Quote:
Originally Posted by cochrankat
A thought spurred by seeing how the ball on ECT/PD fell between the psychiatrists and the neurologists:
The longer I live with PD, the more I think that to term it a "movement disorder" is limiting and misleading. PD affects everything, including cognition and mood. The sooner we all admit that, the sooner we can break out of the box our fragmented, competitive system of health care and medical specialties has put us in.
Kathleen
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Kathleen,
Good point. I came to this conclusion as well just after researching and realizing that we all experience it so differently and it does include insidious effects on our psyche as the disease slowly takes over. I see it more as a spectrum disorder.
As far as it translating to health care reform...hmmn. Wouldn't hold my breath- if you haven't already, see our long thread on health care reform bill. We cover just how our needs are different than what is currently provided for under our narrow-minded Western model of medicine. Where is the coverage for supplements, yoga, exercise, etc.?
On a positive note, we have a major medical research university that "gets it".
The University of Maryland Medical Center offers patients a holistic approach to care including access to occupational therapy, psychotherapy, and they even have the nerve to acknowledge complementary therapies in the form of herbs and supplements. Take that, FDA!
Laura