Living with Parkinson’s Disease

While living with Parkinson’s disease has its difficulties there are many things you can do to maintain your quality of life.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects dopamine producing neurons in the substantia negra (area of the brain).

Symptoms of Parkinson

Parkinson’s disease is called a movement disorder that progresses slowly and differently in every person. These are some of the symptoms that patients can have:

• Tremor. Involuntary, rhythmic movements of one or more body parts that occurs at rest.
• Bradykinesia. Slowness of movement, the most typical symptom of Parkinson’s disease.
• Rigidity. Abnormal tone and stiffness in the trunk and extremities.
• Postural Instability. Unsteady balance, difficulty rising from a sitting position, falls.
• Gait problems. People with Parkinson’s tend to have a shuffling gait with poor arm swing and stooped posture.
• Masked face. Decreased facial expressions, also called hypomimia. This is a result of combination of bradykinesia and rigidity.

Parkinson’s is hard to diagnose, but these are some early signs that can show that e person has the disease. Tremor, small handwriting, loss of smell, trouble sleeping, constipation, difficulty moving or walking, soft and low voice, dizziness and fainting, stooping and masked face.

Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

Unfortunately there is no standard treatment for Parkinson’s Disease. Every treatment is based on the symptoms of the patient.

Exercise

Exercise is one of the most important treatments for Parkinson. Exercise helps patients maintain and improve balance, mobility, flexibility and activities of daily living.

There are different types of exercising that can help patients depending on their stage and their symptoms

• Strength and resistance training, improves muscle strength and balance
• Physiotherapy and Occupational therapy can help patients improve their daily activities.

• Tango and dance. In the recent years, there has been a growing discussion among researchers and dance artists regarding the beneficial effects of Argentine Tango as a music-based movement therapy for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Argentine Tango involves rhythmic variations that may lead to an improvement in spatial cognition because individuals may learn spatial postures and simple paths during the dance classes, and these must be stored, remembered and used again.
• Aerobic activity such as walking, dancing, Nordic walking, stationary biking. Group aerobic sessions are a better motivation for these patients.
• Pilates may be a beneficial method of exercise for people with Parkinson’s disease. Studies have shown that Pilates could have a positive impact on fitness, balance and physical function. Its benefits on lower-body function appear to be superior to those of other conventional exercises.

There is no “exercise prescription” that is right for every patient. The type of exercise an individual does depend on their symptoms and challenges.

Nutrition

For people diagnosed with Parkinson’s, diet can play an important role in daily life. While it is not consider a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, a healthy diet can have some significant impacts.

With specific foods patients can increase the levels of dopamine hormone in the brain. Antioxidant rich foods (nuts, berries, kale spinach, etc.) and omega-3s are part of a good nutrition for Parkinson’s.

Medications

The choice of medication treatment depends on many variables including symptoms present, other existing health issues (and the medications being used to treat them) and age. Dosages vary greatly depending on a person’s needs and metabolism.

Many drugs are aimed to temporarily replenish dopamine or mimicking the action of dopamine (dopaminergic medications).

Always remember that medication is only part of the overall treatment plan for preventing Parkinson’s disease.

Medical marijuana

Medical marijuana is now legalized in many countries throughout the world. Researchers are testing marijuana, also called cannabis, as a treatment for many illnesses and diseases, including neurological conditions.

It is shown that cannabis use diminishes some of the adverse effects of neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, chronic cannabis use may lead to cognitive impairments and dependence. Also results from clinical studies are controversial and inconclusive.

Conclusion

Living with Parkinson’s disease is really challenging but the patient’s emotional well-being is very important.

Minimizing stress, simplifying the daily schedule and having an exercise and nutritional plan can be very helpful for individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

Patients should be open and honest about what they are going through, rather than isolating themselves.