Author Archives: RobertKamper

Drought resistant, gardening, native plants, perennials, Vines , , , , Leave a comment

All my weeds are wildflowers (I wish)

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Passiflora incarnata/Ruellia nudiflora hybrid?

A couple of native plant species have begun to spread like weeds in the narrow area separating my subdivision plat from my neighbor’s house.

Passiflora incarnata, or Purple Passionflower, has sprung up where a corkscrew passionflower vine used to be, and through rhizomes has managed to propagate itself all along the Southern side of the house. I’ve done some pulling of the pups as the poke up through the mulch, and have been able to give away a few of them for others to try to get their own vines going.

The flowers of the Passion flower vine are about three inches in diameter, with the petals forming a wavy fringe. Stamens and stigmas also are striking in appearance as well. Several different types of butterflies use this as a larval host, most notably the Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae ) and Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta  claudia ) butterflies. 

Passiflora icarnata infloresence, tri-lobed leaves, and tendril

Passiflora icarnata inflorescence, tri-lobed leaves, and tendril

The Ruellia nudiflora, or Wild Petunia, also has a purple to lavender flower, but it is trumpet-shaped. And it’s not a vine, but a sub-shrub perennial . After having transplanted this volunteer several years ago, it has now decided to propagate itself, like a weed, in the mulched bed and in the gravel path. Although its inflorescences look much like those of the cultivated Petunia, it is in the Acanthus Family, while the cultivated Petunia is in the Potato Family. The blossoms open in the morning, falling off in the afternoon. Like several other of my favorite wildflowers, its flowers are ephemeral, lasting for just a day.

Ruellia nudiflora inflorescence, surrounded by Passiflora leaves and tendril

Ruellia nudiflora inflorescence, surrounded by Passiflora leaves and tendril

As if having to “weed” native species wasn’t bad enough, as one can see from the top photo in this post, it looks as though the two plants have begun to hybridize to form a new species. Fortunately, (or unfortunately), that’s not the case: A blossom from the Ruellia has been captured by a tendril from the Passiflora, making it look (almost) like it belongs to the vine. 

Not sure what I’d do if they actually did start to hybridize – probably get a botanist or two to take a closer look. And get a nursery to work with to develop and patent the new species. And sit back and watch the money roll in (ha!).

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depression, Exercise, Parkinson's, Research , , Leave a comment

Depression, Parkinson’s Disease, Cannabis, suicidal ideation, and more…

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There are two types of depression, we are sometimes told: Depression, and bipolar disorder. To my way of thinking, at least, ALL depressions are bipolar in nature. It’s just that those who don’t have the wild swings of high to low, but just from “normal” to low, aren’t considered to be be bipolar. (The report on Cannabis and suicide doesn’t mention PD, but it seemed close enough to the topic of depression that I included it.

But what do I know? I’m not a trained psychiatrist or psychologist.Here’s some articles from some folks who seem to have expertise in the area:

First: find out whether someone with PD is depressed.

Williams JR, Hirsch ES, Anderson K, Bush AL, Goldstein SR, Grill S, Lehmann S, Little JT, Margolis RL, Palanci J, Pontone G, Weiss H, Rabins P, Marsh L. A comparison of nine scales to detect depression in Parkinson disease: which scale to use? Neurology. 2012 Mar 27;78(13):998-1006. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31824d587f. Epub 2012 Mar 14. PMID: 22422897; PMCID: PMC3310315.

Conclusions: The Geriatric Depression scale (GDS-30) may be the most efficient depression screening scale to use in PD because of its brevity, favorable psychometric properties, and lack of copyright protection. However, all scales studied, except for the UPDRS Depression, are valid screening tools when PD-specific cutoff scores are used. (emphasis added).

And guess what? Comorbidities need to be considered, and depression rating scales don’t really tease out one of the more common ones. 

Calleo J, Williams JR, Amspoker AB, Swearingen L, Hirsch ES, Anderson K, Goldstein SR, Grill S, Lehmann S, Little JT, Margolis RL, Palanci J, Pontone GM, Weiss H, Rabins P, Marsh L. Application of depression rating scales in patients with Parkinson’s disease with and without co-Occurring anxiety. J Parkinsons Dis. 2013;3(4):603-8. doi: 10.3233/JPD-130264. PMID: 24275604.

Conclusions: Co-occurring anxiety disorders do not impact performance of depression rating scales in depressed PD patients. However, depression rating scales do not adequately identify anxiety disturbances alone or in patients with depression.

