By Ramon A. Gil, M.D., Medical Director, Parkinson’s Disease Treatment Center of SWFL
Progress in the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is non-stop. We at the PD Treatment Center of SWFL are committed to providing our community with the latest and most useful information regarding technological and medical advances that are making the treatment outcomes of this disease more meaningful. Our aim is a higher percentage of success in achieving the ultimate goal: optimal quality of life for patients and family members/care partners. We also present scientific data demonstrating the significant benefits that non-pharmacological interventions (physical exercise, healthy diet and lifestyle) have for patients, not just with PD, but for all neurodegenerative disorders and for general health.
We invite you to join us in our upcoming educational program on Friday, November 21 at the Sunseeker Convention Center in Port Charlotte. The program is prepared to cover the latest drugs for the treatment of PD, as well as new technology that is improving surgical treatment with deep brain stimulation. We will talk about the rationale and benefits of physical exercise as it enhances neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to repair itself).
To open our lineup of presentations, personal trainer Jay Woods and his associates will illustrate basic routines and simple exercises that will help you improve your mobility, strength, and balance (things typically affected by PD).
We will then proceed to a presentation by Dr. Glorivel Koury-Ramos, Medical Director of RK Healthy Life, from Atlanta, GA. She will discuss “Weight Management in the Treatment of PD”. It should not be difficult to appreciate the negative impact of obesity in PD, but also the problems associated with being underweight because of poor nutrition caused by other medical problems affecting some patients with PD. She will provide the most useful information regarding a healthy diet, a factor that will improve physical condition and quality of life.
The use of botulinum toxin injections for cosmetic reasons (wrinkles, forehead lines, Crow’s feet…) are well known to many of you. However, the use of these injections for medical reasons (in this case, associated with PD) may be unknown to many. Focal and Cervical Dystonia (CD) affect many PD patients. These problems are manifested by increase muscle tone in areas such as the feet, toes, hand and neck causing limitations in the use of the limbs and affecting balance. The problems caused by cervical dystonia lead to regional pain, limited range of motion of the neck and worsening of swallowing functions, as well as balance. These conditions, as well as other involuntary movements associated with dyskinesias, are effectively treated with these injections. Even drooling, a rather aggravating problem for up to 80% of PD patients, is also treated with these injections. I will be reviewing this topic myself.
In the afternoon, I will present the latest drug treatments for PD, particularly the infusion therapies. Dr. George Mandybur, Director of the Neurosurgery Department and Functional Neurosurgery at Lee Health in Fort Myers, will lecture about the latest advances in the surgical treatment of PD with deep brain stimulation, which are making the adjustments in the DBS settings easier, less time consuming and reducing side effects from the stimulation.
We hope that you enjoy these presentations and that the information provided will ensure that your treatment is optimized. We would like to thank our sponsors, without their support these programs would not be able to be brought to you.
Looking forward to seeing you soon,
Ramon A. Gil, M.D.
Medical Director, Parkinson’s Disease Treatment Center of SWFL – Program Director
Welcome to our 2025 Parkinson’s Disease
Fall Symposium.
Friday, November 21, 2025
8:30 AM to 3:45 PM
The Convention Center at the Sunseeker Resort
5500 Sunseeker Way, Port Charlotte, FL 33980
Presented by:
Parkinson’s Disease Treatment Center
4235 Kings Hwy. Suite 102
Port Charlotte, FL 33980
For more info or to register
contact Lisa Gallucci at Dr. Gil’s Office:
Phone (941) 743-4987 | Fax (941) 743-4486
lisag@parkinsonsfl.com