Question:
Why are my Parkinson’s symptoms worse during the Pandemic?
Answer: An epigenetic change in your physical body which was most likely set in motion during the first years of life. Unrelenting stress for a new born child results in “stress methylation.†A specific chemical molecule has attached itself to the on/off which is a part of every gene.
With stress methylation, the gene whose job it is to shut down the continuous flow of cortisol is deactivated. Since the switch is permanently “stuckâ€, we find ourselves as adults in an unexplained spin of worry, dread, anxiety and fear.
Since this anxious state is familiar as ingrained from the first year of life we do not really have any effective tools to un-stick the off/on switch.
All this means we can be instantly “triggered†and “set off†by the most innocuous experiences and stimuli. The recent events have been anything but “innocuous .”
Watch this wonderful BBC news explanation about the effects these stressful times are having on all of us. The link below connects to a 2 minute news video that explains why your symptoms have likely become so much worse over recent months.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-53067030/how-our-brains-are-processing-the-pandemic
Robert Rodgers PhD
Founder
Parkinsons Recovery
Olympia Washington
What Really Matters