Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

A six-month program of Tai Chi exercises helped people with various stages of Parkinson's disease improve stability, their ability to walk and reduced the frequency of falls. A study released this week in the New England Journal of Medicine compared a six-month tailored Tai Chi program to resistance training and stretching to see which was most effective at improving functional movement, walking and balance for Parkinson's patients. Researchers randomly assigned 195 men and women ages 40 to 85 who were in stages one to four of Parkinson's disease (on a scale of one to five). Parkinson's is a neurological disorder caused by a loss of neurons that produce dopamine, a chemical involved with muscle function and movement coordination. That can result in tremors, stiffness, poor coordination and more difficulty doing daily activities. It can also lead to a higher risk of falls, which can cause serious injuries. Tai Chi, a discipline that incorporates slow, deliberate movements, plus breathing, has health benefits that include reducing stress and improving balance and posture. The study participants were randomly assigned to hourlong, twice weekly sessions of Tai Chi, resistance training or stretching for six months. Researchers assessed their status at the beginning of the … Continue reading →

FAIRHOPE, Alabama -- Susie Glickman is an amazing line dancer. It’s not because she can execute the Cupid Shuffle or the Electric Slide better than most. Rather, it is because every step takes extra effort now that this 67-year-old Fairhope woman has Parkinson’s disease. “I have it on my left side,” said Glickman, who was diagnosed with the chronic, progressive movement disorder in 2007. “I went in to see my doctor because my left arm didn’t feel like it was part of my body. When I found out it was Parkinson’s, I was shocked. I wanted to find out as much as I could about the disease.” At first glance, Glickman’s condition isn’t obvious. While moving a little slower these days, Glickman is fairly nimble. But this spunky grandmother struggles with tremors, weakness and balance issues. Turning pages can be tiresome — or downright impossible. Often, she succumbs to exhaustion. Nevertheless, Glickman considers herself lucky. “The mid 60s is the prime age to get Parkinson’s,” she said. “It usually progresses slowly when you are diagnosed in your 60s. But the younger you have it, the faster it progresses.” Glickman manages to move steadily while leading line-dancing classes in Mobile and … Continue reading →

By a GenomeWeb staff reporter NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Cleveland Clinic today said that it will recruit Parkinson's disease patients for 23andMe and the consumer genetics firm's ongoing research efforts in that area. The patients will be recruited to contribute their DNA to 23andMe's research database and complete online surveys regarding their health. Participants will be enrolled in 23andMe's Parkinson's Disease Research Community, enabling them to engage with other Parkinson's patients while getting full access to 23andMe's Personal Genome Service. Cleveland Clinic said the project is part of its own personalized healthcare initiative, which seeks to better predict risk for disease and response to therapies. "We are offering this opportunity to our patients because as part of our 'Patients First' mission, we feel it is an important collaboration that could lead to improvements in our ability to predict and treat Parkinson's disease," Kathryn Teng, director of the Center for Personalized Healthcare at Cleveland Clinic, said in a statement. 23andMe began a research collaboration in March 2009 with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, and the Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center aimed at enrolling 10,000 people to be part of its Parkinson's Disease Research Community. That collaboration led … Continue reading →

CLEVELAND, Feb. 14, 2012  /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to study the interactions between genomics and Parkinson's disease, Cleveland Clinic has joined the ongoing efforts of 23andMe, a leading personal genetics company, to recruit Parkinson's patients to participate in research by contributing their DNA to a research database and completing online surveys about their health. Currently, little is known about how genes relate to Parkinson's disease, the effectiveness of treatments, or the natural course of the disease. The goal of this collaborative research effort – which also has support from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the National Parkinson Foundation and the Parkinson's Institute – is to discover how genes and the environment influence Parkinson's disease. "We are aware of the limitations of today's treatments, so we are always thinking about what we can do to advance the care of this incurable disease," said Andre Machado, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Cleveland Clinic's Center for Neurological Restoration. "This collaboration will help us to learn more about the genomics of Parkinson's disease and how it may impact individualized care in the future." The project is part of Cleveland Clinic's personalized healthcare initiative, which aims to drive discoveries that allow medical professionals to better … Continue reading →

February 14, 2012, 4:03 PM EST By Nicole Ostrow Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Tai chi, a Chinese martial art of precise, gentle movements, helps patients with mild-to-moderate Parkinson’s disease improve their balance, a study found. Patients who did tai chi twice a week for six months had improvement in steadiness that was 2.5 times greater than those who engaged in resistance training and 4 times greater than those who did only stretching exercise, according to research published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Doctors recommend exercise for patients with Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder that causes trembling, stiffness and balance impairment and increases the risk of falls, the authors wrote. Tai chi, known for its series of exact postures that flow one into the next, requires concentration and weight shifting that may have extra benefits for those with mild to moderate Parkinson’s, said lead study author Fuzhong Li. “We have clearly shown that tai chi has the potential to help patients ease some of the movement disorder,” Li, a senior research scientist at the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene, Oregon, said in a Feb. 6 telephone interview. “It will definitely help people improve their balance. My recommendation would … Continue reading →

MediGait announces: A new study by the department of Physical Therapy and Neurology at the Georgia Health Sciences University shows significant improvement in step-initiation for Parkinson's Disease patients. The study was published in the Dec. 2011 issue of the Journal of Novel Physiotherapies. (PRWEB) February 13, 2012 Disorders of posture and gait are a major source of functional disability in individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD). These problems often respond poorly to treatment with anti-parkinsonian medications as well as other interventions such as deep brain stimulation surgery. The disturbance of gait initiation, referred to as start hesitation, is common in patients with Parkinson’s disease and is linked with akinesia, or a lack of spontaneous movement and the prolonged time it takes to initiate a movement such as stepping. The study by the department of Physical Therapy and Neurology at the Georgia Health Sciences University, published in the Dec. 2011 issue of the Journal of Novel Physiotherapies, included 47 patients with varying degree of Parkinson's disease. 21 patients were classified as moderately-severe while 26 were early stage not yet showing gait symptoms. The patients walked with a "closed-loop" cueing device called the GaitAid by MediGait. The study showed significant improvement in step … Continue reading →

23-09-2011 08:12 For Full Video http://www.medindia.net Slide animation on surgery for Parkinson disease. Surgery is only indicated where drugs fail to control the symptoms of this progressive movement disorder. Surgery cannot cure the disease. Originally posted here: Parkinson Disease - Surgical Treatment - Video … Continue reading →

23-10-2011 16:54 http://www.secretover.com Treatment of Parkison's Disease Read more here: Treatment of Parkinson's Disease Symptoms - Video … Continue reading →

23-01-2012 17:24 Read the original here: "Biochemistry", Advances in Parkinson's Disease Treatment - Video … Continue reading →

15-01-2012 23:23 TMJ one year follow up visit shows that improvements have stayed. Original post: Parkinson's Disease Symptoms Improve with Non-Surgical TMJ Treatment: Part 2 - Video … Continue reading →