Why should we care? Because depression has an adverse effect on daily living for those with PD.

Pontone GM, Bakker CC, Chen S, Mari Z, Marsh L, Rabins PV, Williams JR, Bassett SS. The longitudinal impact of depression on disability in Parkinson disease. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2016 May;31(5):458-65. doi: 10.1002/gps.4350. Epub 2015 Aug 18. PMID: 26284815; PMCID: PMC6445642.

Objective: Depression in Parkinson disease (PD) is a common problem that worsens quality of life and causes disability. However, little is known about the longitudinal impact of depression on disability in PD. This study examined the association between disability and DSM-IV-TR depression status across six years.

Results: A total of 43 participants were depressed at baseline compared to 94 without depression. Depressed participants were more likely to be female, were less educated, were less likely to take dopamine agonists, and more likely to have motor fluctuations. Controlling for these variables, symptomatic depression predicted greater disability compared to both never depressed (p = 0.0133) and remitted depression (p = 0.0009). Disability associated with symptomatic depression at baseline was greater over the entire six-year period compared to participants with remitted depressive episodes or who were never depressed.

Conclusions: Persisting depression is associated with a long-term adverse impact on daily functioning in PD. Adequate treatment or spontaneous remission of depression improves ADL function. (emphasis added).

Teamwork is needed. If the person with PD can’t be their own advocate, then someone needs to help coordinate and communicate.

Taylor J, Anderson WS, Brandt J, Mari Z, Pontone GM. Neuropsychiatric Complications of Parkinson Disease Treatments: Importance of Multidisciplinary Care. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2016 Dec;24(12):1171-1180. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2016.08.017. Epub 2016 Sep 3. PMID: 27746069; PMCID: PMC5136297.

Abstract

Although Parkinson disease (PD) is defined clinically by its motor symptoms, it is increasingly recognized that much of the disability and worsened quality of life experienced by patients with PD is attributable to psychiatric symptoms. The authors describe a model of multidisciplinary care that enables these symptoms to be effectively managed. They describe neuropsychiatric complications of PD itself and pharmacologic and neurostimulation treatments for parkinsonian motor symptoms and discuss the management of these complications. Specifically, they describe the clinical associations between motor fluctuations and anxiety and depressive symptoms, the compulsive overuse of dopaminergic medications prescribed for motor symptoms (the dopamine dysregulation syndrome), and neuropsychiatric complications of these medications, including impulse control disorders, psychosis, and manic syndromes. Optimal management of these problems requires close collaboration across disciplines because of the potential for interactions among the pathophysiologic process of PD, motor symptoms, dopaminergic drugs, and psychiatric symptoms. The authors emphasize how their model of multidisciplinary care facilitates close collaboration among psychiatrists, other mental health professionals, neurologists, and functional neurosurgeons and how this facilitates effective care for patients who develop the specific neuropsychiatric complications discussed.

And, with a cautionary reminder that correlation does not equal causation, and that the new release about the referenced article comes from the Council on Drug Abuse: (which could possibly have a conflict of interest regarding the results of the data):

B Han, WM Compton, EB Einstein, ND Volkow. Associations of Suicidality Trends With Cannabis Use as a Function of Sex and Depression Status(link is external). JAMA Network Open. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.13025 (2021).

An analysis of survey data from more than 280,000 young adults ages 18-35 showed that cannabis (marijuana) use was associated with increased risks of thoughts of suicide (suicidal ideation), suicide plan, and suicide attempt. These associations remained regardless of whether someone was also experiencing depression, and the risks were greater for women than for men. The study published online today in JAMA Network Open and was conducted by researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

“While we cannot establish that cannabis use caused the increased suicidality we observed in this study, these associations warrant further research, especially given the great burden of suicide on young adults,” said NIDA Director Nora Volkow, M.D., senior author of this study. “As we better understand the relationship between cannabis use, depression, and suicidality, clinicians will be able to provide better guidance and care to patients.”

On the other hand, it could be that young adults are depressed or suicidal because they live in a world in which constant war is being fought, in which war profiteering is not a crime, in which they see politics reduced not to a game of collaboration and mutual benefit, but a zero sum game in which the winner takes all. Perhaps they are depressed over the failure of the governments to address the mounting scientific evidence that climate “change” is resulting in climate chaos, and yet the governments of the world, funded by the fossil fuel industries, are “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic” while the media band plays on. I could go on, but I won’t.

