How Are Women with Parkinson’s Different than Men?

On November 2, 2018November 7, 2018 By skrischerIn Education & Advocacy, Inspiration, Living Well, Parkinsons Disease, Research & Clinical Studies1 Comment

What image comes to mind when you hear someone has Parkinson’s Disease? I am sure it is not what you would have seen in Houston at the Women and PD TALK National Forum last week.

In a little over 2 years from concept to fruition, the Parkinson’s Foundation’s Women and PD TALK initiative held 10 regional Forums in the past year, and a final National Forum in Houston last week. Three years ago, at the Parkinsons Disease Foundation’s (now Parkinsons Foundation) Women & PD Initiative conference that I was privileged to attend, one of the key take-aways was that there are disparities in research and care between women and men with PD. To date, there had not been any studies to look seriously at these disparities and we wanted to know what could be done to improve the care and treatment of women with PD. A year later, Ronnie Todaro, VP at the Foundation who had led the Women & PD Initiative, applied for a PCORI (Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute) grant to help fund Women & PD TALK.

Because the grant required patient involvement, I was honored to be named a co-lead on the project, along with Dr. Allison Willis, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. We worked with Megan Feeney, M.P.H.
Manager, Community Engagement at the Parkinson’s Foundation to put everything in place for this initiative.

There were 10 regional forums, with sites chosen to represent large urban areas as well as more rural areas. Each forum leadership team included a Woman with Parkinson’s, a Movement Disorders Specialist or Neurologist and an Allied Health Professional. About 40 participants, both women with PD and Health Professionals attended each of the full day events. Breakout groups at the forums gave valuable information on Risk, Symptoms, Treatment and Care.

50 people, about a third of them women with Parkinson’s Disease, gathered in Houston at the National Forum to go over the findings from the 10 forums and begin to set some goals and create recommendations and action plans. There is too much to report here now, but there will be some specific recommendations to improve the care and treatment of women with Parkinson’s in the final report.

Meeting with such strong women, both people with Parkinson’s and health professionals, makes me proud to be a part of the PD community and inspires and empowers me to do more. Kelly W

What was most interesting to me is that while there are definitely differences in symptoms and reactions to medications, many of the disparities were more cultural and social. Just a few examples:

There are a significant number of women with PD who are caregivers, taking care of children, elderly parents or sick spouses and there is no one to take care of them.
Women tend to go to their doctor’s appointments alone, while men do not. In fact, women go alone to most things related to PD.
Women do not go to support groups as often as men. Some reported that when they went, they were asked who they were taking care of. No one believed that they were the one with PD.
Being treated dismissively by doctors. Told it was all in their heads, and in many cases, especially for younger women, it was because of hormones.
Women need to connect to other women with Parkinson’s. There was a lot of talk about the need for mentors to be paired with the newly diagnosed, to make the disease less frightening and be there for them when needed.
Exercise, Exercise, Exercise!!!! We can’t say it enough.
And finally, can we get rid of that awful caricature of a man hunched over with PD and replace it with the photo above of 11 amazing women with Parkinson’s?

Thank you Ronnie, Megan and Dr. Allison for giving me the opportunity to be an integral part of this team.

A full report will be issued, with specific recommendations and strategies to improve the lives of women with Parkinson’s Disease, sometime in the spring of 2019. I am looking forward to sharing it with you. In the meantime, click here for the link for the press release about Women and PD TALK.

Parkinson’s Target Practice and other Things

On August 22, 2018 By skrischerIn Drugs & Treatment, Living Well, Parkinsons Disease, Research & Clinical Studies3 Comments

Sometimes it seems like Parkinson’s Research is a bit like Target Practice. If you try to come at it from a lot of different angles, eventually something is going to hit the bullseye. It is almost impossible to keep up with all of the different research projects looking for a cure or even just a way to slow down and stop the progression of PD.

Some examples from this past week alone include fish that sense magnetic fields, effect of different frequencies of DBS on gait, and chaperone proteins. Huh? Someone please interpret!!!!

