by Bruce McIntyre | May 14, 2022 | Resilience
New experiences are good for your brain You have probably heard the words neuro and plasticity more in the past 5 years than ever before. Besides research into neurological diseases and cures, loads of work is being done on the potential, capacity, and health of the...
by Bruce McIntyre | May 7, 2022 | Resilience
New experiences are good for your brain Since I work with Parkinson’s patients, I read and learn a lot about the brain. Not all of it has to do with fighting or curing or managing disease. Sometimes, I also learn about proactive ways to improve brain plasticity....
by Bruce McIntyre | Apr 30, 2022 | Serendipity
Songs That Matter #3 Against the backdrop of war torn Sarajevo in 1992, this stirring song took on new meaning. A mortar killed 22 people waiting in line at a marketplace in that city during the siege of Sarajevo. In response, Vedran Smailovic emerged for 22 days...
by Bruce McIntyre | Apr 30, 2022 | Serendipity
Songs That Matter #2 Against the backdrop of ever challenging times (and aren’t they all to some extent?), Louis Armstrong’s gravelly voice draws us back to the light. These lyrics delivered so gracefully seem to take the air out of pretense, anger and...
by Bruce McIntyre | Apr 16, 2022 | Serendipity
Songs That Matter #1 Sometimes a song catches you and speaks more concisely than you could have done for yourself. A song a few years ago by one of my favorite bands, The Avett Brothers, caught me. No Hard FeelingsWhen my body won’t hold me anymoreAnd it finally lets...
by Bruce McIntyre | Apr 8, 2022 | Caregiving
Snapshots of Transformation #5 One of the most excruciating limitations for Kathy was not being able to pick up our son, Seth, as a baby. We picked him up and put him in her arms, and as he grew more mobile, she helped him scramble up into her arms. Simply picking up...
by Bruce McIntyre | Apr 2, 2022 | Caregiving
Snapshots of Transformation #4 Kathy and I arrived at the 2014 Myositis National Conference in Reno, Nevada. Since we were speaking and there was some confusion about our room, they put us in one of the high roller suites! As an additional surprise, we awoke the next...
by Bruce McIntyre | Mar 26, 2022 | Caregiving
Snapshots of Transformation #3 Playing hide-n-seek and wishing that problems would “just go away” tends to be the first response for many of us. Avoidance is a self-defense mechanism for dealing with circumstances that we are not ready to handle. However, this tactic...
by Bruce McIntyre | Mar 19, 2022 | Caregiving
Snapshots of Transformation #2 In 2004, my upbeat and energetic wife was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis, which severely affected her muscles and left her in pain and limited capacity. After we announced the lie that we did not need help with meals any more after a...
by Bruce McIntyre | Mar 11, 2022 | Caregiving
Snapshots of Transformation #1 Transformative possibilities are afoot the moment you dare to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. What if it were me? What if this was happening to me? How would I feel? What would I be thinking? What would I need? How would I...
