<h1>War and Peace</h1>

I remember talking about the autonomic nervous system. It was mingled in with the other crap I learned in high school and quickly forgot; but today, I was reading about the effects of the flu on the symptoms of PD and was surprised to learn PD can be exacerbated by other medical conditions (I can't remember where I read that, so no citation). Then I came across the effect of PD on the autonomic nervous system. That sounded familiar - autonomic I mean. Sounds like a superhero - "autonomic man"! I couldn't recall the definition of "autonomic" and I could not figure it out by breaking it down into its constituent parts, but somewhere in the dark regions of my brain, the word "involuntary" was beginning to stir. I was hooked. What was "involuntary" about our bodies. I googled the word and discovered.

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is a division of the peripheral nervous system that influences the function of internal organs. It is a control system that acts largely unconsciously and regulates bodily functions such as the heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, pupillary response, urination, and sexual arousal. This system is the primary mechanism in control of the fight-or-flight response and the freeze-and-dissociate response.

OK, got it. Now to find out how it is affected by PD and TAH DAH. The autonomic nervous system is indeed affected by our dark passenger producing these symptoms:

• Constipation and/or urinary frequency: these should be taken seriously and can usually be treated effectively. I Got both. They are a nuisance, but I have learned to live with them.
• Blood pressure changes: usually dizziness upon standing. Yup. I have encountered that dizzy feeling but it doesn't appear often and does not interfere with my life.
• Temperature regulation: feeling very cold or warm, despite normal room temperature; excessive sweating. God yes! My feet and hands can feel cold even under a heating blanket
• Sexual dysfunction Some things must remain a secret

.

That brilliant, but miserable Parkinson's invader, attacks at all levels. But, don't surrender. Fight on; for at least we can win some pyrrhic battles before we lose the war or maybe some genius researcher will conquer the bastard.

I still hold out hope for the latter. My back is healed, so tomorrow, Wednesday at the latest, I plan to begin exercising again with more intensity.