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Is There A Cure For Parkinson’s

What Research Is Being Done

Is there a cure for Parkinson’s disease? How is is treated?

The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use the knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. NINDS is a component of the National Institutes of Health , the leading supporter of biomedical research in the world. NINDS conducts and supports three types of research: basicscientific discoveries in the lab, clinicaldeveloping and studying therapeutic approaches to Parkinsons disease, and translationalfocused on tools and resources that speed the development of therapeutics into practice. The goals of NINDS-supported research on Parkinsons disease are to better understand and diagnose PD, develop new treatments, and ultimately, prevent PD. NINDS also supports training for the next generation of PD researchers and clinicians and serves as an important source of information for people with PD and their families.

Natural Treatment For Parkinsons #3 Turmeric And Otherherbs And Spices:

A recent study published in the journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy, foundthat the extracts in turmeric, particularly curcumin and the newly discovered Ar-turmerone,can regenerate a damaged brain and reverse neurological disorders. Researchers said Ar-turmerone is a promising candidate to supportregeneration in neurologic disease. Michigan State University researcherBasir Ahmad also found that a compound in turmeric may help fight Parkinsonsdisease by disrupting the proteins responsible for the disease.

Another study published in the Pharmacognosy Magazine found that tumeric can prevent and evenreverse the toxic effects exerted on the brain from fluoride exposure. Fluorideis a nasty and dangerous heavy metal that destroys brain cells and the intricateworkings of the central nervous system. Fluoride poisoning has also beenimplicated in the development of neurological diseases such as Alzheimers,Parkinsons, ALS and multiple sclerosis. 7

Turmeric is also a very potent anti-inflammatory spice. Because Parkinsons is aninflammation type disease, turmeric will help immensely. A heaped teaspoon ofhigh quality turmeric powder taken 3 times daily in asmoothie will do the trick. Just make sure you combine it with 10-12 blackpeppercorns for enhanced absorption Turmeric is also fat soluble so youll need tocombine it with some coconut oil, red palm oil or fish/krill oil as well.

Alternative Treatments For Parkinson’s Disease

Alternative therapy may also be used to treat Parkinson’s disease. The most touted in recent years has been the effect of Vitamin E on reversing the progression of the disease although, this effect is still being debated by the scientific community.

Relaxation and guided imagery have also been suggested to help with stress, depression, and anxiety. Medical studies have shown that relaxation and guided imagery may help slow the progression of symptoms as well as quicken healing time after surgeries or injuries.

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Why Isnt Parkinsons Disease Curable

With decades of research into this illness, why havent scientists found a cure for Parkinsons disease? Unfortunately, the brain isn’t straightforward, and every case of Parkinson’s presents slightly differently. As such, there are no specific biomarkers for the disease, making it hard to diagnose and even harder to treat.

The bottom line is, there is still a lot about the brain that we don’t understand. Parkinson’s is a complex disease and many unanswered questions about Parkinson’s remain. On top of all of this, recruitment for clinical trials can be difficult, and many get delayed for this reason.

Is There A Cure For Parkinsons In The Works

Is There A Cure For Parkinson

Written byBel Marra HealthPublished onOctober 1, 2012

A diagnosis of Parkinsons disease is a scary one and learning that there isnt a cure for Parkinsons is even scarier. The good news is that researchers are investigating new treatment options to help improve the lives of people diagnosed with this debilitating disease.