I used to be suicidal, but my life has changed. 

More to the point:

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available today, providing suicide prevention and mental health crisis assistance at 1-800-273-8255 and through online chats. 988 is not a nationwide calling code right now. The Veterans Crisis Line is available today, providing Veteran specific suicide prevention and crisis assistance at 1 800 273 8255 (Press 1), by texting 838255, and through online chats at veteranscrisisline.net. On July 16, 2020, the FCC adopted rules to establish 988 as the new, nationwide, easy-to-remember 3-digit phone number for Americans in crisis to connect with suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors.

And a final note: one of the main defenses against depression is activity is physical activity and human or non-human interaction. So get out here and run a mile, walk along a nature trail, play some music, call a friend, join a group or club, hug a tree, kiss a girl/boy, and get connected with the world we live in. 

You’ll feel better if you do.

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Dance, Dance for Parkinson's, depression, Exercise, Music, Parkinson's, Physical Therapy , , , , Leave a comment

What to do?

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When it comes to diseases like cancer, the UK medical folks have decided that the “fighting” and “warrior” mentality are counter-productive. For one, this mindset causes people to delay seeking treatment. I don’t have the exact citation at hand, but it is referenced in this blog somewhere, and you’re welcome to search for it. (Thankfully, this is not a dissertation or scholarly article, or I couldn’t have written the previous sentence and gotten away with it).

But when it comes to exercise as a good way to slow, and sometimes reverse the physical or cognitive symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), there ain’t no doubt in some folks minds that dance is one of the finer things around to combine aerobic exercise, movements, and cognitive challenges to build new connections between neurons in the brain.

From the Digital Commons at Sarah Lawrence College comes this Master’s Thesis:

Rajan, Sneha, “Embodied Medicine: Integrating Dance/Movement Therapy into Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation” (2021). Dance/Movement Therapy Theses. 79. https://digitalcommons.slc.edu/dmt_etd/79

Long story short: “Overall, physiatry and dance/movement therapy have separately helped so many people but developing a synergy between these fields has the potential to transform rehabilitative medicine.”(emphasis added).

Specifically addressing Parkinson’s Disease issues, she writes:

For individuals with Parkinson’s disease, studies have shown that physical rehabilitation is an effective way to manage motor and non-motor symptoms (Mitra et al., 2020). However, maintaining motivation for treatment is difficult because of progressive difficulties with physical disability and co-existing emotional factors, so as a result not many adults engage with enough physical exercise (Mitra et al., 2020). By incorporating cognitive, emotional, and social components, the exercise environment could become more engaging and multidimensional (Mitra et al., 2020). One experimental study examined the effects of dance/movement therapy sessions on the cognition, quality of life, and motor symptoms of patients with Parkinson’s disease (Mitra et al., 2020). They used a variety of techniques such as targeted body exercises, memory games, movement improvisation, guided imagery, rhythm work, contact improvisation, mirroring, body coordination and movement reflexes (Mitra et al., 2020). Music was also used to incorporate rhythm and sensory motor cues (Mitra et al., 2020).

As a result, participants showed a significant increase in cognitive functioning and a decrease in Parkinson’s related health difficulties. Additionally, patients reported improvements in coordination, mood, and memory (Mitra et al., 2020). Another study analyzed the effectiveness of music-based movement therapy on gait related activities in Parkinson’s patients (Dreu et al., 2011). They examined both individual music-based gait training and partnered-dance interventions. The music provides rhythmic cues that help synchronize movements and also facilitates emotional responses in the participants (Dreu et al., 2011). Participants showed improvements in walking velocity and balance (Dreu et al., 2011). (Emphasis added.)

 If I were to judge this Master’s thesis, I would suggest more sources, and more recent ones than the one she used in material about Parkinson’s in the paragraphs before the ones I quoted above. But I’m not on the faculty of Sarah Lawrence College, so that’s their loss.

And the answer to the question posed in the title of this blog entry “What to do?” is simple: Don’t Stop Moving To The Music!

 

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exotics, invasives, Mowing practices, native plants, wildflowers , Leave a comment

What a difference a year makes… for the better, this time.

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After having managed to prevent the mowing down of a stand of wildflowers back in May, I had been busy bagging Centaurea melitensis (Maltese Star Thistle) from the berm between my house and the green belt, until last week, when I woke up Saturday morning with an excruciating pain which was diagnosed as a sciatic nerve issue. Haven’t done much weed-pulling since then. It’s not perfect yet, but I think we’ve made some progress.