This study from Michigan State University (MSU) : A fish that can sense the Earth’s magnetic field while it swims could help scientists understand how the human brain works and eventually unlock strategies to help control movement impairments in patients with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders, a study reports.
Low-frequency subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS), but not high-frequency STN-DBS, reduces freezing of gait in Parkinson’s patients while preserving their ability to simultaneously process motor and cognitive information, a recent study shows. The study, “Decreasing subthalamic deep brain stimulation frequency reverses cognitive interference during gait initiation in Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the journal Clinical Neurosphysiology.
Low levels of a specific chaperone protein might be implicated in the development of Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia, according to new research at University of Alabama at Birmingham. Researchers investigated the role of a protein called 14-3-3θ — a type of protein that can assist other proteins to assume a proper shape. “The study suggests that 14-3-3θ may be a suitable target for efforts to slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, although more work is needed,” according to Talene Yacoubian, an MD and PhD, associate professor in the Department of Neurology at UAB.

Other interesting stuff:

I just finished listening to
Perseverance: The Seven Skills You Need to Survive, Thrive, and Accomplish More Than You Ever Imagined
by fellow WPC blogger Tim Hague. He tells his fascinating story of growing up as a bi-racial child in a large, warm adoptive family, his Parkinson’s disease, how he and his son, Tim, Jr. got into The Amazing Race Canada (Season 1) and finished in first place, and more. I really enjoyed the book and finally met Tim last week at the Davis Phinney Victory Summit in LA. Well done, Tim!
And in the “what was I thinking department“, Mr. Twitchy and I went to the Fox Foundation’s Parkour 4 Parkinson’s event in LA a few weeks ago. I am not sure what got into me, but I had to try the course. According to PD Ninja, Jimmy Choi, there were only 4-5 of us Parkies there who actually tried it. Mostly it was agile kids and teenagers having a great time. (watch for the young girl behind me on the ropes). I should have known better, but once I was there, any brain cells that I still have left apparently forgot that I am not in Middle School. Here is the video that Mr. Twitchy took of my attempt at being a Ninja Warrior!

The Global Community of Parkinson’s

On March 26, 2018March 26, 2018 By skrischerIn Living Well, Parkinsons Disease, Research & Clinical StudiesLeave a comment

This blog post was originally written for the WPC Blog, March 26, 2018

One of the great things about the Parkinson’s Community is that it is truly global. There is research going on in many different countries, often with researchers from more than one country collaborating on a project. As a result, in the last few years there have been many new theories about what causes PD and how to treat it. Trying to keep up with the latest “breakthrough just about ready to happen” can be daunting. But we are getting closer, maybe even to the point where we can reverse some of the damage in our braincells.

On another level, Parkies around the world have connected through the internet in a way that that no one could have imagined 20 years ago. The many Facebook groups provide forums for us to get to know one another, share experiences good and bad, learn about promising new treatments, participate in clinical studies, problem solve and more. Blogs have allowed many of us to express how we feel and explore new theories about treatment and care. We have become more well-informed patients, ready to make the most of our appointments with our Movement Disorder Specialist (MDS). We know about the research going on in other countries and about different treatments that may not be offered in our home towns. There are many people that I have met through my blog and the various FB groups that I can truly call friends and I look forward to seeing them next year in Kyoto.

For the last two weeks, I have been traveling around Israel and have had the privilege to meet several individuals who, because of this global community, are truly making a difference for those of us with Parkinson’s Disease.

On a cold, rainy night in Jerusalem, Debbie Shapiro came to meet me at my hotel. What Debbie has accomplished in the last 18 months since she attended the WPC in Portland with Dr. Tanya Gurevitch (see below), is amazing. Debbie, a mother of 9 originally from San Francisco who has PD, came home determined to start a program for Persons with Parkinson’s (PwP’s) in Jerusalem. Tikvah4Parkinson, (Tikvah means Hope) provides exercise programs, boxing, support groups, etc. for PwP’s. Her program has been so successful that she is is moving into a larger space and is looking for help to manage the program. She told me that many people in Israel believe that they will only live 5 years after their diagnosis and do little to improve their quality of life. She wants that to change. Because of her passion for this project, the people attending her programs are all showing improvement in their symptoms and their outlook on life.

