Tips To Slow Or Stop Progression
Some suggest that you may be able to delay some of the effects of Parkinsons disease through regular physical activity. Ideally this would include a combination of exercise that includes:
- aerobic activity
- balance training
- functional activities
The NINDS has funded a number of studies to learn more about the impact of exercise, including whether exercise might help people delay the need for medication.
How Parkinsons Disease Symptoms Affect Driving Skills
Parkinsonâs disease symptoms vary from patient to patient. They can range from mild to severe. But even in mild cases, common symptoms such as shaking in the arms, hands, or legs, impaired balance, and slowed physical and mental responses can affect driving skills.
Episodes of tremor, for example, often begin in a hand or a foot and can affect the ability to operate a carâs controls. Rigidity can result in jerky motions while steering. Slow movement can interfere with braking in heavy traffic or ability to quickly react to road hazards. Postural instability often results in a stooped posture in which the head is bowed and shoulders are drooped, further reducing driversâ awareness of their surroundings.
For many people with early Parkinsonâs disease, medications can reduce symptoms. But medications may have side effects, such as drowsiness, that can affect driving as well. It can be difficult for doctors to devise a medication plan that reduces the primary symptoms of Parkinsonâs disease and allows some patients to drive without causing side effects that make driving a car even more dangerous.
First Hints Parkinson’s Can Be Stopped
Health and science reporter, BBC News website
It may be possible to stop the progression of Parkinson’s disease with a drug normally used in type 2 diabetes, a clinical trial suggests.
Current drugs help manage the symptoms, but do not prevent brain cells dying.
The trial on 62 patients, published in the Lancet, hints the medicine halted the progression of the disease.
The University College London team is “excited”, but it urges caution as any long-term benefit is uncertain and the drug needs more testing.
“There’s absolutely no doubt the most important unmet need in Parkinson’s is a drug to slow down disease progression, it’s unarguable,” Prof Tom Foltynie, one of the researchers, told the BBC.
In Parkinson’s, the brain is progressively damaged and the cells that produce the hormone dopamine are lost.
It leads to a tremor, difficulty moving and eventually memory problems.
Therapies help manage symptoms by boosting dopamine levels, but the death of the brain continues and the disease gets worse.
No drug stops that happening.
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What Medications Are Used To Treat Parkinsons Disease
Medications are the main treatment method for patients with Parkinsons disease. Your doctor will work closely with you to develop a treatment plan best suited for you based on the severity of your disease at the time of diagnosis, side effects of the drug class and success or failure of symptom control of the medications you try.
Medications combat Parkinsons disease by:
- Helping nerve cells in the brain make dopamine.
- Mimicking the effects of dopamine in the brain.
- Blocking an enzyme that breaks down dopamine in the brain.
- Reducing some specific symptoms of Parkinsons disease.
Levodopa: Levodopa is a main treatment for the slowness of movement, tremor, and stiffness symptoms of Parkinsons disease. Nerve cells use levodopa to make dopamine, which replenishes the low amount found in the brain of persons with Parkinsons disease. Levodopa is usually taken with carbidopa to allow more levodopa to reach the brain and to prevent or reduce the nausea and vomiting, low blood pressure and other side effects of levodopa. Sinemet® is available in an immediate release formula and a long-acting, controlled release formula. Rytary® is a newer version of levodopa/carbidopa that is a longer-acting capsule. The newest addition is Inbrija®, which is inhaled levodopa. It is used by people already taking regular carbidopa/levodopa for when they have off episodes .
Add Medication For A Winning Combo
Diet and exercise are important for managing PD, but dont forget about medications. Take them regularly and exactly as your doctor prescribes.
If you tend to forget your medication, set an alarm to remind you. You can also use a pillbox thats labeled with days and times of day. Take your meds on a set schedule, dont skip doses and dont double dose, says Dr. Gostkowski. When youre diligent about taking your medications and following a healthy lifestyle, youll feel your best.
