Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

Instead of pushing a needle into your spine and drawing out fluid to test for Parkinsons, doctors might be able to simply stick a needle in your arm and draw blood. Researchers say a particular protein can tell them whether you have Parkinsons disease or one of a group of atypical parkinsonian disorders that look like Parkinsons but are not such as multiple system atrophy. But according to their study in Neurology, testing the spinal fluid through a lumbar puncture is complicated and makes patients uneasy, reducing the clinical usefulness of these [previous] findings. They came up with a solution: a blood test. Read: Device Can Smell Parkinsons On Your Breath Telling between Parkinsons and atypical parkinsonism can be difficult because they often have overlapping symptoms, but properly diagnosing a patient is crucial for proper care. Early and correct diagnosis is vital to identify the patients who would benefit from certain disease-specific treatments, the study says. The biomarker doctors are now searching for in blood is called neurofilament light chain protein, and it appears in higher levels in people with one of the latter conditions. It is a component of nerve cells and can be detected in the blood stream … Continue reading →

(Photo credit MARION BERARD/AFP/GettyImages) (Photo credit MARION BERARD/AFP/GettyImages) A new blood test may be as accurate as a test requiring a painful spinal tap for differentiating Parkinsons disease from similar disorders, according to a study published Wednesday in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Parkinsons disease is a neurological disorder that can cause tremors, stiffness, slowness of movement, trouble balancing, problems walking and difficulty coordinating movement. Less obvious symptoms include depression, insomnia, anxiety, fatigue and constipation. Neurological disorders that mimic the symptoms of Parkinsons disease are called atypical parkinsonism disorders. Many doctors cannot tell whether a patient has Parkinsons disease or atypical parkinsonism. This can be very challenging, especially during the early stages of the diseases and if the responsible doctor is not a neurologist specialized in movement disorders, said Dr. Oskar Hansson, lead author of the new study, a neurologist and an associate professor at Lund University in Sweden. Non-specialists do not really know exactly what questions to ask the patient and the special signs to look for, Hansson wrote in an email. Yet patients with atypical disorders usually have a much worse prognosis, with faster disease progression, (with) more disabling symptoms than Parkinsons patients, … Continue reading →

AlterNet WATCH: Former Cop With Parkinson's Tries Cannabis Treatment for First Time AlterNet Adults with Parkinson's disease can also experience this miracle, as Larry Smith demonstrated in a video where he took medical cannabis for the first time. Smith began suffering from Parkinson's twenty years ago developing severe dyskinesia ... See the article here: WATCH: Former Cop With Parkinson's Tries Cannabis Treatment for First Time - AlterNet … Continue reading →

By the time Kay Schwister got her diagnosis last summer, she couldn't talk anymore. But she could still scowl, and scowl she did. After weeks of decline and no clue what was causing it, doctors had told Schwister a 53-year-old vocational rehab counselor and mother of two from Chicago that she had an incurable disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or CJD. The disease was shrinking Kay's brain, and riddling it with holes. She would likely live only a few more weeks, the doctors said. It was a diagnosis that no one could ever want. But the fact that Schwister was able to get a firm diagnosis while still alive is a relatively new development that represents a step forward in understanding a group of devastating neurological disorders. And, some biochemists say, it could lead to better ways of diagnosing brain diseases that are much more common, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. For Kay Schwister, it all started in the spring of 2016, when she started getting headaches and feeling dizzy all the time. Aging, she told herself, just didn't feel very good. Over the next few weeks, she got steadily worse. "She got to the point where she was so nauseous and … Continue reading →

By Jason JordanThe Evening Tribune HORNELL Science is making advances in the treatment of neurological disorders, including its most recognizable form, Parkinsons disease. Parkinsons disease is a degenerative neurological disorder that causes the loss of brain cells in the part of the brain that produces dopamine, a chemical that is responsible for coordination, movement and animation. Dopamine is what tells your muscles and cells to do things, since (patients)dont get enough to activate, their movements are much smaller, Deborah Towle, DPT, of Maple City Physical Therapy, explained. More than 10 million people live with the disease worldwide, and approximately 60,000 Americans will be diagnosed with it this year, according to the Parkinsons Disease Foundation. Parkinsons patients face several challenges, some of which may be reversed by the therapy offered. They often have trouble starting, then stopping movements. Once they get going they can get in a rhythm, but their movements tend to be very small, Towle said, making those living with Parkinson'sself-conscious about how the rest of the world sees them. Recently, Maple City Physical Therapy became the only therapy practice in the area offering treatment for Parkinsons disease, when Towle became certified to help patients with Parkinsons and other … Continue reading →

Treatment of Hallucinations and Delusions Caused by PD Medications STEP 1: Assessment and Plan The treatment goal for each step throughout this process is to achieve a healthy balance between PD symptom control and management of hallucinations/delusions. *It is important to be familiar with antipsychotic medications as many of them can cause worsening of motor symptoms and should not be prescribed for people with PD. Some of these medications, such as Haldol, are commonly prescribed in the hospital setting for patients who are agitated or anxious. If Haldol is prescribed, it should be given through an IV. This is the only form of Haldol that does not appear to worsen Parkinsonism. Notify all treating clinicians that older antipsychotics (those medications highlighted in red) should be avoided if possible. *People with PD who suffer from mental health comorbidities should not be given amoxapine. If they are taking anMAO-Binhibitor for their PD, the current practice is to avoid concurrent tricyclic,SSRI, or SNRIantidepressants. There is some controversy on this point, and some neurologists and neuropsychs are comfortable prescribing an MAO-B inhibitor concurrently with antidepressants if done under their close supervision. For hallucinationsand delusions, PD patients shouldnt be on anyneurolepticsexcept for quetiapine or clozapine. … Continue reading →