XCUQda%iQ%Sf4i64QIn%VA — Prof Tamir Ben-Hur, chair Neurology and Dr. David Arkadir, Hadassah Medical Center

The next day I met with Dr. David Arkadir at Hadassah Ein Karem Medical Center. Dr. Arkadir is the top Parkinson’s researcher at Hadassah and is on the board of Tikvah 4 Parkinson. He told me about several research projects that he is working on now. The first is a double-blind study testing the artificial sweetener Mannitol. Earlier studies with animal models have shown that it prevents alpha-synuclein from accumulating and even removing it from the brain. Dozens of patients had already reported benefits while taking it, so Hadassah applied for a grant from the Israeli Ministry of Science to investigate this further to confirm previous anecdotal stories of the benefits of Mannitol.

A second study is just getting underway to look for new genes related to PD, mostly looking at young onset patients who have relatives with PD. They have already found a few candidate genes. Another study is looking at guided physical therapy, collaborating with a company that developed user-friendly therapy that can be done at home combined with cognitive therapy.

One anecdote. When I told Dr. Arkadir that I thought many Parkies do too much, and that I was doing too much, he said “its good, its what keeps you well.”

Finally, I met with Dr. Tanya Gurevitch who is the director of Parkinson’s Disease and Neuroautonomic Service at the Movement Disorders Unit at Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, a Center of Excellence for the Parkinson’s Foundation. She is also on the board of Tikvah 4 Parkinson. According to Dr. Gurevitch, the clinic sees about 2000 patients from all over the country. They look at PD from all sides, not just as a movement disorder but as a multi-factorial and multi-symptom disease, which also affects the entire family. They offer a multidisciplinary approach for patients who live in the Tel Aviv area, which includes physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, dance, and more. Dr. Gurevitch says there are no unimportant symptoms and encourages her patients to report everything. The department provides workshops for the newly diagnosed and their care partners are encouraged to attend with them. They are doing a lot by phone with patients outside of Tel Aviv area, in between their visits to the center 3-4 times a year. She agreed with Debbie Shapiro about the prevalent thinking in Israel that you only have 5 years after your Parkinson’s diagnosis. They are working to change that perception, encouraging more exercise along with medication to improve quality of life. People don’t want to exercise, but if they are told it is their medicine, they are more likely to do it.

In addition, the center was beginning a study for people with the GBA gene mutation. GBA is found predominantly in Ashkenazi Jews, making Israel a logical place to be one of the test sites chosen because of its large Ashkenazi population. This international study will be looking for a disease modifying treatment for people with the gene mutation.

Treatment is Global and Research is Global

Dr. Gurevitch stated that “Treatment is Global and Research is Global.” For example, she just published a paper on the validation of the Hebrew version of the UPDS scale. The 50th patient was just recruited to participate in a study to validate the new European (EPDA) scale, which is only18 questions compared to the US version which has more than 50.

fullsizeoutput_4384 — Tel-Aviv Sourasky’s Movement Disorders Unit is a Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence

I asked why she specialized in PD. Dr. Gurevitch said that for her “it is real neurology, because you look at the symptoms, you can diagnosis it because of your education and knowledge, not an MRI or some other test, and you can use your creativity and the art of the treatment to find the special thing for the special patient. Parkinson’s is a grateful disease, and if you are treating it good, it will be good.”

To see a video about Tivkah4Parkinson, click here.

The Twitchy Woman Unscientific Study, Dan’s Progress and More

On February 13, 2018February 13, 2018 By skrischerIn Book Reviews, Inspiration, Living Well, Parkinsons Disease, Research & Clinical StudiesLeave a comment

I know you are all waiting eagerly for the results of the very unscientific study that was posted a couple of weeks ago about dominant hand and the start of Parkinson’s symptoms. As of two days ago there were 299 responses in various forms.