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Glutathione And Glutathione Peroxidase Protect Against Neurodegeneration
Another approach to ameliorate cellular deterioration caused by ROS in PD is to raise the intracellular levels of the tripeptide glutathione . Antioxidant defenses in SN are relatively low, compared to other regions of CNS, due to low levels of GSH, particularly during the early stages of PD when extravesicular DA and its degradation products may act as a GSH depleting agents . N-acetylcysteine shows antioxidant properties by restoring cellular GSH, which participate in important endogenous antioxidant systems. In experimental studies NAC has been reported to protect against PD development .
Glutathione acts either alone or together with an appropriate enzyme system, viz. glutathione peroxidases , to reduce ROS. Also, GSH detoxifies xenobiotics and maintains sulfhydryl proteins in a reduced state . The antioxidant characteristics of GSH have been demonstrated in several models of oxidative stress, including models using buthionine-sulfoximine to deplete GSH . In these studies, the GSH depletion increased oxidative stress in whole cells as well as in mitochondrial fractions. Depletion of GSH with BSO potentiated the MPTP-induced tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neuron death in pars compacta of SN . Furthermore, NAC treatment after MPTP or rotenone exposure in the GSH-depleted models, restored mitochondrial complex 1 and protected against DA loss in SN .
It is tempting to suggest that supplementation with NAC in adequate doses to patients with PD may inhibit disease progression.
What’s Missing In Parkinsons Disease Treatments
Dr. Abraham Hoffer andDr. Harold Foster believe that there is a second step missing from currentmedical Parkinsons Disease treatments.
They found that this second setof Parkinson’s symptoms — diminished voluntary movements and increasedinvoluntary movements — can indeed be delayed, reduced and even prevented.How?
Dr.Foster explains:
“I believe that there are twotypes of symptoms seen in Parkinson’s disease patients:
The first set is effectivelytreated with L-Dopa.;
This second set of Parkinsons symptoms is different:
- Even with medication, the situationworsens with the appearance of a “second set of symptoms,” thataccording to Drs. Foster and Hoffer, “seems to result from thederivatives, such as the dangerous toxin dopachrome, that is produced by thebreakdown of dopamine.”
As a result, slowly but surely, the L-Dopa increases these “secondarysymptoms” until the patient becomes demented and often dies.
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Naturaltreatment For Parkinsons #9 Exercise And Other Alternative Therapies:
Regular exercise has been shown to help Parkinsonssufferers by reducing muscle stiffness, increasing mobility, and enhancing postureand balance. Exercise also increases oxygen levels and neurotransmitters, alongwith releasing potent mood elevating chemicals called endorphins.
The type of exercise performed for PD is crucial. Aqua orwater aerobics can be particularly useful as traditional exercise is usuallyquite difficult for many Parkinsons sufferers. Muscle decline, loss of strength,stiffness and loss of balance can make conventional exercises difficult toperform. The great thing about aqua aerobics is it still has the same benefits as other exercise regimens,but the risk of falling is eliminated.
Other types of exercises that can be beneficial for PDsufferers include Tai Chi, Yoga, dancing, walking, aerobic/jazzercise classes,and general stretching.
For more information on the different exercise programsavailable for Parkinsons patients, you can check out this website ;Exercise and Physical Therapy for ParkinsonsDisease
Dysregulated Iron And Copper Metabolism And Oxidative Stress In Parkinsons Disease
The accumulation of Fe observed in SN in association with the occurrence of aggregated misfolded protein seems to contribute to the progression of PD . One theory claims that pathological distributions of Fe and copper aggravate oxidative damage and contribute to PD progression. Elevated cytosolic Fe in SN of PD patients has long been associated with neurotoxicity via various mechanisms including deleterious interactions between DA and Fe . Furthermore, dysmetabolism of Cu with reduced cytosolic fraction of the metal, reflecting reduced activity of the cuproenzyme superoxide dismutase-1 will also increase the oxidative stress in PD . The pathogenic role of the aggregation of alpha-synuclein, effective as a Cu chaperone, for the SOD1 insufficiency is unclear . The alterations in Fe and Cu distribution appear to occur early in the PD disease process and are therefore not considered to represent merely a reactive redistribution of metals secondary to neuroinflammation .
