Parky Conversations
I’m Andi Brown, the creator and host of Parky Conversations. I was diagnosed at the age of seventy. I discovered that writing my blog, Moving and Shaking, afforded me a vehicle for coping with, and even laughing at, my disease, and at aging in general.
In Parky Conversations, I will talk about my own experiences with PD, I’ll introduce us to some of my fellow “Parkies,” and I’ll interview physicians and scientists who are studying aspects of the disease – such as the surge in creativity in some, the ability to detect Parkinson’s by the way someone smells, and why people see insects cavorting in their underwear.
There are around one million Americans living with Parkinson’s right now. Listen up and learn about an illness that no one ever expects, that presents daily challenges and that sometimes we just have to laugh at.
Episodes
9 episodes
The Search for Cheap Dopamine: Parkinson's Hidden Symptoms
So many symptoms, so little time. Seriously, this is a disease with hidden depths – most of them not very nice. In the final episode of Season 1, I share the story of a woman who struggles with compulsive shopping and eating related to Parkinso...
Insects in Your Underwear? It Might be Parkinson's Disease!
When most people think about Parkinson’s they think of tremors and Michael J. Fox, but there’s a lot more to this disease. And some Parkinson’s symptoms are just plain weird. I recently got the chance to talk with Fred Zalonis, a 73 year old re...
Giving Parkinson's the Old One-Two
Never in a million years did Andi ever think she'd lace up a pair of boxing gloves. In fact, she was rather disapproving of boxing as a sport. But as soon as she was diagnosed people started saying, "I've heard boxing is a really good thing to ...
Emma Stubbs Keeps Her Sense of Humor
A little more than two years ago, I began my blog as a way of coping with both the physical and emotional pain of Parkinson's. As I was trying to figure out where I fit in the blogging universe, I stumbled upon a blog called Who Stole My Dopami...
Shall We Dance - And Sing - For Parkinson's?
There's nothing fun about being diagnosed with Parkinson's, but that doesn't mean that every treatment has to cause misery. In today's episode, Andi talks about two Parkinson's "treatments" that are near and dear to her heart. Dancing, which is...
Exercise: A Magic Pill for Parkinson's?
Even before my official diagnosis, I started reading about Parkinson’s disease. And I found my way to various articles lauding exercise as a really good tool to slow disease progression. Since then, I’ve joined a yoga class, a dance class, a ch...
Joy Milne's Fantastic Sense of Smell
From the time she was a small child, Joy Milne knew that she could smell things that others could not. But it wasn't until after her husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's that Joy realized her talent could have medical implications. Joy now wo...
Nikki Grady Discovers a New Talent
In 2018, Nikki Grady's life changed forever. She was in a pilates class when all of the sudden, her right foot started to tremble. Within just a few months, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. But for Nikki, developing Parkinson's spark...