This series of articles includes many self-help tips on how to potentially improve/prevent further atrophy of the cranial nerve functions, to try to increase “vagal tone”. The hope is to delay, or even reverse, the losses of facial expression, light in the eyes, melody in the voice, and ability to listen, all of which can impact significantly on other people’s chances at being able to relate to us, as well as our own ability to read with veracity the social cues coming from others.
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Loneliness, Social Isolation, Estrangement and Parkinson's Disease
"The single biggest predictor of rate of Parkinson's progression is if you answer true to 'are you lonely'?" This finding by Dr Laurie Mischley, who monitors the progress of symptoms of more than 1500 people with Parkinson's Disease is perhaps one the most tragic aspects of the disease in our modern society, in which we people with PD may find ourselves heading toward this outcome by default. Indeed, I have lost count of the number of people with PD who have said something to me along the lines of "my friends and family have abandoned me/don't visit/lost touch". The negative feedback loops between loneliness and disease progression can be one of the most vicious circles of PD. I speak from personal experience also, because at my lowest point, I too had become very isolated, virtually alone in the house and barely going out.
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