The Winds of Change Are With Us

Come gather 'round people

Wedding Day 1977

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

Bob Dylan

There are periods of life when things appear to be finished.  I feel like the last new era has dawned and is destined to go on forever. I think to myself, my time has finally arrived and "this is it!"

There was the 70's.  A period of time when the college years were left behind and I moved into the era of youthful early career.  I was one of the "fair haired boys full of dreams and promise."  I thought to myself "Hey, it is always going to be this way, isn't it?"  

The 80's approached and I found love and there was a wedding and babies.  I would always be a young father and "why wouldn't I think that?" 

I ushered in the 90's and the pace picked up.  The kids were in school and I had a home to keep up.  And oh yes there were bills to pay.  I thought, "now this is the real stage of life that will not end." Of course it ended and the truth that  I was beginning to see was that each stage simply moves faster than the last. Each bringing things I never thought possible in the previous one. 

Now I am older and find myself in a late stage of life among the silver eagles.  I ask myself, "How did I ever become a 65 year old man with Parkinson's?"  There is no answer to that question, so I decide it best to leave it behind and move ahead.  Parkinson's is a disease that has threatened to take away from life as it moves ahead at its insidious pace.

I want this to be a message of hope and I believe that the "Times They Are a Changin".  These changes are being ushered in by fair winds that promise to help many.  Medicine is moving alongside Parkinson's at a pace not dreamed of just a few years back.  Browse the links I have included and I hope you, as I have, will find encouragement.  These are links to only a small sample of an explosion of new information being discovered about Parkinson's and shared instantly by way of the personal computer.

And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics                     

Who prophesize with your pen

And keep your eyes wide

The chance won't come again

Don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'

Read more: Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-changin' Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

From Bob Dylan "The Times They Are A-changin"

Still Shaky in Coupeville

Parkinson's Vaccine Looks Promising

Phase 1 trials in this Fox foundation funded study were intended to ramp up the body's own defenses against the damaging effects of alpha synuclein.

Deep Brain Stimulation Improves Survival in Severe Parkinson's Disease

Bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) has been shown to improve motor function, motor fluctuations, health-related quality of life, and to reduce medication usage and drug-induced dyskinesia in patients with severe PD refractory to medical therapy.

Intel Explores Wearable Devices for Parkinson's Disease Research

Intel Corp plans to use wearable gadgets such as smart watches to monitor patients with Parkinson's disease and collect data that can be shared with researchers.

One-Two Punch for Parkinson's

Researchers from the Florida campus of the Scripps Institute have found a dual-inhibitor compound expected to counter Parkinson's in 2 separate ways simultaneously. 

Bee Venom Acupuncture shows promise in Parkinson's

Both acupuncture and bee venom acupuncture showed promising results in improving symptoms among patients with Parkinson's disease in a small new study.

Regular brisk walking helps Parkinson's patients make strides
Regular brisk walking may improve motor function, mood, tiredness, and fitness in patients with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease, a new study suggests.