Just a short post this week sharing three articles that I read this week.

The first is statistics about Women with Parkinson’s from the conference I just attended.

From Parkinson’s News Today:  Parkinson’s Disease Foundation Launches Women and PD Initiative to Urge Local Communities Involvement

According to a patient survey conducted by the PDF some of the under-recognized clinical needs of women with PD are:

• 72 percent of women living with PD say that there are issues specific to women with Parkinson’s that they feel are not anywhere addressed;
• 88 percent think there is a need for resources and information focusing on the specific needs of women;
• 91 percent never received these types of information and/or resources;
• 91 percent said that there are no specific meetings, conferences and/or support groups for women with PD in their communities; and
• 89 percent stated that they would participate in women and PD meetings if any were available in their area.

Feel free to share this information with others.

The second, from the Boston Globe, is about the new research coming out about alpha-synuclein and the promise it holds for those of us with Parkinson’s Disease.  The beginning of the End talks about the race to find a cure:

The potential breakthrough comes from a recent focus on alpha synuclein, a protein found mainly in nerve cells. It is so biologically obscure that scientists aren’t even sure of its purpose. What they do know is that the protein can deform, or what scientists call misfold, and gum up into clumps called Lewy bodies, which litter the transportation system that nerves rely on. The nerves die. If enough die, your body stops producing the dopamine necessary for normal functioning. You have Parkinson’s disease…. the discovery has given scientists a target for therapy. Their new weapon? Vaccines, or more generally, immunotherapy — an approach that has kickstarted the kind of outbreak you can cheer for: loads of biotech investment and clinical studies.

The third article, The New Prescription for Parkinson’s:  Puttering, comes from The Michael J Fox Foundation.  A recent paper from The University of Michigan  shows that more everyday physical activity, perhaps more so than vigorous exercise, is associated with less severe motor symptoms. So my best advice is to just keep on moving!

Have a wonderful Saturday.