As a health care worker, I was excited to receive this book and gain a greater understanding of Parkinson's Disease. The author did a great job in giving the reader an insight of how this disease effects both the individual but also those around the victom. I highly recommend this read to all individuals that have to deal with this.

I received this book as an Early Review copy. My mother has been diagnosed with early Parkinson's and the book was extremely helpful in recognizing symptoms and understanding what to expect in the future. The food and recipe suggestions were great! My mother is reading the book now and says that the recipes are extremely helpful. The way Mikkelsen uses stories to convey vital information makes the book enjoyable. ( )

My husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease last year. His father & his fraternal granfather both suffered from it. Even so, Gary does not have the markers that determine it to be a genetically acquired disease.

That being said...the book is informative with some very good information, recipes, etc, especially for those new to the disease. For us, it served as a confirmation that we have been on the right track with diet, exercise, etc. ( )

Blurb: Guidelines to Taking Charge of YOUR Parkinson's Disease
Take Charge of Parkinson’s Disease: Dynamic Lifestyle Changes to Put YOU in the Driver's Seat is for everyone affected by PD—those with the disease, families, and caregivers. With its focus on a healthy lifestyle that emphasizes nutrition and exercise as a way of maintaining optimal health, the book will appeal to readers who want to emphasize wellness and healthy aging while living with Parkinson’s disease.
Motivated by her husband Mike’s PD, Anne Mikkelsen developed a cooking style that blends her training in traditional French cooking and love of plants with emerging science on the importance of brain-healthy fruits, vegetables, spices, and herbs. Mike, an award-winning potter and sculptor, has skillfully adapted his art to accommodate the advancing stages of PD. Together, over nearly three decades, they have overcome the obstacles of living with Parkinson’s disease in a fashion that will be an inspiration to readers.
Healthy lifestyle recommendations and an extensive recipe section are interspersed with Anne’s memoir of her journey with her husband as they discover how to live well with Parkinson’s disease. A chapter on issues of caregiving and the challenges it presents to a relationship enhances the comprehensive coverage of living with PD.


What Stephanie Thought: Half memoir and half health guide, Take Charge of Parkinson's Disease is a thoughtful, easy-to-follow book stuffed with information about Parkinson's Disease, uplifting personal stories, and many clever recipes to help you through a healthy-as-possible lifestyle. With a history of Parkinson's Disease on my father's side, I thought this book would be useful to keep on hand. Although Parkinson's Disease affects mainly middle-aged and elderly adults and is very rare in individuals less than thirty years of age, it's still important to be informed on such topics. I'm obviously too young to be concerned about Parkinson's in myself, but the book was extremely descriptive, and is one of those books I should keep for the future (for my dad, uncles, and aunts).

Parkinson's Disease has no known cure, which is why a book to facilitate a lifestyle with the disease is a godsend. I especially loved all the recipes to promote a healthy lifestyle that were included at the end of the book. Even though Mikkelsen is not a doctor, she has studied French cooking, owns restaurants, and hosts cooking shows; she clearly knows what she's doing. I am eager to start using the foods recommended and incorporating them into my diet. Like I said, I'm too young to be concerned with PD, but with these things, you can never be too early.

Stephanie Loves: "Foods Tools to Keep Stocked in Your Pantry: olive oil, lemons and limes, teas and coffee, pepper, sea salts, cucumbers, onions, rosemary, nutmeg, kidney beans, nutrient-dense legumes, black beans, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, canola oil, chickpeas, raspberries, fava beans, and edadame."

Where Stephanie Got It: LibraryThing for review.

Radical Rating: 8 hearts- Would recommend to lots of really good friends. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ( )

Anne Cutter Mikkelsen's & Carolyn Stinson's new book, "Taking Charge of Parkinson's Disease," a brief yet insightful guide to helping individuals (and their families) who are coping with Parkinson's disease. In the introduction, Mikkelsen shares that her two great passions are "helping people with Parkinson's" and "food," and this book is (pardon the pun) a "big helping" of both. In it, she shares her journey as the caregiver spouse to a patient with Parkinsonism, as well as medical information and recipes for success in battling Parkinson's on the nutritional front.
The book is organized a bit differently from other self-help books of this kind which tend to neatly segregate autobiographical information from medical data and recipes. Instead, poignant personal reflections, scientific data and recipes are interwoven into an artistic tapestry of encouragement to delight the reader. This "tapestry" constitutes the first half of the book; the other half is "Part II:Food and Optimal Wellness with Parkinson's disease.
Whereas the artistic presentation of the book is rather refreshing, the organization of the book is not nearly so. It's actually a bit frustrating. While it was enjoyable for the novelty of the first read, having recipes and food lore sprinkled in the first half of the book becomes a detraction. Boring editing strategy though it may be, in books like this, recipes belong with recipes, in an appendix-style mini-cookbook at the end. But, those misplaced recipes are worth marking with a sticky-note and searching the index for ... Uh, oh! My copy doesn't have an index for recipes! Ouch! No matter, as I was saying, the misplaced recipes are worth marking, especially the plain and simple, elegant and tasy recipe for Poppy Seed Muffins on page 10.
**The medical advice in this book is largely sound, however, readers should be aware that nuts and seeds can exacerbate a bowel disorder called diverticulitis. Reduced colon motility due to Parkinsonism increases this risk (in patients with existing diverticulosis) as can certain medication to treat Parkinson's. Individuals with Parkinson's who also have diverticulosis should consult their physician or nurse-practitioner before increasing the amount of nuts and seeds in the diet.) ( )