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What Are The Symptoms Of The Disease

The four primary symptoms of PD are:

  • Tremor. Tremor often begins in a hand, although sometimes a foot or the jaw is affected first. The tremor associated with PD has a characteristic rhythmic back-and-forth motion that may involve the thumb and forefinger and appear as a pill rolling. It is most obvious when the hand is at rest or when a person is under stress. This tremor usually disappears during sleep or improves with a purposeful, intended movement.
  • Rigidity. Rigidity , or a resistance to movement, affects most people with PD. The muscles remain constantly tense and contracted so that the person aches or feels stiff. The rigidity becomes obvious when another person tries to move the individuals arm, which will move only in ratchet-like or short, jerky movements known as cogwheel rigidity.
  • Bradykinesia. This slowing down of spontaneous and automatic movement is particularly frustrating because it may make simple tasks difficult. The person cannot rapidly perform routine movements. Activities once performed quickly and easilysuch as washing or dressingmay take much longer. There is often a decrease in facial expressions.
  • Postural instability. Impaired balance and changes in posture can increase the risk of falls.

Risk Factors And Causes

There isnt one single cause of Parkinsons that has been proven at this time. Researchers believe a loss of the neurotransmitter dopamine, neurological damage, inflammation and brain cell deterioration are among the primary factors that trigger Parkinsons development. But why exactly patients develop these problems is a complex issue that remains up for debate.

What is known is that certain risk factors can make someone more susceptible to developing Parkinsons disease, which can include:

  • Being a man, especially during older age. Research suggests that men in their 50s and 60s are most likely to develop Parkinsons.
  • Genetic susceptibility: Studies have now identified several gene mutations that can put someone at a greater risk. Parkinsons has also been found to run in families, and having a sibling or parent increases someones risk.
  • Damage to the area of the brain called the substantia nigra, which produces brain cells that are responsible for making dopamine.
  • Toxicity and exposure to chemicals, including pesticides present on produce from non-organic farming. Living in a rural area and drinking well-water that might contain chemicals is another environmental risk factor.
  • Poor diet, nutrient deficiencies, food allergies and an unhealthy lifestyle.
  • Hormonal imbalances and other medical conditions that affect cognitive health and increase inflammation.

Also Check: What Are Early Warning Signs Of Parkinson’s Disease

Is There A Natural Cure For Parkinsons Disease

While many of us wish there was a natural cure for Parkinson’s disease, nothing natural or otherwise has been proven to stop the symptoms completely. There are, however, natural remedies that many Parkinson’s patients find useful when managing their conditions.

Natural remedies for Parkinsons disease include:

  • Exercise can be highly effective at helping Parkinsons patients strengthen their muscles, improve flexibility and care for their mental health.
  • Nutrition is also important. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Research claims that, while no single diet can treat Parkinsons disease, you should generally try to stick to a healthy, balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables. The Foundation also recommends avoiding fermented, aged or cured food products, as these can elevate blood pressure when mixed with certain Parkinsons medications.
  • Alternative therapies like yoga, acupuncture, massage and hypnosis are generally thought to be safe for people with Parkinsons disease, and many patients find them helpful. However, you should always check with your doctor before trying new exercises or homeopathic treatments for Parkinson’s.
  • Antioxidants have many health benefits, and there is some evidence to suggest that they can even offset the cellular damage caused by Parkinsons disease. Antioxidant-rich foods include dark chocolate, eggs, legumes, artichokes, bell peppers, potatoes, grains, apples and more.

Not Quite Ready For Humans

When will there be a cure for Parkinson’s?

While the treatment is promising for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases in humans, it still needs to go through more rigorous testing before being ready for human trials. In the next steps, the researchers plan to test the method with other mouse models of Parkinsons disease. These models involve genetic changes rather than chemical destruction of dopamine neurons.

The researchers have also patented their treatment in hopes of moving it forward to testing in humans.

Its my dream to see this through to clinical trials, to test this approach as a treatment for Parkinsons disease, but also many other diseases where neurons are lost, such as Alzheimers and Huntingtons diseases and stroke, Fu says. And dreaming even bigger what if we could target PTB to correct defects in other parts of the brain, to treat things like inherited brain defects?

I intend to spend the rest of my career answering these questions, he says.

The study is published in Nature.

