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What is Parkinson’s Disease? Parkinsons disease is a disorder characterized by muscle rigidity, trembling, and loss of physical movement. The primary symptoms of Parkinson’s are due to excessive muscle contraction, caused by the insufficient formation and action of dopamine produced in the dopaminergic neurons of the brain. Parkinson disease mainly affects body movement; however, other symptoms may include disorders of mood, behavior, sensation, etc. Parkinson's disease is a slowly progressive deterioration of control over one's voluntary movements. Every movement, from swallowing to walking, can be involved. Two types of disturbances occur: a tremor or shaking that is characteristic of the disease, and a decreased ability to move parts of the body. Because it involves mostly movement, Parkinson's disease is called a "motor" disorder. It begins so slowly that it may not be identified for months. Then it gradually worsens, involving more and more parts of the body to greater and greater degrees. Signs & Symptoms of Parkinson's disease The earliest symptom of Parkinson's disease can be as subtle as an arm that does not swing when you walk, a mild tremor in the fingers of one hand or soft, mumbling speech that is difficult to understand. You may lack energy, feel depressed, or have trouble sleeping. Alternatively, you may notice that it takes you longer to shower, shave, eat, or do other routine tasks. The classic early symptoms are a slight shaking of the hands, arms, legs and jaw, also known as tremors. This is because the nerves begin to affect the muscles and affect movement. After a while, these symptoms will become noticeable to everyone around you and will then begin to progressively worsen as time goes on. Parkinson’s usually affects one side of the body more than the other and can also affect all forms of communications. It may be a chore to write because the tremors prevent accurate lettering and, after a while, the sufferer’s speech will also be affected. The full-blown shakes do not usually begin until a few years after the initial tremors start, although it can be as little as a few months for some sufferers. There is no telling how long this progression will take, but once it starts it is only a matter of time.Characteristics of parkinsonism These disabilities combine to produce a number of specific characteristics in a patient with Parkinson's which, taken together, make up the disease also known as paralysis agitans. Tremor. The most unique and obvious sign of parkinsonism is the hand tremor, often described as "pill rolling". It starts with a slight shaking in your hand or even one finger. It looks as if the patient is turning a golf ball around and around in one hand, with a frequency of four to five movements per second. This movement happens only at rest, and disappears as soon as the hand has anything else to do. Hence, it is called a resting tremor. Bradykinesia (slowed movements). Every movement of these patients is slowed down. The word bradykinesia means simply slowed movements. A slow, shuffling walk with an unsteady gait and stooped posture, with no associated arm movements Rigidity. Rather than being weak, muscles actually retain their strength, but are unable to relax normally. Muscle stiffness (rigidity) in the limbs and neck. The resulting muscle spasm further slows movement. Parkinson patients display a unique sort of spasm in that it gives way with jerks, earning it the description of cogwheel rigidity. Postural instability. Maintaining posture requires rapid adjustments in response to changing forces on the body, adjustments that are not possible due to the slowed movement and stiffened muscles of parkinsonism. Impaired balance: Posture may become unstable Loss of automatic movements: Blinking, smiling, and swinging of arms unconsciously. Impaired speech: having trouble with speaking. Dementia: A mental disorder that affects the ability to think, reason, and remember. Additional features, Parkinson patients do a peculiar thing that is referred to in medical circles as "freezing". Those who suffer from freezing will often suddenly just stop moving for a period of time. This can happen at any time and during any activity. A stooped posture A tendency to fall over, either forwards or backwards Difficulty both in starting to walk and in stopping Difficulty rolling over in bed and in getting in and out of a car or chair Poorly coordinated hand use Small handwriting A face that is empty of expression -- the so-called "Parkinson's Mask" Soft speech Drooling and difficulty swallowing, caused by uncoordinated movements of the throat and mouth It may cause falling if it happens while they are walking. They may also have numbness, tingling and pain caused by disturbances in their sensory nerves. Parkinson's disease is often accompanied by depression. Types of Parkinson's disease Others have mostly movement impairments. These patients are most in need of treatment. Syndrome or disease? Almost 200 years ago, Dr. James Parkinson first described a disorder of the nervous system in which patients' movements were impaired. Their hands had a peculiar sort of shaking. Everything they did seemed slowed down. They were stiff all over, and had trouble maintaining their posture. What's more, these characteristics seemed to appear slowly and to worsen over time. Dr. Parkinson's careful description of this "syndrome" earned him recognition as the discoverer of Parkinson's disease. A syndrome is merely a collection of signs and symptoms that appear together. To qualify as a distinct disease, the syndrome must have a unique cause, thereby suggesting that a single cure would work for every case. (In the same way, automobile accidents could be thought of as a "syndrome," while auto accidents due to drunken driving could be considered a unique disease.) As more and more physicians studied Parkinson's "syndrome," "parkinsonism," they found a number of different causes for it. Separating out those with known causes, there was still a pure "syndrome" with no known cause -- the true Parkinson's disease. Research shows this illness is due to reduced production of a certain chemical by certain parts of the brain, which then impairs the function of other close parts of the brain. The chemical is dopamine. The sites in the brain that make too little dopamine are the substantia nigra ("black substance") and the locus coeruleus ("blue location"). The deprived recipient of dopamine is an area called the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia area is responsible for organizing movement commands from higher parts of the brain. They need dopamine to function efficiently. What Causes Parkinson’s Disease? Parkinson’s Disease is caused by the nerve cells in