So I think it’s about time to show how much better the berm looks this year (after thistle removal).

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Oh no! They (almost) did it again!?!

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May 7, 2021: I was just about to go out into the greenbelt for some photo taking when I heard the sound of a mower on the berm. I quickly came back running and shouting for him to stop.

Pointing out all of the native Texas wildflowers still in bloom, I explained that one should NEVER mow down a stand of wildflowers in bloom (as was done last year while I talked on the phone with their home office). I mentioned that I was trying to eliminate the invasive weeds so that the native wildflowers would have a chance to return, including the Bluebonnets, some of which had not set seed yet. (And to which he replied something along the lines of yeah, I thought I saw some back there, indicating the area that he had just mowed, and which now showed no evidence of Bluebonnets).

For an idea of what happened in 2020, refer to these two posts: May 25, 2020 May 28, 2020

Last year I managed to pull most of the Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) that had covered the berm. This time around, Maltese star-thistle (Centaurea melitensis) was the infestation of the year, and as of May 11, 2021, I have removed about 10 bags of this from the berm behind my house. Of course, it has already infested the greenbelt.

To their credit, the mowers backed off, apparently called someone for instructions on what to do, and then proceeded not to mow any more of the berm behind my fence, although he did have to drive through the area, choosing a path that would minimize the damage to the wildflowers. And crushed a good deal of the thistles to the ground, along with some wildflowers.

Thankfully, in spite of the C. melitensis, the wildflower population was much more numerous than last year. The recessive gene all-yellow Gaillardia pulchella (Indian blankets) for which I have coined the common name “Sunwheels” in contrast to the all-red pigmented “Firewheels” have also bloomed again, this time almost entirely on the berm. In previous years I have seen them in a few nearby locations, but for the last three years I have observed them directly behind my house, on the berm or in the greenbelt. (Of course, when you only have to step out the back yard to see them, you are not motivated to search very far for them).

But enough blah blah blah. Here are some pictures worth a thousand words, especially when compared with the posts from 2020.

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Asclepias asperula (Antelope Horns) after the mowing.

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Gaillardia pulchella (“Sunwheel”) surrounded by Centaurea melitensis (Maltese star thistle)

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Berm behind my house – native plants plus invasive weeds

2021-05-14-8172-greenbelt2-1024pxl

The green belt – Gaillardia pulchella in bloom

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The mower mows, leaving nothing behind. Looking South from behind my house, greenbelt to the left, berm behind my fence in the foreground.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

#BCMUD

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depression, diet, Exercise, Parkinson's, Research Leave a comment

Dee Bee Ess (Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS))

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First of all, something I have suspected seems to have some clinical evidence:

It seems that the earlier one has Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) following a Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis, the better one fares:

Pre-dopa Deep Brain Stimulation: Is Early Deep Brain Stimulation Able to Modify the Natural Course of Parkinson’s Disease?

This observational study evidences that DBS treatment exerts beneficial effects on motor symptoms and quality of life in early stages of PD, if applied when first functional and QoL-impairments occur, even before L-Dopa treatment initiation. These novel data and paradigm shift proposal challenge current algorithms for PD treatment and grants further studies evaluating the disease course-modulating potential of very early DBS application in larger populations.

I was fortunate enough to have opted for DBS due to Essential Tremors, when eventually the testing revealed the cardinal traits of Parkinson’s. Had I not received DBS implants at that time, but waited until the disease had progressed to a later stage, I would not likely be in the shape I am today.

Another Item of Interest is the article titled “Personality dimensions of patients can change during the course of parkinson’s disease” to which I can also add an affirmation. DBS programming has enabled me (along with a long term psychiatric neurobehavioral specialist  relationship) to stop having episodes of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and have now been off antidepressants for over a year. Although this is not necessarily what the authors had in mind when they did their study, it does suggest that DBS had something to do with it. Particularly after one DBS programming session, I apparently went into a manic state, which caused my wife to report the change in mood and behavior to my Movement Disorders Specialist, so that the programming was “dialed back a few notches.”

And of course, a good deal of the credit goes to my wife, who looks after my diet so that I am eating nutritious and organic foods as much as possible, and the good folks at Power for Parkinson’s and the Georgetown Area Parkinson’s Support group, which provide exercise classes and social connections. I have noticed a more outgoing personality than previously, though it would be difficult to disentangle the various factors influencing any supposed changes in my alleged personality. 

