Apathy and Parkinson’s disease

I’m reposting this (from 19 March 2020).

Apathy is a prominent and nasty symptom of Parkinson’s disease. One researcher described it as “one of the most disabling” of all symptoms. Apathy can appear years before a diagnosis of Parkinson’s is made. At least a third of people with Parkinson’s will experience it and once it starts it never goes away. Apathy might look like depression but it is a very different symptom. Anti-depressant medication won’t help at all. Apathy relentlessly destroys all motivation and interest in life. Once present, there is no turning back because there is no treatment for apathy,

At least there wasn’t before trans-cranial red and near infrared lights appeared. The case reports continue to mount - one of the big changes noticed by people with Parkinson’s when they use daily lights is the improvement in motivation.

The significant thing about apathy is that it is a predictor of worsening motor or movement symptoms and, even more frightening, it predicts loss of cognitive ability.

The two earliest adopters of transcranial red lights have been using daily lights for over three years now. They started with and Eliza bucket and moved - with gratitude - to the Well Red Coronet. Both have had huge improvements in motivation (amongst other symptoms), and both have maintained these improvements. This is a very significant finding. It can’t be the placebo effect - the placebo effect doesn’t last this long. This is a real effect. These two chaps are back to being the busy, active people they used to be. As long as they wear their Coronet daily.

Transcranial red and near infrared light, used daily, can improve the symptom of apathy and maintain the improvement. One of these two chaps has commented several times, “It is as if my Parkinson’s has stopped progressing…”

19 March 2020