Parkinson’s Disease and the Brain–Heart Connection

It’s Not Just Dopamine. It Never Was.

You don’t die from Parkinson’s.

The truth behind a misleading phrase

Parkinson’s Disease and Apathy:

The Symptom People Misjudge the Most

If They Make You Happy... Make Them Happier

Because Parkinson’s may control the symptoms... but it doesn’t get to control what you give back.

Too Smart to Be Heard

How Parkinson’s advocacy got impressive... and stopped being effective

Too Able to Be Disabled. Too Disabled to Be Able.

Living in the brutal middle of Parkinson’s—where you look fine, feel anything but, and still get judged like nothing’s wrong.

Panic with Wi-Fi

Why Parkinson’s support groups keep confusing confidence for competence

The Slow Conversation

Life After the Brain’s Middle Manager Gets Fired

“Is levodopa causing dyskinesia and psychosis? And is it even worth taking?”

Parkinson’s forces hard bargains. Levodopa may cause problems later, but for many of us it’s still the reason we can move today.

Negative Sleep: The Parkinson’s Trick Nobody Warns You About

Why eight hours in bed doesn’t always mean rest—and why both patients and caregivers wake up exhausted.

“Parkinson’s Is Serious. Laughing About It Helps.”

The Science and Survival Value of Humor in a Dopamine-Depleted Brain.

The Parkinson’s Energy Economy: Why Everything Suddenly Costs More

Parkinson’s doesn’t just slow movement. It quietly raises the price of existing.

A Will Won’t Help You in an ICU Bed

What health care proxies, durable powers of attorney, living wills, and wills actually do, and why people with chronic illness cannot afford to put them off.

A Safety Net You’re Not Allowed to Climb Out Of

Why Parkinson’s Patients Lose SSDI (Even When They’re Clearly Disabled)

It’s Not Just Shaky Hands: The Whole-Body Reality of Parkinson’s Disease

By Richie Pikunis

Depression vs. Apathy in Parkinson’s: Am I Sad... or Do I Just Not Give a Damn Anymore?

By Richie Pikunis

Why I Never Gave Up—And What a 20-Pound Dog Had to Do With It

(Still Shaking. Still Showing Up. Still covered in more fur than dignity.)

The Top 5 Things I Wish People Knew About Young-Onset Parkinson’s

How Parkinson’s Tried to Shut Me Up—And Why I Won’t Let It.