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If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease you’re probably wrestling with fear, despair, and countless questions about the future. It’s brighter than you think. In Parkinson’s Disease for Dummies, you’ll discover how to keep a positive attitude and lead an active, productive life as this user-friendly, guide pilots you through the important steps toward taking charge of your condition. It helps you:• Make sure you have an accurate diagnosis• Assemble and work with your health care team• Inform others about your condition• Choose the most effective medications• Establish a diet and exercise regimen• Consider surgical options, alternative therapies, and clinical trials• Maintain healthy personal and professional relationships• Adjust your routine as your PD progressesThis one-stop resource provides proven coping skills, first-hand advice, and practical tools, such as worksheets to assess care options, questions to ask doctors, and current listings of care providers.From the IntroductionQuote:If the very idea of a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis scares the bejeebers out of you, take a deep breath and pay attention. Although Parkinson’s is a chronic and progressive condition with no cure (yet), the strides made in just the last decade to control and manage symptoms are impressive and hopeful. Also the number of national organizations (not to mention big-name celebrities) that are placing the spotlight squarely on the need for a cure is unparalleled. And we’re here to help: An experienced neurologist and lecturer on the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD); another physician — not a neurologist but rather one who has been living with his own PD (and finding new and innovative ways to maintain control over his life) for over a decade; and a writer of books on aging and giving care whose oldest sister has PD. Together we give you the facts you need, resources you can rely on, and tips on how best to structure your life so that — to paraphrase the popular slogan — you have PD, but it doesn’t have you.This book is your guide to understanding and living with PD. While you — the person with Parkinson’s (PWP) are the primary audience — feel free to share Parkinson’s Disease For Dummies with family, friends, and especially that person who will most likely make this journey with you — your care partner.We — the doctor-athlete who’s fought PD for over ten years, the writer who’s seen dozens of people triumph over their PD, and the neurologist who’s not in the business of giving up — wish you the strength to persevere, the will to keep fighting for a cure, and the physical and emotional stamina for a long, productive life.ContentsCoverTitleAbout the AuthorsDedicationAuthors’ AcknowledgmentsPublisher’s AcknowledgmentsContentsIntroductionAbout This BookConventions Used in This BookFoolish AssumptionsHow This BookIs OrganizedIcons Used in This BookWhere to Go from HerePart I : Understanding PDChapter 1: Parkinson’s Disease: The Big PictureChapter 2: Considering Possible Causes and Risk FactorsChapter 3: Sizing Up Symptoms, Signs, and StagesPart II : Making PD Part — But Not All — of Your LifeChapter 4: Getting an Accurate DiagnosisChapter 5: You’ve Been Diagnosed — Now What?Chapter 6: Drafting Your Healthcare Team and a Game PlanChapter 7: Choosing How and When to Share Your NewsChapter 8: Special Advice for Those with Young Onset Parkinson’s DiseasePart III : Crafting a Treatment Plan Just for YouChapter 9: Managing PD Symptoms with Prescription MedicinesChapter 10: When Surgery Is an OptionChapter 11: Considering Complementary and Alternative Medicine TherapiesChapter 12: The Key Roles of Diet and ExerciseChapter 13: Combating Anxiety and DepressionChapter 14: Clinical Trials and Your Role in the Search for a CurePart IV : Living Well with PDChapter 15: Maintaining Healthy RelationshipsChapter 16: PD in the WorkplaceChapter 17: Adjusting Your Routine as Your PD ProgressesPart V : Coping with Advanced PDChapter 18: Facing the Progression of PD SymptomsChapter 19: When Care Partners Become CaregiversChapter 20: Putting Your Financial and Legal House in OrderChapter 21: It’s Just Bricks and Mortar: Housing Options You Can Live WithPart VI : The Part of TensChapter 22: Ten Ways to Deal with Difficult FeelingsChapter 23: Ten Ways to Care for Your Care PartnerChapter 24: Michael J. Fox, Muhammad Ali, and YOU: Ten Ways to Make aPart VII : AppendixesAppendix A: GlossaryAppendix B: Additional ResourcesRequesting Free Print MaterialsGathering Free Info OnlineOther Books Worth the $$Further ReadingPaperback: 384 pagesPublisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (January 30, 2007)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0470073950ISBN-13: 978-0470073957ASIN: B004QO9PIO