I used to write in this forum back in the 90's, when both my diagnosis and this forum were new. After the initial shock and devastation of the diagnosis of PD at the age of 41, the friends I made in this forum contributed support, information, travel and friendship in a way that balanced out the darkness I had been feeling.

However this period of my life ended six years ago when a spinal infection and multiple rehab surgeries, too many to count, left me flat on my back unable to focus, much less type. But now I'm feeling a shift. Dare I say it, I feel like something is getting better. My recovering from this infection and surgery has certainly muddied the Parkinson's waters. I can't tell what is PD and what's not these days, all I know is I'm feeling a little bit stronger and a little more hopeful.

So basically the past six years have been spent with nothing else to focus on but my body, and the strange sensations and how they relate to my ability to move. Having studied yoga for thirty years, I was heartened when two years ago VANITY FAIR magazine published an extensive glossy photo spread on current yoga masters. The one paragraph of text contained a question posed to a doctor from a New York hospital. "We all know yoga is good for relaxation but does it really help your health?" The doctor replied, "Absolutely. Yoga is unparalleled in it's ability to manage the lymphatic system, which is "the river of life in the body".

After all those surgeries I found this river of life reduced to a mere trickle. I desperately sought answers in the medical community but was disheartened to find that the truth of a statement I once heard from a masseuse who works in lymphatics. She said, "Western medicine is in the dark ages regarding lymphatics" Sometimes I wonder if the stilling of this river may have some connection to the sensations and symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Neurologists look at me with dismissal and disinterest and send me off to the psychiatrist. So that is one of the reasons I am back at a place were the voice of the patient can be part of research- the forum.

One of the things that helped boosts my movement potential has been my involvement with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's Parkinson's Project. Check out this link which shows a similar project being run in New York City.

youtube -When I Dance Parkinson's Project

Other topics I look foward to exploring are alternative therapies, nutrition, psychology, and spirituality. Hope to hear from a friend of two or a few new faces.

namaste
mo