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What You Can Expect
Parkinson does follow a broad pattern. While it moves at different paces for different people, changes tend to come on slowly. Symptoms usually get worse over time, and new ones probably will pop up along the way.
Parkinsonâs doesnât always affect how long you live. But it can change your quality of life in a major way. After about 10 years, most people will have at least one major issue, like dementia or a physical disability.
What Is Parkinsonism Is It Different From Parkinsons
Parkinsons disease is the most common cause of parkinsonism, a category of neurological diseases that cause slowed movement.
No quick or easy diagnostic tests exist for Parkinsons disease, so a patient may receive an initial diagnosis of parkinsonism without a more specific condition being confirmed.
Classic Parkinsons disease referred to as idiopathic because it has no known cause is the most common and most treatable parkinsonism.
About 15 percent of people with parkinsonism have atypical variants, which are also known as Parkinsons plus syndromes.
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How Is Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosed
Someone with the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may be sent to see a neurologist, a doctor who specializes in the brain, nerves, and muscles. The neurologist may do some tests, including a brain scan and blood tests. These tests will not make the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, but the doctor will want to make sure that there is no other problem causing the symptoms. To diagnose Parkinson’s disease, the doctor relies on a person’s medical history, symptoms, and a physical exam.
Eat Organic Whenever Possible
More research needs to be done on this subject, but many experts now believe pesticides can increase the risk of Parkinsons disease. Researchers have found high levels of pesticides inside the brains of people with Parkinsons, and those chemicals can suppress the production of dopamine. Products that are certified organic arent supposed to contain any chemical pesticides or herbicides.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Parkinsons Disease
Symptoms of Parkinsons disease and the rate of decline vary widely from person to person. The most common symptoms include:
Other symptoms include:
- Speech/vocal changes: Speech may be quick, become slurred or be soft in tone. You may hesitate before speaking. The pitch of your voice may become unchanged .
- Handwriting changes: You handwriting may become smaller and more difficult to read.
- Depression and anxiety.
- Sleeping disturbances including disrupted sleep, acting out your dreams, and restless leg syndrome.
- Pain, lack of interest , fatigue, change in weight, vision changes.
- Low blood pressure.
What Are The Natural Remedies For Parkinsons
People often underestimate the influence and effectiveness of natural remedies or lifestyle changes on diseases such as Parkinsons. Scientific research shows us that altering the diet and adding specific nutrients can help. Heres a look at what you can do to improve the quality of life under the influence of this disease:
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Home Remedyfor Parkinsons #8 Green Tea:
Green tea contains theanine, a nutrient that increasesdopamine levels in the brain, and polyphenol antioxidants that help fight free radicals. Three separate studies all found that regularlydrinking tea can either delay or prevent the development of PD. A retrospectivestudy also found that drinking three or more cups of tea a day can delay the onsetof motor symptoms. And a 2007 study found that green tea polyphenols protect braincells and dopamine neurons, and this positive effect increases with the moregreen tea consumed. 10
The minimum amount that should be drank every day is 3cups, with 6-9 cups a day being the ideal.Matcha green tea is the most potent and beneficial so try and purchase this ifyou can. A strong cup of coffee first thing in the morning is thought tobe effective for reducing the symptoms of Parkinsons disease as well, however,we recommend you stick with green tea, or even a strong cup of black tea ifyou can for the theanine and EGCGs.;
So How Can You Prevent Falls
The first step is to identify why;you;are falling.
The relative contribution of these factors to falling is different in different patients.
Thoughtful collaboration with your neurologist should help to identify yourmost critical problems. We will look at each of these things in detail, one by one.
If you have Parkinsons and falling backwards, a very important possibility arises. Your doctor should carefully examine you for signs of PSP.
PSP is described in another article .
