Ending Parkinson’s Disease is a 4 author collaboration, by doctors on the frontline of the Parkinson’s landscape, who boldly attempt to answer the question of, ok, this is where we are at with PD, where do we, or where can we, collectively, go from here? The authors explain how we arrived at this current destination, with PD being the fastest growing neurological condition in the world with so many things self-stacked against it. They build their points piece by piece, backed up by facts, first-hand experience, interviews, and years of practicing in the medical community.
Their answer to the question of where do we go from here, is a comprehensive 25 point road map to get to a place where we have some sort of ability as a society in general, to turn the advance of PD. The authors have created this book as a, for lack of a better word, a perpetual work, with a companion website meant for updates on this project, as well as an accompanying documentary and YouTube channel.
Before we get into evaluating this book, there are a few ways for you to get a copy. I have included an Amazon link below. If you are unable to independently purchase your own copy, you can request a free one through the website(link below) and also, and they do have a page dedicated on how to get their book. If you would like, you can donate to this project by paying it forward and sponsoring a copy of the book for someone else in need of a copy.
Ending Parkinson’s Disease is a non-fiction work, so being a 4 author book, I was expecting that there might be some disorganization in the writing, because 4 authors feels like a lot of cooks in the kitchen; but that fear never materialized. The book is well written and organized, and from the start line, marches towards the goal, of thoroughly explaining how society arrived at where we are with PD being the fastest growing neurological disease in the world, a chilling point to be at, and where they believe we should go. Another thing I was worried about with 4 authors, especially because they are medical doctors, two of them with Phd’s, was dry, wordy, uninteresting writing with terms difficult to understand. This fear was also quickly put to rest. At times I found the book to be a little slow to get to its points, because, honestly, at times, the book does feel like a research essay, (well there are a huge list of footnotes at the back of the book and an index), and that is not a knock against the authors, they are doctors building an air tight argument is expected. In spite of this slowness, which other readers may find appealing, I’m impatient sometimes to get to the conclusion, I admit it!!!. They kept the audience directly in focus, and also took the time to slip in juicy tidbits of information. One can be found about Dr Parkinson in chapter 1, that I won’t spoil here for you. The slowness caused me to skip forward a couple times, but it did not largely detract from my overall experience. I understand that the authors want to build a bulletproof foundation for their arguments, and I understand in a work like this, it is extremely important to construct that credibility.
I love reading a book with a clear roadmap to help keep my destination in focus, and in that regard Ending PD does not disappoint. The reader is guided along a clear pathway, through human stories, but what took me aback, and this is actually a compliment to the authors, their conclusions and destinations did not always align with the general narrative of the medical research community, or, for lack of a better term, the false hope bus service that there is a cure just around the next corner, no don’t give up, just a few more corners. Their conclusion about PD patient care shocked me. Their meticuously built arguement regarding if a cure will be available soon, and whether it is the best option, was bold and contrary to what I usually hear. Time and time again, the authors would slip in these surprises with skill and stealth. They provided an astonishing insight into the day to day levels of cooperation and information sharing amongst the research community that I doubt we could have gotten elsewhere. There are Easter Eggs in every chapter!
An area that Ending PD excelled in was to explain in everyday terms the complexities and devastation behind the use of pesticides and trichloroethlyne (TCE) in our era. A part of the book that should be read more than one time.
The call to action in Ending PD produces a superior guidebook for any person or organization looking to advocate for PD in the United States. This book was unfortunately overshadowed by the Covod 19 pandemic, but that does not mean that call to action should be left with no one to take up the standard, which is one of the reasons for this review. When I was initially reading this book, one of the thoughts in my head was, “What am I going to do with this information?” It’s a funny question, because the authors turn it around. And then ask, “what can you do?” Well, I know what I can do, I can bring awareness to this situation, and hopefully through that, calls to actions in Canada and other countries will have similar roadmaps built with phone numbers, addresses and emails on who to contact to provide quick and effective advocacy.
One last interesting thing to bring up is the website for updates on this project, as well as the documentary and YT channel. Great idea, an excellent way to keep a book relevant and up to date.
The website contains a wealth of information and resources, I recommend you spend some time there, and the documentary is emotional, engaging and worth taking the time to watch.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with PD or connected to it in any way. It is a refreshing and real counter-narrative to the general false hope bus ride that we often are put on, and shame on you if you don’t endorse that narrative. I will go as far to say that I believe everyone should read this book! When you think about it, pesticides and trichloroethlyne (TCE) affect us all.
Like I said earlier, there are a few different ways you can get a copy.
I have included an Amazon link below if you would like to use it. If you are unable to independently purchase your own copy, you can request a free one through the website(link below) and also, if you would like, you can donate to this project by paying it forward and sponsoring a copy of the book for someone else in need of one.
Conclusion
Thank you for continuing to take this journey together, thank you for watching, liking, subscribing, and sharing this video with your family and friends. Please leave a comment or a question below. I will see you on the next one, have a good day, goodbye.
Amazon link to book - https://amzn.to/40bd0qP Note: we receive commissions on qualified purchases Link to book website - https://endingpd.org/
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