Helpful Insight Into Understanding Parkinson’s Disease!

Understanding Parkinson’s Disease:

Parkinson’s disease affects millions of people throughout the world every day. This affliction affects not only the people who are actually diagnosed with it, but also their family and friends. While research is being conducted every day into a possible cure, it is important to understand Parkinson’s disease symptoms and how they affect the daily life of the individuals who live with this illness every day.

Our Brain Circuitry Is,

Very complex and normal functioning is dependent on a number of hormones and neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters modulate the degree and level of functioning of the body. In Parkinson Disease the brain cells produce lesser levels of dopamine due to the depletion of dopamine-producing cells in Substantia Niagra, which is a part of the brain. Parkinson’s disease is a disease of the elderly with a mean age of onset at 60 years. Due to the depletion of dopamine, people have difficulty maintaining the normal functioning of limbs.

Parkinson’s Disease PD Is:

A type of movement disorder. It happens when nerve cells in the brain don’t produce enough of a brain chemical called dopamine. Sometimes it is genetic, but most cases do not seem to run in families. Exposure to chemicals in the environment might play a role.

Symptoms generally develop slowly over years. The progression of symptoms is often a bit different from one person to another due to the diversity of the disease.

The cause remains largely unknown. Although there is no cure, treatment options vary and include medications and surgery. While Parkinson’s itself is not fatal, disease complications can be serious. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rated complications from PD as the 14th cause of death in the United States.

Who does PD affect?

Getting older is the biggest factor for PD with most people diagnosed in their 60s. In rare cases, some people will develop PD before age 50, known as young-onset PD. Men are 1.5 times more likely to have PD than women.

Directly inheriting the disease is quite rare. Only about 10 to 15 percent of all cases of Parkinson’s are thought to be genetic forms of the disease. In the other 85 to 90 percent of cases, the cause is unknown.

Signs And Symptoms:

Parkinson’s disease symptoms vary from person to person. Early signs usually go unnoticed. Symptoms usually start on one side of the body and then spread to the other side. The exponentially get worse as time goes on.

Symptoms begin gradually, often on one side of the body. Later they affect both sides. They include:

Trembling of hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face.
The stiffness of the arms, legs, and trunk.
The slowness of movement.
Poor balance and coordination.
Lose of smell.
Trouble Sleeping.
Constipation.
A Soft or Low Voice.
Masked face.
Dizziness or Fainting.

As symptoms get worse, people with the disease may have trouble walking, talking, or doing simple tasks. They may also have problems such as depression, sleep problems, or trouble chewing, swallowing, or speaking.

There is no lab test for PD, so it can be difficult to diagnose. Doctors use a medical history and a neurological examination to diagnose it. Parkinson’s disease usually begins around age 60, but it can start earlier. It is more common in men than in women. There is no cure for PD. A variety of medicines sometimes help symptoms dramatically.

Surgery and deep brain stimulation (DBS) can help in severe cases. With DBS, electrodes are surgically implanted in the brain. They send electrical pulses to stimulate the parts of the brain that control movement.

Causes of Parkinson’s Disease:

While the exact cause of Parkinson’s disease is unknown, research points to a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Some cases may be caused more by genetic factors and others do more to the environment, with many somewhere in between.
Researchers have identified certain genes that may play a role in Parkinson’s disease, but studies are still ongoing to understand exactly how mutations in these genes are associated with Parkinson’s.
Some of these mutations may cause the disease, but other mutations in Parkinson’s genes may raise the likelihood of onset but would need a separate factor-such as an environmental exposure or another genetic mutation to ultimately bring on the disease.

While Researchers,

Have Not Identified a Cause Yet, Studies have highlighted some factors that are associated with either greater or lesser risk of Parkinson’s disease. Risk factors that have been identified include:

Advancing age.
Family history.
Male gender.
Exposure to toxins, such as herbicides and pesticides head injury.

While such studies do not de natively link these factors with Parkinson’s disease, they highlight areas where further research may guide us to better understand risk and develop treatment strategies.

Many patients and physicians and it most useful to think about Parkinson’s in a framework of early-mid, moderate, and advanced-severe relative to how both the motor and non-motor symptoms affect an individual’s life.

As Symptoms Progress,

overtime they can increase an individual’s risk of serious events, including falls and respiratory distress. The seriousness of these incidents depends greatly on the patient’s age, overall health, and disease stage.

