Sources

Graphic Sources List
Detailed references for individual TooShaky educational graphics and graphic series.

Agent Orange / Toxic Exposure Research Series — Sources

Agent Orange & Descendants* U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) — Agent Orange health effects, birth defects, and benefits information. VA Agent Orange information
* National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 11 (2018), including reproductive health effects and effects on descendants.
* Kelsey, K. T., et al. (2019). “Serum dioxin and DNA methylation in the sperm of Operation Ranch Hand veterans exposed to Agent Orange.” Environmental Health, 18, 91.
Study / PubMed record
* Corsaro, L. (2024). “A new approach to study stochastic epigenetic mutations in sperm methylome of Vietnam war veterans directly exposed to Agent Orange.” Environmental Epigenetics, 10(1).
* Atienza, S., et al. (2026). “Second-generation Agent Orange: Phenomenology of the health experiences of Vietnam veteran progeny.” Nursing Outlook, 74(1), 102618.Molly R. Loomis Legislation* Congress.gov — Molly R. Loomis Research for Descendants of Toxic Exposed Veterans Act of 2025, S.2061 and H.R.6005.
S.2061 on Congress.gov
H.R.6005 on Congress.govCamp Lejeune & Future Generations* Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) — Camp Lejeune Health Studies. ATSDR has studied service members, civilian workers, families, pregnancy outcomes and childhood outcomes.
ATSDR Camp Lejeune Health Studies
* ATSDR — Camp Lejeune Future Generations FAQ. ATSDR states that whether these exposures affect future generations remains uncertain and that human studies have not answered the question.
ATSDR Camp Lejeune FAQ
* ATSDR — Assessment of Evidence for Camp Lejeune Drinking-Water Contaminants. Reviews evidence concerning TCE, PCE, benzene, vinyl chloride and associated diseases.Environmental Exposures & Parkinson’s* Dorsey, E. R., & Okun, M. S. The Parkinson’s Plan: A New Path to Prevention and Treatment. — Environmental contributors to Parkinson’s disease, including pesticides and industrial solvents.
* PubMed / peer-reviewed medical literature — Research concerning pesticides, TCE/PCE, environmental exposures, Parkinson’s disease, epigenetics and possible intergenerational effects.About these sources: TooShaky uses government health agencies, peer-reviewed research, major scientific reviews, and established medical organizations whenever possible. Inclusion of a study does not mean that the study proves causation. Research involving toxic exposure and future generations is evolving, and sources will be updated as new evidence becomes available.

Diabetes Education Series — SourcesAmerican Diabetes Association (ADA). Understanding Type 2 Diabetes.
Covers insulin resistance, symptoms, treatment, and differences between diabetes types.
American Diabetes Association — Type 2 DiabetesAmerican Diabetes Association (ADA). Diabetes Diagnosis.
Covers A1C, fasting glucose, oral glucose tolerance testing, and diagnostic ranges for diabetes and prediabetes.
American Diabetes Association — Diabetes DiagnosisAmerican Diabetes Association (ADA). Diabetes Complications.
Covers cardiovascular disease, kidney and eye disease, nerve damage, and prevention or reduction of complications.
American Diabetes Association — Diabetes ComplicationsCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Diabetes Basics.
General reference for Type 1, Type 2, prediabetes, insulin, risk factors, management, and long-term complications.
CDC — Diabetes BasicsCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Diabetes Complications.
Covers heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, neuropathy, eye disease, foot complications, and other effects of diabetes.
CDC — Diabetes ComplicationsCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Diabetes and Your Heart. Covers diabetes-related cardiovascular disease and stroke risk.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK/NIH). Gastroparesis. Covers diabetes as a cause of gastroparesis and its effects on digestion.Buzzetti, R., Tuomi, T., Mauricio, D., et al. (2020). Management of Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults: A Consensus Statement From an International Expert Panel. Diabetes, 69(10), 2037–2047. DOI: 10.2337/dbi20-0017.
This is particularly useful for the part of the series discussing LADA (Type 1.5 diabetes), including autoimmune diabetes in adults, C-peptide testing, progression, and treatment considerations.
American Diabetes Association — LADA Consensus Statement

Dream Reflections — Episodes 1–3 Sources* Parkinson’s Foundation. Sleep Disorders. Covers vivid dreaming, sleep talking/yelling, acting out dreams, REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), and the high prevalence of sleep problems in Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s Foundation — Sleep Disorders
* Parkinson’s Foundation. Understanding Sleep Problems in Parkinson’s. Covers vivid dreams, RBD, nighttime movement, medication effects, sleep apnea, and other causes of disrupted sleep in Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s Foundation — Understanding Sleep Problems in Parkinson’s
* Parkinson’s Foundation. Understanding REM Sleep Disorder in Parkinson’s. Discusses why people with RBD may talk, yell, move or physically act out vivid dreams, along with sleep safety and symptom tracking.
Parkinson’s Foundation — REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
* Boeve, B. F. (2010). REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: Updated Review of the Core Features, the RBD-Neurodegenerative Disease Association, Evolving Concepts, Controversies, and Future Directions. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1184, 15–54. DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05115.x. This review supports the educational material about vivid/frightening dreams, dream enactment and RBD’s relationship with neurodegenerative disease.
PubMed record
* St. Louis, E. K., & Boeve, B. F. (2017). REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: Diagnosis, Clinical Implications, and Future Directions. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 92(11). Covers diagnosis of RBD, loss of normal REM muscle atonia, dream enactment and its strong association with Parkinson’s and related disorders.
• American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) Clinical Practice Guideline for RBD. SLEEP. 2023.
• Postuma RB, et al. Diagnosis and Treatment of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder. Neurology. 2023.
• Zhao Y, et al. Pharmacologic Treatments for RBD:
Systematic Review. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2026.
*http://ClinicalTrials.gov

