A new U.S. study is raising questions about whether long-term exposure to chemicals associated with dry cleaning could play a role in Parkinson’s disease. Researchers examined health and location data from more than 19 million Medicare beneficiaries age 67 and older. The study compared approximately 181,000 people who were newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease with more than 18.8 million people who did not have the disease. The researchers found that people who lived close

On May 13th, Vermont became the first state in the United States to pass a bipartisan legislation to ban paraquat! What happens next? The bill will be delivered to Governor Phil Scott. Governor Scott has 10 days once he receives it to sign it into law. “I’m grateful to the patients, advocates, lawmakers and scientists who stepped up to protect Vermonters from paraquat,” said Michael J. Fox. “Now it’s time for other states — and Washington — to do the same.” New York, New Jer

As we work to make life better for people with Parkinson’s disease, the Parkinson’s Foundation is also working to create a world where fewer people develop Parkinson’s in the first place. This starts with prevention — and there’s a bill in the NY State Legislature that would be a critical step in this direction. The bill (A.10074/S.9094) would ban the sale and use of paraquat, an herbicide that has been scientifically linked to increased Parkinson's risk , in New York begin

Last week, lawmakers in Albany introduced legislation to ban the use of paraquat in New York state. Paraquat is an extremely toxic herbicide and is closely linked to Parkinson's Disease. Watch the news segment below that was made 2 years ago about the link between PD and Paraquat. Paraquat is banned in more than 70 countries , including China, Brazil, and the European Union. Assembly member Linda Rosenthal and State Senator Pete Harckham proposed this bill with the support f

Recent studies have tried to answer why the prevalence of PD is increasing. In fact, in 2022 we saw about a 50% increase in prevalence. Today, the annual prevalence is 90,000 in the United States. Why the increase? Let's find out. Increasing aging population The baby boomers have led to a large spike in older adults. With a higher older adult population, you will see higher rates of diseases and conditions more common in older adults to begin with. Veterans from the Vietnam w

World Parkinson's Day