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What Is The Prognosis

The average life expectancy of a person with PD is generally the same as for people who do not have the disease. Fortunately, there are many treatment options available for people with PD. However, in the late stages, PD may no longer respond to medications and can become associated with serious complications such as choking, pneumonia, and falls.

PD is a slowly progressive disorder. It is not possible to predict what course the disease will take for an individual person.

One commonly used scale neurologists use for describing how the symptoms of PD have progressed in a patient is the Hoehn and Yahr scale.

Focused Ultrasound For Treatment Of Parkinsons Patients

Research investigating the use of focused ultrasound for Parkinsons disease patients has already begun according to the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. Research is looking at different treatment options including non-invasive thermal lesioning to a small area of the brain, improving delivery of dopamine, gene therapy and even delivering stem cells to the brain using focused ultrasound to create a reversible opening of the blood-brain barrier. There are a number of studies currently being conducted to test the use of focused ultrasound for the treatment of Parkinsons disease. However it should be stressed that the testing of focused ultrasound for Parkinsons disease is in the early stages of research. Much more research is needed on this potential treatment option before it will be offered to the general public.

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Treatments For Parkinsons And Parkinsonism

Parkinsons disease is a movement disorder that causes motor symptoms such as stiffness, bradykinesia , resting tremor, and postural instability that can lead to falls. In people who have symptoms of Parkinsons, but the cause is unknown, the condition may be referred to as parkinsonism. There is at present no cure for Parkinsons, and no treatments have been proven to change the course of the disease. However, many people with Parkinsons can improve their symptoms and quality of life with effective treatment options.

Symptoms and severity can vary widely between individuals with parkinsonism. There is no standard treatment for Parkinsons. Guidelines for Parkinsons treatments are based on what symptoms a person has, the severity of the symptoms, how long they have had Parkinsons, which type and stage of Parkinsons they have, tolerance of side effects, the age of the person, and any other health conditions they have or medications they use. Some treatments are highly effective for one type of Parkinsons, but ineffective for others. In most people, medications gradually lose their effectiveness as the disease progresses.

Key Programs And Resources

Is There A Possible Cure For PARKINSON

The Parkinsons Disease Biomarkers Programs , a major NINDS initiative, is aimed at discovering ways to identify individuals at risk for developing PD and Lewy Body Dementia and to track the progression of the disease. It funds research and collects human biological samples and clinical data to identify biomarkers that will speed the development of novel therapeutics for PD. Goals are improving clinical trials and earlier diagnosis and treatment. Projects are actively recruiting volunteers at sites across the U.S. NINDS also collaborates with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research on BioFIND, a project collecting biological samples and clinical data from healthy volunteers and those with PD. For more information about the PDBP and how you can get involved, please visit the PDBP website.

The NINDS Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence for Parkinsons Disease Research program supports research centers across the country that work collaboratively to study PD disease mechanisms, the genetic contributions to PD, and potential therapeutic targets and treatment strategies.

The NINDS Intramural Research Program conducts clinical studies to better understand PD mechanisms and develop novel and improve treatments.

The NINDS Biospecimens Repositories store and distribute DNA, cells, blood samples, cerebrospinal fluid, and autopsy tissue to PD researchers around the world.

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What Diseases And Conditions Resemble Parkinsons Disease

PD is the most common form of parkinsonism, in which disorders of other causes produce features and symptoms that closely resemble Parkinsons disease. Many disorders can cause symptoms similar to those of PD, including:

Several diseases, including MSA, CBD, and PSP, are sometimes referred to as Parkinsons-plus diseases because they have the symptoms of PD plus additional features.

In very rare cases, parkinsonian symptoms may appear in people before the age of 20. This condition is called juvenile parkinsonism. It often begins with dystonia and bradykinesia, and the symptoms often improve with levodopa medication.

