Parkinson’s Advancements: Technology, Surveillance, and Gait Research

Listen as Kristine Meldrum, Author and Founder & President of Parkinson’s Place Iowa, shares her expertise on all things Parkinson’s and exercise. Having paved the way for coaching Parkinson’s patients through evidence-based exercise programs, Kristine is in a league of her own when it comes to understanding precisely how those with the disease should exercise. Having recently published, Parkinson’s: How to Reduce the Symptoms through Exercise,  Kristine proclaims that people with PD “are athletes now” and need to view themselves as such. In her book, she lays out a thorough plan for people to follow as they create their own exercise regimen and, in this interview, she not only shares her candid insight but also the concrete research behind her specific recommendations. 

Kristine Meldrum is the author of Parkinson’s: How to Reduce Symptoms Through Exercise. She is an exercise professional working with Parkinson’s and other neurological clients. She is the founder and president of Parkinson’s Place, Iowa, and writes and speaks nationally at Parkinson’s Conferences with a presentation titled Parkinson’s: How to Exercise to Reduce Symptoms. Kristine has spent fifteen years in the fitness industry and worked a decade in the medical fitness industry before starting a Neuro Wellness Program in 2020. Kristine engages one-on-one with clients and teaches neuro-classes at Grand Living in West Des Moines, Iowa. She also consults with organizations to help start neuro-wellness programs. Contact her for speaking engagements, consulting and book sales at kristinemeldrum@gmail.com. More information about the book can be found at parkinsonsbook.com. 

Dr. Erin Presant, board-certified neurologist and certified culinary medical specialist, shares tangible insight on what it means to use food as medicine and how people with Parkinson’s should be employing this concept. She also dispels common misconceptions associated with our diet culture and how “getting back to basics” should be the thread that runs through our culinary choices. 

Join us as we sit down with Dr. Catherine Crenshaw, Neuropsychologist and the Director of the Perioperative Cognitive Anesthesia Network (PeCAN) at the University of Florida, for another targeted discussion related to Parkinson’s Disease. Dr. Crenshaw conducts imperative work as it relates to cognitive changes for older adults who have elected surgery with anesthesia. Listen as Dr. Crenshaw clearly describes the gaps in care and ultimately a clear plan for including the brain as a vital organ pre and post surgery by utilizing cognitive assessments to ensure the best surgical outcomes and ultimately mitigate cognitive impairments following surgery. 

Feeling so lucky to have had the chance to share our Power Over Parkinson's mission on NBC12 About Town Today with Candice Smith!

In this installment of our POP Profile Series we sit down with Dr. Alberto Espay, Professor, Director, and Endowed Chair of James and Joan Gardner Center for Parkinson’s Disease at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Espay’s exuberance and passion for researching future therapies in Parkinson’s Disease is palpable and his novel approach in deconstructing barriers that accompany disease labels is profoundly impactful.

Gardner Center for PD: https://www.uchealth.com/en/neuroscience-institute/parkinsons-disease-and-movement-disorders-center
CCBP: https://ccbpstudy.com

Listen as Dr. Woodford Beech, Speech-Language Pathologist at the VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorder Center, a Parkinson’s Center of Excellence, shares an overview of speech and swallowing changes in Parkinson’s Disease. Dr. Beech gives practical guidance and advice on managing these potential challenges with a clear understanding of the critical balance between mitigating every symptom and ensuring quality-of-life (i.e. - one’s life outside Parkinson’s).

Listen as Leslie Davidson, author of Dancing in Small Spaces and person with Parkinson’s Disease, shares her inspiration behind her candid memoir on the life she built with her beloved husband, Lincoln. After receiving two devastating progressive diagnoses - she with Parkinson’s and he with Lewy Body Dementia - Leslie and Lincoln managed to not only utilize the strength in their relationship to process their respective diagnoses, but also harness the determination they needed as they managed the diseases through gratitude, humor, and, yes, a few tears. As you listen, you’ll be struck by Leslie’s calmness and acceptance, particularly around the passing of Lincoln, as well as how she now navigates Parkinson’s every day with grace, honesty, and acceptance. 

Listen as Dr. Christine Esper, Associate Professor within the Department of Neurology at Emory University, shares many advancements within the Parkinson’s Disease space. Dr. Esper elaborates on her work within the Emory Brain Health Center’s 3D Motion Capture Lab and how both gait and tremor in Parkinson’s are being analyzed. Dr. Esper also shares how she’s been on the forefront of examining how DBS tele-programming can be successfully done. Finally, Parkinson’s Disease (along with MS) were the first two diseases selected by the CDC as part of their National Neurological Conditions Surveillance System (NNCSS) and Dr. Esper is on the team helping to track the epidemiology of neurological conditions. The aim of the NNCSS is to derive actionable and timely information to increase understanding of neurological conditions and catalyze research into causes, diagnosis, and treatment.

Listen as Dr. Soania Mathur, a Parkinson's warrior and advocate, shares her journey to diagnosis, how she remains optimistic, and her motivation behind authoring two books: My GrandPa's Shaky Hands & Shaky Hands. 

Listen as Dr. Richard Manfready, Instructor in Medicine in Digestive Diseases at Rush University Medical Center, shares the gut-brain connection in Parkinson’s Disease. Dr. Manfready elaborates on his research that has him working backwards in a remarkable way. He has taken the known factors about Parkinson’s – loss of dopamine producing cells due to misfolded proteins - and has notably taken a step back from there. By finding that inflammation can cause proteins to misfold, and working backward, he’s asked the question: what causes the inflammation? Listen as he comments on what he’s finding as a reason for this disease-inducing inflammation.