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Shoes: Vincent’s, Bob’s, and Carl’s

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I once had the pleasure (or punishment) of reading from Jacques Derrida’s “A Derrida Reader: Between the Blinds, ” a collection of essays and lectures translated from the original French  while doing volunteer work with Vocal Eyes, a group at the University of Florida in. Gainesville Florida, which read various textbooks which were not available through Books on Tape, Recordings for the Blind, or other sources, in order to provide assistance to others who may have had impairments or disabilities, such as partial or full blindness, years of promotion through a coach’s pressure on academics instead of insisting they be taught to read at their grade level (for the sake of the young person and not for the sake of the coach’s desire to have a winning team – and if you think this is a run on sentence, you should definitely try reading this book, which can be found on the internet archive (but only available for vision impaired people), or can be found at various used bookstores for under $12.00. 

The purpose of mentioning this somewhat dense and difficult to read book (although I must admit, by the time I had reached his discussion of Vincent Van Gogh’s painting of a pair of shoes, I had gotten into the rhythm of the lecture and had started reading with feeling, emotion, and meaning, which hopefully helped whoever was having to listen to this book as an assignment).

Nope, the reason for this lengthy prologue was to introduce a couple of photos, one from the book Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings, and the other, a photo of my own hiking boots, which had reminded me of the essay about. the boots, so I manipulated my photo to imitate (sort of) Van Gogh’s pair of shoes. Whose shoes Vincent had painted, I do not know. I actually had some shoelaces showing in the original picture of my shoes, but they were cut off during the cropping.

Vincent Van Gogh: Pair of Shoes / Bob Kamper: Hiking Boots

Vincent Van Gogh: Pair of Shoes / Bob Kamper: Hiking Boots

Kinda anti-climactic, no?

Oh well, I can always end the post with a song and a question:

Who wrote “Blue Suede Shoes?”

and a reprise:

Carl Perkins with Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Dave Edmunds, and many more…

Exercise, Music, Parkinson's, Research, Reviews , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Exercise is good medicine

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As several of my Power for Parkinson’s instructors are fond of repeating “Motion is the Lotion.”

As late as 2018, the society for Movement Disorders (or International Parkinson’s and Movement Disorder Society, to be more exact) had stated that there was insufficient evidence that exercise had any effect on the progression of the disease or its symptoms. (The exact reference can be found in an earlier post in which I included a presentation with references to studies linking the effects of music and dance as the best of the best forms of exercise (it goes without saying, however, that the best exercise is the one that you yourself find and enjoyable and reinforcing, and will therefore actually continue to do).)(Although I just said it, in contradiction to the previous sentence.)(Come to think of it, I should update that presentation with more current citations…)

Which brings us up to 2025, just seven years later, in which a review article concludes that:

“These findings provide strong evidence that exercise, even light intensity, benefits general cognition, memory and executive function across all populations, reinforcing exercise as an essential, inclusive recommendation for optimising cognitive health.” (Singh B, Bennett H, Miatke A, et al, Effectiveness of exercise for improving cognition, memory and executive function: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis, British Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 06 March 2025. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2024-108589

“Results 133 systematic reviews (2,724 RCTs and 258 279 participants) were included. Exercise significantly improved general cognition (SMD=0.42), memory (SMD=0.26) and executive function (SMD=0.24). Memory and executive function improvements from exercise were greater for children and adolescents than for adults and older adults. Those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder exhibited greater improvement in executive function than other populations. Effects were generally larger for low- and moderate-intensity interventions. Shorter interventions (1–3 months) and exergames (video games that require physical movement) had the largest effects on general cognition and memory. Findings remained statistically significant after excluding reviews rated as low and critically low quality.” (Emphasis added)

For the non-nerds out there, the review has also been been reported as Exercise of Any Kind Boosts Brain Power At Any Age in the Medical Express News by the University of South Australia.

In addition to several quotes from the lead author, Dr. Singh, the article mentioned Senior researcher Professor Carol Maher, who said exercise should be encouraged to boost cognitive health across all ages and fitness levels.

Cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disease are growing global health concerns, according to Professor Maher.

The review, which included over a quarter of a million subjects, presented compelling evidence that exercise should be integrated into health care and education settings to promote cognitive health.