Medications For People With Parkinsons Disease

Symptoms of Parkinsons disease result from the progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the brain and other organs such as the gut, which produce a neurotransmitter called dopamine. This causes a deficiency in the availability of dopamine, which is necessary for smooth and controlled movements. Medication therapy focuses on maximising the availability of dopamine in the brain. Medication regimes are individually tailored to your specific need. Parkinsons medications fit into one of the following broad categories:

  • levodopa dopamine replacement therapy
  • dopamine agonists mimic the action of dopamine
  • COMT inhibitors used along with levodopa. This medication blocks an enzyme known as COMT to prevent levodopa breaking down in the intestine, allowing more of it to reach the brain
  • anticholinergics block the effect of another brain chemical to rebalance its levels with dopamine
  • amantadine has anticholinergic properties and improves dopamine transmission
  • MAO type B inhibitors prevent the metabolism of dopamine within the brain.

Read Also: 10 Early Signs Of Parkinson’s Disease That Doctors Often Miss

Do Symptoms Get Worse

PD does not affect everyone the same way. The rate of progression and the particular symptoms differ among individuals.

PD symptoms typically begin on one side of the body. However, the disease eventually affects both sides, although symptoms are often less severe on one side than on the other.

Early symptoms of PD may be subtle and occur gradually. Affected people may feel mild tremors or have difficulty getting out of a chair. Activities may take longer to complete than in the past. Muscles stiffen and movement may be slower. The persons face may lack expression and animation . People may notice that they speak too softly or with hesitation, or that their handwriting is slow and looks cramped or small. This very early period may last a long time before the more classical and obvious motor symptoms appear.

As the disease progresses, symptoms may begin to interfere with daily activities. Affected individuals may not be able to hold utensils steady or they may find that the shaking makes reading a newspaper difficult.

People with PD often develop a so-called parkinsonian gait that includes a tendency to lean forward, taking small quick steps as if hurrying , and reduced swinging in one or both arms. They may have trouble initiating movement , and they may stop suddenly as they walk .

So Why Is Finding A Cure So Difficult

Why isn’t there a cure for Parkinson’s?

In the 1960s, when levodopa was first discovered, it was heralded as a cure for Parkinsons. Researchers had identified that Parkinsons symptoms were due to a lack of dopamine in the brain and had discovered a treatment that replaces this missing chemical messenger. For the first time, they had a drug with the ability to reduce and relieve symptoms of the condition. Today, levodopa is still the gold standard for Parkinsons treatment. When it comes to effective medical treatment it is actually very good, particularly in the early stages.

However, no current Parkinsons medication could be called a cure. Despite numerous improvements that have been made over the last 50 years, which make these drugs more effective and longer lasting, in the long term, these medications fail to completely relieve the symptoms of Parkinsons. The condition continues to have an ever-increasing impact on quality of life and, for many of the 145,000 people in the UK with Parkinsons, is a battle that is fought every day. Additionally, there are many symptoms, particularly non-motor symptoms like sleep problems, anxiety and pain, that are not adequately controlled by any medication. And these too progress as the condition becomes more severe.

When it comes to slowing Parkinsons, we can slow the progression of symptoms with exercise, but research has yet to provide a treatment that stops further damage to the brain. But the reasons why are actually quite simple, and can be overcome.

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Is There A Cure For Parkinsons Disease How Close Is A Cure For Parkinson’s

As of now, there is no known cure for this disease. However, treatments likedrug therapy or brain surgery can help reduce the symptoms and make life easier for patients with Parkinsons Disease.

Although a cure is nowhere near yet, scientists claim that they will find better treatment in years to come, which is expected to happen within the decade. The past two years could have been the years of advancements for new drugs for PD, but the pandemic pushed some plans back.

As part of their advancements in finding the cure, Parkinsons research has launched a virtual biotech for developing and testing new treatments.

Also, they are collaborating with international scientists to share thoughts, scientific discoveries to make testings more efficient and less costly.

Lastly, the research is also searching for other unlooked conditions that may pave the way for PD to develop in people. Searching for other possible options for why the loss of nerve cells is happening.

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