As Michael Jackson said to Paul McCartney in “The Girl Is Mine,” I’m a lover, not a fighter.” 

or as David Bowie sang, “Ch-ch-ch-changes.”

okay, now I’m just being silly.

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Parkinson's, Research, Reviews Leave a comment

Palliative Care: It’s Not Just For End Of Life Anymore

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In a discussion recently, the topic of Palliative Care came up. Some of us were under the impression that this was part of Hospice Care, which is usually reserved for the end of a life when the disease process has overwhelmed the body’s defenses. 

So, naturally, I did a search on PubMed Central to see what I could see. It turns out that, as the title says, it isn’t just for end of life. This first link is to a Mayo Clinic Proceedings CME course that expired for credits in 2015. But, the main points are:

  • Palliative care is not just for end of life cancer patients
  • Patients with chronic illnesses or conditions can benefit
  • Palliative care is appropriate at any stage of a serious disease or illness
  • Palliative care is a team effort
  • Palliative care can help reduce pain in chronic illnesses
  • Palliative care teams can help with managing complex communication interactions and with dealing with the emotional impact on patients and their families

Here’s the link:

What everyone should know about Palliative Care

Then, I thought it would be useful to get the World Health Organization’s definition:

Fact sheet: Palliative Care

Then, I found a recent clinical trial of Palliative care vs Standard care for people with PD:

A clinical trial of PC v SC for people with PD.  

The clinical trial showed better quality of life for people that received palliative care vs. those who received standard care. The variables were operationalized as: ” Outpatient integrated PC administered by a neurologist, social worker, chaplain, and nurse using PC checklists, with guidance and selective involvement from a palliative medicine specialist. Standard care was provided by a neurologist and a primary care practitioner.” Unfortunately no significant difference was found on burden for caregivers.

Finally, a citation: Oliver DJ, Borasio GD, Caraceni A, de Visser M, Grisold W, Lorenzl S, Veronese S, Voltz R. A consensus review on the development of palliative care for patients with chronic and progressive neurological disease. Eur J Neurol. 2016 Jan;23(1):30-8. doi: 10.1111/ene.12889. Epub 2015 Oct 1. PMID: 26423203. Although the complete article is not available online, they do make a few points:

  • …there is increasing evidence that palliative care and a multidisciplinary approach to care do lead to improved symptoms … and quality of life of patients and their families …
  • Main areas in which consensus was found and recommendations could made were:
    • the early integration of palliative care,
    • involvement of the wider multidisciplinary team,
    • communication with patients and families including advance care planning,
    • symptom management,
    • end of life care,
    • carer support and training, and
    • education for all professionals involved in the care of these patients and families

So there you have it. And since this blog is primarily about my interests in learning more about my Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis and various comorbidities so that I can live as well as I can for as long as I can, I am reassured by these findings and recommendations. Gesundheit! Mazel Tov! Salut! L’Chaim! and to quote Tiny Tim, “Bless us, every one!” 

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annuals, butterflies, groundcovers, insects, invasives, native plants, perennials, pollinators, Vines, wildflowers Leave a comment

The native Texas April yard/garden…

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IF you live in Central Texas, of course. While many plants (including some native plants) are still trying to recover from what I have heard called Winter Storm Uri, which lasted for about ten days back in mid-February, 2021, most of the plants native to this region of Texas are coming back strong, or putting out blooms already.

Mexican Plum (Prunus mexicana) has already flowered and started putting out leaves. Giant Spiderwort (Tradescantia gigantea) has for the most part finished with its most robust blooms, but there are still a few left. (Both of these photos were taken March 16, 2021).

.Prunus mexicana - Mexican PlumTradescantia gigantea

A little over two weeks later, things are really starting to perk up in the yard.

Bignonia capreolata - Crossvine Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) Lupinus texensis - Texas Bluebonnet Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), for instance, and Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) which are both favored by Hummingbirds are blooming in profusion, as are the Texas Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis).

And then there are the Tetraneuris scaposa.which will bloom all year round if you let them, or keep on trimming off the deadheads, so that they can. These are perennials, but short lived, so after a few years you might have to replace them – or they might have spread and created new copies on their own.

