Can a POSITIVE ATTITUDE help us deal with Parkinson's disease (Pd)?

[JohnPepper]

When I was finally diagnosed with Pd, back in 1992, I was a beaten man! I was so depressed and demotivated that I am surprised that I ever recovered from that situation. In business, I had learned that having a positive attitude was the only way to succeed in life.

That was a very good lesson, because we are what we think, and thinking negatively always brings negative results. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But how can being positive help us to overcome something like Pd. We know that we cannot win a race unless we think we possibly can. I think the same goes for any illness. If we think we are going to die, then the chances are that we will die. Therefore, using the same logic, if we think we can get better then the chances are that we will get better.

Not only am I not a doctor, I also am obviously not a psychologist. How the mind works is still a bit of a mystery to us all. As a layman I do know from personal experience that when I am thinking and acting positively, then most things happen the way, or nearly, that I had hoped. When I am negative about something, and I do sometimes feel negative about certain things, especially politics, then those things tend to go wrong.

Do you find that when you say positive things to the people around you, they react in a positive way?

Do you also find that when you are grumpy, other people are also grumpy to you?

Let us make our own lives more enjoyable, and the lives of those around us more bearable, by being positive about ourselves and pleasant to others around us.

[bigmama53]

Hear! Hear! I too believe positive thinking delivers positive results.

[JohnPepper in reply to bigmama53]

Thanks bigmmama.

[rch21]

There are many studies and examples from many fields that support what you say. Children perform up (or down ) to the expectations of their teachers. Athletes who start an event thinking they can win, can, but the second the think they can't, they do not. Cancer patients are more likely to recover using positive imaging in conjunction with treatments. The placebo effect in drug testing. Etc. If we expect positive results from ourselves, they can happen. If we expect negative results from ourselves, they will be negative. Thanks for reminding me of how important a positive attitude. is.

[JohnPepper in reply to rch21]

Hi rch21. It was y pleasure! John

[firefly0780]

Great John. A positive attitude has enabled me to accomplish so much over the last year in dealing with the day to day challenges of PD. Thanks for the reminder

[JohnPepper in reply to firefly0780]

Hi firefly. Keep your head up and going! John

[racerCP]

Thanks for your message but do you take meds for your condition. I have been diagnosed about 4 months ago and hope to extend time of taking meds until as long as possible with exercise and anything else. Please let me know about when and if you are taking meds.

[JohnPepper in reply to racerCP]

Hi racerCP. I have not taken any Pd medication for the past 12 years! See my response to others on this question. John

[racerCP in reply to JohnPepper]

Where can I find your response? I am anxious to read it.

[JohnPepper in reply to racerCP]

I sent it off 26 minutes ago. It appears on my screen.

John

[JohnPepper]

Hi racerCP. You can access several articles on this HU site. Try EXERCISE, GDNF, MAO-b Inhibitors. If you would like to speak to me you can email [e-mail].

John

[gleeson]

I just posted about my interview with Leon, the moderator of my PD support group, who has had Parkinson's for 27 years and is in better shape than some of the newbies. His secret is related to positive thinking -- have a purpose (a commitment to broader life goals) and pursue it with passion. For more on the interview, see bit.ly/1iux9jz

[gleeson]

I just posted about my interview with Leon, the moderator of my PD support group, who has had Parkinson's for 27 years and is in better shape than some of the newbies. His secret is related to positive thinking -- have a purpose (a commitment to broader life goals) and pursue it with passion. For more on the interview, see bit.ly/1iux9jz

[JohnPepper]

Hi Gleeson. I found this very interesting. I don't agree on his medication choice but I am not him and he is not me. We are two different people and what works for him does not work for me. We must all go through the process of finding what works for us. We must not be scared to tell our doctor that the medication does not work, and stop taking it. We must NOT accept that the medication is doing us good, even though it is having unacceptable side effects. We should never have to take another medication to deal with the side effect of the first medication, especially if the first medication did not make any noticeable improvement in our condition. To the best of my knowledge, NO Pd medication slows down the progression of PD. So whether we take it or not, it makes no difference to the progression of Pd. I found that an MAO-b inhibitor, on its own, helped me, but that may not work for others.

Exercise is the only thing that has been proven to alter the progression of Pd!

John

[Anthonyian in reply to JohnPepper]

Hi John I have been on meds for 3 years and I have had my meds changed 3times the pain in my legs ankles and hips have been worse since I have been on 125mg madapar 4times a day and 183 mg premipexole would it take long to be weaned off this med the pain gets worse 45mins before.meds are due and then about 30 mins after before I get any relief my next app is in sept thankyou.

[dawnanne]

If anyone needs structured help on becoming positive or sustaining. I am a life coach and could help you.

[Don_oregon_duck]

Attaboy John Pepper. When playing golf, we know that the golfer many times hits the target that mind is thinking about when swinging the club. If the thoughts are on good outcome, that is generally where the ball goes. Need we talk about where the ball goes when we are thinking about the hazard that we want to miss?

For us dieing. Did something change with PD? Did we go from not knowing when we will die to knowing when that day will occur? That has not been revealed to me, yet.

