Stanford PD Community Blog

“Holistic Health and Wellness” was a session presented by Stanford movement disorder specialist Dr. Maya Katz at the “Better Lives, Together Summit.”  The summit, held in late February, was organized by the Fresno Parkinson’s Support Group. In her session, Dr. Katz reviewed the concept of total health. She said that physical, psychological, social, and spiritual health all need to be addressed by your care team. 

“Movement & Nutrition” was a webinar hosted by the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA), as part of its “Let’s Keep Moving with the APDA” series. This webinar featured registered dietitian Rachel Reynolds.  Rachel detailed how a balanced diet is helpful for everyone’s health and especially helpful for people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD).

In late February 2021, the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) hosted four of its APDA-funded researchers to provide an update on what their labs have been working on. In the “APDA Virtual Research Roundtable,” Dr. Vikram Khurana discussed his lab’s research in stem cells; Dr. Karen Nuytemans discussed identifying genetic factors that influence development of PD in hispanic populations; Dr. Brian Daniels explained his research of the role of inflammation and genetics in PD, and Dr. Bonnie Wong described her research into the effectiveness of telehealth visits during COVID and beyond. The researchers answered questions from the listeners.  

Parkinson Association of the Rockies (ParkinsonRockies) hosted a webinar on Practitioner Assisted Stretching for Parkinson’s Disease at the end of January.  While there is much said about the importance of exercise in maintaining quality of life for those with PD by slowing disease progression, there is not much emphasis placed on the importance of stretching as a part of a good PD exercise routine. But stretching is of crucial importance. Here’s why.

“Dr. Gilbert Hosts: Cognition & Parkinson’s Disease” featured guest speaker Kathleen Poston on the topic of cognition and dementia in Parkinson’s disease. It was part of the “Dr. Gilbert Hosts” series hosted by Dr. Rebecca Gilbert, the chief scientific officer at the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA).