Social Engagement And Parkinsons Disease
See the groundbreaking work of Dr Stephen Porges to understand more about this aspect of our Nervous System and its role in wellness and disease, based on the fact that mammals have a more evolved part of the Nervous System specifically designed for purposes of Social Engagement and Social Co-operation.
Social Engagement involves mainly the Cranial Nerves and their use in social functions such as making sounds and vocal calls for communication, and in facial expressiveness for transmitting emotional states to each other. Dysregulation of this Social Engagement part of our NS seems now to be a principal underlying cause in many chronic conditions, especially in PD, where loss of voice and loss of facial expression are major symptoms. See
Trouble Moving Or Walking
Do you feel stiff in your body, arms or legs? Have others noticed that your arms dont swing like they used to when you walk? Sometimes stiffness goes away as you move. If it does not, it can be a sign of Parkinsons disease. An early sign might be stiffness or pain in your shoulder or hips. People sometimes say their feet seem stuck to the floor.What is normal?If you have injured your arm or shoulder, you may not be able to use it as well until it is healed, or another illness like arthritis might cause the same symptom.
How Does Weather Affect Parkinsons Disease Symptoms
Weather changes are difficult for many people, but they can be even more challenging for people with Parkinsons. Since Parkinsons affects the nervous system, which controls body temperature, patients can be more sensitive to heat and cold. In the winter, Parkinsons patients may have a harder time feeling and staying warm. In the summer, extreme heat can make it difficult for the muscles to work properly.
Research has found that the classic symptoms of Parkinsons disease can be brought on through hypothermia. Accidental hypothermia, an unintentional drop in core body temperature to less than 95° F , is often serious in neurodegenerative diseases. There have been cases of accidental hypothermia in Parkinsons patients, most of which occur during the winter and can occur despite a well-heated house.
There has not been a lot of clear evidence to support seasonal fluctuations of Parkinsons disease symptoms, and only a handful of studies have examined the possibility of circannual or yearly fluctuations. One study of 546 Parkinsons disease patients did not find any differences in Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale scores over the four seasons of the year. The UPDRS monitors the response to medications used to reduce the signs and symptoms of Parkinsons disease.
The researchers used the following non-motor symptom scale domains:
- Cardiovascular and falls
- Sexual function
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Common Cold And Parkinson’s
In a way, yes. You get a little headache and a tickle in your nose and all hell breaks out. It’s as if there is a new kid on the block and all the other kids are being jostled out of their happy routine. Your symptoms rebel and fight to regain your attention. Your muscle and joint pains start earlier and by two thirty in the morning, you just have to get up and move your body. It feels like you are carrying a watermelon around in your gut. Your calves spasm and the dreaded curly toes seem to be mocking you, there is nothing you can do to stop them from playing their macabre tune at the end of your feet. Day one and you feel defeated. But wait, now youre sneezing and coughing – it is just a cold that’s causing this chaos. You can overcome.
Years ago, when I was working on a brand of cold medication, we conducted some very insightful research into the psychology of the cold. In the first stage of a cold there is relief, we deserve a rest a little pampering goes a long way. So Parkie peeps, rest a while. After a day or two, the study told us, the cold starts to be a nuisance. People can’t do the things they want to do, they feel helpless, hopeless, frustrated and out of control. Now they start to look for ways to feel better. The search can be almost frantic.
Responses To Active And Passive Heat Therapy In Healthy Adults
Physical activity and exercise have long been identified as mechanisms of inducing physiological stressors and subsequent positive adaptations in healthy and chronic disease populations. Unfortunately, those with increasing disease severity or diseases that challenge their motor control capabilities may be physically incapable of performing such beneficial exercise. Heat therapy has recently been targeted as a potential vehicle to evoke these positive thermal-induced adaptations in those precluded from undertaking exercise. Experimental investigations, large cohort surveys and reviews have expressed the potential for passive heating to improve physical and mental health in patients with cardiovascular disease , diabetes , peripheral arterial disease , and depression .
While there is a myriad of beneficial physiological and molecular effects of active and passive heating, this review will primarily focus specifically on the outcome of HSP expression, for its potential to influence proteostasis in neurodegenerative disease. For active and passive heating to be effective in increasing HSP expression, the minimum exposure requirements to elicit a desirable response in HSPs, from both acute and chronic exposure, needs to be identified.
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What Are The Primary Motor Symptoms Of Parkinsons Disease
There are four primary motor symptoms of Parkinsons disease:
- postural instability
Observing two or more of these symptoms is the main way that physicians diagnose Parkinsons.
It is important to know that not all of these symptoms must be present for a diagnosis of Parkinsons disease to be considered. In fact, younger people may only notice one or two of these motor symptoms, especially in the early stages of the disease. Not everyone with Parkinsons disease has a tremor, nor is a tremor proof of Parkinsons. If you suspect Parkinsons, see a neurologist or movement disorders specialist.
