What Carly Simon Made Me Think About

This post was originally published on my Martha's Quest Substack, and I thought it would be interesting to share a snippet here. You can read the full post here.

I grew up with Carly Simon’s music, and I have always loved her. So when she announced last month that she has Parkinson’s disease at the age of 83, it caught my attention in more ways than one.

From the announcement, she spoke candidly about some of the non-motor aspects of the disease, particularly the apathy and depression that can accompany Parkinson’s. These symptoms are real and serious, I hear about them frequently from people with Parkinson’s and their partners and they don’t get enough attention. I happen to know how closely both can be connected to the microbiome and that also doesn’t get enough attention beyond academic research. Her willingness to address them in her announcement was important. Apathy and depression are only one of many important aspects of Parkinson’s that her story brings into view that are rarely, if ever discussed. There are a few connections in her story that captured my attention.

Continue reading on Substack here. Many of you originally found me through Martha's Quest because Parkinson's has touched your life in some way. I've now moved much of my deeper writing and research to Substack. This platform is where I write more in depth about my research and scientific insights, and expand on topics related to Parkinson's and beyond. The paid subscription options includes additional series and content (though the majority is free).

For being a Martha's Quest reader, I'd like to give you three months of full access at no charge. Subscribe to the Substack, and I'll upgrade your subscription for 90 days. There's no obligation to continue as a paid subscriber afterward. I simply want the people for whom this work is most immediately relevant to be able to read it.

With gratitude,

Martha