"Practical strategies for a happier life with Parkinson's"- an interview with Dr Michael Okun

Dr Dorsey is one of the World's leading experts on PD and delivers his expertise in a very refreshing direct no nonsense way.Dr Ray Dorsey is a professor of neurology and director of the Center for Human Experimental Therapeutics at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He is working to identify and eliminate the root causes of Parkinson's disease. He is co-author of the book, "Ending Parkinson's Disease" in which he, Bas Bloem, Michael Okun and Todd Sherer lay out a plan to help prevent Parkinson's and improve care and treatment.He has just announced the publication of "The Parkinson's Plan" co written with Dr. Michael Okun and available for pre order, just email  [email protected] for a linkDr. Dorsey is investigating new treatments for movement disorders and is working on ways to improve the way care is delivered for individuals with Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders. Using simple web-based video conferencing, he and his colleagues are seeking to provide care to individuals with Parkinson's disease.

It’s time to reframe our thinking and take a new approach to Parkinson's disease! Despite 200+ years of effort, we do not have a system to predict, prevent, halt, or reverse Parkinson’s. Dr Mischley explores the notion that the problem lies in the lens through which we’ve been viewing it, the approaches we’ve been taking, and the assumptions we’ve been making.Provider bias: Dopamine has been a distraction and obstacle for disease-modification research. Subjective measures are better in early PD.Industry bias.Floor effects for crude measurement systems: Phase 3 studies keep failing because the tools we’ve been using to determine severity aren’t sensitive in newly-diagnosed people in disease-modification research studies. Study designs are flawed. People that enroll in studies probably not same as global population.Providers’ opinion that Parkinson’s is “irreversible and progressive” is outdated and contributes to the problem."What works” and “what providers know how to teach” and “what insurance will pay for” are often not aligned.The systems - and access to the systems - play a role in determining outcomes.We already have tools to make Parkinson’s preventable and reversible that we’re not using.This revised patient-centered, evidence-based pragmatic paradigm will include education, symptom tracking, goal-setting, counseling, laboratory tests to screen for nutritional deficiencies, counseling regarding diet, daily physical activity, social health, and strategies to encourage financial stability.About the speaker:-Dr. Laurie Mischley, ND PhD MPH studied naturopathic medicine (ND) at Bastyr University and epidemiology (MPH) and nutritional sciences (PhD) at the University of Washington and she maintains appointments at both Universities. Her work is focused on identifying the nutritional requirements unique to individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and has published on coenzyme Q10, lithium, NAD+, and glutathione deficiency (www.lauriemischley.com). She is Principal Investigator of the Modifiable Variables in Parkinsonism (MVP) Study (https://mvp-study.com/), which is attempting to describe why some people with PD progress slower than others. She is working on ways to study, package and deliver evidence-based lifestyle modification as a therapeutic strategy. She founded:-The Parkinson Center for Pragmatic Research (https://parkinson-cpr.com/) The Canine scent-based PD screening tool, ParK-9 (https://park-9.com/), Developed a patient-reported outcome measure to assess PD severity (https://pd-symptoms.com/), built the Parkinson Symptom Tracking (PRO-PD) App, which is available free on iSO or AndroidIs instructor of the online series, Parkinson School (https://www.parkinson-school.com/) for which she has kindly given our No Silver Bullet community  free access for a limited time using the code NOSILVERBULLET

Dr Roberto Cilia spoke to us on the topic of  "Mucuna Pruriens and the future of Parkinson's care in low income countries"There is much discussion by PwP as to the benefits of using this "natural " form of Levadopa as an alternative or in addition to prescribed Levadopa so it is very interesting to hear this presentation and the answers to the very high number of questions in the Q&A that follows it.Roberto's main focus is on using mucuna to treat Parkinson's patients in countries where levodopa is either not available or not affordable. This is a great opportunity to learn about this important legume!Dr. Roberto Cilia is a renowned movement disorder specialist based in Milan, Italy. With extensive experience in neurology, he has dedicated his career to improving the lives of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders.