Introducing an easier way to track your symptoms and manage care.
Parkinsons Medications And Sweating
In some cases, excessive sweatingor insufficient sweatingis part of the disease process due to autonomic nervous system involvement. In Parkinsons disease, excessive sweating affects the face, head, and trunk, while the palms may sweat less than usual.
Additionally, too much sweating or too little sweating can be side effects of some Parkinsons medications, although sweating too little is less common.
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Whats Hot In Pd If You Are Dizzy Or Passing Out It Could Be Your Parkinsons Disease Or Parkinsons Disease Medications
Over many years of clinical practice, I have seen many Parkinsons disease patients visit the emergency room or clinic because of dizziness and/or syncope . In most cases, the obligatory cardiac evaluation finds no underlying factor. Many patients are referred to a vestibular physical therapist, someone who specializes in gaze and gait stabilization, to fix vertigo however, this approach is useful for few patients. Most patients actually have orthostatic hypotension, which can be a manifestation of Parkinsons and made worse by Parkinsons medications.
Orthostatic hypotension is common in PD and affects 15 to 50% of patients. It has been defined as a drop in systolic blood pressure of greater than 20 mmHg, or a decrease in diastolic blood pressure of greater than 10mmHg within 3 minutes of changing to a standing position. Dr. Jankovic and colleagues at the Parkinsons Foundation Center of Excellence in Houston, TX, recently published information about orthostatic hypotension in a large series of PD patients. They reviewed the records of 1,318 patients and found that symptomatic orthostatic hypotension occurred in 81% of patients with multiple system atrophy, in 18% of PD, and in 19% with non-multiple system atrophy atypical parkinsonism. They found that orthostatic hypotension occurred in older patients with more advanced PD, and longer disease durations.
Orthostatic Hypotension Treatments
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Being Cold Can Cause A Cold
Perhaps your parents used to warn you not to go outside in the cold with wet hair. To the chagrin of their parents, students today are often seen walking to school in shorts, without jackets and hats, even in frigid temperatures. While these behaviors can lead to frostbite or hypothermia, can they also make a person more likely to pick up a virus? Dr. Rajendram says the answer is yes.
“Wearing layers during the winter can help prevent physiological conditions that can make you more susceptible to contracting viruses,” says Dr. Rajendram.
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Cell Counting And Image Quantification
Cell counting was used to quantify the TH immunoreactive cells in the SN, as described previously . In brief, the entire SN area was cut into an average of 36 coronal sections with a thickness of 20 m. The number of THir cells in the SN pars compacta was counted in every sixth section using a 100× objective under a microscope . The number of TH-immunostained cells per section was determined by two other researchers who performed the cell counting blind to the treatment. The total number of THir cells per SNpc was estimated from the total THir cell number in six selected sections by dividing the ratio of selected and total sections . For the quantification of DAT immunoreactivity, we defined the corpus striatum with a free hand tool in according to an optical fractionator. The average intensity of the DAT immunoreactivity in six striatal sections was measured using Image J , and each value was corrected for a non-specific background by dividing the optical density in the cortex.
Barometric Pressure Changes Mean Weather Sensitivity
Some researchers believe that decreases in barometric pressure can increase joint pain. Barometric pressure refers to the force or weight of air surrounding us. A fall in barometric pressure means worsening weather. This can iclude a heat change or an upcoming storm.
Sudden and harsh changes in barometric pressure have been found to affect human health. Researchers believe barometric pressure changes might be linked to various health conditions and symptoms, including headaches, muscle pain, the common cold, eczema , and fatigue.
One theory about barometric pressure is that falling pressure can make muscles, tendons, and other tissues expand. There becomes a confined space in the body, especially in the joints, which leads to increased joint or muscle pain if you live with a muscular pain condition, like fibromyalgia.
A study reported in 2021 in the journal Rheumatology and Therapy aimed to understand if weather sensitivity was linked to clinical symptoms and structural abnormalities in people with knee OA. Nearly 58% of study participants said weather affected their knee-joint clinical symptoms.
Weather sensitivity was based on three questions, including whether warm or cold weather affects symptoms. In the article, the authors do not report which specific weather changes led to symptoms, just that weather changes increased symptoms.
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Hand And Finger Stimulation Exercises
I have done a lot of hand/finger stimulation and experimented to optimize such exercises, in the spirit of Curiosity and Play. Ive personally found significant benefit in pursuing this line of research. Indeed, I have managed to recover a lot of my independence and quality of life through hand and finger therapy, and I know just how much of a major part it has played in my own progressive symptom reduction.
I therefore encourage everyone with PD to do as much hand and finger stimulation as possible, through games and play and self-discovery. By doing nothing, the only thing that will happen is that out situation will rapidly become worse, because we will lose the use of our hands quicker and consign ourselves to increased suffering. By applying neuroplasticity techniques , we can delay the worse ravishes of the disease or even, like in my own case, continuously push the symptoms back and recover some independence. I feel this is an important message for those newly diagnosed, in particular.
