on exercise and how it has been proven to reduce the symptoms of PD. As one of my guests, Dr. Daniel Corcos, explains, “It is crystal clear, exercise slows the progression of Parkinson’s.” In this episode, Kristine Meldrum and Dr. Corcos, authors of the book “Parkinson’s: How to Reduce Symptoms Through Exercise,” continue to discuss the research and real life experiences of the positive effects realized from a personalized exercise “cocktail”. What should PWP be...
Mar 20, 2024•29 min•Season 5Ep. 5
OK, I know what you are thinking. Another exercise episode, really? Yes, but this isn’t your run of the mill plead for people with Parkinson’s to exercise more. Up until now, we have been told to exercise but not given any direction on which exercises are best for us. Recently friends recommended a book that is filling this deficit. It is based on research completed over 30 years in this area. As one of my guests, Dr. Daniel Corcos, explains, “It is crystal clear, exercise slows the progression ...
Mar 12, 2024•37 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Did you know that people with Parkinson’s disease have a higher risk of developing certain skin disorders than the rest of the population including melanomas? Have you had a skin issue pop up on you and not know what it is or how you got it? There is a good chance you were experiencing a manifestation of the Parkinson’s disease process or a side effect of the medication you are taking. Just one more thing to worry about. Right? On the other hand, our skin might provide a non-invasive way to help...
Mar 01, 2024•48 min•Season 5Ep. 3
My guest from the last episode on Nutrition, Debbie Polisky, is back to talk about stress and stress management. Research has shown stress can reduce a person’s life expectancy. How many years are we losing is determined by other factors and lifestyle choices. However, I am pretty sure everyone experiences stress in their lives so this episode is important and relevant to all listeners. Specific to People with Parkinson’s, we have many stressors that come with living daily with PD. And, there ar...
Feb 14, 2024•35 min•Season 5Ep. 3
It’s our first episode of 2024. How many of you have already stopped working on your New Year’s resolutions? History would suggest most people fail early. Some of you probably are striving to eat better for your Parkinson’s health and for your overall health. Therefore, it is the perfect time to discuss nutrition and diet. My guest is a dietician who helps the Parkinson’s community understand and practice good nutrition. She breaks down what is good and bad for us and why. She teaches how to sho...
Feb 06, 2024•39 min•Season 5Ep. 1
