15 Things Only Loved Ones Of Alzheimer’s Or Parkinson’s Patients Would Understand

Jan. 7, 2016

Alzheimer’s is a physical ailment that damages the brain cells, leading todementia. The decaying of brain cells causes severe memory loss, as well as reduced thinking skills and emotional capacity. The disease was first discovered by Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist, in 1906. Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain cells of a woman who died out of a peculiar mental illness. She suffered from memory loss, speech decay, and erratic behaviour. Upon her death, Dr. Alzheimer investigated her brain and discovered many abnormal clumps (they are now known as amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fiber (now known as neurofibrillary tangles). Therefore, it was concluded that plaques and tangles (the result of protein buildup in the brain) are the main two reasons for Alzheimer’s disease. Loss of connections among nerve cells in the brain is another contributing factor.

Alzheimer’s disease usually begins around the age of 65. This estimation varies, naturally. But experts say that 5 million Americans suffer from this disease by the time they are 65 or older. Of course, there are treatments for this illness. As these treatments have become more advanced over time, doctors have been injecting the missing chemicals into the brains, helping them to receive some signals. Alzheimer’s starts gradually, eventually interfering with daily life. Patients end up totally dependent on another person, unable to do even the simplest of work.

It is the patients’ loved ones who most understand the difficulties that Alzheimer’s patients face. This article is dedicated to those beautiful souls who undertake the full time job of taking care of these patients with utmost love. Here are 15 things only these loved ones would understand:

1. You know that the person is more than a disease.

Your loved one can be your father, or mother, or your partner. Regardless of the relationship you have to that person, you always know that the person means the world to you. This is the person, who at one time loved you and took care of you just like you are doing now. This person is who you have known all your life, even though they will never function like they used to.

2. You use every process of communication to reach your loved one.

Your loved one has memory loss, no way to express emotions, or perhaps even worse, your loved one fails to recognize you. It doesn’t mean you stop taking care of him or her. You try your best to communicate with them through different mediums of connection. It can be music, reading books, watching television shows, or talking about daily occurrences. Even a simple touch on the arm can give them the message that they are loved.

3. You cannot argue with your loved one.

With the loss of behavioral abilities, a patient is left with little reasoning ability. They may react aggressively at times. You know there is no point in arguing with your loved one. Rather, arguments would lead to more upsetting situations and would frustrate both parties. It is better just to agree with the things they say.

4. You know your person is not changing, but the disease is.

It is extremely hard to see the gradual change the person is going through right in front of your eyes. The struggles in language, the lack of communication, the changes in mood, the shift in personality, and all other negative factors come from the disease. It is not the patient’s fault. Your loved one is the same person, even though he or she cannot control the situation anymore.

5. You have to be educated about this disease.

I have tried my best to summarize the term Alzheimer’s. But it is more than that. Researchers have been studying this disease for years. Here is awebsite where you can go and study it more in detail. Becoming more educated about the disease will help you to better understand the person you are taking care of.

6. You must give them independence when possible.

If your loved one is in a more mild stage, you should give them some independence to do their own work. They should at least try to do some activities in order to stay active. In these ways, your loved ones can stimulate their brains to carry messages as much as possible. Of course, they will eventually stop being able to accomplish such tasks once they reach the moderate to severe stages. Until then, encourage them to do things like count money, keep a diary, or talk about things they are fond of or remember well.

7. You should develop set routines and schedules.

As the illness develops further, it becomes very hard for you and your loved one to keep track of daily routines. Just like nursing a baby, you should have a set rhythm with them. Remember, this person is like a child to you. Keeping a daily routine and schedule will make life much easier. This can help to eliminate confusion and frustration for your loved one.

8. You have to continue with good nutrition.

Your loved ones need a proper, balanced diet. Studies have shown that a lack of healthy food can contribute to worsening Alzheimer’s. It is recommended that a patient cut down on refined sugar and increase intake of fruits and vegetables to help better manage the disease.

