Research shows mindfulness and meditation can improve some Parkinson’s (PD) symptoms and help people live a better life with the disease, but it isn’t always easy to put into practice. In this podcast, you’ll hear from a person living with Parkinson’s and a care partner who use mindfulness to reduce symptoms and stress, and from a researcher who is studying how mind-body strategies can be used to treat Parkinson’s. Tune in for practical tips, advice and a guided meditation you can try at home.
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Join Rachel Dolhun, MD, DipABLM, principal medical advisor at The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) as she leads a discussion about how to incorporate mindfulness and meditation in your PD journey. Our expert panelists are:
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Sree Sripathy is a San Francisco Bay area-based photographer, writer and creator. She was diagnosed with PD in 2015 and is a practitioner of mindfulness and meditation.
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Ken Hill is a semi-retired IT professional living in the Portland, Oregon area with his wife, Kat, who was diagnosed with PD in 2015. He has a daily meditation and mindfulness practice.
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Sarah Mulukutla, MD, MPH, is an integrative neurologist and founder of Mindful Neurology. She teaches mind-body strategies and is researching the effect they have on people with Parkinson’s.
View a transcript of this podcast.
A few additional resources, mentioned in this episode, can be found here to help you get started:
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Download a free mindfulness app like Healthy Minds and sample a few different tracks
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If you want to try some techniques beyond guided tracks from the app, try the Coherent Breathing exercise
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Learn more about the relaxation response
You can also download our free guide on exercise and Parkinson’s disease, which includes tips for incorporating meditation into your daily routine.