Treat Parkinson Disease Effectively
In order to treat Parkinson disease, it is very important to understand what Parkinson’s is. Parkinson’s is defined as a ‘degenerative disease of the brain that impairs the motors skills, speech and other such functions’ of the person. The disease takes its name from James Parkinson’s who wrote the famous essay on the subject in 1817 titled ‘An essay on the shaking Palsy’. The disease is said to strike three people in every hundred and is associated mostly with the older age group that have crossed the 65 year mark.
Parkinson’s symptoms can be divided into three main categories. The first category of Parkinson’s symptoms is classified as primary motor symptoms and includes rigidity, postural instability, bradykinesia and resting tremors. The secondary motors symptoms include fatigue, problem in gross motor skills coordination, speech problems, and loss of facial expression, drooling, dystonia and so on. The third category symptoms are not related to gross motor functions. Pain, dementia, fear, constipation, skin problems, acute depression, sleep problems and even compulsive behaviors are a few non motor symptoms of Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s research on the subject shows that there is no cure for the disease and this is one of the man reasons as to why medication and management go hand in hand when looking to deal with the problem. Levodopa, bromocriptine, amantadine are a few of the most widely used medications here. While levodopa is converted into dopamine by the brain cells, the problem with this medication is that when taken for extended periods of time, the medicine causes side effects such as dyskinesias. Bromocriptine is often prescribed in combination with levodopa, though is sometimes given alone too. This medication mimics dopamine in the human body and thereby keeps the symptoms of Parkinson’s under control. Amantadine is an organic compound that is also an effective anti Parkinson’s medication. Over and above levodopa, bromocriptine, amantadine, research also indicates the possibility of using stem cell therapy in order to reverse the effects of Parkinson’s, however so far no sure treatment has been developed. The system proposes to grow new brain cells from the blank ones and then transplant them into the brain in order to reverse the effects of the disease. Deep brain stimulation also known as DBS has proved quite effective in treatment of the problem.
Management is a huge part of Parkinson’s therapy since it is a degenerative disorder and therefore over time the patient does will deteriorate. Independence of the patient is of course primary and one needs to work on several aspects like speech therapy, nutrition, exercise and also stress management. Those looking to maintain their self care status must also look into home modifications, since the disease does restrict movement tremendously as it grows in intensity. There are several episodes where the patient freezes in a position and being prepared for these is very important or not only the patient but also the caregivers.
Caregivers also need to be aware that stress management will play a huge rolling in maintaining their sanity and it is only if they feel fresh that they will be able to provide proper nutrition the patient. When looking to treat Parkinson disease, one has to aim towards care of the patient as well as respite for the caregiver too.
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