Even small amounts of exercise can improve memory and brain function—especially for those at higher risk—means exercise should be included in clinical and public health guidelines.

You don’t maintain good cognitive health on a diet of hamburgers and diet soda, staying up late and sleeping until noon, one might conjecture. Riding around a golf course on a golf cart doesn’t exactly fit the description of the types of exercise reviewed in this study.

And, as fitting such an occasion, I’ll close out with a self-serving rendition of a “Parkinson’s Parody” of a song written by Christine McVie, originally. performed by Fleetwood Mac, and made even more famous by former President Bill Clinton’s campaign in the late 20th Century:

#Parkinson’s #PowerForParkinson’s #Reviews #Exercise #Cognitive #Memory #ExecutiveFunction #BenefitsOfExercise

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Off to see the wizards, of OT and PT, oh my!

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And where would we be without Occupational Therapists (OTs) and Physical Therapists (PTs)? Probably still in need of skillful psychiatrists. Which is a short way of saying that physical health and mental health are closely linked. “Fitness for Mind and Body,” as the slogan for Power for Parkinson’s succinctly says it.

I just received, in my full of junk mail inbox, a link to an article that lays out the differences and specific tasks of OT and PT:  Occupational and Physical Therapy – What’s the diff?

The key takeaways are here:

  • Occupational therapy (OT) focuses on helping people with injuries, illnesses, or disabilities learn necessary skills while physical therapy (PT) focuses on improving mobility, strength, and flexibility after illnesses, trauma, or medical procedures.
  • Occupational therapists (OTs) assist patients with a wide range of day-to-day tasks such as eating, bathing, or getting dressed (and much more), regardless of the health condition, injury, or trauma that may have affected their skills.
  • Physical therapists (PTs) treat conditions, injuries, or trauma that cause reduced mobility, pain, and movement problems, helping patients reduce pain, regain strength, and increase flexibility after surgeries, trauma, or neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. (bold emphasis added)

I had the privilege (?!) of receiving services from both OTs and PTs within the past few years, and can attest to the skills they have and how they can improve one’s enjoyment of the tasks Of Daily Living (ODL).

May you never need their services, but if you do… do it!

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The Healing Power of Nature on Human Health

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Much has been written on the positive impact that exposure to nature has on general well-being, physical, and mental health. And yet, it seems that developers have not gotten the message. Why, I do not know. Maybe they are not aware of the research on the health benefits of nature. If not, here is some material to share.

A website post and two reviews, from most recent to next (within past five years):

Benefits of Nature Experience from Canada, posted in April 2024, lists the following benefits:

  • Attention: Our attention is a limited resource and it can become ‘fatigued’ throughout the day. Nature has been shown to restore attention and our ability to concentrate (Mason et al., 2022). Nature has also been found to reduce symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Faber Taylor & Kuo, 2009).
  • Mood: Nature improves mood and makes people feel happier (Neill et al., 2019). There is evidence that nature exposure can improve symptoms of depression (Berman et al, 2012).
  • Self-regulation: Nature helps us feel calmer and less irritable. This means that we are better able to control our impulses (Beute & de Kort, 2014; Weeland et al., 2019).
  • Stress: Nature reduces symptoms of anxiety, physical stress, and heart rate. It also helps us feel more relaxed (Shuda et al., 2020).
  • Social: Nature tends to increase generosity, cooperation, and our sense of social connection (Arbuthnott, 2023; Weinstein et al., 2009).

Impact of Nature on Human Health. An open access article, published in 2022:

this review has documented the increasing body of evidence in support of [nature-based-interventions] NBIs as effective tools to improve mental, physical, and cognitive health outcomes, and highlighted key factors that improve engagement with the natural world. [bracketed explanation of acronym inserted from elsewhere in the article]. Emphasis added.

And, finally, from 2021, another open access review, Association between Nature Exposure and Health, concluded that:

 We assessed the strength of evidence from experimental and observational studies and found evidence for associations between exposure to nature and improved cognitive function, brain activity, blood pressure, mental health, physical activity, and sleep. Evidence from experimental studies suggested protective effects of exposure to natural environments on mental health outcomes and cognitive function. Cross-sectional observational studies provide evidence of positive associations between exposure to nature, higher levels of physical activity and lower levels of cardiovascular disease. Longitudinal observational studies are starting to assess the long-term effects of exposure to nature on depression, anxiety, cognitive function, and chronic disease. Limitations and gaps in studies of nature exposure and health include inconsistent measures of exposure to nature, knowledge of the impacts of the type and quality of green space, and the health effects of the duration and frequency of exposure among different populations (e.g., adults, children, historically marginalized).