9. You should plan time for physical exercise.

Did you know that physical exercise is extremely beneficial for your loved one? Their bodies need to stay healthy just like yours does. Regardless of the stage they are in (it is better if they start from an early stage, since the habits will build as time progresses), you can accompany them on daily walks, gardening, or even dancing!

10. You should maintain the current list of medications.

You should take your loved one to regular check-ups. The doctors will fix the medications according to the stage that they are in. It is very important to maintain the list of current medicines. You should take extra caution to see to it that they don’t miss a single dose.

11. You cannot forget that your loved one has emotions too.

Yes, they may forget you, they may get angry at you, or they may ignore you for days, but they do have emotions. Your actions and words can have a great impact on them. One of my uncles suffers from Alzheimer’s. He cannot remember anyone, not even his children! But sometimes, he would smile at them, or laugh with them. Check out this article and see for yourself why emotions matter!

12. You have to be realistic in your expectations.

Whether it is your expectations for yourself or for your loved ones, you have to be realistic. This is very significant because setting practical goals will make you expect the unexpected. In this way, you won’t feel disappointed as you see your loved one struggle with this disease.

13. You should have fun with your loved one!

Just because your loved one is suffering from a horrible disease doesn’t mean that they cannot have fun. Plan a trip to the zoo, or to the nearest park, and take your family members with you as well. Take plenty of photos, and bear in mind that even though your loved one may not show emotions, they still certainly enjoyed your company!

14. You should ALWAYS remember that Alzheimer’s detection is NOT a death sentence!

It is not the end of the world. No, a patient of Alzheimer’s can live fortwenty or more years with the disease. Utilize whatever time you have at hand and make the most out of it. Don’t leave a hollow space that will leave you with regrets.

15. You must love your loved ones as they are now.

You should not try to change them, because they will never go back to their old selves. You should embrace them as they are, in their current situations, with their current behaviours, their frequent mood swings, and everything that is related to them. In other words, love them as they are right now!

You should not perceive your loved ones as burdens, because they are not! There will be total life changing experiences for you as you struggle to cope with your new role. You will get upset and emotionally challenged at times, but always remember that this is a person who has loved you very much. Respect them, love them, and live with them.

http://mymedclinic.info/?p=3534

New Device Being Used To Help People With Parkinson’s Disease

Jan. 8, 2016

New hope for people living with Parkinson’s disease.  One of the symptoms is difficulty talking, now there’s a device that’s helping them communicate and feel less isolated.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder with a variety of symptoms like trembling. Patients say the inability to be understood when speaking can be devastating. Now there’s a fix for that.

Annie and Kevin Payton remember their wedding 22 years ago. His hand was shaking and it wasn’t because of nerves. At 26-years-old, Kevin was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

“Kevin proposed and I said yes,” Annie said. “Then he got Parkinson’s and he thinks because he proposed he got it.”

Raising two sons has helped them keep their sense of humor.

s the disease progressed, Kevin had deep brain stimulation surgery, hoping that it would control some symptoms, and wrote about it.

But his slurred speech and mumbling, a symptom of Parkinson’s, continued to worsen.

“Kevin was feeling very isolated,” Annie stated.

Now a device that looks like a hearing aid is helping. It’s called Speech Easy.

Working with his speech pathologist, and wearing the device, Kevin reads passages. He is relearning enunciation.

“In those days not half a dozen men in the United States,” Kevin read.

“What it does is the person who’s wearing it hears themselves talking but at a slight delay,” said Kim Sabourin, Kevin’s speech pathologist. “It slows down the speaking rate of the person who’s using it.”

“Kevin fights it every day and I tell him as long as you fight I will fight with you,” Annie said. “It’s hard but I don’t talk about it much.”

While it can still be difficult to understand Kevin, he says Speech Easy has him feeling better about his life.

“It’s hard not to feel sorry for yourself,” Kevin said. “But for the most part how you choose to live your life is your choice.”