The results were interesting, but defiinitely not conclusive. Those whose symptoms started on their dominant side accounted for only 52%. The rest had symptoms begin on the opposite side, or occasionally both sides at once. I would love to talk to someone who would like to collaborate on this on in a more “scientific” way. Please contact me if you are interested. But in the meantime, here are the results, simplified because the original survey was too confusing, even for me, the designer of it:

299 responses

156 or 52% dominant side

137 or 46% non-dominant

6 or 2% other, both sides, stroke residual

Interesting trivia – 3 reported being naturally left-handed but forced to write with their right hand in school. Their tremors started on left side. I counted these as starting on the dominant side.

One of the things I learned is that most people preferred to just respond with a yes or no on Facebook instead of using the Survey Monkey link provided, and later the WordPress Poll. I changed to the much simpler poll when I saw how people were responding. Since this post was shared numerous times on FB (over 140!) I have no way of knowing how many people actually responded.

So the most important thing that came out of this is that Parkies don’t pay attention to instructions! A simple yes or no was all that you wanted to give. And some of the answers didn’t even make sense!

Somehow there has to be a way to make use of social media to reach out to large numbers of people and get the data that you want. It can’t be too complicated, for it seems that our reduced attention spans don’t allow for more complex answers.

Dan’s Progress

Dan continues to do very well with the Path Finder shoes. When he turned them over to Vince, he felt a definite increase in this freezing episodes. Vince tried it out with his PT, but it did not work for him, unfortunately. He returned the shoes to Dan, who is now a very happy camper. I have asked him to write about his experience so that I can share it with you here in a future post.

A New Book for Parkie’s

One of the first blogs that I followed after my diagnosis was PDPlan4Life which was written by Sheryl Jedlinski and Jean Burns. Sheryl’s humorous writing and Jean’s illustrations gave me hope that I could live well with PD. When I heard that Sheryl recently published Parkinson’s? You’re kidding me, right?: One woman’s unshakeable belief in overcoming a shaky diagnosis! , I immediately ordered the book. I was not disappointed.

With a blend of serious information for the newly diagnosed so newly diagnosed) and self-deprecating humor used to illustrate her points, Jedlinski has written a very enjoyable book that belongs on every Parkie’s bookshelf. We can all identify with some of the situations that she has found herself in as a result of living with PD.

Finally, I am in Israel for 2 weeks, mostly on vacation, but some PD related business. There is some great research going on here which I hope to be able to share with you in my next post.

Did your Parkinson’s Symptoms start on the Same Side as Your Dominant Hand?

On January 30, 2018February 2, 2018 By skrischerIn Living Well, Parkinsons Disease, Research & Clinical Studies1 Comment

I have been intrigued for several years about what seems to be a correlation between Hand Dominance and Parkinson’s onset on the same side. I noticed this in a Dance for PD class several years ago. Most of the people seemed to have a right hand tremor. I did not ask anyone if that was their dominant hand. Just tucked it away in my brain for future reference. Image result for michelangelo hands painting

When I met a newly diagnosed Parkie last week, the topic came up. She is left-handed and yes, her symptoms started on the left side. So I went home and checked out the research.

There have not been a lot of studies, and the few recent ones seem to indicate that there may be a correlation. According to a study by Sara M. Scharoun et al, University of Waterloo, from 2015: ” One question of interest here is whether the motor symptoms of PD which give rise to PD initially in the preferred hand are the same as those seen when first expressed in the nonpreferred hand.”

Another study from 2011 by Barrett MJ, Harrison MB and Wooten GF showed a “significant association between handedness and the side of the initial symptom; that is, the dominant side was affected first in the majority of both left- and right-handed patients. Compared with patients with non-dominant side onset, more patients with dominant-side onset presented with bradykinesia, while fewer patients presented with gait difficulty. Patients with dominant-side onset were diagnosed and began dopaminergic medication after a longer symptom duration than patients with non-dominant-side onset.”

I tested out my theory at boxing class today. Eight out of nine were certain the symptoms began on their dominant side (8 righties and one lefty); the ninth wasn’t sure. That, of course, is a ridiculously small sample size, so, to expand my own (very) non-scientific follow-up on this, please complete the following survey. I will provide an update in a couple of weeks once I get a significant number of responses.

A number of you have asked about the Path Finder Laser Shoes from last week’s post. Dan is doing very well with the Path Finder. I am hoping that Vince will have a chance to try them before next week. Stay tuned …….