Two “Crazy Good” Devices For Parkinson’s and BPH

I am a throwback. I’ve always loved the low-tech, analogue world, especially for crystalline reproduction of recorded music. 

I squirm with digital innovations that demand immediate acceptance and use. The higher the tech, the more I lean on long-suffering coaches to walk me through the latest maze.

My photo chief at The Tampa Tribune, Allyn DiVito, continues to be my primary digital therapist, although we live in separate cities. He’s in St. Petersburg, FL. I live in Macon, GA. (Think a long string with metal cans at either end.)

I am an unlikely cheerleader for two new “whoop-de-do” medical devices that have, in fact, changed my life for the better.

The first is Apollo Neuro, a wearable device for wrist or ankle that harmonizes the sympathetic and parasympathetic impulses in the autonomic nervous system (ANS). My Parkinson’s is primarily internal and linked to imbalances in my ANS. 

I have GI problems, headlined by intractable constipation. My equilibrium and balance are askew. Ditto hot/cold regulation— hot flashes for one. Doc Parkinson also has dead aim on my urinary system with episodes of frequency and urgency.

Apollo rebalances the ANS by increasing parasympathetic impulse intensity. Sympathetic signals trigger the flight, fright impulses. Parasympathetic signals make you mellow.

Will Shankin in Apple Insider offers this highly informed take on Apollo:

“Apollo Neuro is an oddball device— it’s a wearable that doesn’t track your steps, check your heart rate, or bug you with notifications. Instead, the company behind it promises ‘real-time stress control for better sleep, focus, energy, calm, and more’ through haptic touch,” Shankin says.

“My experience with the device, while short of profoundly life-changing, has still been quite positive,” Shankin says. “The ‘Energy and Wake Up’ program’s staccato rhythms give me a nice boost to start my day when waking up. When I’m feeling anxious or too worked up over something, ‘Relax and Unwind’ helps me chill out, and the ‘Clarity and Focus mode is great for calm and concentrated work activities.”

Second game-changer device is the UroLift System to treat urinary problems related to an enlarged Prostate Gland (BPH).

UroLift uses a minimally invasive surgical approach to treat BPH. The urological surgeon ventures up the urethra, lifts and holds the enlarged prostate tissue so it no longer blocks the urethra. The surgeon then implants a device made of nickel that’s akin to a toggle bolt to lift and “pin” the prostate tissue back to open the urethra.

The maker says that It is the only “BPH treatment performed by a urologist that does not require heating, cutting, or removal of the prostate tissue. The procedure is typically performed using local anesthesia in a physician’s office or ambulatory surgery center.”

I am two months post procedure performed by Dr. Brian T. Geary of Urology Specialists of Georgia. My urinary function is “normal,” by my accounting. Furthermore, I no longer need or use most of my BPH medications.