Here are some suggestions of the type of stimulatory exercises and games which can help, more ideas which I have personally found beneficial will be provided in forthcoming articles.
The Effect Of Treadmill Exercise On Mptp
We further clarified the effect of treadmill running on MPTP-induced thermal responses. In the saline-pretreated control mice, running at a room temperature of 22°C induced a significant increase in both body and brain temperatures compared with the non-running sedentary mice . In the MPTP-pretreated group, the exercise-induced elevation in brain temperature, but not the increase in body temperature, was significantly attenuated compared with that in the saline-pretreated mice . On the other hand, the low brain temperature in the MPTP-treated sedentary mice while remaining at stationary treadmill was reversed in the mice who ran on the treadmill . In addition, the average changes in the brain and body temperatures during the 2 h of post-exercise at 22°C were slightly declined below the baseline, but there were no differences among groups .
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Waking Hours Of Light/dark
Depression can be more pronounced in the winter months.
This is impacted by:
- An increased number of hours in the dark.
- Sleep quality may vary depending on the season because of the level of comfort with the ambient temperature and number of hours spent in the darkness.
- Increased number of hours spent in the dark can impact hallucinations.
What to do: If the shorter days and lack of daylight are affecting your mood or sleep, talk with your doctor. You may be able to counteract the negative effects with light therapy, talk therapy, and possibly with antidepressant medications.
Find Your Parkinsons Team Today
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, you may find yourself wanting to talk to others who understand. MyParkinsonsTeam is the social network for people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones. More than 90,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their experiences with others who understand life with Parkinsons.
How does the cold weather affect your Parkinsons symptoms? What do you do to manage them? Share your experience and tips in the comments below or by posting on your Activities page.
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Why Is Cold Weather An Issue
People with certain neurological conditions may have extra reasons to avoid the cold, such as:
Nerve pain
If you have a condition that involves nerve pain, such as back pain, trigeminal neuralgia or a Chiari malformation, you will find that the temperature has an effect on your symptoms. This is to do with the nervous system and how it reacts to temperature changes. If the temperature is too hot you may feel tired and lethargic and if it is too cold, this may heighten the pain you feel.
Muscle stiffness
Cold weather can cause muscle stiffness and spasms if you have multiple sclerosis or suffer from spasticity. Its best to avoid being out in the cold for too long if this affects you.
Loss of sensation
Some people are not able to differentiate between hot and cold. If you have this problem, take extra care not to expose yourself to cold temperatures or to get too close to fire or radiators if you cant feel the heat.
Blood pressure
If you are watching your blood pressure, or have vascular problems, you need to take special care to avoid being out for long periods in the cold, and to make sure your home is warm enough. Contact your local GP surgery if you are worried about your blood pressure or would like to get it tested.
Cold-related illness
Icy conditions
Slippery paths and pavements can be unsafe for anyone, but you should take extra care if you have mobility problems or suffer from dizziness or balance problems.
Sweating And Temperature Regulation In Pd
People with Parkinsons experience changes to the autonomic nervous system, which controls sweating. While sweating controls temperature regulation, too much or too little sweating can result in feeling overheated. Here are some resources to understand sweating and temperature regulation, and how to cope with it.
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Hyperhidrosis In Parkinsons Disease
This medical journal article provides a good summary of prevalence of sweating in a small group of PD patients showing that excessive sweating in PD concurs with decreased activation of sweat glands in the palms of the hands and suggests that axial hyperhidrosis could be a compensatory phenomenon for reduced sympathetic function in the extremities. Registration with PubMed required to read the full article.
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What Is A Parkinsons Tremor
Other health issues can also cause tremors, like multiple sclerosis or essential tremor. But Parkinsonâs tremors are different because theyâre usually:
- Resting. Parkinsonâs tremors happen when your muscles are still. They go away when you move. They also lessen while you sleep. For example, if youâre sitting in a chair with your arm relaxed, you may notice that your fingers twitch. But if youâre using your hand, like when you shake someone elseâs hand, the tremor eases or stops.
- Rhythmic. Parkinsonâs tremors are slow and continuous. They arenât random tics, jerks, or spasms.
- Asymmetric. They tend to start on one side of your body. But they can spread to both sides of the body.
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What Questions Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider About Heat Illnesses
- Should I not exercise?
- What do I need to do differently to prevent heat illnesses in the future?
- Can I continue to do the activities that caused the illness?
- When can I return to work/school/normal activities?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Heat illnesses should not be taken lightly. You have to keep an eye on yourself when your body overheats. A heat rash may be troublesome, but heat stroke can be deadly. Familiarize yourself with the symptoms of heat illnesses to keep yourself and your friends and family safe in hot and humid weather.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 04/01/2021.
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