Dietitian With Parkinson's Reveals What Doctors Won't Tell You

Richelle Flanagan spent nearly 20 years as a registered dietitian — and served as President & CEO of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute — before noticing her own young-onset Parkinson's symptoms while pregnant with her second child. She hid the diagnosis for two years. Today she's one of the world's leading voices on nutrition for Parkinson's and the unmet needs of women living with the disease. In this conversation with Gaia Forlani of the Parkinson Performance Centre, Richelle breaks down the practical, often-overlooked side of living well with Parkinson's: how to time protein around your medication, why fiber and gut health may influence progression, the B6–levodopa warning most patients never hear, why women are routinely misdiagnosed and under-treated, and the simple checks every clinician should be doing but often isn't. If you or someone you love is living with Parkinson's, this is the practical, no-nonsense guidance that too often gets left out of the appointment.