Reminds me of John Sebastian’s tune,  Daydream.  And also that I should take a walk outside about now…

2024-10-20-Monarch-IMG_9401

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Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), Music, Parkinson's, prodromal, Research, Singing , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Me and My PD – 14 Sept 2024

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It’s been said that if you’ve met one person with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), then you’ve met one person with PD.

Today I saw a news segment about a guy who plays trombone, and how he had experienced a deterioration in his ability to play in the previous year. He was diagnosed with Essential Tremors (ET), also known as familial tremors or benign tremors. The point of the story was that he had opted for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), during which the patient is awake (at least part of the time), and that he played trombone during the operation.

I hope his physician got the diagnosis correct. As noted earlier in this blog, et-pd-is-there-is-or-is-there-aint-a-connection, a research paper was published that established a link between ET and PD: “LINGO1 rs9652490 is associated with essential tremor and Parkinson disease.” Having had essential tremors since my teenage years, I checked my DNA analysis and discovered that I did have that specific variation on the LINGO1 gene. As I’ve often remarked about PD research, this would have been good information to know 50 years ago.

I did remark a couple of times to my Movement Disorders Specialist’s team that I regretted not having asked to play the saxophone or guitar during my own DBS operation. To their credit, they attempted to fine tune my settings, but either due to lack of practice or progression of PD symptoms, I was not able to recover the picking and strumming skills I had back in 1997. And so it goes.

These days, I try to play on my keyboard as often as I can, but any attempt to follow an instructional program, or parse out simple pieces written for instruction (e.g., Bach’s selections from the notebook for Anna Magdalena, Bela Bartok’s pieces for children), soon devolve into loose jams on simple chord progressions, or attempts to recall, remember, and play some of my own simple songs with a minimum of egregious errors.

But I have promises to keep and chores to do before I sleep, so I will just end this with a selection from 1997, when I could play a little bit (self-taught). Unlike many of my songs, this one was not influenced by Bob Dylan.

You’re A Mystery To Me

#Essentialtremors #Parkinsonsdisease #music #DBS #idiopathic

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biodiversity,, exotics, invasives, Music, native plants, nature, Parkinson's, Research, Reviews, Singing, wildflowers , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Where have all the (native) flowers gone?

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Prosser, R.S., Brain, R.A. Where have all the flowers gone? A systematic evaluation of factors driving native terrestrial plant decline in North America. Environ Sci Pollut Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-34349-9 

Prosser and Brain have done the research and  have come up with the following conclusions:

  • Habitat alteration and non-native species are the most important drivers of the decline in native terrestrial plant diversity in North America.
  • No listed species in the U.S. or Canada faced a singular threat. In the recovery plans for all listed species, several threats were identified as contributing to their risk of extirpation or extinction.
  • Pesticides, specifically herbicides, represent a micro-scale contributor to the decline of plant biodiversity in North America relative to other drivers.

(Note: the above three points are taken verbatim from text in the article, although they are not presented as bullets in the subject article. Emphasis using bold and italics has been added).

In their conclusion, they argue that pesticides and herbicides make an easy target for litigation, even though they contribute minimally to the extirpation or extinction of native plants .

On the other hand, Paraquat is an herbicide that not only has been banned in over 50 other nation-states, and has been linked as a probable cause of Parkinson’s Disease in the book Ending Parkinson’s Disease: A Prescription For Action  and in this February 2024 article on the EarthJustice website: This Weed Killer Is Linked to Parkinson’s. Why Isn’t It Banned Yet?

I would suggest that the authors of the article on causes contributing to reduction of native plant species are failing, in their words, to see the forest by focusing on the trees. I am a native plant advocate who also has Parkinson’s Disease. I don’t know whether I have been exposed to Paraquat in the past. Just because pesticides and herbicides are not a major factor in the reduction of native species doesn’t mean I should just ignore the bigger picture of the effect of herbicides like Paraquat on the species Homo sapiens, many of whom, including myself, have displaced other native occupants of this territory, like the Apaches, the Tonkawas, and other tribal groups who are members of the same Genus and species.

