Ending Parkinson's Disease - by Ray Dorsey & Todd Sherer & Michael S Okun & Bastiaan R Bloem (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this "must-read" guide (Lonnie Ali), four leading doctors and advocates offer a bold action plan to prevent, care for, and treat Parkinson's disease--one of the great health challenges of our time

Brain diseases are now the world's leading source of disability. The fastest growing of these is Parkinson's: the number of impacted patients has doubled to more than six million over the last twenty-five years and is projected to double again by 2040. Harmful pesticides that increase the risk of Parkinson's continue to proliferate, many people remain undiagnosed and untreated, research funding has stagnated, and the most effective treatment is now a half century old.

In Ending Parkinson's Disease, four top experts provide a plan to help prevent Parkinson's, improve care and treatment, and end the silence associated with this devastating disease. This is an indispensable guide for patients, families, clinicians, scientists, politicians, and activists.

Review Quotes

"Ending Parkinson's Disease is full of practical tips to help you live well with Parkinson's disease. It's a prescription for action and shines a spotlight on what we can do as a nation to raise awareness of this disease."--John L. Lehr, CEO and President of the Parkinson's Foundation

"A provocative read. It will certainly encourage you to consider what more you can be doing in the fight against Parkinson's disease."--Leslie Chambers, MSPH, President and CEO of American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA)

"Parkinson's disease is not one disease but rather a collection of many with different contributing factors, and it satisfies many of the criteria of a pandemic. While the authors of Ending Parkinson's Disease are hopeful about making patients' lives better, their real passion is clearly centered around preventing people from ever having to face the disease in the first place. The book is a real eye-opener for people with Parkinson's, caretakers, and healthcare professionals, and should be used by activists all over the world in their discussions with politicians, policy makers, and budget holders."--Susanna Lindvall, vice president, European Parkinson's Disease Association, EPDA

"This book offers a clear pathway forward, while sounding out a resounding clarion alarm prompting action that we should all pay heed to!"--Davis Phinney, Founder, Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson's

"This book shines an essential spotlight on the need to end Parkinson's, illuminating the key issues we are all facing. It is the role of everyone in the Parkinson's community--patients, researchers, clinicians, and advocates--to share this book and ensure that the authors' voices are heard."--Helen Matthews, Deputy CEO, The Cure Parkinson's Trust

"A clear message and call to action: at least part of Parkinson's is man-made! Let's spread the word and prevent Parkinson's."--Parkinson Vereniging (Dutch Parkinson's Disease Association)

"Over the next 25 years, the number of people with Parkinson's disease is expected to double to at least 12.9 million. With its forecasted exponential rise, most of us will either be affected personally within our own families or know someone with the disease. This book is a must-read for all of us who are or might be affected. It pulls no punches with regard to the seriousness of this emerging pandemic, and its common-sense environmental approaches and precautions, if implemented, will abate the spread of this insidious disease. I know this to be true. I lived it."--Lonnie Ali

"This book shines a light on the environmental factors that put us all at risk for the disease. As a person with Parkinson's and as a father, I hope we will take the urgent action outlined in this important book to stop the growing number of people who will receive a diagnosis."--Brian Grant, former NBA player and Founder of the Brian Grant Foundation

About the Author

Ray Dorsey is the director of the Center for the Brain & the Environment at the Atria Health and Research Institute, and a professor of neurology at the University of Rochester, where he previously directed the Center for Health + Technology. He chaired the international Huntington Study Group, led the movement disorders division at Johns Hopkins, and has consulted for McKinsey & Company. With Michael S. Okun, he is the coauthor of The Parkinson's Plan.

Todd Sherer is the Chief Mission Officer of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research. Trained as a neuroscientist, he is deeply focused on the organization's research strategy, charting a course for the coming era of Parkinson's discovery and drug development. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Emory University investigating the role of environmental factors in Parkinson's, Todd joined the Foundation's staff in 2004 and was named Chief Executive Officer in 2011, and Chief Mission Officer in 2021.

Michael S. Okun is the Chair and the Adelaide Lackner Professor of Neurology at the University of Florida. One of the world's leading Parkinson's disease researchers, he is the National Medical Director of the Parkinson's Foundation, the country's largest Parkinson's disease patient and advocacy group. He is the author of Parkinson's Treatment: 10 Secrets to a Better Life, and, with Ray Dorsey, the coauthor of The Parkinson's Plan.

Bastiaan R. Bloem is a Professor of Neurology at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands. In 2004, with Dr. Marten Munneke, hecreated ParkinsonNet, the largest integrated care program for Parkinson's patients. He is an Editor in Chief of the Journal of Parkinson's Disease and has been a featured speaker at leading patient, academic, and health conferences globally.