The Speech Easy device was originally used to treat people who stutter. The delayed feedback is now being used for Parkinson’s patients. The device does not work for everyone, it is unclear why.

http://mymedclinic.info/?p=3558

Study Refutes Prion Theory of Alpha-Synuclein Aggregates in Parkinson’s Disease

A-synuclein aggregates dependent on overexpression of the protein

 JANUARY 7, 2016

A new study from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, published in the journal BRAIN, sheds new light on the processes leading to aggregation of the protein αlpha-synuclein in the brain of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). It has been proposed that the aggregates propagate in a fashion similar to prions, but the new study refutes the prion theory.

The protein α-synuclein often starts aggregating inside neurons of the lowest part of the brainstem and spreads upward from there. To study how this protein moves in the brain, the research team transferred a human α-synuclein gene into the brainstem neurons of mice with the help of a viral vector.

The team noticed that following the introduction of the human α-synuclein, the cells began expressing high levels of the protein, which accumulated inside the cells. Over the following 12 weeks, the team tracked the spread of the human α-synuclein, noticing it moved in a similar way to that observed in Parkinson’s patients; upward and toward the front of the brain.

The protein spread through anatomical pathways, and the researchers observed it jumping between two neurons via a synapse – the chemical connection between neurons. They also saw that once the protein entered a neuron, the cell became damaged.

To test the prion theory, researchers compared the spread of α-synuclein in animals that expressed the mouse form of the protein and those expressing only the introduced human form. Prions are spread by inducing a change in the three-dimensional structure of nearby proteins. If α-synuclein spread like prions, the spread would be slower, and the functional effects of the protein aggregates would not be as severe in the mice lacking mouse α-synuclein, since the introduced α-synuclein would not have other α-synuclein proteins to corrupt.

Instead, the team observed the opposite – a more rapid spread in mice lacking their own α-synuclein.

Pofessor Donato Di Monte, who led the study, stated in a press release,”We believe that these findings bear a number of important implications for disease pathogenesis. Not only can we conclude that long-distance diffusion of alpha-synuclein does not necessarily require the generation of prion-like species, our data also reveal that spreading and pathology can be triggered by simple overexpression of the protein and are mediated, at least initially, by monomeric and/or oligomeric alpha-synuclein.”

“There is absolutely no indication that Parkinson’s could be a contagious disease,” Di Monte said. “In fact, an important contribution of our new study is that it emphasizes how critical aspects of Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis, such as neuron-to-neuron alpha-synuclein transmission and protein aggregation, can be explained by mechanisms that are not prion-like.”

Magdalena Kegel

Magdalena holds an MSc in Pharmaceutical Bioscience and an interdisciplinary PhD merging the fields of psychiatry, immunology and neuropharmacology. Her previous research focused on metabolic and immunologic changes in psychotic disorders. She is now focusing on science writing, allowing her to culture her passion for medical science and human health.

http://parkinsonsnewstoday.com/2016/01/07/study-refutes-prion-theory-of-protein-aggregates-in-parkinsons-disease/

Why adult coloring books are good for you

Wed January 6, 2016

By Kelly Fitzpatrick, Daily Burn

Story highlights

Coloring has therapeutic potential to reduce anxiety, create focus or bring about more mindfulness

Like meditation, coloring allows the brain to switch off other thoughts and focus

Coloring books are no longer just for the kids. In fact, adult coloring books are all the rage right now. And while researchers and art therapists alike have touted the calming benefits for over a decade, it's childhood favorite Crayola that's gotten adult coloring books some serious grown-up attention. The famous crayon makers just launched a set of markers, colored pencils and a collection of adult coloring books, Coloring Escapes, last month.

And though the first commercially successful adult coloring books were published in 2012 and 2013, the once-niche hobby has now grown into a full-on trend, with everyone from researchers at Johns Hopkins University to the editors of Yoga Journal suggesting coloring as an alternative to meditation. Here's why you might want to open a page and say ahhhhhh.

        

 

Art Therapy, Adult Coloring Books and Your Mental Health

According to the American Art Therapy Association, art therapy is a mental health profession in which the process of making and creating artwork is used to "explore feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety and increase self-esteem." So basically, it's similar to good old therapy. (Don't think you need therapy? Here's why you should take a mental health day now) Yet art therapy is not only about learning and improving yourself — it's a means of personal expression, too.