This post has covered most of my main interests: scientific research, Parkinson’s Disease, and native plants. All that’s missing is some music:

The Parkinson’s Anthem (We Ain’t Givin’ Up Hope)

#nativeplants  #research #parkinsonsdisease #advocacy

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Resistance is futile…

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Most folks will recall that line from various Star Trek encounters  with the Borg, as well as the following line “You will be assimilated.” Or was it the preceding line? Doesn’t matter, because the purpose of this post is to “announce” that my other WordPress blog, “Return To The Natives / Native Plants Are The Answer,” has been assimilated into “Bob’s Brain: Living Well With PD and Other Comorbidities.”

With the assimilation comes a couple of new categories in the menu: Native Plants, and Wildflowers. Here’s an example of what one might find under either of those categories.

2016-03-06-Rock-Pink-640pxlw

Rock Pink (Phemeranthus calycinus). The blooms are ephemeral, lasting only one day, although a single plant may have more than one bloom. They grow in limestone soils, in locations where waters flow after rains (in this part of the world). This was captured digitally following recent rains in early May, 2016. Their bloom period is from April through September, which is the latest month in the year that I’ve been able to photograph them.

Now I’ve assimilated the two, there’s only one blog to intermittently post articles about things that interest me. Reduces my guilt in half. Next step is to post the news on RTTN / NPATA with a link to Bob’s Brain, and then deleting the old blog. I’m a cyborg, having had DBS, so it should work out as well as the coders have allowed for such a smooth transition.

We’ll see what happens.

Live long and prosper.

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Dance, Exercise, Music, Parkinson's, Research, Reviews, Singing , , , , 1 Comment

Music, music music (and exercise)

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Dial the wayback machine to 2021, where this digital commons paper from Sacred Heart University on Influence and Effect of Music on Exercise  By Kendall Stewart appeared.

… Lack of adherence to exercise and physical activity, and related programs, is correlated with absence of motivation and enjoyment. Research has proven the presence of music, during physical activity, to be a strong motivator and linked to increased enjoyment, thus increasing exercise adherence. The purpose of this essay is to compile research in order to analyze and explain how the presence of music during physical activity increases mood and affective state of mind to bring about increased adherence and motivation as well as describe how individuals feel as though they are doing less work/exercising less when listening to music while being physically active. In addition, … examine the effect that different music genres, speeds, paces, and preferences have on exercise performance, enjoyment and adherence. (emphasis added).

Among the citations are:

de Dreu MJ, van der Wilk ASD, Poppe E, Kwakkel G, van Wegen EEH. Rehabilitation,
exercise therapy and music in patients with Parkinson’s disease: A meta-analysis of the
effects of music-based movement therapy on walking ability, balance and quality of life.
Parkinsonism & Related Disorders. 2012;18(Suppl 1):S114-S119. doi:10.1016/S1353-
8020(11)70036-0

which also refers to:

Goodwin VA, Richards SH, Taylor RS, Taylor AH, Campbell JL. The effectiveness of exercise interventions for people with Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Mov Disord. 2008 Apr 15;23(5):631-40. doi: 10.1002/mds.21922. PMID: 18181210.

Evidence supported exercise as being beneficial with regards to physical functioning, health-related quality of life, strength, balance and gait speed for people with PD. There was insufficient evidence support or refute the value of exercise in reducing falls or depression.

On the topic of music and PD, we have:

Poliakoff, E., Bek, J., Phillips, M., Young, W. R., & Rose, D. C. (2023). Vividness and Use of Imagery Related to Music and Movement in People with Parkinson’s: A Mixed-methods Survey Study. Music & Science, 6. https://doi.org/10.1177/20592043231197919

excerpts from the abstract (as always, emphasis added):

… Music is used in interventions for people with Parkinson’s, either to pace movements, or as an integral element of activities such as dance. This study explored self-reported vividness of two forms of imagery – motor imagery evoked by music and auditory (including musical) imagery – in people with Parkinson’s, and whether and how they use these types of imagery in everyday life.

Participants (N = 199) completed:

(i) vividness ratings of visual and kinesthetic music-evoked motor imagery,

(ii) vividness ratings of auditory imagery, and

(iii) ratings and open questions about their everyday use of these types of imagery.

