Our December patient newsletter did not include this news flash: we will be offering three sessions of Chair Yoga in December. All people with Parkinson's and their loved ones are welcome to attend. A donation of $10 for the month is suggested. Classes are held on Tuesdays at noon, and are led by Kathleen Geile of Yoga at Crescent Hill (housed at Crescent Hill UMC (201 S Peterson Ave, 40206 and offering convenient access from the expressway and off-street parking). To register or for more information, please contact us.

We're fairly sure this book will fly off our lending library shelves (if we're right about that, we may order a couple of additional copies!). You have NEVER read a guide to caring like this one: "The Selfish Pig's Guide to Caring: how to cope with the emotional and practical aspects of caring for someone." From the cover:

"Over six million people in the UK, often unnoticed by the rest of us, provide unpaid care for disabled or elderly relatives, friends or neighbors. Their job is long, lonely and hard, yet there is limited support and no formal training. As a result, carers suffer frequent damage to physical and emotional health. Oddly, though carers by definition are anything but selfish pigs, they are liable to feelings of guilt...So Hugh Marriott has written this book for them...His aim is to bring into the open everything he wishes he'd been told when he first became a carer. And he does. The book airs such topics as sex, thoughts of murder, and dealing with the responses of friends and officials who fail to understand."

To borrow this book, drop us an e-mail (please let us know the title of the book you wish to borrow in your e-mail). You might also think about getting a copy for your favorite "carer" for a holiday gift; this really is a useful and FUNNY book.

Researchers at Iowa State University have found an essential key to possibly cure Parkinson's disease and are looking for others.

Anumantha Kanthasamy, a distinguished professor of biomedical sciences and W. Eugene and Linda R. Lloyd Endowed Chair in Neurotoxicology at the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine, has been working to understand the complex mechanisms of the disease for more than a decade and thinks he has found hope for the cure.
Parkinson's disease sufferers lack a sufficient amount of a brain chemical called dopamine.

Kanthasamy's research shows that there is specific protein that is naturally present in human brains that -- for no known reason -- kills the brain cells that make dopamine. Read more here.

And don't forget: you can play a crucial role in finding new therapies and a cure for Parkinson's disease! Be sure to bookmark and regularly check the clinical trials posted on PDTrials.com. Our thoughts are with person with Parkinson's Karen deGraaf this week as she heads to St. Louis to participate in a clinical trial. Way to go, Karen!

Each year, April is designated as Parkinson's Awareness month.  How can you raise awareness?  How can you enlist others in the fight for a cure? Enter YOUR design in the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF) Parkinson's Awareness Month T-Shirt Contest! You are invited to submit a design, including PDF's trademark tulip and yellow and green, that you think will help the Parkinson's community to spread the word about the cause next April.  The winner's design will be offered exclusively on PDF's online store and distributed at PDF's booth at the Parkinson's Unity Walk in New York City in April 2010.

Have difficulty navigating the system? The application process for disability benefits, health care, accessible housing, attendant care, housekeeping assistance, various therapies (speech, occupational, physical and counseling) and other services can be extremely daunting.Check out these great tips from the Center for Accessible Living.

PSCKY is now on Facebook! Please "become a fan." Thanks to everyone who's joined up so far!

In response to our request for "alternative" therapies that folks have tried, one reader sent us this link to a chapter of the "The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook." It suggests several dietary supplements, including fava beans and velvet beans. Remember, always consult your doctor before trying any therapy or making changes to your diet!

The Lexington Herald Leader recently ran a front-page story that named 10 Kentucky nursing homes as among the worst in the nation. We have resources in the office about how to choose a nursing home/assisted living center. Please contact us if you'd like more information. We strongly recommend the excellent tool "Road to Recovery" for those living in the Louisville area.

Lower light levels got you down? Stressed out by the holidays? Feeling a bit blue? One of the neatest things we saw on the 'net last week was the "Gratitude Stream" from Live Your Life Well. You can view it (and add to it!) here on this page, which has some excellent tips on "Ways to Stay Positive."