This guide was originally published on The Mighty

What Is Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects your body’s ability to produce dopamine, a chemical found in your brain that helps you initiate and control your movements. This causes symptoms like uncontrollable shaking in your limbs (known as a tremor), slow movement, a rigid, stiff feeling in your body, unsteady gait and posture, as well as symptoms unrelated to movement like loss of smell, constipation, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, cognitive challenges and blood pressure issues. Parkinson’s most frequently develops in people over age 50, but can also appear in younger individuals, too.

You might feel stiff, like it’s hard to move your muscles, and maybe you have uncontrollable shaking in one or more of your limbs or fingers. You might also feel fatigued and have difficulty feeling motivated to get up. Everyday tasks like brushing your teeth, putting on your clothes, cooking and driving a car might be a struggle due to the stiffness and slowness of your muscles. Perhaps family members have noticed you don’t swing one of your arms when you walk.

Originally published on The Mighty

In the United States, people with type 1 diabetes spend an average of $5,705 per year on insulin alone. In Canada, people with type 1 diabetes pay an average of $1,500 CDN (about $1,140 USD) per year for all their diabetes supplies, including medication. So last weekend, a group of Americans went on a “Caravan to Canada” to not only buy insulin for a fraction of what they would pay at home, but also to raise awareness of the price gouging Americans face for the exact same medication.

The group was organized by the Minnesota state chapter of Insulin4All, an advocacy group under the diabetes nonprofit organization T1International. The “caravan” traveled by private bus, starting off in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday and arriving in London, Ontario, the next day after picking up other caravaners along the way.

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