…  <20% reported actively using music to support motor imagery in daily activities. In contrast, participants reported a broad range of contexts and uses for musical imagery (imagined music), from supporting movement (e.g., walking or exercise) to emotion regulation, and concentration.

Correlational analyses associated vividness of music- evoked motor imagery with an urge to dance and musical training, while the use of musical imagery was associated with singing ability.

A minority of participants reported not experiencing either motor or musical imagery, suggesting that interventions based on imagery may not be suitable for all.

… even participants with more severe motor symptoms reported experiencing and using both types of imagery, indicating promise for their strategic use at different stages of Parkinson’s. … musical and motor imagery have the potential to support rehabilitation strategies for Parkinson’s, either separately or in combination.

Not the “hardest” scientific evidence there is, but hey, Einstein (a guy who only has to be referred to by his surname, and we all know who were talking about) reported that he did his though experiments using visual imagery, and only later (and with much labor) worked out the math. (I believe the reference can be found in a book “The Act of Creation” by Arthur Koestler, if memory serves. As Einstein reportedly said, you can always look it up).

How to end this post on music and Parkinson’s Disease? Rather than submit one of my own YouTube videos, how about one from another person whose first name alone is sufficient to identify him:

Elvis

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We got the beat

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This open access article piqued my interest. I have long been aware of studies that showed that infants are basically altruistic. This is the first one I came across that shows that infant “Spontaneous Motor Tempo”  (SMT)  is something that can be measured. Here’s the link:

Infant Spontaneous Motor Tempo

From the abstract:

We present the first data documenting the SMT of infants from 5 to 37 months of age using a simple drumming task. As in late childhood and adulthood, we predicted that infant SMT would slow across the first years of life. However, we find that older infants drum more quickly than younger infants. Furthermore, studies of adults suggest larger bodies prefer slower rhythms. 

(emphasis added to quote)  … which explains why this is the first time I’ve heard about infant SMT. A couple of their research highlights:

  • SMT can be measured at 5 months old using a simple drumming task
  • Infant drumming gets faster and more regular as they get older

Kinda makes you want to read  the whole article…

or sing along to the title to this post:

We Got The Beat

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Prairie Celestials – it was an average year

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One of my favorite wildflowers is the Nemastylis geminiflora, a member of of the Iridaceae, or Iris family, in spite of some of its common names including Pleat-leaf Lily, Prairie Celestial, Celestial, and Celestial Lily. Below are photos from this year and a few years ago. I was on a Power for Parkinson’s Zoom call this past Friday (4/5/24) in which we were asked to share what gives us joy in our lives. I shared this photo:

Neamstylis geminiflora

The first photo was taken in 2021, The other, in 2024.

Both taken with a Canon Elph 190IS Powershot small camera, if I recall correctly (this year’s photo might have been taken with an iPhone 12 Pro). The difference in the photos can be accounted for by four possible influences:

  1. The photographer fell and fractured a femur following 2023’s bloom period, and is more cautious about lying down on the ground to emulate Steven Scwhartzman’s signature technique of using the sky as a background, due to the possibility of not being able to get back up again.
  2. The abundance and proliferation of exotic, invasive species on the berm, such as Japanese Brome, Malta Star Thistle, which reduce the native Nemastylis’ access to sunlight, and
  3. The failure of mowers who maintain the firebreak between the greenbelt and the to practice good hygiene by pressure washing and cleaning of mower blades between sites (one can only assume) and
  4. The setting of mower blades at less than 7 inches above the ground, which results in scalping of top of the berm, inviting aggressive invasive species onto the berm and into the greenbelt.

 

Above: Celestial against the sky.
Second photo: Two blurry Celestials in foreground, blurry Dakota Mock Vrvain middle, and focus on Dakota Mock Vervain in the center, with backdrop of Ashe junipers and grasses.
Tradescantia gigantea (Giant Spiderwort) an early bloomer in late Winter to early Spring, with blooms ranging from pinkish to purple. Provides color during an otherwise bleak season for landscaping.
Finally, Malta Star Thistle (Centaurea melitensis) a very nasty and invasive plant that produces thousands of seeds per plant. Just too many of them on the greenbelt

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