However, it is important to note that using an adult coloring book is not exactly the same as completing an art therapy session. "Coloring itself cannot be called art therapy because art therapy relies on the relationship between the client and the therapist," says Marygrace Berberian, a certified art therapist and the Clinical Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for the Graduate Art Therapy Program at NYU. And while art therapy was first practiced in the 1940s, the first research on using coloring as therapy is generally believed to have only begun as recently the mid 90s, according to Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association.

The Health Benefits of Adult Coloring Books

Despite the fact that coloring and art therapy aren't quite the same thing, coloring does offer a slew of mental benefits. "Coloring definitely has therapeutic potential to reduce anxiety, create focus or bring [about] more mindfulness," says Berberian. Groundbreaking research in 2005 proved anxiety levels dropped when subjects colored mandalas, which are round frames with geometric patterns inside. Simply doodling, though, had no effect in reducing the other subjects' stress levels.

Just like meditation, coloring also allows us to switch off our brains from other thoughts and focus only on the moment, helping to alleviate free-floating anxiety. It can be particularly effective for people who aren't comfortable with more creatively expressive forms of art, says Berberian, "My experience has been that those participants who are more guarded find a lot of tranquility in coloring an image. It feels safer and it creates containment around their process," she adds.

How to Get Started

Want to fill in some pages? Keep in mind, if you're dealing with significant mental or emotional issues, art therapy is going to be more effective than coloring solo. But for those who just need a hobby to help them chill out, these books could be the ticket. As Berberian puts it, "I truly believe that people should be engaging in activities that make them feel restored."

According to ColoringBooks.net, adults should skip the crayons and go straight for the colored pencils (precision is everything when it comes to tuning in). And Crayola has a complete guide that shows how to take your tools up a notch by blending colors, shading and adding highlights and lowlights to your newfound masterpieces. Now get scribbling!

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/06/health/adult-coloring-books-popularity-mental-health/index.html

Medical marijuana arrives in New York

New York's medical marijuana program begins Thursday for patients with certain qualifying illnesses, including cancer and Parkinson's Disease. Five companies picked by the state to make the medication will operate 20 dispensaries.

Jan. 7, 2016

(WNYT) New York’s medical marijuana program begins Thursday for patients with certain qualifying illnesses, including cancer and Parkinson’s Disease.

Five companies picked by the state to make the medication will operate 20 dispensaries. Etain’s dispensary on North Pearl Street in Albany will be open Thursday afternoon.

In New York, only the non-smokable forms of the drug will be allowed.

At the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Northeastern New York in Latham, Dr. Keith Edwards says it’s very important to be able to offer another treatment option.

“We have a number of patients with multiple sclerosis that still have burning pain, spasms, that have not responded to available treatments, so what it means is we’ll have another treatment available for them that hopefully will be safe and effective,” said Edwards.

Read more: http://bit.ly/1ZcAb0A

http://wwlp.com/2016/01/07/medical-marijuana-arrives-in-new-york/

Cynapsus Therapeutics Inc. and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research are working together

TORONTO and NEW YORK, Jan. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cynapsus Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: CYNA) (TSX: CTH) and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research ("MJFF") today announced that they are working together to incorporate wearable device technology and "big data" approaches into Cynapsus' pivotal Phase 3 clinical study of APL-130277, a sublingual (under-the-tongue) formulation of apomorphine to treat ("OFF") episodes in Parkinson's disease ("PD") patients. 

This is a pilot effort to understand how clinical studies can harness data science approaches to objectively measure disease progression with the goal of speeding progress toward breakthroughs in drug development. The project builds on MJFF's ongoing data science partnership with Intel Corporation, launched in August 2014, to develop platforms for the storage of large volumes of patient-generated data and algorithms to glean insights from this data.  

"This strategic alliance with The Michael J. Fox Foundation and the use of technology-enabled research solutions builds on our standing collaborative relationship as well as our individual commitments to change the lives of people with Parkinson's disease," said Anthony Giovinazzo, president and CEO of Cynapsus. "Employing wearable technology to collect data in clinical trials has enormous potential to improve our understanding of how drugs and other treatments impact patients living with the debilitating symptoms of this disease."