We are delighted to be able to share with you our latest interview with Dr Filip Scheperjans who shared with us his fantastic work on "The importance of the gut-brain axis in Parkinson's" which was followed by an excellent Q & A session. More about our expert:-Dr. Filip Scheperjans is a leading expert in neurology, specialising in treating Parkinson’s disease and focusing on advanced methods and gastrointestinal symptoms.He earned his Licentiate of Medicine from the University of Düsseldorf in 2006 and completed his Neurology specialisation at the University of Helsinki in 2013. In 2008, he received his Doctor of Medical Science, focusing on neuroanatomy, and became Associate Professor in 2020 at the University of Helsinki.Dr. Scheperjans investigates the relationship between gastrointestinal symptoms and the microbiome in Parkinson’s disease, exploring novel treatment strategies. His work includes advanced therapies like drug infusions and deep-brain stimulation, supported by major organisations such as the Academy of Finland and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Prof Sonia Gandhi joined us to share her expertise on how Mitochondria affects PD with an excellent presentation followed by a very probing Q&A by our well informed audience.Prof Gandhi is a leading expert in the process of protein misfolding, in which smaller proteins, monomers, join together to form larger proteins, oligomers, and how this process may drive organellar dysfunction and cell toxicity in neurodegeneration.Sonia obtained a BA in Neuroscience at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, in 1996, and completed her degree in Medicine at New College, University of Oxford, in 1999. She trained in postgraduate medicine at the Hammersmith Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Whittington Hospital. Sonia was awarded a Wellcome Clinical Research Training Fellowship to complete a PhD in Neuroscience at UCL Institute of Neurology in 2004. In 2007, she trained as a Specialist registrar in Neurology, and took up an NIHR Lectureship in Neurology at Imperial College in 2009. In 2012 she was awarded a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellowship, and established her laboratory at the UCL Institute of Neurology in October 2013. She was awarded a laboratory secondment to the Francis Crick Institute in 2016

We had the pleasure of a presentation by Dr Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein, MD, on the topic of "Why I am optimistic that we might now have a Silver Bullet for Parkinson's", followed by a Q&A session of almost 50 probing questions from our audience.Dr. Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein is transforming the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). First, he discovered that the brain cells (dopaminergic neurons) in Parkinson’s patients are exposed to excess dopamine, reaching toxic levels. Next, he identified a drug that reverses disease pathology by reducing dopamine levels in 10 studies using laboratory models of PDAs an academic physician, Sackner-Bernstein leverages lessons learned at the US Food and Drug Administration (where he received 2 Commission’s Awards) and the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (in a central role for the launch of the US Biological Technologies Office with its initial focus on neurotechnology).Jonathan’s history of identifying contrarian views is remarkable for consistently being proven correct by subsequent studies and analyses. His optimism that PD will be conquered by reducing dopamine is supported by scientific data. And this drug therapy is poised to enter Phase 2 clinical trials, with data as soon as 6 months following trial launch.More about the speaker:-Dr Sackner-Bernstein is soon to launch a Blog to provide updates so please register here https://www.parkinsonsdisease.blog/A new website has also been launched by Dr Sackner-Bernstein on which you will see his distinguished team including two of our previous speakers, Prof Roger Barker who spoke o Cell replacement therapy and Dr Lorraine Kalia more recently sharing her expertise on Drug replacement so take moment to watch those recordings here on our channel or listen to them on Spotifyhttps://www.rightbrainbio.com/

We had the pleasure of interviewing Dr Michael Okun on the topic of "Practical strategies for living a happier life with Parkinson's".Dr Okun is a worldwide recognised leader on Parkinson’s disease, is the distinguished Professor of Neurology and Director of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at the University of Florida Health. The UF institute he co-founded with Kelly D. Foote, M.D. is a one-stop patient-centred clinical-research experience for national and international patients seeking care.Dr. Okun has served as the National Medical Director/Advisor for the Parkinson’s Foundation since 2006. His research has been wide ranging and he is best known for his exploration and innovation in neuromodulation and deep brain stimulation. He has published over 600 peer-reviewed articles and his book, “Parkinson's Treatment: 10 Secrets to a Happier Life” was translated into over 20 languages. His most recent books are “Ending Parkinson’s Disease” and “Living with Parkinson’s Disease”. Dr. Okun was recognized in a 2015 White House ceremony by the Obama administration as a Champion of Change for Parkinson’s Disease

