I will miss my knee. I don't plan to miss any exercise.

In order to continue telling like it is about having Parkinson's Disease, I have to update readers of this blog, if there are any, on something that I don't want to sound whiney about. It's not Parkinson's related but it affects my ability in the short term to fight PD. As you may recall, or maybe not, I manage PD by trying to keep my muscles in condition so that I can get them to respond when PD is telling them to ignore my commands. By forcing muscles and the nerve paths that send the commands to and from my brain and muscles to do what I tell them, I have built new paths and muscles. 

So far, it's working. The nerve paths and muscles must maintain their strength because I give them no choice. I exercise vigorously at least five days a week, but often seven days straight, for an average of 45 to 60 minutes, but often for 75 to 90 minutes. After 15 years of PD, I'm still able to do most activities expected of someone my age who has the benefit of their complete health. Without this program of mind over matter and never giving in, I would probably  be immobilized in front of a TV.

But my exercise is being threatened by a knee that is described as bone on bone. I tried to convince myself, and a couple of Hospital for Special Surgery doctors that it was just a partial tear of ligaments or some floating cartiledge. You know, no big deal. It turns out to be no such luck. 

So in 3 weeks I will enjoy the view overlooking the East River (which is not a river) for a couple of days and nights while the good doctors at HSS install a brand new shiney piece of metal and plastic and try to convince me that it is a knee. According to the docs, its long overdue. I blew it out playing football for a little engineering college in New England (WPI). So you do the math. That's 50 years of snow and water skiing, some long board surfing in California, some wind surfing in NJ, about 50 - 10K's a half marathon, a full marathon and hundreds of hours playing tennis, squash, racquet ball and golf. All of this on a knee with no cartilege and no ACL.

The old knee belongs in a museum and owes me nothing. I'll miss it just the same. I don't plan to miss any exercise. We'll see.

Cherry blossoms in Forest Hills, New York City.

Music, art, photography, gardens, family and friends

In today's NY Times there is an article by Oliver Sachs, the neurologist who wrote the book on which the movie Awakenings with Robbin Williams was based. Sacks died in 2015 but his work lives on, as do you and I. (I'm pretty sure that I'm still here. You?)

Musicophelia is another work by Sachs and which discusses how music affects people with Parkinson's disease. If you have Parkinson's disease, chances are you have grown a stronger appreciation and maybe even some skills in music, art,  writing or some other artistic pursuit. I've covered my experience with photography in this blog and I assure you this continues as an obsession that is now the heart of my daily existence. But I digress...

The  Times article describes Dr. Sachs' experience with his Parkinson's patients and their visits to gardens. Just taking a walk in a garden or garden environment has enabled Parkinson patients to overcome their symptoms while there. Music has had that affect on me at times. It's like the puzzle of my body is solved by the beat of the music. Coincidently, I live in a garden community that is more like a park than a New York City neighborhood, which it is. I love being outdoors this time of year. I'm going to test Dr. Sachs' findings. Could where you live affect how well you manage PD symptoms? 

Beyond the documented benefits explored by Dr. Sachs, I have an additional dimension that I continue to experience as having a positive affect on my life with this fucking disease. (Please allow me to express exactly how I feel.) And that is the affect some people have on my life. Family is part of it, but it goes beyond. And I am so very fortunate to have this benefit.

Photo  is a late morning fog lifting at Hudson Yards. 

Sleep as Though Your Life Depends on It. Because it does!

In my last blog, we noted lack of sleep as stress, and stress as a bad thing for anyone with or without Parkinson's. I did more reading about stress and its huge negative impact on our health. The book is Mind to Matter by Dawson Church. It is not easy reading because it is quite technical in its presentation. He wrote a second, short book that summarizes the findings reported in the main text if technical is not your thing. The main theme is the identification of electromagnetic waves, including those generated by our brains, as playing a major role in determining our health. (Stop yawning and keep reading.) There is a lot of documentation on how certain wavelengths that are associated with sleep are also effective as relieving stress that contributes to at least the symptoms and possibly even causes of all kinds of diseases including Alzheimer's, cancer and Parkinson's. Less stress, fewer and milder symptoms. Stress management is explained with specific programs in detail including EFT and Tapping. More about this stuff after I have more experience with it.

Deep sleep produces the best wavelengths to relieve stress. So if you want the easiest lazy man or woman program to resist PD, just find a way to sleep deeply and do it as often as you can. I'm not kidding. Do this as though your life depends on it. Because it does. In addition to EFT and Tapping, try CBD gummies and marijuana to relieve stress and promote deep sleep. This seems to be helping but I need more experience before endorsing it myself. Not that anyone gives a shit about what I endorse. But I don't believe everything I read, even when I write it. That may be because sometimes I write shit just to be funny that is hard to believe. But even taking that into account, you need to take sleep seriously. Seriously.

Say hi to my grandson, Nevan.