To help add more enjoyment in our lives, do think if you look at what you can do to help make it better for those who follow you, will increase your present enjoyment in life? The different treatments I try are great if they can help me and fantastic if many people can benefit in the future.

I helped start a Rocksteady Boxing program and had to quit for health reasons. The program is still growing and helping more and more people. Should I be sad because I can't do RSB or happy because so many PWP'S are getting helped from a program that I helped start?

Poor me. Should I enjoy the positive thoughts about RSB helping so many others or negative thoughts about not being able to continue myself ? Do you believe that we all have similar choices as well?

Thanks again, John Pepper, for starting this ribbon of comments.

[JohnPepper in reply to Don_oregon_duck]

It is a great pleasure to talk about the positive things we can do, instead of sorting out the deckchairs on the Titanic, talking about drugs that don't change the progression of our Pd.

Gary Player, a fellow South African, once said, "The harder I practice the luckier I get". He still is one of the most healthy people I know and there is nothing you can teach him about positive thinking!

[ddmagee1]

Positivity makes all the difference, when it comes to handling life, and the ups and downs, in general! Being positive, no matter how dire some circumstances can be, can help people cope better and, perhaps, improve, one's outlook on life! Over many years, I've used positive reinforcement in just about every area of my life. It has helped me to be successful in my career choices, and also, I've found that when I'm around positive thinking people a lot, it helps me to cope better with the somewhat negative aspects of dealing with PD progression. I am very happy for those who haven't had their PD progress a lot, and I hope it doesn't, but for those of us, who have had PD progress to the point where it affects most bodily systems, than some days, staying positive can be a huge challenge. Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm and your advice, Mr. Pepper.

[JohnPepper]

Thank you for your thoughts on POSITIVE THINKING!

If you Pd is still progressing, have you thought of trying the Fast Walking to change that situation?

[Iam59]

Hi

Love all your posts

I lived in denial, whined, 'why me-ed' refused medications and got worse when I was first diagnosed with Parkinson disease in 2015. Its only when I accepted my condition in my mind that I became a happier person and fought back to make my life better.

A loving caring husband and and my supportive encouraging 84 year old mom have made me feel life is worth living even with PD.

We should never forget to be grateful to those who are our loving support and love us no matter how we are..and we must also make an effort to make other's lives easier.

[JohnPepper in reply to Iam59]

Hi Iam59. I am your Mom's age and you are almost the age when was diagnosed. So, you have a lot of living still to do. I hope you get as much out of life as I have over the last 26 years.

Good luck!

[Iam59 in reply to JohnPepper]

Sweet of you to encourage me.

Thank you.

[ddmagee1]

Excellent post!

[GymBag]

This is a very old post, but I brought it forward because it has two important aspects.

One , it was the best thing John Pepper (R.I.P.). ever wrote

Two, the subject deserves more discussion

[Cleo16 in reply to GymBag]

Hi GymBag how are you doing?

Has something happened to John Pepper?

[JohnPepper in reply to Cleo16]

I assume the R.I.P. stands for Really Inspired Person! I am certainly not dead, I am very much alive at 86!

[pdpatient in reply to JohnPepper]

JP, the way you are going, you will live to be a 100!

[JohnPepper in reply to pdpatient]

I hope not! Who wants to be 100?

[Cleo16 in reply to JohnPepper]

Thank goodness for that!

[JohnPepper in reply to Cleo16]

The answer to the question posed is a person of 99 years of age!

[Gioc in reply to GymBag]

true GymBag !

a human being can cause his own emotions such as hilarity, enthusiasm, interest, but also anger, fear, despair. just start laughing and after a while you feel happier, at first you feel a fool but then you feel really happy and I assure you that life's problems seem less solid. It only takes me 5 minutes but sometimes it takes a long time for it to work. decision is fundamental

[pdpatient in reply to GymBag]

Way to go, Gymbag, digging out gems like these in our own forum, which appeal to the better part of ourselves. Life is better this way. Apparently, you are aware of the story of the farmer and the acres of diamonds (temple.edu/about/history-tr...

I think that this works for the majority of us. But, you know what, the opposite way of thinking, acting and believing can also work, indeed sometimes in a ferociously powerful and potent way in a manner that we least expect. The Donald has proved it in a demonstrable way and even in defeat this loathsome, sore excuse for a human being is feared by the entire world.

Where does that leave people like you and me and the likes of us who, even with good and perhaps great intentions in living life a certain way, with concern and caring for our fellow Parkinson's sufferers?

Life is very unfair. I am an insatiable optimist at heart, but I am absolutely disappointed, dissatisfied and frankly terrified of the immediate future that lies ahead.

I always ponder at the fact that in a planet of 7.8 billion people, there's only at 10 million of us, diagnosed. When I say this to others, they point out that there are many more who have not been diagnosed yet. I think that is baloney🙂

[JohnPepper in reply to pdpatient]

A large part of the world is home to poor, uneducated, ignorant people. If they have Pd they keep it to themselves, because they have no option!