Hello! Here's a thread about Parkinson's Disease, and why we think people who have it need multi-disciplinary support.

Let us know what you think at the end!

Parkinson's Disease* is a disorder in which cells in the midbrain -- cells which manufacture the chemical dopamine for the brain -- start to die.

(*assuming you agree PD is one thing, and not multiple. That debate goes beyond our scope here)

As you might guess, this is a problem because the brain isn't just manufacturing dopamine for fun. It plays an important role in controlling movement, mood, cognition, and more.

There is one big famous treatment for Parkinson's Disease: levodopa! Its basically a way to replace some of the dopamine the brain is losing due to the disorder. As a result, people who are diagnosed with PD and then go on levodopa get a "bump" in function – they can move better.

But besides the fact that levodopa isn't a cure (and there is no cure for PD today), the "dopamine replacement" strategy doesn't fix all the symptoms that come with Parkinson's.

There are a bunch of others for which another approach might be needed.

Surprisingly, it's often these symptoms – especially ones having to do with "neuropsychiatric" aspects like thinking and mood – that seem to have the biggest impact on people's quality of life before the final stages of the illness.

So to the folks at IMDP, it made sense to consider the many aspects of Parkinson’s and combine them into a unified approach to treatment.

Levodopa and other medications are part of the plan. But @integratedmove also helps people strategize how to do common tasks, how to incorporate physical rehab into your daily routine to preserve as much function as possible, and how to deal with PD's impact on thoughts and mood.

How far away is a cure for Parkinson's? It's hard to say.

But what we do know, from the perspective of people who are concerned with how the brain works as a whole, is that it's clear that there are more and better ways to support people with PD than they typically get.

If we can find ways to support the whole person, and allow them to live a life that is closer to the one they want, then we should do it. And with the PD pilot program, that's what @integratedmove is trying to do.

It's too early to share data on this pilot program yet, or to accept large numbers of new patients. But we wanted to share with you the outline of our approach in case it prompts some new thinking about how treatment for PD happens.

We'll be interested to hear your thoughts!