Stages of Parkinson’s Disease:

Parkinson’s disease progression varies from patient to patient. Some people with Parkinson’s may never experience certain symptoms or may experience some only at low severity. Others may experience symptoms early in their disease course or with greater severity.

The Hoehn and Yahr scale is one clinical tool to measure Parkinson’s disease progression. This scale categorizes motor symptom severity based on how it affects an individual’s mobility.

Clinicians and researchers also use the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) to follow the course of an individual’s disease.

The UPDRS uses evaluation of motor symptoms in addition to the assessment of non-motor symptoms and patient interviews to determine the effect of Parkinson’s on daily life.

Hoehn and Yahr Scale of Parkinson’s Disease:

First Stage: Symptoms on one side only.
Second Stage: Symptoms on both sides without balance impairment.
Third Stage: Mild to moderate disease, some postural instability, physically independent.
Fourth Stage: Severe disease, able to walk or stand unassisted.
Fifth Stage: Wheelchair-bound or bedridden unless assisted.

Diagnosis:

A Parkinson’s diagnosis is a life-changing event that takes time to adjust to. There are no hard-and-fast ways of tackling the condition from day one everyone’s symptoms are different, and Parkinson’s is a highly individualistic disease that varies widely from patient to patient.

Your symptoms and your past health on the basis of a neurological exam will help you know about the existence of the disease. A neurological exam includes questions and tests that show how well your nerves are working.

Your doctor will check the way you move, your muscle strength and reflexes, and your vision. In some cases, your doctor may have you try a medicine. There are no lab or blood tests to help check the existence of this condition. You can have an MRI to look for signs of a stroke or a brain tumor.

According to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, patients usually begin developing Parkinson’s symptoms around age 60. Many people with PD live between 10 and 20 years after being diagnosed.

Parkinson’s Disease Treatment Options:

What Treatments are Available for Parkinson’s Disease?

There are currently no available treatments to slow the progression of Parkinson’s over time, but available drugs and therapies can effectively treat symptoms often for years. Because Parkinson’s disease is highly variable, what works for one patient may not work for another. As with any course of treatment or medication, it is critical to work closely with your physician to determine the optimal treatments for you.

While

keeping track of medications can be a challenging task, understanding your medications and sticking to a schedule will provide the greatest benefit from the drugs and avoid unpleasant “off” periods due to missed doses.

Here’re Many Different Treatment Approaches Are Used For Parkinson’s Disease:

1. Dopaminergic Strategies:

Since many symptoms of Parkinson’s are due to a lack of dopamine in the brain, dopaminergic strategies act to temporarily increase dopamine in the brain through different approaches. The increase in dopamine provided by these approaches can result in improved motor function control. xxx

A. Carbidopa-Levodopa:

Levodopa helps to restore levels of dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain responsible for smooth coordinated movement and other motor functions. Carbidopa works to prevent levodopa from being broken down before it reaches the brain and to prevent nausea. There are multiple forms available. xxx

B. Dopamine Agonists:

These drugs mimic the function of dopamine in the brain.

C. MAO-B inhibitors:

These drugs inhibit a process that breaks down levodopa, thus extending its action.

D. COMT Inhibitors:

These drugs are used in combination with levodopa to allow more levodopa to enter the brain.

2. Anticholinergics:

These drugs block a different neurotransmitter (acetylcholine) that also regulates movement.

3. Other Symptomatic Therapies:

You may need other medications for conditions that could be related to your Parkinson’s, such as, depression, constipation, orthostatic hypotension, and dyskinesia.

4. Surgical Therapies:

Brain surgery can supplant or supplement drug therapies for Parkinson’s disease in some patients. Therapies include deep brain stimulation and pallidotomy.

5. Exercise:

While no studies have proven the effect of exercise on slowing Parkinson’s progression, strength and balance from regular exercise can help overall health. You should talk to your physician about a safe exercise program and about how allied care professionals such as physical, occupational, and speech therapists can help manage your symptoms.

Diet And Nutrition:

While there is no prescription for Parkinson’s disease-specific diet, to maintain overall good health most people living with Parkinson’s disease should eat a variety of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy products, and protein-rich foods such as meat and beans. Also consider including nuts, olive oil, fish, and eggs in your diet, for their beneficial fats.

It is Important,

To be sure that the person is getting an adequate number of calories and nutrients to maintain strength, bone structure, and muscle mass.
Problems with unintended weight loss, poor appetite, eating and swallowing, or preparing food should be discussed with a healthcare provider.
The provider may recommend meeting with a registered dietitian.

