In episode #93 in June of 2024 we met Dr. Vamsi Chavakula for a discussion on MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound. Now we're back with part 2. 

Dr. Chavakula, affiliated with Sharp Healthcare, has recently completed his 50th MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound procedure for people with Parkinson's disease and essential tremor. In this episode we look at recent advancements in the technology, discuss some of the differences between focused ultrasound and deep brain stimulation, and talk about some of the history of these treatments.

Click here for more information on treating movement disorders at Sharp.

For more information about the Parkinson's Association of San Diego, click here.

In this episode we meet Dr. Anna Halbeisen, a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine board-certified in emergency medicine, sports medicine as well as neuromusculoskeletal/osteopathic manual medicine. We talk with Dr. Halbeisen about exercise and how that impacts your body from a medical perspective, particularly in people diagnosed with Parkinson's.

For more information about Dr. Halbeisen and her group medical visits, check out her website, https://drhalbeisen.com/

June 11, 2025. Mark your calendars. PASD's Director of Operations, Jeff Seckendorf, will attempt to break four world cycling records to support the Parkinson's Association of San Diego. In this episode Jeff switched roles from interviewer to interviewee as Sherrie Gould, NP asked Jeff about the ride, the bike, the velodrome, and what it's like to do an massively difficult event like this, but with purpose. 

This ride is a fundraiser for the Parkinson's Association of San Diego. Please donate a fixed amount or pledge an amount per kilometer. Here's the link:

https://parkinsonsassociation.org/200km-challenge/

Click the link to learn more about Jeff, the ride, the bike, and to donate or pledge.

In this slightly longer episode, I was invited to speak to the North County Parkinson's Support Group in Oceanside, CA on the topic of mindfulness. In this half hour we look at rest and recovery for the body and for the mind, the difference between meditation and meditative, and we do a short, three minute guided meditation (if you are listening to this while driving, please do not close your eyes and meditate while hurtling down the freeway).

Thoughts or comments, please contact us by clicking here. https://parkinsonsassociation.org/contact-pasd/

Jeff Seckendorf

In this "sleepy" episode we are joined by Dr. Kevin McGehrin, a neurologist at the Neuron Clinic, to discuss issues of sleep in people with Parkinson's. Dr. McGehrin looks at some of the causes of trouble sleeping, discusses REM sleep behavior disorder, and talks about some of the things we can do to help facilitate good sleep.

For more information on the Parkinson's Association of San Diego, click here.

In this short microcast PASD's Director of Operations Jeff Seckendorf takes a look at some of the upcoming programs from the Parkinson's Association of San Diego. Listen and hear Jeff talk about our Mentor Program, or new education program for mental health professionals, our newly update free mobility device program, Empowerment Day, and much more.

For more information on these programs and much more, check out the website: https://parkinsonsassociation.org/

In this episode we get a primer on mail order pharmacies. Dave Randall has been a pharmacist for 30+ years and gives us the ins and outs, benefits and drawbacks to receiving your medications from a mail order pharmacy.

Have questions for us or for Dave? Contact the Parkinson's Association of San Diego here:
https://parkinsonsassociation.org/contact-pasd/

MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound is an alternative treatment for Parkinson's disease and essential tremor. In this fascinating episode, Dr. Vamsi Chavakula, affiliated with Sharp Healthcare, looks at the pros, cons, history, and future of HIFU.

Click here for more information on treating movement disorders at Sharp.

For more information about the Parkinson's Association of San Diego, click here.

"Power Over Parkinson's" international trek number six! Nurse Practitioner Sherrie Gould has, over the past 14 years, led people with Parkinson's on fundraising treks to Kilimanjaro, Mt. Everest Base Camp, Machu Picchu, The Camino de Santiago, the Dolomites, and now, coming up in May 2024, the Kumano Kodo in Japan. Funds raised on this trip support the Parkinson's Association of San Diego along with research for stem cell transplant therapies.

In today's episode we catch up with Sherrie in the car on her way to the first training hike for Japan, this one in Poway, California. Stay tuned for many more episodes from the training and the trek.

To support a hiker on this amazing journey, click here:
https://parkinsonsassociation.org/japan-trek-sponsorship/

In this episode Phil Goodrich, Parkinson's Association of San Diego Board member, continues his story of his journey with DBS. Today Phil looks back on his Parkinons's diagnosis and some of the physical, emotional, and family issues that surrounded it.

In this episode Parkinson's Association of San Diego board member Phil Goodrich continues his story about his journey with DBS. Still a few weeks before surgery, Phil explores more about his personal journey with the decision, and the process, of getting deep brain stimulation implanted.

https://parkinsonsassociation.org/

In this episode of our Microcast Series, PASD Board member Phil Goodrich continues his story of his journey with DBS. Today Phil looks a bit more at what led him to DBS and what his process will look like.

Watch for future episodes as Phil takes us with him through his prep, surgery, recover, and outcome.

Beginning January 1, 2024 Scripps Clinic and Scripps Coastal will stop accepting Medicare Advantage plans. This leaves all Scripps patients on Medicare Advantage are facing some kind of change, and that change must be decided on by December 7, 2023.

This 30-minute interview is with Sophie Exdell of HICAP – Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, a division of Elder Law & Advocacy, a non-profit organization. Sophie explains some of the ins and outs of Medicare Advantage and some options for people wishing to stay with their Scripps doctors or willing to move to another health plan.

