What is Parkinson's Disease?

PD is chronic and progressive movement disorder.  That means symptoms progress and get worse as time goes on.  The cause is not known and that is troublesome to almost one million people in the US today.

Nerve cells (neurons), vital to the body, malfunction and die.  The disease affects neurons in the area of the brain called the substantia nigra.  Some of those dying neurons produce dopamine, a chemical that carries messages to the area of the brain that controls movement and coordination.  As PD advanced in the body, less and less dopamine is produced. The primary symptoms include the following.

• tremor of the hands, legs, jaw and face
• bradytkinesia or slowness of movement
• rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and trunk
• postutral instability or impaired balance and coordination

While living in Pennsylvania, I was diagnosed with early PD in 2004.  Since then, people have told me they had "No idea" I had PD.  My response is, it is critical to find a well-known and respected neurologist.  After the diagnosis, I was referred to three different neurologists in under three years.  Then I learned many specialists in PA were leaving because of the rise in the cost of insurance.


One of the primary reasons we relocated to Colorado was because of the network of neurologists, hospitals, clinics, and research centers in the region.  For me, The Colorado Neurological Institute, and the Movement Disorder Center led by Dr. Rajeev Kumar and his team of specialists, is the best.