Julie Carter 00:00:13
When people receive the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, it feels initially as if it's life-altering, and it really shatters the future that people have perceived themselves to have.
But what I hope to tell you today is that there is a lot of hope when you're newly diagnosed and that you really shouldn't despair. Most people assume that because it's a chronic disease and because we don't have a cure, it is something you have no control over. And that just simply is not true.
And I think I can say that with that kind of confidence because of my experience seeing people who have lived a very meaningful life with Parkinson's disease over many years.
Julie Carter 00:00:59
I think I also can say that with confidence because of the knowledge we now have about what we call neuroplasticity. And neuroplasticity is really the ability to change the function of your brain.
We didn't used to believe this could happen, but now we know that there are things you can do that can change your brain. And we have evidence that the brain can change by getting bigger. It can grow new pathways, it can make new connections, and we even know that it can turn genes on that heretofore had not been turned on.
Julie Carter 00:01:39
We know that exercise clearly changes brain function. We know that some of the things you pursue intellectually can change brain function.
We also know that things you do in terms of your emotional state and your connectivity to other people change the way your brain works and actually improves your brain. And therefore, instead of just believing that this disease is in charge of you, you really have an opportunity to change your brain.