Todd Sherer, Ph.D., chief executive officer of MJFF, said, "Clinical studies are the most expensive and time-consuming stages of drug development. Data science approaches hold the potential to accelerate the pace of progress by allowing drug developers to objectively gather and analyze unprecedented volumes of data and more quickly reveal insights about a potential new treatment. We're optimistic about the potential of this technology to help speed breakthroughs patients need."

Intel fellow Eric Dishman, general manager of Health & Life Sciences at Intel, said, "Amassing valuable objective data and turning it into insightful information can lead to advances in how new therapeutics are developed. This implementation of a consumer wearable and an analytics platform, developed by The Michael J. Fox Foundation and Intel for use in Parkinson's disease research, is a great example of interdisciplinary collaboration harnessing the power of data to advance disease research while bringing value to patients."

About OFF Episodes, APL-130277 and the Sub-study 

As PD progresses, the efficacy window of dopamine replacement medication (the gold standard treatment for the disease) shortens, and patients experience motor fluctuations known as OFF episodes. Apomorphine is a "rescue" therapy, approved in subcutaneous formulation, to quickly bring patients back to "ON." Since 2010, Cynapsus has been developing APL-130277, its fast-acting, easy-to-use sublingual thin film formulation of apomorphine. While the MJFF funded earlier phases of clinical development, neither the Foundation, nor Intel, is funding these APL-130277 Phase 3 studies. Phase 3 results on the safety and efficacy of APL-130277 are expected in 2016.

A subset of participants in the Phase 3 safety study will take part in a data analytics sub-study. Through a wearable device and the Fox Insight smartphone application (developed jointly by MJFF and Intel), volunteers will contribute data on movement and medication effect. The data will be securely collected, de-identified and evaluated using advanced analytics, then stored in a cloud platform that will allow researchers to potentially gain insights into Parkinson's disease, OFF episodes, and the efficacy of APL-130277. The technology platform and algorithms developed by Intel for the Foundation are intended as a proof of concept, demonstrating that data science technologies can contribute to the objective measurement of Parkinson's disease in interventional clinical studies.   

"The data analytics capabilities enabled by Intel and The Michael J. Fox Foundation will allow us to better evaluate how APL-130277 is helping patients. As our Phase 3 clinical trials progress and we move toward gaining FDA approval of APL-130277, we plan to work closely with Intel and The Michael J. Fox Foundation to use this technology to improve the lives of patients with Parkinson's disease," said Albert Agro, Ph.D., chief medical officer of Cynapsus.

Patients interested in participating in Parkinson's clinical trials such as Cynapsus' ongoing APL-130277 Phase 3 efficacy and safety studies or other technology-enabled studies should register on Fox Trial Finder at www.foxtrialfinder.org. This online tool matches individuals to the trials best suited to them based on factors such as time since diagnosis and medication/surgical status. More than 50,000 individuals have registered with Fox Trial Finder since 2011.

About the Cynapsus Pivotal Phase 3 Clinical Trial Program (CTH-300 and CTH-301)

On June 29, 2015, Cynapsus announced enrollment of the first patient in the CTH-300 clinical trial, a pivotal Phase 3 study to examine the efficacy and safety of APL-130277 for the acute treatment of OFF episodes in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).  The CTH-300 trial is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-design study with an estimated enrollment of 126 PD patients in 35 centers who have at least one OFF episode every 24 hours, with total OFF time of at least two hours per day. The study objective is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of APL-130277 versus placebo in patients with PD. The 126 patients will each be observed for 12 weeks, with dosing at home and in clinic. The primary endpoint will be measured at week 12 in clinic and will be the mean change in the MDS-UPDRS Part III score at 30 minutes after dosing. The key secondary endpoint will be the percentage of patients who convert from the OFF to the ON state at or before 30 minutes of dosing with APL-130277 in clinic at the week 12 visit.

