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I don't like February

February is my least favorite month. I've always been particularly disgruntled about my birthday being in February. Although January is bleak, at least it feels like a nice break after the holiday season. But then February rolls around, with the promise of another month of cold and snow, and it always makes me want to yell, "Enough already!!!" This is the time of year where I start mainlining hot tea, saunas, and the Como Conservatory. Below is a sampling of the science of things that literally warm you up -- bring on the heat!!

This fascinating article from The Science of Parkinson's discusses what we know and don't know about saunas and heat and Parkinson's. (The author should have noted that the results from the first study are correlational: the study participants were not assigned a number of saunas they should take per week; so it cannot be concluded that more saunas prevent Alzheimer's and dementia, only that people who tend to take more saunas tend to have less neurodegenerative disease -- maybe they're taking more saunas because they don't have neurodegenerative disease, who knows?)

The article above also discussed a study that looked at warming the legs before sleep, but I found a better article on this topic -- a randomized control study (this type of study is the gold standard in research, where some study participants are randomly selected to receive the treatment, and are compared to the participants that did not receive the treatment) showed that leg heating in patients with heart failure improved sleep. No research has been done on leg heating in Parkinson's patients. As someone without PD, I can tell you that I have never been able to go to sleep with cold feet, and for the past few years, I have been warming my feet up with a heating pad before I go to sleep! I always felt like I was being a ridiculous, spoiled pansy, but now I feel vindicated!!

How about a nice, hot beverage? This study found that white people who drank more hot drinks in the winter tended to sleep better, have better digestion, and be less depressed. Keep in mind that this is another correlational study, so we can't know that hot beverages cause those benefits. For example, maybe people with poor digestion avoid hot beverages, who can say? It's worth a try, though!

There has been a lot of research about the benefits of surrounding yourself with indoor plants. I couldn't find any research on the effects of visiting a greenhouse in the winter, but I personally love going to the indoor gardens of the pay-what-you-wish Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in St. Paul. In addition to being full of incredible ferns, tropical fruit trees, and beautiful flowers, it is a warm and humid place to take your coat off and relax on a bench; a little slice of summer. For those in the northern half of the state, has anyone been to Olcott Park Greenhouse in Virginia, MN? It looks delightful, but I've never been.

As we enter this particular February, during this particularly difficult time, how are you getting yourself through? If saunas, warm feet, hot drinks and greenhouses are not your thing, what is? We'd love to hear your winter warm-up favorites at udall@umn.edu.

Kelly Ryberg, MA, CCRP
Editor, Parkinson's Pulse

University of Minnesota research opportunity for those with and without Parkinson's Disease!

Are you age 21-80?

Drs. Column MacKinnon and Sommer Huffmaster are recruiting for their study examining freezing of gait.

Please email coordinator Madison Wylie at aasen056@umn.edu for more details and to see if you’re eligible!

Link to PDF study flyer here.

Research Recrutment Flyer - Freezing of Gait Study

Community Sourced Tips and Tricks for those licing with Parkinson's Disease

This month, Outreach Specialist Jeanie Pebbles gathered tips and tricks from our Parkinson's Patient Advisory Board to make daily life with Parkinson's a little easier. At the University of Minnesota, we're generally big nerds who think about science at every turn, but we understand that not everything useful has been examined by researchers. Some of these tips do line up with known research, but they're all lived-experience hacks that fellow people with Parkinson's swear by. Try what feels useful, leave the rest, and share your own with udall@umn.edu.

Move Better by Mixing Things Up

Briefly slipping one hand into a pocket can help shift posture, re-engage the opposite arm swing, or “reset” habitual stiffness.
Walk with a friend; side-by-side walking can be motivating. If balance is an issue, link arms for gentle stability, or consider a walking stick, walker, or other support. Focus on what feels safe.
Carrying items in your hands while walking might destabilize gait and distract from movement. If you need to bring something with you, try a (light) backpack.
Give up the purse. Cross‑body bags and shoulder purses can reshape posture over time. One community member recommends a simple waist pack instead.

Medication Hacks

Always check with your medical team before changing how you take medication.

16 oz of water taken with medications is a community-favorite trick to kickstart digestion and get meds working faster. Drinking a carbonated beverage may help speed absorption for some medications.
Dissolve your meds in water and sip as you move, combining timed absorption with activity.

When Your Feet Feel “Stuck”

Switch up shoe style or even go barefoot. Changing shoes (or walking safely barefoot indoors) can alter sensory input to the feet. Different textures and pressures stimulate new feedback patterns that may help refresh gait.
Try exaggerated movements like high marching steps; take two high marching steps to help jump‑start forward movement.
Imagine obstacles and step over them as a rescue technique. Add applause if needed. (We're told it helps more than you’d think!)

Dance your way out of freezing

Music can activate movement when gait feels blocked. Turn on your favorite song and move like no one’s watching.
Snapping your fingers, using a metronome app, or walking to a rhythmic song can break freezing episodes and smooth gait.

Trouble crossing thresholds or doorways? Freezing often happens at boundaries. Try these “pattern breakers”.

Look past the doorway, not at your feet.
Widen your stance and step forward with confidence
Add a skipping step
Try to exaggerate your arm swing
Turn in place and keep moving once you’re through
Walk backwards (carefully!) to break up your movement pattern.

Your tips help the whole community thrive. Email udall@umn.edu with your own tried and true tricks for living easier with Parkinson’s.

Free Parkinson's Events this month

PD Support Group in St. Michael
Caregivers Skills Building Class
Parkinson's Revolution
Dance for PD
45-minute seated exercise sessions

hosted by Struthers.

🕒 February 17 from 1:30 - 2:

📌 Virtual

Learn more about this class and register here.

🕒 February 28, Ride 1: 10:30am, Ride 2: 12:00pm
📌 2927 Girard Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408
Click here for more details and to register.

Dance classes for Parkinson's in Duluth
🕒 Thursdays at 2:00pm
📌Unitarian Universalist Congregation 835 W. College St. Duluth, MN
Find more information here. To register, email Jessica at jaroeder2@gmail.com. Fee is optional, a suggested donation of $3 for one person and $5 for a group.

We've shared PD-focused online exercise programs in the past, but they've tended to be shorter videos. The Working On Wellness Foundation has a huge repository of 45-minute seated exercise classes on YouTube, designed for all levels and abilities.
🕒 On demand
📌 Virtual

This is an indoor cycling event -- you don't need to pay to participate, but it is a fundraiser. You can join in-person at Cycle Bar or virtually.