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Choosing The Best Treatment Plan For You
As you may know, medications are the backbone of the Parkinsons treatment plan. But because the disease affects everyone differently, and each persons response to therapy will vary, there is no hard-and-fast rule about when you should begin taking medication and what to take first. Some doctors prescribe medication upon diagnosis. Others believe that drugs, especially levodopa, should be delayed as long as possible to avoid earlier onset of medication-related side effects.
Your involvement from the very start is important because you want to be sure your doctor is addressing your individual needs. When your doctor writes a new prescription, or makes a change to an existing one, take the opportunity to ask for an explanation. If her response goes something like, I always start my Parkinsons patients on X dosage of Y, a dopamine agonist, you might want to consider switching to a movement disorders specialist, a neurologist who has had special training in Parkinsons disease and other movement disorders.
Natural Remedy For Parkinsons #4 Chlorella And Borax:
If you have a neurological disease such as Parkinsons orAlzheimers, the importance of removing heavy metals from the body – especiallyfrom the brain and nervous system – cannot be overstated. Heavy metalsaccumulate in the brain and nervous system at a rapid rate and cause damage tothe neurological pathways and brain inflammation. Fluoride is one ofthe worst, however, mercury, lead, aluminium and cadmium are also extremely dangerous.Chlorella and borax not only remove these heavy metals completely, theycontinue to prevent further toxic build-ups.
Chlorella is a miracle blue-green algae and one of themost powerful detoxifiers and chelators yet discovered. Whenits combined with cilantro, its benefits are enhancedsignificantly. A Russian study found that chlorella, combined with cilantro,was able to remove all heavy metals from the body, including fluoride and mercury,with no adverse or harmful side effects. You can purchase chlorellain powdered form online or from most health food stores. Just make sure you buythe Broken Cell Wall Chlorella as this is the strongest and most bio-available.For dosage recommendations, simply follow the directions on the container.
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Multiple Physical Activities Can Improve Motor And Nonmotor Symptoms Of Parkinson’s Disease
Mehrholz et al. and Herman et al.’s study found that running can improve gait and physical fitness and better safety . Aguiar et al. indicated that regular dancing has the benefit of balance and mobility in PD patients . The rhythmic music used in dancing could activate neurons that are conducive to motor control, accompanied by increasing blood flow in the hippocampus, frontal, temporal, and parietal cortex. This promotion of neural plasticity improves movement, balance, and cognition of the body . Also, Tai Chi and Qigong could upgrade the motor function and balance ability of patients with mild to moderate PD . Yoga provides modest improvements in motor functions, mobility, balance, flexibility, and strength in upper and lower limbs, while helps reduce the fear of falls in Parkinson’s patients .
What Are The Surgical Treatments For Parkinsons Disease
Most patients with Parkinsons disease can maintain a good quality of life with medications. However, as the disease worsens, medications may no longer be effective in some patients. In these patients, the effectiveness of medications becomes unpredictable reducing symptoms during on periods and no longer controlling symptoms during off periods, which usually occur when the medication is wearing off and just before the next dose is to be taken. Sometimes these variations can be managed with changes in medications. However, sometimes they cant. Based on the type and severity of your symptoms, the failure of adjustments in your medications, the decline in your quality of life and your overall health, your doctor may discuss some of the available surgical options.
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Get Enough Vitamin D And Omega 3s
Parkinsons is an inflammatory disease of the brain. Researchers have studied the anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 fatty acids which have shown to prevent the degeneration of brain cells. A 2008 study done in Canada shows that omega- 3 helps to protect the cognitive system from a loss of dopamine.
Vitamin D comes from the sun, it also comes from animal fat. Consuming the proper amounts of Vitamin D allows for your body to absorb calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D also helps boost the bodies immunity, increases bone health, allows for the body to absorb minerals, protects the body from dementia, boosts energy, and effects the mood and mental health. Studies have proven that consuming the proper amounts of Vitamin D can help to prevent Parkinsons Disease.