We were delighted to host Dr Michelle Sexton who presented on the topic of  "How can medical cannabis help people with Parkinson's" and here is the recording of the event.About the speaker:-Dr. Sexton is an integrative medicine specialist and respected pioneer in the field of medical cannabis. She has over thirty years of experience as a midwife, herbalist, and naturopathic doctor. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington in the Departments of Pharmacology/Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences. There, she studied the endocannabinoid system and its roles in neuro-inflammation and neuro-degeneration. To find out more about Michelle here:-Website :-  https://www.ecsdoctor.com/Website for scheduling a patient consultation is https://www.msextonnd.com/Instagram :-   / dr.michellesexton    (@dr.michellesexton) Facebook:    / msextonnd  Michelle's latest book can be found here :- https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?U0...IF YOU CAN, PLEASE DONATE TO NO SILVER BULLET 4PD. We are self-funded, so pay for our costs ourselves, which include licenses for our secure Webinar platform, our Podcast hosting platform etc , in the hope that some of our speaker's content, may improve the symptoms of another PwPThank you & just follow this link:-https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted....

We were delighted to host Prof Christine Klein who talked to us about "The importance of genetics in finding a cure for Parkinson's".It was a really interesting presentation and followed by a very good Q&A with excellent questions from you our audience, so thank you.It is now a very worthwhile Podcast and video (on our YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN2A0vGOY6j13Ed1rV64gPQ/featured ) to help understand more about this important topic.About the speaker:-Christine Klein is a professor of neurology and neurogenetics. She studied medicine in Hamburg, Heidelberg, Luebeck, London, and Oxford before moving to Boston from 1997 to 1999 for a fellowship in molecular neurogenetics. She completed her neurology training at Luebeck University in 2004, followed by a series of summer sabbaticals in movement disorders in Toronto, Canada in 2004 to 2015. Her research has focused on the clinical and molecular genetics of movement disorders and its functional consequences. In 2009, Dr. Klein became director of the newly founded Institute of Neurogenetics in 2013 in Luebeck, Germany.Prof. Klein has published more than 500 scientific papers. She is deputy editor of ‘Movement Disorders’ and associate editor of ‘Annals of Neurology’ and serves as acting past president of the German Neurological Society. Ten of her former mentees have been promoted to the level of assistant, associate or full professor.Find out more about Christine and her great work here:-https://www.neurogenetics-luebeck.de/...https://www.michaeljfox.org/researche...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xVPl...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDkaJ...https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine...

We are excited to share our latest interview with you all, in which Dr Raul Martinez- Fernandez explains the therapy of Focused Ultrasound, a therapy that offers appropriate candidates with an alternative to the more intrusive DBS. It is of course not a replacement for DBS, simply an alternative offering a solution for those with differing symptoms.More about Dr Martinez-Fernandez:-Dr Raul Martinez-Fernandez is a neurologist and clinical researcher, Associate Professor of Medicine at the Neuro research Centre HM CINAC; HM Puerta del Sur Hospital; CEU San Pablo University, Spain.After getting his neurology diploma in Spain in 2008, he trained at the Deep Brain Stimulation department of the National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery – Queen Square (London). Subsequently, he attended a 2-year fellowship in Grenoble (France), the birthplace of modern Functional Neurosurgery, under the wings of Professors Paul Krack and Elena Moro. In Grenoble, he started his PhD in Medical Science that he obtained in 2017. Since 2015 he is coordinator of the high intensity focused ultrasound program in HM CINAC (Madrid), directed by Prof Obeso.He has published several papers on the topic of focused ultrasound in Lancet Neurology and The New England Journal of Medicine. The experience gathered has allowed him to be invited for lecturing worldwide, to provide support to teams which are starting to use the technique, and to receive several research awards.