Parkinson's Graphic Sources👁️ Parkinson’s & Vision Changes* American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA). Eye & Vision Issues in Parkinson’s Disease. Covers dry eye/reduced blinking, blurred and double vision, eye movement and tracking difficulties, reading problems, and other visual symptoms associated with Parkinson’s.
* Stanford Medicine — Parkinson’s Community Outreach. Vision Issues in Parkinson’s Disease. Educational information regarding visual and eye-related changes that can occur with Parkinson’s.
* Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Vision and Parkinson’s Disease. Educational information about vision changes and Parkinson’s.Parkinson’s Dystonia in the Foot
* Factor, S. A., & Weiner, W. J. Parkinson’s Disease: Diagnosis and Clinical Management. Demos Medical Publishing, 2020.
* Parkinson’s Foundation. Dystonia. Covers painful muscle twisting and cramping, curled toes, foot inversion, medication timing, physical/occupational therapy and botulinum toxin treatment.
* Albanese, A., et al. Dystonia in Parkinson Disease: Clinical Aspects and Treatment. Lancet Neurology. 2019;18(9):881–892.
* Tinazzi, M., et al. Pain in Parkinson’s Disease: A Review of the Literature. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders. 2012;18(Suppl 1):S131–S135.
* Jankovic, J. Medical Treatment of Dystonia. Movement Disorders. 2013;28(7):1001–1011.Understanding the Different “Kinesias” in Parkinson’s
* Parkinson’s Foundation. Movement Symptoms. Covers bradykinesia, dyskinesia, dystonia, rigidity, freezing and other Parkinson’s movement symptoms.
* Parkinson’s Foundation. Understanding Bradykinesia and Dyskinesia. Explains the important distinction between bradykinesia (slowness of movement related to Parkinson’s) and dyskinesia (involuntary movements commonly associated with dopaminergic medication).
* Parkinson’s Foundation. Dystonia. Explains sustained or repetitive muscle contractions, painful cramping, toe curling and foot inversion, including dystonia associated with medication wearing off.

Surprising Stroke Facts — Sources for Episodes 1–8*American Stroke Association / American Heart AssociationAmerican Stroke Association — Stroke Facts
*American Stroke Association — Stroke Diagnosis
* Stroke Facts / Stroke Explained — stroke definition, warning signs, B.E. F.A.S.T., risk factors, prevention and recovery.
* Stroke Diagnosis — CT, MRI, laboratory testing, neurological examination and other diagnostic testing.
* Types of Stroke and Treatment — ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, TIA and cryptogenic stroke.
American Stroke Association — Types of Stroke* Stroke Risk Factors — hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, smoking and other modifiable/nonmodifiable risks.
American Stroke Association — Stroke Risk Factors
* Recovery After Stroke / Life After Stroke — rehabilitation, cognitive and communication changes, physical effects, emotional effects and long-term recovery.
American Stroke Association — Recovery After Stroke*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)* Signs and Symptoms of Stroke — sudden weakness/numbness, confusion or speech difficulty, vision problems, dizziness/balance problems and severe headache; emphasizes calling 911 immediately.
*CDC — Signs and Symptoms of StrokeNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)* Stroke Overview — causes, brain injury, symptoms, urgency of treatment, disability and prevention.
NINDS — Stroke Overview
* Stroke Recovery — neuroplasticity, rehabilitation and recovery of function over months and years.
NINDS — Stroke Recovery*Parkinson’s Disease & Stroke — Peer-Reviewed Research* Liu Y, Xue L, Zhang Y, Xie A. Association Between Stroke and Parkinson’s Disease: a Meta-analysis. Journal of Molecular Neuroscience. 2020;70(8):1169–1176. DOI: 10.1007/s12031-020-01524-9. The pooled analysis reported an OR of 1.72 (95% CI 1.19–2.49) for the association between Parkinson’s disease and stroke.
PubMed — Liu et al. meta-analysis
* Hu Y, Xu Y. Association between Parkinson’s disease and the risk of adverse cardiovascular events: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine. 2023. This newer analysis included 16 studies and found an OR of 1.49 (95% CI 1.30–1.72) for stroke among people with PD, while noting that the overall certainty of evidence was very low.
PubMed — 2023 Parkinson's and cardiovascular events meta-analysis
* American Stroke Association — Changes Caused by Stroke
* American Stroke Association — Cognitive Effects Stroke
* American Stroke Association — Post-Stroke Fatigue
* CDC — Stroke Treatment and Recovery
* NINDS — Stroke Overview

Words Matter — Sources* Austin, K. W., Ameringer, S. W., & Cloud, L. J. (2016). An Integrated Review of Psychological Stress in Parkinson’s Disease: Biological Mechanisms and Symptom and Health Outcomes. Parkinson’s Disease, 2016, 9869712. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/9869712
* van der Heide, A., Speckens, A. E. M., Meinders, M. J., Rosenthal, L. S., Bloem, B. R., & Helmich, R. C. (2021). Stress and mindfulness in Parkinson’s disease—a survey in 5000 patients. npj Parkinson’s Disease, 7, 7. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-020-00152-9
* van der Heide, A., Meinders, M. J., Bloem, B. R., & Helmich, R. C. (2021). Stress and Mindfulness in Parkinson’s Disease: Clinical Effects and Potential Underlying Mechanisms. Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, 11(2), 435–448. This review discusses how psychological stress can worsen tremor, freezing of gait, dyskinesia and non-motor symptoms, and how dopaminergic medication may be less effective during stress.