When diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, if we do nothing, we inevitably will get worse. That’s the nature of the degenerative process.

When we start the process of improving our health, our road will always be fluctuating and adventurous. At times, it may seem that we are getting worse when, if fact, we are moving forward by dealing with symptoms and feelings that we have suppressed for a long time.

One of our great aids is our journal. This weekly summary of changes in our symptoms, activities, feelings and relationships helps us see improvements that otherwise may remain hidden from us. You see, most changes towards health are subtle, slow and gentle. Often we do not notice unless we take notes along the way.

It is also important to celebrate change – even when it seems uncomfortable.

Maybe we change our diet and we get frequent bowel movements, even diarrhoea. That’s just our body clearing out waste products that have been locked in for years until we made changes that allowed release. That’s good. Maybe we are thirstier than ever before. That’s our body trying to hydrate after years of dehydration.

And, yes, there will be times, very occasionally, when we slip back. When that happens, we can take some time out, meditate, think through all we are doing and have done, and make sure we have all out healthy strategies in place.