This week, my Lay article was about how allergies may be linked to Parkinson's Disease (PD). I thought it would be a good idea to research PD a little more in depth. I found this really informational website about PD It has an overview of the disease and goes on to explain how it is diagnosed, the symptoms, treatment, and many other topics discussing how to live with it.
In the U.S. alone, there are over 50,000 new cases of PD diagnosed each year, over a million people who are already living with the disease, and six million worldwide. The CDC has rated complications from PD to be the 14th leading cause of death. PD is a neurodegenerative disorder of the brain. It is a slowly progressing disease and individuals PD can live with it for twenty years or more after diagnosis. The disease itself is not fatal, but there is no cure. Dopamine is a chemical that helps maintain smooth, coordinated muscle movements in humans. In PD, the neurons in the brain that produce dopamine in the substantial nigra become damaged and cannot produce enough dopamine. To diagnose PD, doctors look for four main symptoms: shaking, slowed movement, stiffness, and trouble with balance. There is no cure for PD, but there is therapy to treat the symptoms and ways to learn to live with the disease.
These were the main points that I found interesting from the website. Here is the link to the website for further learning!
www.Parkinson.org
"Parkinson's Disease Overview." National Parkinson Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
Parkinson's is a very interesting disease, and I think you gave a great summary of some of the most important aspects of it! Parkinson's hits close to home for me, because my dad was diagnosed with it 15 years ago. He was only 41. He was working as an anesthesiologist, and had to stop because of a tremor in his left hand.
ReplyDeleteHowever, his Parkinson's is progressing very very slowly. Partly, he was lucky and has a more mild form of it than other people. But the main reason it has progressed so slowly is because of how proactive he is with exercise and diet.
In fact, there are some things he can do better now than he could five years ago! Generally, no change in ability is considered improvement for someone with PD, since a decline in ability is what is expected. To see improvement is very impressive!
He has used his medical background to do a lot of research and experimentation on what kinds of things people with PD should be doing to help slow the progression of the disease (diet and exercise, mainly). He teaches exercise classes to people with PD, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases.
People with these kinds of conditions really seem to benefit from exercises that challenge their mind and body in new ways. Just walking or using a cardio machine at the gym do not seem to be nearly as helpful. Balance exercises and multi-tasking types of exercises, such as juggling, seem to be very beneficial. This seems to be the same for someone who has Alzheimer's, for example.
The main thing I notice about my dad and his struggle with PD, is its mental impact. He is very intelligent, but has a hard time organizing his thoughts and presenting them to others. He is much less organized than he used to be, and is more easily distracted than he used to be. Depression is also very common for people with PD, as the release of dopamine is associated with a certain level of happiness. For example, "runner's high" is related to dopamine release.
PD is generally presented as a terrifying disease with a scary prognosis for the future. This is true in many cases. However, there is a lot of research being done and much improvement being seen. In fact, with some of the work my dad has done, he has been able to get people out of wheelchairs and walking 5Ks! There is definitely a lot of new information that leads to a more optimistic attitude about living with PD.
The fact that there are over 50,000 new cases of PD diagnosed each year, over a million people who are already living with the disease, and six million worldwide is scary. Diana I really enjoyed reading your comment, because you know so much about the disease. There is no cure for PD, but it is encouraging knowing that you can modify your diet and exercise to help slow down PD.
ReplyDeleteIt's really unfortunate to know that there is no cure for a disease like Parkinson's and that one has to live with it for the rest of their life. All that a person can do is follow therapy to reduce the effects and symptoms which is better than there not being anything else. With research going on, there is hope for the best. Great information Shawna.
ReplyDeleteGood information on PD’s disease Shawna! It’s frightening that it is the 14th leading cause of death with no cure.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your father’s story Diana. It was inspirational knowing that your dad was proactive about his PD and actually made improvement with some of his activities.
I know that there is no cure for this disease but there can be customs we can try to prevent it. On WebMD I read about a study that was done on how peppers can lower the risk of PD. They state that vegetables from the Solanacae plant family lower the risk of PD. According to their study nicotine in these vegetables plays a protective role and that the association with peppers was the strongest
Here is the WedMD article if anyone is interested in reading about it.
http://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/news/20130509/eating-peppers-tied-to-lower-parkinsons-risk-study-finds