Constipation,

is a frequent problem for people with Parkinson’s disease because of disease-related changes in the bowels or as a side effect of Parkinson’s disease medications? Constipation can sometimes be managed with changes in diet or the use of a laxative or stool softener. A full discussion of treatments for constipation is available separately.

Maintain,

healthy body weight is something that all healthy people are conscious of doing on a regular basis. With the ideal weight in place, the various body systems do not have to be overworked and stressed to create the ideal functioning systems.

Exercising regularly with an even and not overly stressful regiment would also allow the body to function at its optimum and not be stressed at any time.

Drink plenty of water.
Eat fiber-rich foods, including brown rice, whole grains.
Fruit, and beans to ease digestive difficulties and constipation.
Take your medications with a full glass of water.
Limit sugar intake, alcohol, and caffeine particularly before bed.
Talk to your doctor about whether you should increase your Vitamin D intake.
Snack on small quantities of walnuts, cashews, and other nuts to promote brain health.
Also try to incorporate berries, which contain beneficial antioxidants, and foods that may have anti-inflammatory effects in the brain, like salmon, tuna, and dark, leafy green vegetables.

There is evidence that the Mediterranean diet is heart- and brain-healthy and maybe a good place to start when deciding on food options. This diet is characterized by vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and nuts, moderate amounts of low-fat proteins such as chicken and fish, and fats centered around olive oil.

Registered dieticians are great resources for reviewing your diet and making recommendations about healthy foods and daily calorie counts. A balanced diet should ensure that you get the recommended daily supply of vitamins to maintain your overall health.

There has been much attention given to,

the possibility that antioxidants prevent or slow the progression of PD. Antioxidants are substances that remove toxic free radicals, which are produced by cells in the body during injury or stress. In cells, these free radicals promote something called oxidative stress, a condition associated with cell loss and aging. The overproduction of free radicals and oxidative stress may also contribute to the development of PD. Antioxidants, such as vitamin E and coenzyme Q10, remove free radicals to reduce the effects of oxidative stress.

AN EYE ON ANTIOXIDANTS:

The following “superfoods” contain high levels of antioxidants and other important vitamins:

Grapes.
Blue and red berries.
Nuts.
Dark green vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, and kale.
Sweet potatoes and carrots.
Tea, especially green tea.
Whole grains.
Beans, such as soybeans, lentils, and black-eyed peas.
Fish, such as tuna, salmon, and sardines.

Dietary Supplements:

There are a few supplements that have proven especially helpful in helping the brain in people that suffer from Parkinson’s disease. The following is a list of these supplements and a description of their abilities.

I. Silurian:

Silurian has been used as a dietary supplement for many years. This petite marine plant offers a range of essential dietary elements. Silurian contains large amounts of protein, even more than soy does. If you compare Silurian to carrots,

You will find that there is more Vitamin A in Silurian.
And more iron in Silurian than in beef products.
There are a number of photochemical agents that are found in this vegetable.
Using Silurian as a dietary supplement can help the brain function more normally.

Patients that suffer from conditions such as Attention Deficit Disorder, Fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Autism, and other disorders that affect the brain are often prescribed Silurian for treatment.

II. Lecithin:

One of the most essential phospholipids, Lecithin plays a major role in facilitating learning and cognitive function in humans.

Studies have shown that people with higher degrees of learning and better memory skills have higher levels of Lecithin.
This has been proven true even among patients that are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Lecithin is also used to help prevent and treat neurological problems and effects from neurological diseases and disorders.

III. Vitamin B3:

Vitamin B3, an important supplement for nervous problems, is also known as Niacin, when combined with other vitamins works to release energy and assist with the circulatory function of the cells.
Niacin is also used to soften skin and maintain healthy digestive and nervous system functions.
Many health professionals have stated that Niacin is effective as a supplement to help aid in the neurological health of patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

IV. Supplements From Food:

The most important source of energy for a brain is food.

The brain is able to directly absorb proteins in the food.
Eating foods high in protein is paramount to maintaining high energy flow and helping the brain to function at its highest levels.
Patients that suffer from neurological problems, like those associated with Parkinson’s disease are often placed on higher protein diets and their carbohydrate intake is often restricted.

When to See a Doctor:

If you notice that you are suffering from any of the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease then you should go see a neurologist immediately to find out the cause.

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Disclaimer: “Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment of any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.”

Sourcest

https://www.parkinson.org/sites/default/files/attachments/ – https://www.michaeljfox.org/-