PARKINSON'S DISEASE

"Parkinson's Disease is a degenerative brain disorder initially characterized by trembling lips and hands and muscular rigidity, later producing body tremors, a shuffling gait, and eventually possible incapacity. Emotions may be affected and mental capacity impaired, but assessment of these is difficult because depression often accompanied the disease.

The disease occurs when the brain cells that produce dopamine die. In cases where there is no known cause (the majority) it usually appears after age 40."

• Tremor of the limbs (mostly hands, arms and legs; but may also include the jaw, tongue, forehead, and eyelids)
• Muscle rigidity
• Difficulty initiating movements (walking, running, getting dressed)
• Difficulty in stopping movements
• Slowness of movements
• Difficulty in walking
• Impairments of fine motor movements
• Memory loss

• Senility
• Hallucinations
• Deformed posture
• Shuffled, short stepped gait
• Falling forwards or backwards
• Difficulty in speech
• Mask-like face, with mouth open
• Decreased blinking
• Increased saliva production
• Sensations of fatigue
• Sleep disturbances
• Weight loss
• Depression

 

• Carbidopa/Levodopa: a combination of 2 drugs, which has become the standard treatment therapy for Parkinson's disease. The main purpose of these drugs is to reduce tremor and slowing. After eight to ten years of using them, the drugs lose their effectiveness.
• Selegiline- This is a drug used to protect the area of the brain that stops working in Parkinson's Disease and helps to slow the course of the illness. After four years of therapy with Selegiline, benefits decline. Use of this drug has shown to actually increase the death rate in some patients. Selegiline has multiple side effects.
• Artane and Cogentin- These are anticholinergic medications which are used to treat tremor. They work by blocking acetycholine, the chemical balanced by dopamine in the healthy brain. Side effects include blurred vision, constipation, and confusion.
• Amantadine- This is also an anticholinergic medication. Its main purpose is to control tremor and reduce trouble in initiating activities.
• Proflavanol- Proflavanol is a potent antioxidant that gets into the fluid around brain and nerves. When taken with other Parkinson's medications, research is showing that it is a very therapeutic way of treating Parkinson's.

• Medtronic Activa Tremor Control Therapy- This procedure uses electronic stimulation to block or override the brain signals that cause tremor. It has been proven to stop or nearly stop all tremors in Parkinson's Disease patients almost instantly. The procedure involves an insulated wire lead which is surgically implanted in the thalamus. An extension wire that is passed under the skin near the collarbone to an implanted pulse generator (similar to a pacemaker) then connects the lead. By the passing of a hand-held magnet over the implanted generator, patients can control the stimulation, depending on their tremor suppression needs. The doctor is able to program each generator to meet the specifications of the patient. Studied show that for the past five years more than 80% of Parkinson's tremor patients have complete or significant suppression of their tremors. Side effects of Medtronic Activa Tremor Control Therapy include a 5-10% chance of intracranial bleeding, facial spasms, tingling in the limbs, slight paralysis, slurred speech and loss of balance. Cutting down the strength of the current may reverse all of the symptoms. This procedure costs between 10,000 and 15,000 dollars.
• Pallidotomy- Pallidotomy is a neurosurgical procedure that claims to permanently eliminate dyskinesia and rigidity. It also helps reduce tremor, bradykinesia, masked face, stooped posture, shuffling gait, and dystonia. The process includes making a small pearl-sized lesion located in the globus pallidus internus. Results are immediate and occur during the treatment while in the operating room. Following the procedure, response to medications seems to become smooth and reliable. Greater than 87% of patients show marked improvements. This method of treatment does not seem to benefit those persons who suffer from atypical Parkinson's Disease.
• Fetal Transplantation- This area of treatment is still EXTREMELY experimental. The theory behind this procedure is to take the Dopamine producing tissue from 6 to 10 week old fetus' and implanting it into the Striatum establishing connections with the Dopamine receiving brain cells which are there and need Dopamine in patients suffering with Parkinson's Disease. The more tissue used in this procedure the better: 6 to 8 fetal donors per patient are usually used. When off medicines, patients who have undergone Fetal Transplantation have showed 47% to 59% improvement. Aside from the obvious ethical issues, the fact that it can take anywhere from two months to two years for the patient to show signs of improvement makes this method of treatment less popular than others. Medical insurance companies do not yet cover this treatment. Also, Fetal Transplantation does not seem to benefit those persons suffering from atypical Parkinson's Disease.

• Behavioral Treatments- Behavioral treatments include improving relaxation skills and their application during stressful situations. Types of treatments involve EMG-biofeedback, and special training to control motor skills (gait, posture, handwriting, etc.). These are learned through external cues in everyday life, by activity schedules, by social skills training, and by psychological treatments. Studies show that after three months of this type of behavioral treatment, patients showed improved initiation and control over their movements, took significantly less time to initiate walking, and had a reduced tendency to stoop over when walking.
• Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health- Maharishi Vedic believes that the lack of integration between physiology and its inner intelligence that causes disorder and introduces diseases such as Parkinson's Disease. He states: "My Vedic approach to health is the approach of Natural Law, which is inscribed in every grain of human physiology and is easily accessible to anyone with the intelligence of his own body." Patients can either append the Maharishi Medical Center or may go through the program at home. He promises that positive results will show up immediately through enlightenment of the inner intelligence of the body, and from the application of procedures to manage the interrelationship of different areas of the physiology and their corresponding values in the universe. The health aspect of therapy is also handled through habitual daily, as well as seasonal routines, eating a balanced diet, getting adequate amounts of exercise, and herbal medications.

• Glaucoma
• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Stomach, Intestinal Disease
• Bladder Conditions
• Orthopedic Conditions
• Cancer

Conditions Influencing Treatment. Available at:

http://www.neuro-chief-e.mgh.harvard.edu/parkinsonsweb/Main/Drugs/ConfndTrtment.html

Definition of Parkinson's Disease Available at:

http://www.nadh.com/site7/C45Prkns.htm

Kerr, Tom."Brain Implant Completely Alleviates Parkinson's Tremor." ADVANCE for Occupational

Therapists. September 8, 1997 vol. 13 p. 18

Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health. Available at:

http://www.vedichealth.com/parkinsons/index.html

Medicine Net. Available at:

http://www.medicinet.com/mainmenu/encyclop/ARTICLE/Art_A/altermed.htm

Pallidotomy Information. Available at:

http://www.thriveonline.com/@@sn*SBQUAXyFeePOL/thrive/health/Library/CAD/abstract24526.html