Tetraneuris scaposa - Four Nerve Daisy

Oenothera speciosa - "Pink Ladies"

Oenothera speciosa – “Pink Ladies”

And, just to get this out there, Oenothera speciosa, known as Pink Primroses or Pink Ladies, are blooming currently. I have seen some popping up in neighbors’ yards that are otherwise mowed too short and devoid of any other native Texas plants. But thankfully, they haven’t mowed down the Pink Ladies. 

I will mention, but not add photos of Blue eyed grass, Cobea and Gulf Penstemons,  Mealy Blue Sage, Wright’s Skullcap, and a few others. The month of April is nearly over, The US Senate has unanimously voted to name April 2021 as National Native Plant Month, and there are invasive plants in my backyard and. beyond that need to be cut down before they go to seed. Oh, and the Rain Lilies have started popping up, finally after several days of light rain.

Hasta luego.

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Darwin’s notebooks and Parkinson’s Disease?

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What connection could there be between Charles Darwin’s notebooks and PD?

According to Roger Barker, writing in the Advanced Clinical Neuroscience Rehabilitation journal on Parkinson’s disease over the last 20 years – new concepts and developments, it took Cambridge University that much time to realize that it had lost two priceless original notebooks belonging to Charles Darwin, and during that time, in the field of PD much new knowledge has been gained, partly due to

  • Stem cell creation discoveries, (how to create induced pluripotent stem cells {iPSCs)),
  • Gene cell editing with CRISPR/Cas9,
  • and the ability to do single cell RNA analyses.

Much has been gained directly from observational and clinical studies, however.

First, alpha synuclein proteins were observed in tissues which had been transplanted, which led to hypotheses that

  • Alpha synuclein fibrils  can spread seed pathology in the adult Central Nervous System (CNS), which led to the hypothesis that
  • PD begins in the gut/olfactory system and then spreads along the connecting nerves to the brain, seeding the pathology as it goes until it finally reaches the STN (subthalamic nigra) dopaminergic cells.

This in turn led to

  • The concept of a prodromal stage of PD before the cardinal symptoms of tremor, bradykinesia and rigidity are evident in the motor control brain cells, and
  • The possibility of targeting pathological alpha synuclein proteins to slow down or stop the progression of PD.

In addition, PD has been hypothesized to have two different origin points

  • H1: The disease starts in the PNS and spreads centrally or
  • H2: The disease tarts within the CNS itself and then out to more peripheral sites. 
  • Recent imaging studies support this concept of PD falling into these two subtypes
  • Not either/or, but both could be true (Blog author’s note: which could be a reason why the course of PD is different for each person?)

Many different methods have been used to study the course of PD

  • The most powerful are those using community based epidemiological studies following patients over time
    • avoids possible bias in selection
    • Results:
      • younger patients tend to do better than older patients and
      • that those with more PD related symptoms and signs at diagnosis do less well

Another area of interest has been the relation between PD and the gut biome and inflammation

  • Alpha synuclein pathology starts in the gut and travels to the brain and CNS
  • People on anti-inflammatory medication seem to have lower rates for PD
  • Result is:
    • Repurposing of anti-inflammatory medications to treat PD and
    • Use of drugs specifically targeting the gut biome or alpha synuclein
  • Further advances include
    • stem cell transplants (now in clinical trials)
    • autologous cell transplants
    • As to whether these therapies will prove effective not yet known

Twenty years of research on PD has produced a great deal more knowledge than the previous 200 years since Dr. James Parkinson wrote his essay on the “Shaking Palsy.” The concept of prodromal stages and symptoms (to me) seems to be one of the most important ways to diagnose probable PD before the cardinal symptoms appear – resting tremors, bradykinesia, and rigidity – and thus provide the possibility of delaying the onset of the disease through lifestyle or nutritional changes, or both.

Dr Barker’s review can be read at:  Barker R. Adv Clin Neurosci Rehabil 2021;20(2):13-15

And that’s my slide presentation of Dr. Barker’s article. Hope I hit all the major points and didn’t miss anything.

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native plants, pandemic, perennials, pollinators , Leave a comment

Return of the Celestials (or, A Day In The Life)

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Fully open early in the day Nemastylis geminiflora

 I had been looking for Nemastylis geminiflora, commonly known as Celestials, among other names, since the middle of March. On March 23, 2021, I saw the first bloom or two. On the 24th, nothing blooming. Even went out later in the afternoon to see if anything had come up after the earlier jaunt, but still nothing new to show.

