Help Study the Impact of Exercise, Social Health and Nutrition - PMD Alliance

You’ve watched the online programs. You’ve read the articles. Now researchers Indu Subramanian, MD and Laurie Mischley, ND, PhD, MPH need your help. They’re studying the outcomes of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease to identify behaviors associated with slower or faster disease progression and factors associated with improved quality of life and reduced PD symptoms. The Complementary and Alternative Medicine Care in Parkinson’s Disease study (CAM Care in PD) needs as many people, and as much data as possible. As Dr. Mischley put it, “the more people participate, the more we learn.”

This patient centered study looks at practices, beliefs, and therapies, including exercise, diet, social health, and more. Over 1500 participants have already enrolled in the study, will you join and help hit the target of 5000 individuals? New recruitment today is especially important, as this round of data will help the researchers learn more about whether one type of exercise is better than another, how social isolation may be affecting you and the full impact of COVID-19 on quality of life and Parkinson’s progression.

An analysis of CAM Care in PD data was highlighted as a top abstract at this year’s 2020 International Movement Disorder Society Congress, and is currently in press at NaturePJ Parkinson Journal. Dr. Subramanian summarized the content for a lay audience in a piece for the Parkinson’s Secrets website; you can read her impactful article about the effects of loneliness and social isolation here http://parkinsonsecrets.com/blog/2020/9/14/the-pandemic-of-loneliness-a-pandemic-within-pandemics.

Indu Subramanian, MD is a practicing Movement Disorder Specialist in Los Angeles, CA. She is an Associate Clinical Professor at UCLA, practices at UCLA Neurological Services, and is Director of the Southwest VA Medical Center Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Centers (PADRECC) in West Los Angeles. She has an interest in integrative medicine and yoga and mindfulness in the PD population. Dr. Subramanian graduated from University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine in 1996 and has been in practice for over 20 years.

Laurie Mischley, ND, PhD, MPH focuses on identifying the nutritional requirements unique to individuals with neurodegenerative diseases. She has conducted research on coenzyme Q10, lithium, and glutathione (GSH) deficiency in Parkinson’s Disease (PD). As a clinical trialist, she is attempting to determine whether intranasal GSH boosts brain GSH and improves health. She developed the PRO-PD rating scale and is developing a PD screening tool, ParK-9, using dogs to identify the scent of PD from ear wax. As a naturopathic physician, she maintains a clinical practice at Seattle Integrative Medicine.

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