Scroll down to see links for more information from Elder Law & Advocacy – webinars and resources specific to the situation with Scripps and Medicare Advantage.

For links to more infomation about Medicare and Scripps, and the video version of this podcast, please click here:
https://parkinsonsassociation.org/medicare-advantage-and-scripps/

Phil Goodrich, Parkinson's Association of San Diego board member, is about to undergo deep brain stimulation surgery. What makes Phil's DBS journey unique is that he is going to take us along with him. Phil will be recording short microcast episodes as he prepares for surgery, goes through the surgery, then goes through the programming process.

In this first episode Phil talks about how he came to the conclusion that DBS is the best option for him.

Have comments or questions for Phil? Post them here and we'll pass them along:
https://parkinsonsassociation.org/contact-pasd/

The Parkinson's Association of San Diego has just released an education program for mental health professionals – social workers, clinical psychologists, and marriage and family therapists. As we recorded the interviews for this program we asked each person why they work with the Parkinson's community – what makes it rewarding.

In this short episode Adriana Gonzales, a social worker at the UCSD Parkinson's & Other Movement Disorders Center, tells us the rewards she sees working with People with Parkinson's and their families.

Contact the Parkinson's Association of San Diego here: https://parkinsonsassociation.org/contact-pasd/

Deep brain stimulation is becoming a more and more popular treatment for some of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. In this episode we speak with Anna Manor of Boston Scientific. Boston Scientific is one of the three companies providing most of the DBS equipment to Parkinson's patients. Anna talks about the new technologies Boston Scientific has to offer and what it's like to be in a patient's first programming session after the deep brain stimulation surgery.

For more on Boston Scientific's DBS program, click here:
https://www.dbsandme.com/en.html

The 6th World Parkinson's Congress wrapped up a few days ago in Barcelona and as we all return to our lives in San Diego we caught up with Nurse Practitioner Sherrie Gould to get her thoughts on being together with thousands of people all living with Parkinson's or trying to find a way to make living with Parkinson's easier. Or, better yet, find a cure.

What are the benefits of having the administrative team from the Parkinson's Association of San Diego in Barcelona at the 6th World Parkinson's Congress? In this episode PASD Executive Director Chris Buscher give us his perspective on those benefits.

Meet Parkinson's advocate Ben Stecher. Ben was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2013 at age 29 and almost immediately realized that he had to learn as much about Parkinson's as humanly possible. His drive and tenacity led him to all corners of the world meeting with the most renowned experts – scientists, researchers, doctors, authors, and advocates. Two books and ten years later Ben is still at it, now as a patient advocate at Rune Labs.

Jeff sat down with Ben at the World Parkinson's Congress to hear a bit more about his story.

Ben's journey:  https://tmrwedition.com/my-pd-journey/ 
More about Rune Labs:  https://runelabs.io/

The 6th tri-annual World Parkinson's Congress opened yesterday in Barcelona, Spain. Executive Director Chris Buscher, board member Lisa Evans, and Director of Operations Jeff Seckendorf are all at the WPC for different reasons. In this short, first episode from Spain, Jeff talks with Lisa about some of the chaos associated with getting the Mentor Program booth set up.

Check out the Parkinson's Association Mentor Program by clicking here.
https://mentors.parkinsonsassociation.org/

In this episode we explore biofeeback and neurofeedback with Lisa Tataryn.

Lisa is a Clinical Neuroscientist at the SMARTPD Program focusing on computational brain modeling for non-invasive interventions for tracking and managing Parkinon’s symptoms. She is a board-certified Neurofeedback practitioner and a Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach specializing in Parkinson’s disease and the Bredesen Protocol for dementia prevention.

Join us to learn more about biofeeedback and neurofeedback for people with Parkinson's.

To check out Smart PD and contact Lisa, click here.

In this short episode Dr. Joanne Hamilton, neuropsychologist at the Scripps Clinic Medical Group, tells us a little about some of the rewards of working with people with Parkinson's.

Click here to contact the Parkinson's Association of San Diego.

Technology with DBS, or Deep Brain Stimulation, is advancing as fast as any tech these days. In this episode we speak with Shawn McMenamin of Abbott Pharmaceuticals and Nurse Practitioner Sherrie Gould of Scripps Clinic about some of this new technology, including Abbott's "Virtual Clinic," also known as remote programming. Hear about the benefits and challenges from Shawn and Sherrie.

For more on Abbott DBS, click here.

To contact the Parkinson's Association of San Diego, click here.

What is a social worker? How can a social worker benefit someone living with Parkinson's. What is the difference between a social worker and a psychologist? Do social workers do therapy or counseling? 

In this episode Licensed Clinical Social Worker Adirana Gonzlez addresses these questions and much more as we discuss finding, and working with, a social worker.

The Parkinson's Association of San Diego is hosted its  "Good Start Program" seminar on Wednesday, March 1st  from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 2111 Camino Del Rio South, San Diego, CA 92108.   

Designed for newly diagnosed Parkinson's patients and their care givers/care partners, the seminar is a 2-hour session followed by Q&A.  It will feature Dr. Brenton Wright, UCSD Movement Disorders Neurologist;  PASD Board President Marty Acevedo; Jessie Agrimas, DPT, PASD Board member and 360 NeuroLab President; Irene Miller, Fallbrook Support Group Team Leader; and PASD Executive Director Chris Buscher.

In this episode with talk with Dr. Wright about the medical portion of the Good Start Program.

To listen to the complete recording of the March 1, 2023 Good Start Program:
Click here.