​I have a terminal condition that causes progressive diminution of physical and mental capacity and eventual death. It is a universal condition, commonly known as ageing. I have also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Many of the symptoms of these two conditions are interchangeable, with each condition accelerating and accentuating the other. And many of the practices I’m adopting to manage my PD also help manage the symptoms of ageing. I officially received the PD “prize” in the neurological disease lottery on 27 July 2023, but the outcome was about as surprising to me as a Harlem Globetrotters victory over the Washington Generals. I had seen it coming for some time, but it still took me a while to process.

In this article, I explain how PD affects me, why there is reason for optimism, and some of the things I do to “Outpace Parkinson’s.”

​Although not quite “diagnose and adios” a PD diagnosis can feel like the beginning of the end. It is presented as incurable, meaning that there is currently no pharmaceutical or surgical intervention to eliminate the symptoms. It is true that the symptoms of the vast majority of people with Parkinson’s (PwP’s) progress but there is a significant minority whose symptoms remain steady over many years, and the symptoms can even reverse in certain instances. So rather than seeing PD as an inevitable progression, I prefer to reframe it as a constellation of symptoms that may or may not progress. This goes beyond mere semantics, as words create worlds - hope helps build dopamine, the limiting neurotransmitter in PwP’s. This hopeful outlook feels empowering, engendering a possibility/growth mindset, which encourages me to learn from the behaviours of those who have experienced the best outcomes. There are, of course never any guarantees, so I must trust the process despite the inevitable moments of doubt.

​As a template for action, I have leaned heavily on Dr Laurie Mischley’s research in which she has correlated disease outcomes with lifestyle practices. A particularly revealing output of her work is the chart of her patient’s progress over time. The chart shows the typical progress of the disease but what is interesting to me is the outliers - those individuals who buck the trend. And there are many of them. Mischley’s research is dedicated to uncovering the modifiable lifestyle factors that contribute to these outliers – the “positive deviants”. My task is to take the results of this research and incorporate them into an approach that can work for my unique circumstances... To quote Brian of Nazareth “we are all individuals” so there is no one size fits all. I summarise some of the components of my approach below.

​Medications can only offer symptom relief, but this can be pivotal. Medications can buy time during which you can find the motivation to pursue the activities that can halt, slow, or even reverse disease progression. Lack of dopamine can contribute to lethargy which is the opposite of what is required to outpace Parkinson’s – a vicious circle for PwP’s. Medications to increase the availability of dopamine can help break the vicious circle, thus facilitating empowering actions. My forays into Parkinson’s meds thus far have led to unwanted side effects but, together with my neurologist, we are exploring all options.

If there is one thing that all PD schools of thought agree upon it is the role of exercise as the best PD medicine. When it comes down to it, all exercise is good, and the best exercise is the exercise that you will actually do! My current favourite is Dr Joachim Farias’ Dystonia Recovery Program which consists of a diverse mix including dance, yoga, tai chi, and other modalities. My morning dance routine is a sight to behold! The programme is not specifically designed for PwP’s, but the exercises promote neuroplasticity which is critical in PD management. My other exercises include the daily dog walk, cycling (to be rekindled after a winter break), weight training and taking opportunities to move throughout the day. Weight training is particularly important for PD as muscle wastage is common given the characteristic diminished speed and coordination. PD does not directly affect your strength, but it compromises day-to-day movements which contribute to strength. I am very blessed to have overall good health which allows me to exercise. Other PwP’s with comorbidities are less fortunate.

One of my most important exercises is ongoing speech therapy, initially provided by an excellent speech and language therapist who has been trained in the clinically proven SPEAK OUT! Technique as provided by the Parkinson Voice Project (PVP). The technique demands daily practice, which is facilitated by PVP’s daily YouTube speech exercise videos. 

​Parkinson’s is the world’s fastest growing neurological disease, and contrary to what you may hear in certain circles, this cannot be entirely explained by the increasing numbers of elderly people. There are likely to be multiple causes of what could be a constellation of diseases. One such cause is the growth in environmental toxins, such as heavy metals, pesticides, and plastics. The herbicide paraquat has been strongly associated with PD - incidentally paraquat has not been authorised for use in UK since 2007 but it is still manufactured in the UK and exported to countries such as the US, Japan and Australia, and much of the developing world.

Consumption of canned fruits and vegetables has been associated with faster PD progression.  Bisphenol A (BPA), a known endocrine disruptor, is widely used in the inner coating of food cans, while aluminum is an established neurotoxin. Toxic metal tests revealed that I had high levels of aluminium in my system. I have also been exposed to large quantities of pesticides, notably when working in the Philippines to help farmers step off the pesticide treadmill. There is nothing I can do to change these past exposures, but I can minimise toxic load going forward.

Other avenues I’m exploring, to manage toxins of all kinds, include mind-body healing, increased social support, speech therapy and breath support.

Berry, S. et al., 2020. Personalised REsponses to DIetary Composition Trial (PREDICT): an intervention study to determine inter-individual differences in postprandial response to foods [online]. Protocol Exchange. preprint. 

Doidge, N., 2007. The brain that changes itself: Stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science. Penguin.
Doidge, N., 2015. The brain’s way of healing: stories of remarkable recoveries and discoveries. Penguin UK.

Mic the Vegan, 2018. 5 Ways a Vegan Diet Can Help Parkinson’s Disease. Available from:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSxdNJk-ej0

Mischley, L. K., 2023. Parkinson’s disease "What do successful people do to slow down PD progression?”, 2021. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdpfNnnAzKI. 

Mischley, L. K. et al., 2023. Parkinson Symptom Severity and Use of Nutraceuticals. Nutrients, 15 (4), 802.

Mischley, L. K., Lau, R. C. and Bennett, R. D., 2017. Role of Diet and Nutritional Supplements in Parkinson’s Disease Progression. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2017.

Mischley, L. K., Lau, R. C. and Weiss, N. S., 2017. Use of a self-rating scale of the nature and severity of symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease (PRO-PD): Correlation with quality of life and existing scales of disease severity. npj Parkinson’s Disease, 3 (1), 1–7.

Mischley, L. and Rountree, R., 2019. Preventing and Slowing the Progression of Parkinson’s: A Clinical Conversation with Laurie Mischley, ND, MPH, PhD, and Robert Rountree, MD. Alternative and Complementary Therapies, 25 (2), 59–67.

Müller-Nedebock, A. C. et al., 2023. Different pieces of the same puzzle: a multifaceted perspective on the complex biological basis of Parkinson’s disease. npj Parkinson’s Disease, 9 (1), 1–11. 

Python, M. The Life of Brian, 1979. HandMade Films.

Sharma, P. and Mittal, P., 2024. Paraquat (herbicide) as a cause of Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, 119.