On September 2, 2015, Cynapsus announced enrollment of the first patient in the CTH-301 clinical trial, a pivotal Phase 3 study to examine the safety and tolerability of APL-130277 for the acute treatment of OFF episodes in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The CTH-301 trial is a six-month, open-label, single arm safety study in PD patients who have at least one OFF episode every 24 hours, with total OFF time of at least two hours per day. The primary endpoint for the study is the safety and tolerability of APL-130277 in patients with PD. The secondary endpoints examine efficacy variables including the change in the MDS-UPDRS Part III scores over the six months of treatment. Sites will recruit patients over several months, with each patient being evaluated for six months. An estimated 226 patients will be enrolled, including up to 126 who had been enrolled in the CTH-300 efficacy study and rolled over to this study, plus an additional 100 new patients. 

About Cynapsus 

Cynapsus is a specialty central nervous system pharmaceutical company developing and preparing to commercialize a fast-acting, easy-to-use, sublingual thin film for the on-demand management of debilitating OFF episodes associated with PD. The Company recently completed a Phase 2 clinical trial for its product candidate, APL-130277, a sublingual formulation of apomorphine hydrochloride, or apomorphine. Apomorphine is the only molecule approved for acute, intermittent treatment of OFF episodes for advanced PD patients, but is currently only approved as a subcutaneous injection in the United States. APL-130277 is a "turning ON" medication designed to rapidly, safely and reliably convert a PD patient from the OFF to the ON state while avoiding many of the issues associated with subcutaneous delivery of apomorphine. It is designed to convert all types of OFF episodes, including morning OFF episodes, often considered the most difficult to treat. Cynapsus has initiated its Phase 3 clinical program for APL-130277, relying on the abbreviated Section 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway in the United States, and the Company intends to submit a new drug application ("NDA") in 2016.

About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

As the world's largest non-profit funder of Parkinson's research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active global engagement of scientists, Parkinson's patients, business leaders, clinical trial participants, donors and volunteers. In addition to funding more than $525 million in research to date, the Foundation has fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress toward a cure. Operating at the hub of worldwide Parkinson's research, the Foundation forges ground-breaking collaborations with industry leaders, academic scientists and government research funders; increases the flow of participants into Parkinson's disease clinical trials with its online tool, Fox Trial Finder; promotes Parkinson's awareness through high-profile advocacy, events and outreach; and coordinates the grassroots involvement of thousands of Team Fox members around the world.

Forward-Looking Statements 

This announcement contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including without limitation, the potential benefits and effects of using such wearable technology in the Company's clinical trials, the potential of data science and such wearable technology to accelerate progress in clinical studies, the potential of data science and such wearable technology to lead to advances in how new therapeutics are developed, the Company's intention of securely collecting, de-identifying, evaluating and storing data in the data analytics sub-study, the potential of such wearable technology to better evaluate how APL-130277 is helping PD patients, the Company's plan to work closely with Intel and MJFF to use such wearable technology to improve the lives of PD patients, the expected Phase 3 results on the safety and efficacy of APL-130277 in 2016, the expected NDA submission of APL-130277 in 2016, and the expectation that APL-130277 will advance from clinical development to commercialization. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of the Company's business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, plans and objectives. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "believe," "may," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "should," "plan," "expect," "predict," "potential," or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current expectations and beliefs and inherently involve significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties, and include, but are not limited to, those factors identified under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Form 10-Q filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on November 12, 2015 and its other filings and reports in the United States with the SEC available on the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov, and in Canada with the various Canadian securities regulators, which are available online at www.sedar.com. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes or otherwise, except as required by law.

Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Neither the NASDAQ nor the TSX has approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release.

 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cynapsus-and-michael-j-fox-foundation-collaborate-on-pilot-use-of-wearable-device-and-data-science-approaches-in-phase-3-parkinsons-clinical-study-300200679.html

http://www.biospace.com/news_story.aspx?StoryID=404704&full=1

Popular local yoga instructor faces the challenges of Parkinson's Disease

Uploaded: Thu, Jan 7, 2016, 3:10 pm

'Parkinson's is like aging, and my efforts now are to slow the process'

he words "yoga instructor" conjure up the image of a hyper-flexible person, balancing on one foot or twisting body parts into seemingly unnatural shapes. The words "Parkinson's disease" bring to mind the opposite extreme: formerly able-bodied people who now have slurred speech and uncontrollable tremors that often result in violent shaking movements. 

