14 The Power of Better Care
Dr . Dolhun Talks PD
Be Mindful of Stress
Rachel Dolhun , MD , is a movement disorder specialist , board-certified neurologist and senior vice president of medical communications at MJFF . Follow her on Twitter @ RachelDolhunMD .
Feeling stressed ? You are not alone . Many of us , both with and without Parkinson ’ s , are feeling the effects of the pandemic : working remotely , helping children learn from home , and missing in-person visits with our loved ones .
And people with Parkinson ’ s may feel more stress than others , according to a survey in MJFF ’ s online Fox Insight study . The results , published in Nature , also show that stress worsens motor and non-motor symptoms , especially tremor and anxiety .
To manage , most use physical exercise , while others listen to music , read or pray . Mindfulness is another way to ease symptoms , improve quality of life and possibly even contribute to positive brain changes .
ESPN Co-Founder , Parkinson ’ s community advocate and MJFF Patient Council Member Bill Rasmussen , who has been living with PD since 2013 says , “ I think if you are an active person both physically and mentally , it ’ s going to help with Parkinson ’ s , and it ’ s going to extend the good time of your life .”
Visit michaeljfox . org / ask-the-md to learn more about living well with Parkinson ’ s and recent Parkinson ’ s research topics .