the body slowly breaking down so that they are unable to relay the messages that the body is sending to the brain. The main function of the nerve cells is to connect the brain and the body to let the former know what the latter is doing and vice versa. Unfortunately, as the nerve cells slowly become more damaged, they are unable to function correctly and thus wires get crossed. It is at that point that the sufferer begins to lose all control of what his or her body is actually doing. Doctors do not, as yet, know what causes Parkinson’s Disease, despite extensive research into it. There is not even an official test to diagnose the patient. Most diagnoses are made on medical histories and tests to rule out other ailments and illnesses. Unfortunately, this means that there is no cure available to sufferers. Once you have it, you have got it for life. This can take some getting used to, but many sufferers simply get on with their lives until they reach the point where this is no longer possible. The disease often causes depression, as well as making everyday tasks, such as getting dressed, near on impossible. Buttons and laces could be the hardest puzzle in the world to a Parkinson’s sufferer and this makes it extremely frustrating. Risk Factors: It occurs predominantly in the elderly but can be present in a small number of younger people. It is not primarily caused by mental degeneration, as is the common perception, although it is related to the brain Parkinson’s disease is a serious progressive disorder that affects the central nervous system. People with this disease increasingly lose their ability to control muscle movements. The exact cause of Parkinson’s disease is not known but it is thought that heredity may play a role. Treatment/Therapy: There are drugs that will help alleviate symptoms for Parkinson’s Disease sufferers in the short term, although they have no beneficial effects in the long term. Certain medications can stop the tremors for short periods of time and thus allow sufferers to get on with their lives as normal. These drugs include carbidopa-levodopa, bromocriptine, selegiline, pramipexole, ropinirole, tolcapone and pergolide. Of course, they all have different brand names but are designed to do the same job. Some medications will suit an individual, but others will make symptoms worse for a time. Nobody can tell which ones will work and so doctors usually have to experiment to get it right. Levodopa: This is the most widely used form of treatment. L-dopa is transformed into dopamine in the dopaminergic neurons by L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase. Due to feedback inhibition, L-dopa results in a reduction in the endogenous formation of L-dopa, and so eventually becomes counterproductive. Dopamine Agonists: Dopamine-agonists such as bromocriptine, pergolide, pramipexole, lisuride, etc., are moderately effective. However, these have their own side effects including somnolence, hallucinations, or insomnia. MAO-B Inhibitors: These inhibitors reduce the symptoms by inhibiting monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B), which inhibits the breakdown of dopamine secreted by the dopaminergic neurons. Deep Brain Stimulation is a surgical intervention mostly used to treat Parkinson’s disease presently. Gene therapy: gene therapy involves using a safe virus to transport a gene into the subthalamic nucleus (STN) part of the brain. This gene leads to the production of an enzyme called glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), which catalyses the production of a neurotransmitter called GABA. Parkinson’s Disease is a horrible illness for the sufferer and the people close to him or her. There is very little that can be done, but being diagnosed early can alert patients to the amount of time they have to make the most of life before it takes over their bodies. Research is still ongoing but until there is a cure, life just has to go on as normal.
Regular Physical exercise such as yoga, tai chi, and dance are beneficial to the patient for maintaining and improving mobility, flexibility, balance. Diet change strategies: Nutrients such as the L-dopa precursor, THFA, NADH, and pyridoxine are used to partially treat Parkinson's disease or slow down its deterioration. Check with your doctor before adding these to your regime. • Ginkgo – The leaves of this ancient Chinese herb help boost brain function by providing more oxygen to the cells. This may help slow the later stages of Parkinson’s. Take up to 60-milligram capsules two or three times per day. • Grapeseed – This provides powerful anti-oxidants, called procyanidins, that can help rid the body of toxins. Taken in capsule form, use as directed on the bottle. • Evening Primrose – The oil from this seed is high in GLAs (or gamma-linolenic acids) that have been found to help the brain chemistry. It can sometimes help the shaking that is often associated with Parkinson’s disease. Take in capsule form or take 2 teaspoonfuls per day. Vitamin & Nutrient Associations Even when we try to eat well, we're disadvantaged. The nutritional content of most food has been compromised over the years, not only by deficient soils and modern production, transportation, storage and processing methods, but also by the enormous amounts of chemical and artificial substances added to promote growth, storage life, taste and appearance. It's for this reason that more and more medical authorities are advocating the use of vitamin and mineral supplements. However, finding them in the right combination can be both confusing and costly. As Aloe Vera Juice is a refreshing and anti-bacterial drink, you might find that taking this daily, diluted in some filtered water will not only refresh you like ‘a shower inside you’ but also assists in dealing with any digestive issues you may also be experiencing. Taken with Flora-Fiber tabs it will cleanse your digestive system and improve your immunity levels overall. You may find benefit from our information on detoxification as well as a bit about detoxing because of change of diet You can visit our health food products page here: Herbalife Health Nutrition Supplements and learn more about our core nutrition program, the Cellular Nutrition Advanced Program and also check out these targeted products, Florafiber to replace your healthy flora and Aloe Vera Juice to help cleanse your system. We wish you well in your search for solutions to this Parkinson’s Disease problem and your movement towards better health in all areas. More Resources available about Parkinson’s Disease: You can visit our health food products page here: Herbalife Health Nutrition Supplements to learn more about some of the nutrition products mentioned in our recommendations above.
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