Parkinson's Disease is a persistent and progressive movement disorder, meaning that symptoms continue and worsen over time. Parkinson's Disease involves the death of nerve cells called neurons in the brain. The primary area in the brain which Parkinson's affects is called the substantia nigra and this is where the disease begins. Some of the neurons that are dying produce a chemical called dopamine that sends messages to the part of the brain which controls movement and coordination. As Parkinson's Disease progresses the amount of dopamine decreases, which leaves the person unable to control movement correctly and normally. At this point in time there is no current way to prevent Parkinson's disease. Research has shown that people who eat more fruits and vegetable, high fiber foods, fish, omega 3 oils and who eat less red meat and dairy may have some protection to Parkinson's, but the reason for this is still being studied.
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This video explains Parkinson's disease in a detailed way. It tells us the causes, what it is and treatments even though more research needs to be done.
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The is no current way to accurately diagnose Parkinson's disease via a visual test. Usually the first signs of Parkinson's disease are when symptoms start to show such as: Shaking, trouble speaking and trouble sleeping. By this time the disease has a hold on the sufferer and only gets worse with the person developing the disease; Uncontrollable tremors all over the body, difficulty speaking and possible ridged and neck spasms. If a patient would like a definite diagnosis they can go get a MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) or another type of brain scan.
An MRI scan is a radio scan that is kind of like and x-ray. The difference between the two is that an x-ray focuses on calcium while an MRI focuses on water. This works well for brain scans because the brain tissue is mostly made up of water so an image can be created. The way an MRI works, is by sliding a table into a large cylinder. Once inside, a radio magnetic field is created in the cylinder. This field acts on the protons in the water in the brain. The radio waves reflect off and create an image of what is going on in the head. This allows doctors to be able to see and possibly diagnose the disease. |
Doctors may suggest lifestyle changes like keeping fit. They may recommend aerobic exercise and physical therapy. In the picture above there are a group of elderly people participating in aerobics.
The video above features a man called Andrew Johnson. Andrew has severe Parkinson's disease and in the video he demonstrates how when he uses and switches on his Deep Brain Simulation (DBS) device, his tremors are almost all gone however when Andrew switches the device off his tremors are uncontrollable. If Andrew didn't have DBS he would not be able to live his life without aid.
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Parkinson's can't be cured but there are treatments out there which can control your symptoms dramatically. These treatments are most commonly medications but sometimes surgery if advised. Your doctor may also recommend lifestyle changes such as aerobic exercise and physical therapy focusing on balance and stretching. A speech pathologist may also help to improve problems with speech.
Medication can help you with the problems of movement, walking and tremors. These specific medications substitute or increase dopamine levels, a specific signalling chemical (neurotransmitter) in your brain. Some medications that doctors can or will subscribe you are: Carbidopa-levodopa, Carbidopa-levodopa infusion, Dopamine agonists and MAO-B inhibitors. DBS or Deep Brain Stimulation is a surgical procedure which is used to treat a variety of neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, commonly weakening the tremors, rigidity, stiffness, slowed movement and walking problems. DBS does not damage healthy brain tissue by destroying neurons, instead the procedure blocks electrical signals from targeted areas in the brain. At the moment DBS is only available to the patients whose symptoms cannot be controlled with medication. DBS uses a surgically implanted, battery operated medical device called a neurotransmitter which is similar to a pacemaker in the heart. It is to deliver electrically stimulated messages to affected parts of the brain that control movement, blocking the abnormal nerve signals that cause tremors and PD symptoms. Before the procedure neurosurgeons use MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) or CT (Computer Tomography) to locate the exact part in the brain where the PD symptoms are developed. |
Parkinson’s disease has been know about since ancient times. In AD 175, physician Galen described the disease as “shaking palsy.” However it was not until 1817 that a detailed medical essay was published on Parkinson’s disease by London doctor James Parkinson. It was entitled “An essay on the Shaking Palsy” and this is what recognized Parkinson's Disease as a medical condition. James based the publication on six previous cases and from walking around his neighborhood. The idea of the essay was to encourage others to study the disease. Some 60 years later a french neurologist called Jean Martin Charcot did exactly that. He was the first one to truly appreciate and recognize the importance of James’ work and named the disease after him. It was in the 1960’s when the chemical differences in the patients with Parkinson's disease were identified.
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