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Parkinson's Disease: A Complete Guide for Patients and Families by William J. Weiner, et al.

 

"A detailed, informative and educational read that covers almost any aspect you could possibly think of in terms of managing the disease and attempting to maintain quality of life."

4 Stars

Pros: Intricate, detailed, covering basically anything question you or a loved one might possibly have, this was an informative and educational read. 

Cons: At times the medical terminology and explanation of what was happening in the brain was hard to comprehend/Though very detailed and covering basically anything you might possibly have a question about, it could, at times, be tedious to read/The fact that Parkinson's is extremely difficult to diagnose and does not have any known cure can be disheartening. 

Full Review: 

The prospect of any sort of neurodegenerative disease where areas of your brain slowly and surely die, is horrifying. I feel that there are two schools of thought when it comes to diseases like Parkinson's. People either want to know everything they can and will dive deep into literature, studies etc. And then there are the others who don't want to know anything about what's happening to them. I fall somewhere in the middle. I want to be informed so that I can try and be as helpful as possible. But at the same time, the thought that the people I love are slowly and surely going to struggle with increasing disability makes me want to curl up into a ball and cry. And trust me, there were times when I did let the tears flow and allowed myself to feel badly and to ask the ever present but unanswerable question of "why." 

But after a time, I took a breath, accepted it and continued to read this book and retain as much as the information as I could. I know that in reading this book, it doesn't mean I will be able to cure anyone. But there's a part of me that feels that with the information I learned from this book, I'll at least be able to be of some help. 

The sad reality is that there is no known cause or cure for Parkinson's Disease. Whether it's genetic, environmental etc, there's no true test that can diagnose Parkinson's or give a reason as to why someone develops the disease. But the situation isn't hopeless. The progression of the disease can be slow and if the patient is active in their treatment, open to taking medications, engaging in physical exercise that targets specific parts of the body and being honest with themselves, their families and their doctors, it's possible to maintain quality of life while still battling Parkinson's Disease. It's frightening but at the same time, nothing in the world is certain. I've done what I can to try and take away some of the unknowns and uncertainties and will try and keep them in my mind when dealing with this disease.

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