Jan 23, 2026
It’s frustrating when symptoms don’t follow any discernible pattern
Written by Mollie Lombardi | January 6, 2025
I’ve always been pretty organized and logical. I like knowing the rules and the “why” behind things. My brain looks for patterns I can rely on to predict or explain everything. Growing up in a family where my dad taught seventh and eighth grade science, I was always encouraged to look for these kinds of rules.
The physical world has laws that guide it — specific rules for how things act. These laws are always in place and always play out in the same way. For example, one of the rules of physics that guide our universe is Newton’s third law of motion, stating that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. I like this law. It makes sense; you can see it play out in the world. And it’s true for everyone and every object.
However, medicine and disease don’t have many logical, provable laws, and Parkinson’s disease doesn’t follow any rules.
I have idiopathic Parkinson’s, the most common form of the disease. Idiopathic is just a fancy word for “we don’t know why.” There are no rules or formulas for who gets Parkinson’s or why. Fortunately, we have discovered the mechanism of the disease — the body stops making enough dopamine — but we have no rules to tell us why it shows up when and where it does or why it shows up in such different ways. We have ideas, and doctors and scientists are looking for answers, but we just don’t know yet.
Read more here: There are no rules when it comes to Parkinson’s disease
Jan 19, 2026
Study finds higher odds of low muscle mass, especially in older men
Written by Margarida Maia, PhD | January 16, 2026
- Low muscle mass is common in Parkinson’s disease, especially in older men.
- It was linked to a slightly larger blood pressure drop shortly after standing.
- However, it wasn’t linked to more orthostatic symptoms like dizziness or lightheadedness.
Low muscle mass is more common in people with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease than in those without the condition, especially in older men, a study found. While it was linked to a slightly larger blood pressure drop shortly after standing, it was not linked to more orthostatic symptoms, such as dizziness or lightheadedness.
The findings come from the study, “Prevalence of low muscle mass and its association with orthostatic hypotension and related symptoms in Parkinson’s disease,” published in npj Parkinson’s Disease by researchers in South Korea.
Loss of muscle mass has been linked to problems with movement, balance, and blood pressure — issues that are common symptoms of Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative disease caused by the loss of certain nerve cells in the brain. While muscle loss appears to be frequent in Parkinson’s, researchers are still working to understand how it relates to symptoms and day-to-day function.
Read more here: Low muscle mass is more common in early-stage Parkinson’s disease
Jan 14, 2026
Written by Agata Boxe | Last updated Jan. 5, 2026
As Parkinson’s disease progresses, your daily routines and support needs may evolve. You may notice new difficulties with movement, thinking, or completing familiar tasks. In advanced stages, you may find yourself relying more on your caregivers for help.
A personalized occupational therapy plan can meet you where you are. By taking a goal-oriented approach, occupational therapy can complement advanced Parkinson’s disease treatment and give you practical ways to stay safe, maintain independence, and manage changes in your abilities over time.
How occupational therapy can help
Occupational therapists can suggest ways to adapt your daily activities — from getting out of bed to making dinner — and manage symptoms of advanced Parkinson’s.
“We really look at the person, the environment, and the occupations — the activities that we need to do every day,” says Joni Kamiya, an occupational therapist based in Oahu, Hawaii.
With advanced Parkinson’s, you may face multiple issues, she says, so the focus of occupational therapy should be on finding ways to support your overall functioning.
Read more here: Occupational therapy and advanced Parkinson’s: What to expect
Jan 8, 2026
A frequent flier shares his strategies for navigating air travel
Written by Mary Beth Skylis | January 8, 2026
Air travel is hard, even if you do it frequently. You have to navigate busy places, make it past security, and then cram yourself into an airplane like a sardine in a can — and that’s all before you ever make it to your destination.
After my family traveled to Barcelona, Spain, for my sister’s wedding last fall, I realized that the whole process is even more difficult for someone who, like my dad, has Parkinson’s disease.
I recently connected with Bryan Roberts, a member of the Michael J. Fox Foundation Patient Council and a person living with Parkinson’s disease. I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of what travel is like for him and how he manages it. Roberts mostly travels domestically from Hartford, Connecticut, to New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Providence, Rhode Island.
During our email exchange, he explained that “the biggest challenge I find in navigating travel with PD [Parkinson’s disease] is keeping my energy up and stress down, which can be especially challenging when engaging in air travel. Modern air travel in the United States consists of unexpected delays, angry passengers, and a ton of walking through large terminals. All these variables can conspire to make a trip challenging. In other words, the known combined with the unknown can be tricky.”
Read more at How to minimize stress while traveling with Parkinson’s disease
Sourced from Parkinson’s News Today
Jan 7, 2026
Last updated Aug. 1, 2025, by Kristin DeJohn
Fact-checked by Patrícia Silva, PhD
When it comes to managing Parkinson’s disease, what you eat can make a meaningful difference. Experts in Parkinson’s and nutrition say that choosing the best diet for Parkinson’s can help improve energy, support mobility, and even ease some symptoms.
Knowing which Parkinson’s foods to eat — and which foods to avoid — can help you feel more in control and make everyday life a little easier.
Why diet is important for Parkinson’s
Eating a healthy diet has been linked to improved overall health, increased energy, reduced Parkinson’s symptoms, and slower disease progression.
Studies show that colorful foods rich in antioxidants help protect brain cells from inflammation, while omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish like salmon, offer neuroprotective benefits.
On the other hand, a poor diet has been shown to increase inflammation and worsen Parkinson’s outcomes.
Read more here: Nutrition that supports your lifestyle with Parkinson’s
Source: Parkinson’s News Today
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