Note: I once contacted a seed source company to enquire if they had any seeds or bulbs for this plant. They indicated that they had a small amount sometime in the past, but they had quickly sold out. IF you have a large colony on your property, you might consider checking with a reputable native seed source to see how one might go about collecting seeds. I do not recommend trying to dig them up. They have bulbs which are buried deep in the soil which here in Central Texas is very rocky. Please refer to the Native Plant Society of Texas’s policy on the “taking” of plants.

First of all, what to look for?

Pleatleaf Lily, one of the common names of N. geminiflora, comes from the distinctive shape of its leaves

Pleatleaf Lily, one of the common names of N. geminiflora, comes from the distinctive shape of its leaves.

Somewhere around midwinter the plant starts sending up a leaf or two. This inferred from the apparently chopped off tips of some of the leaves, following a presumed mowing. and probable weed-eater-ing of the berm, probably in January, which kept the berm shorn to less than 3 inches in height and scalped to bare soil in several places (but that’s a different post). Or maybe it was deer browse or rabbit nibbles.

In Central Texas, somewhere around mid-March, I am now beginning to scout out the individual plants, supposedly so I can find them later. In 2017 and 2020, I photographed plants in bloom around the 15 or 16th of the month, but most years they have appeared right about the Spring Equinox. Last year, the first plants appeared around the 15th-17th of March, then no blooms until around the 27th-29th. Then nothing, until I stumbled across a few around April 10th.This year, 2021, the first blooms did not appear until the 23rd, and these two or three seem to have been early bloomers. The majority of the plants in the area in which I am familiar were still just pleated leaves.

Eventually one will observe the stems with the pre-blossoms (for want of the correct botanical term) coming up, and from that, if one is lucky, the unfurled blossom in the early morning hours. 

Celestial before blooms open (leaves to the right, stems with unopened inflorescences on the left)

Celestial before blooms open (leaves to the right, stems with unopened inflorescences on the left)

Inflorescence, still unfurled

Inflorescence, still unfurled

Then, usually the day before or earlier in the morning that the inflorescence fully extends, you’ll see a purple or bluish “flag,” not yet unfurled. 

Fully open early in the day Nemastylis geminiflora

Fully open early in a day in the life of a Nemastylis geminiflora.

Either the next day or later the same day, depending upon the sort of day it is (cloudy days they seem to remain closed until after noon. Sunny days they seem to open earlier).

Later in the day, the three tall yellow stamens will have curled up and descended/curled up towards the six stigma spread out at the bottom of the flower as show below. This particular photo taken around 2:30 PM CDT, on a fairly sunny day this March 27th or 28th.

Stamens curled up as a pollinator of undetermined species is busy at work in mid afternoon.

Stamens curled up as a pollinator of undetermined species is busy at work in mid afternoon.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow... the petals have folded, and then the fruit begins to form, as seen left to right.

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow… the tepals have folded, and then the fruit begins to form, as seen left to right.

Although each flower blooms for a single day, a plant may have several flowers. Above, you can see what looks like a potential inflorescence to the left, either today or yesterday’s flower folded in on itself in the center, and to the right, the immature fruit which will eventual mature and provide seeds for future generations. When dry, they dehisc, popping out the small black seeds into the near vicinity.

So: That’s the life cycle of. the Nemastylis geminiflora, which usually blooms for a few short weeks from around the Vernal Equinox until the beginning of April – although sometimes it will fool you as I was last year when I chanced upon some late bloomers around the 10th of April. (I know, the Beatles’ song “Fool On The Hill” comes to mind – if not yours, in my mind, and “In My Life” at least).

Two takeaways:

  1. Do not pick the flowers – this prevents them from going to seed and producing new flowers for the next year. 
  2. Do not try to dig them up. Although they are called Prairie Celestials, the soil in which these are found is rocky and the bulbs are buried deep below the surface, so any attempt to dig them up will likely as not result in damaging the stem or the bulb, thus rendering such efforts useless.

 And a third:

Do get out to a local park or trail where native plants have not been discouraged by putting green level mowing practices, and take a leisurely walk (wearing a face mask, and maintaining a safe social distance). Even if you don’t see any Celestials, you just might see some other native plants and wildflowers. (In Central Texas, they were a little late in their blooming, so maybe they will extend it a little further into April. Who knows? Plants apparently don’t read field guides or any other books, so they don’t seem to follow the “rules” all the time).

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