078 Strive for Symptom Objectivity with This Tool
The Parkinson's Experience podcast
Release Date: 07/06/2023
104 Brain on Art
The Parkinson's Experience podcast
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 University of Arizona about the effects of the arts on the brain. Listen on to listen to our...
info_outline
103 Art Therapy Part 4 The Joy and Benefits of Music
The Parkinson's Experience podcast
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 ongoing research on music’s effect on the brain. We will have to stay up on the...
info_outline
102 Art Therapy Part 3 Writing Keeps Your Brain Active and Learning
The Parkinson's Experience podcast
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 progressive neurodegenerative disease. In this episode, we are really lucky to speak with a NY...
info_outline
101 Art Therapy Part 2 - Dancing the Symptoms Away
The Parkinson's Experience podcast
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 help with your coordination, balance, core strength and posture. It also provides a way to...
info_outline
100 Reverse Mic in Recognition of 100 Episodes
The Parkinson's Experience podcast
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 reversing the mic. Let's learn more about the podcast and host, me, Sheryl Lowenhar. But, before...
info_outline
099 Art Therapy Part 1 - Photography
The Parkinson's Experience podcast
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 struggles with their PD journey and how each used a different art to find understanding,...
info_outline
098 Parkinson's Together Student Power
The Parkinson's Experience podcast
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 students interested in the medical field and with interest in helping others. I had a...
info_outline
097 Benefits of Integrative Medicine
The Parkinson's Experience podcast
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 people with Parkinson’s to make for a better experience and a healthier outcome. She believes treatment...
info_outline
096 Living with PD and Finding Love
The Parkinson's Experience podcast
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 with YOPD New Year's Eve of 2014. Allison went on to make history by becoming the first person...
info_outline
095 Parkinson's Stages Explained
The Parkinson's Experience podcast
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 of Parkinson’s disease. What they are and what that means to individuals and their...
info_outlineThis is the fourth and final episode in our tech series. We could probably highlight many more innovative ideas and companies. It is a very exciting time for the use of technology in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
In this episode, we talk with a company whose product, StrivePD, is really cool and very useful. It is an app which communicates with the Apple Watch to monitor your motor symptoms throughout the day. You can monitor your symptoms, set medication reminders, and even share your progress with your care team using the app. Providing your neurologist with direct access to daily logs of your symptoms and medication adherence allows them to make appropriate adjustments to your care, and help you improve your well-being. The data from the Apple Watch is combined with data you input directly on the app like medications, how you feel and timing of symptoms. With this data, your care team will be able to help you manage your Parkinson’s better.
I also speak with a person with Parkinson’s about their experience using the StrivePD app.
Enjoy!