Now imagine being a yoga instructor and learning that you have joined the ranks of an estimated one million Americans afflicted with the devastating neurodegenerative brain disorder.

For Keith Erickson, 52, a highly regarded yoga teacher at Menlo Pilates and Yoga and other studios on the Peninsula, this scenario became a reality in February of this year. While undergoing a routine health test, the medical staff noticed that his right hand was shaking and suggested that he explore the cause. 

He was aware of the slight tremor but thought it could be fatigue or too much caffeine. A visit to a neurologist, however, confirmed his suspicion that it was Parkinson's. In addition to being faced with the diagnosis of a having a serious and chronic disease, he had to carefully consider the impact it would have on his vocation.

Hide it, ignore it, were my first reactions," he admitted. But it soon became too obvious to ignore and students began to ask questions. He realized that honesty and full disclosure were the best ways to deal with his situation. 

He began to inform his employers at the various studios and health clubs where he has been teaching since 2002 and to let his students know. Their reactions, he says, have been incredibly supportive and helpful. "Opening up to my students has strengthened my connection to them," he says.

Mr. Erikson began his yoga career after 25 years in the high-stakes world of finance, overseeing mergers and acquisitions for established companies, such as Franklin Templeton Investments. He found himself feeling dissatisfied and restless and, in 1998, bought a one-way ticket to India.

His original goal was to simply travel around Southeast Asia and soak up the culture. He had only taken one yoga class previously in a health club and noted, "I wasn't very good at it."

Arriving in Pushkar, he signed up for a week-long yoga class and decided that the practice of meditation might be helpful in his new pursuit.

He attended a lecture given by the Dalai Lama, during which attendees are expected to sit cross-legged. Erickson found himself in pain after just an hour and a friend suggested he really invest himself in a yoga practice, with the aim of sitting longer, and more comfortably, during meditation.

Soon, he was hooked, and he enrolled in an eight-week yoga teacher training program held in Bali.

Upon his return to California, he began teaching on the Peninsula and in San Francisco. Although yoga was not as widespread then as it is today, he was able to find enough work to earn a living and he says with a grin, "I never looked at the finance resume again."

Now that he has had a few months to come to terms with his diagnosis, he says the biggest surprise has been how much time is consumed in dealing with the disease. Having chosen a holistic treatment plan, he devotes a lot of time to finding and preparing organic foods. He takes around 75 supplements a day and is working with a functional medical practitioner (rather than a medical doctor) to treat his symptoms and stave off the effects of Parkinson's. 

Also included in his regimen are a full eight hours of sleep each night and one hour each morning spent in breathing exercises and meditation. He claims that the breathing and meditation are the most helpful part of his treatment and have the added benefit of helping him deal with the uncertainty of the Parkinson's prognosis. 

"Parkinson's is like aging," he says, "and my efforts now are to slow the process."

One thing that has not changed much is his very busy teaching schedule. He currently teaches about eighteen classes a week, including three at Menlo Pilates and Yoga.

"Keith has been teaching here since early 2012 and has helped to grow a strong community of students consistently over the past four years," says Fran Phillip, who owns the Menlo Park studio.

She says she hopes to add a class for those with Parkinson's disease.

Mr. Erickson is philosophical about the future, saying that when he can no longer teach yoga, he will find something else to do, perhaps in a place like Australia ( his wife's homeland), where health care is more affordable. He remains hopeful and optimistic: "This journey is a marathon and I am just getting started," he says.

Go to yogakeith.com to read more about Keith Erickson, including his blog. The author of this story, Sheryl Nonnenberg, has studied with Mr. Erickson and teaches yoga at the Menlo Circus Club.

http://www.almanacnews.com/news/2016/01/07/popular-local-yoga-instructor-faces-the-challenges-of-parkinsons-disease