Return to ITM Online PARKINSON'S DISEASE Possible Treatment with Chinese Medicine by Subhuti Dharmananda, Institute for Traditional Medicine, Portland, Oregon The disorder that was to become known as Parkinson's disease was first described as shaking palsy in 1817 by a London physician named James Parkinson. Parkinson's disease is now known to be a progressive neurological disorder involving degeneration of neurons in a region of the brain that controls movement. This degeneration creates a shortage of dopamine, which is the immediate cause of the movement dysfunctions that characterize the disease: administration of l-dopa (a precursor to dopamine, which is converted in brain cells to dopamine) has considerable beneficial effects in many patients with Parkinson's disease. In most cases, the first symptom of Parkinson's disease is tremor (trembling or shaking) of a limb, especially when the body is at rest. The tremor often begins on one side of the body, frequently in one hand. As the disease progresses, both sides of the body may be involved and shaking of the head may also occur. Other common symptoms include slow movement, difficulty in initiating movement, rigid limbs, a shuffling gait, a stooped posture, and reduced facial expressions. In about a third of the … Continue reading →

----------------------------------------------------------- For medical advice or treatment when the surgery is closed please dial 111 Use the NHS symptom checker for self help treatments For life threatening conditions dial 999 A & E should only be used in a critical or life-threatening situation or where there are symptoms of serious illness or injury. If you are unsure, dial 111 and you will be advised which service is most appropriate for your care. If you are entitled to a free flu vaccination the following clinics will be held on: Saturday 24th September at Great Notley Surgery between 8am - 11.30am Saturday 1st October at Little Waltham Surgerybetween 8am - 11.30am Book now with our trained advisors, we can offer you one to one support. Advising you of the best ways to Quit with a choice of Nicotine or Non-Nicotine treatments on prescription. For all initial enquiries or to book an appointment please contact us on 01376 341411 Admin option Karen / Brenda ext. 101/102 Or telephone reception to book an appointment. Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Little Waltham and Great Notley Surgeries Patient Participation Group (The Group) will take place on Wednesday 26th October 2016 at … Continue reading →

By Jerome Corsi NEW YORK Hillary Clinton has stage-three Parkinsons disease and suffers from seizures, according to three sources who have had a personal relationship with the Democratic Party presidential nominee. The sources, who spoke to WND on condition of anonymity, explained that her seizures or dizzy spells can be triggered by being out in the sun, such as apparently occurred Sunday when she was videoed collapsing as she was escorted into her limousine in New York City. After the episode Sunday, the Clinton campaign announced she had been diagnosed on Friday with pneumonia. However, images captured at the 9/11 memorial Sunday showed Clinton apparently being asked by a medical professional to squeeze her fingers, a test that would indicate she suffers from a neurological disease such as Parkinsons. Meanwhile, a Republican state legislator in New Hampshire said Monday he believes Clinton has Parkinsons. Daniel Tamburello commented on his Facebook page that his father had Parkinsons, and he noted pneumonia is common among sufferers of the neuro-degenerative disease. As WND reported Monday, two physicians have stated they believe Clinton could have Parkinsons. The National Parkinson Foundation says stage three of the five stages is considered mid-stage in the progression of … Continue reading →

Da Wikipedia, l'enciclopedia libera. La malattia di Parkinson sovente definita come morbo[1]di Parkinson, Parkinson, parkinsonismo idiopatico, parkinsonismo primario, sindrome ipocinetica rigida o paralisi agitante una malattia neurodegenerativa. I sintomi motori tipici della condizione sono il risultato della morte delle cellule che sintetizzano e rilasciano la dopamina. Tali cellule si trovano nella substantia nigra, una regione del mesencefalo. La causa che porta alla loro morte sconosciuta. All'esordio della malattia, i sintomi pi evidenti sono legati al movimento, ed includono tremori, rigidit, lentezza nei movimenti e difficolt a camminare. In seguito, possono insorgere problemi cognitivi e comportamentali, con la demenza che si verifica nelle fasi avanzate. La malattia di Parkinson pi comune negli anziani; la maggior parte dei casi si verifica dopo i 50 anni. I sintomi motori principali sono comunemente chiamati parkinsonismo. La condizione spesso definita come una sindrome idiopatica anche se alcuni casi atipici hanno un'origine genetica. Molti fattori di rischio e fattori protettivi sono stati indagati: ad esempio, l'aumento del rischio di contrarre la malattia nelle persone esposte ad idrocarburi solventi e pesticidi[2]. La patologia caratterizzata dall'accumulo di una proteina, chiamata alfa-sinucleina, in inclusioni denominate corpi di Lewy nei neuroni e dall'insufficiente formazione di dopamina. La distribuzione anatomica dei … Continue reading →