Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) December 28, 2011

There is evidence based support that re-focused nutrition, exercise, and healthy emotional coping strategies may play roles in maintaining optimal health while living with Parkinson’s Disease and other neurodegenerative disorders like multiple sclerosis. in fact, there is widespread interest today in brain healthy nutrition and how to protect and enhance neurologic function, particularly as we age. “Take Charge of Parkinson’s Disease: Dynamic Lifestyle Changes to put you in the Driver’s Seat” is an unusual how-to book for anyone on the journey of living with PD, from the newly diagnosed to those like author Anne Cutter Mikkelsen’s husband, Mike, who has lived vibrantly with the disease for decades — and for anyone interested in brain-healthy nutrition.

Loss of control underscores this disease that impacts more than one million people in the U.S., their carepartners and families, and the sixty thousand newly diagnosed each year. “Take Charge” espouses making the most of what we can control: what we eat, how we choose to think about our circumstances, and what we bring to our relationships. Read reviews and praise from persons with Parkinson’s and PD and movement disorder health care experts, including the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, the Brian Grant Foundation, and the Struthers Parkinson’s Center.

Classically trained in French cooking, author Anne Cutter Mikkelsen is a Parkinson’s carepartner to and advocate for her husband, Mike. A Master Gardener and writer, and former restaurateur and bed and breakfast proprietor, Anne presents more than 80 of her own original recipes and menus that combine a wide variety of anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, nutrient-rich ingredients, and culinary herbs and spices known to favorably impact the brain.

Powerfully, Anne tells the personal story of how she and Mike – an award-winning potter and sculptor – learned to live vibrantly since his 1993 PD diagnosis. the couple wishes to help cut the learning curve for others facing down a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. According to Anne, food has been her most effective tool in her quest to create an atmosphere of optimism and anticipation for “whatever is coming next” through the stages of Mike’s PD.

Mikkelsen, who studied cooking in Provence, France at L’Ecole des Trois Gourmandes with Simone Beck, co-author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking I and II, also is a former TV cooking show personality. in her “Take Charge” recipes, Anne uses familiar ingredients and introduces key ingredients – among them, “curcumin,” a component in the spice “turmeric,” heavily researched for potential neuroprotective properties, and the piney-scented herb, rosemary, shown to improve circulation and stimulate the brain. Family chefs and foodies alike will be comfortable and intrigued with the culinary and, preparation techniques, and brain healthy pantry stocking recommendations.

Chapters of practical information about Parkinson’s Disease is supplied by contributing writer, Carolyn Stinson, on symptoms, difficulties with diagnosis, risk factors, loss and depression, denial, stress, and research at the Cleveland Clinic on potential neuroprotective and symptom management benefits afforded by certain types of exercise.

The metaphor in the book’s title is compellingly personal, too — “putting you in the driver’s seat.” Anne and Mike know that PD will always be there, along for the ride. however, they have mastered living a good life, relegating Parkinson’s to the back seat as just a passenger. beyond that fitting metaphor, Mike also happens to be a lifelong collector and creative restorer of automobiles, including the beloved Dodge D-19 Luxury Liner convertible he has owned for six decades. in early 2012, Anne and Mike as co-authors will publish a prequel of sorts to “Take Charge” — “The Dodge: Guts, Glory, and Living at full Throttle” – that recounts the intertwined life stories of Mike, Anne, and the Dodge.

“Of all the Arts, I return to the lure of the automobile— those with a history, a character and a host of idiosyncrasies, which I desperately want to know and cater to. I’ve recently learned that a car is capable of much more than transportation.” E.A. Mike Mikkelsen.

The accompanying video clip depicts Mike and the Dodge joyfully returning home from gathering holiday greenery for the Mikkelsen home.

Anne is also the author of “From Both Sides of the River: A Family Portrait,” also published in 2011. Both “The Dodge” and “From Both Sides” can be purchased at annecuttermikkelsen.com. “Take Charge of Parkinson’s Disease” is available from Amazon.com, in bookstores, and at annecuttermikkelsen.com.

Read praise, reviews and excerpts of “Take Charge of Parkinson’s Disease” at annecuttermikkelsen.com.

“Take Charge of Parkinson’s Disease: Dynamic Lifestye Changes to put you in the Driver’s Seat” ISBN 13: 978-0-9823219-3-5 A DiaMedica Publishing Guide to Optimum Wellness (2011) available from Amazon.com and in Bookstores

Read the full story at prweb.com/releases/parkinsons/optimalhealth/prweb9025660.htm