Does anyone have any advice or info about Parkinson?

Any info about treatments, future cures you may have heard of and things that can help people cope with it and get their quality of life back? Thank youDoes anyone have any advice or info about Parkinson?
Parkinson's disease is one of a larger group of neurological conditions called motor system disorders. In the normal brain, some nerve cells produce the chemical dopamine, which transmits signals within the brain to produce smooth movement of muscles. In Parkinson's patients, 80 percent or more of these dopamine-producing cells are damaged, dead, or otherwise degenerated. This causes the nerve cells to fire wildly, leaving patients unable to control their movements. Symptoms usually show up in one or more of four ways:


* tremor, or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face


* rigidity, or stiffness of limbs and trunk


* bradykinesia, or slowness of movement


* postural instability or impaired balance and coordination.


Though full-blown Parkinson's can be crippling or disabling, experts say early symptoms of the disease may be so subtle and gradual that patients sometimes ignore them or attribute them to the effects of aging. At first, patients may feel overly tired, ';down in the dumps,'; or a little shaky. Their speech may become soft and they may become irritable for no reason. Movements may be stiff, unsteady, or unusually slow.





Although there is no cure for Parkinson's Disease, there are several measures that can be taken to improve a patient's quality of life. These measure include drug and surgical therapy. The other options available include making lifestyle changes, and employing physical and speech therapy.





One of the very first options suggested by doctors is medication. There are several drugs available. All with different roles.





* Levodopa 鈥?The most commonly prescribed drug for Parkinson's Disease. Levodopa is a chemical that is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and be converted to dopamine in the brain. It is technically known as a 'precursor to dopamine.'


* Segeline 鈥?It's an MAO-B inhibitor. MAO-B is an enzyme that degrades dopamine, therefore inhibiting this enzyme causes dopamine to have a longer lasting effect on the brain.


* Anticholigernic medications 鈥?They block nerve impulses that control muscle movement. They also block acetylecholine, a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate muscle movement. Anticholigernics work best in patients who are over 70, where their main symptoms are tremors and drooling.





There are several surgical options available, these include:


* Pallidotomy 鈥?This procedure involves making a lesion in the globus pallidus. That is, destroying some of the cells in a particular part of the brain that controlls movement. Pallidotomy has been found to reduce dyskenasias (involuntary movements) by 70%-90%.


* Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) 鈥?Involves implanting a small metal electrode into the brain. The electrode is then attatched to a pulse generator which is stored implanted in the chest subcutaneously (under the skin).It is believed that while DBS does not cure Parkinson's Disease, it may diminish drug induced symptoms. A programming device can be used to adjust the pulse generator. This is all done wirelessly. At this stage, only the physician keeps the device which controls the intensity of stimulation. The patient is given a device which determines whether the pace maker is on or off.


* Thalamic stimulation


* Pallidal stimulation


* Subthalamic DBSDoes anyone have any advice or info about Parkinson?
Someone doing a lot of research in this area is the Michael J Fox Foundation. For their website follow this link:





http://www.michaeljfox.org/





Good Luck with everything!
There are a number of things that can be done through medication and rehabilitation. Contacting a local parkinson's organisation would be a good idea for support.





Also try this site





http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/parki鈥?/a>
There was very recent news about a high blood pressure drug which has had success (not on humans yet), but my thinking is if its already licenced as a blood pressure drug, you may find an obliging doctor that will prescribe it on the off chance.


Other than that please visit the two sites below, one is New Scientist (do a search and when you have read the article check out the related pages to the right of the main text , sometimes there are other useful things there)


The other link is for 'what doctors don't tell you' some if it may well seem like quackery at the moment, but we used to think the earth was flat, all science starts somewhere. Much of it sounds credible, worth a good long read anyway.


I wish you the very best of luck
MY MUM HAS PARKINSONS ITS VERYY UP SETTING TO SEE SOME ONE YOU LOVE DEARERLY AND NOT BEING ABLE TO HELP MY MUM 50 NOT THAT OLD IF U THINK ABOUT SHE FOUND OUT SHE HAD 2 YEARS AGO AND ITS AFECTING HER BADLEY.MY MUM GOES TO REST BITE FOR A DAY ONCE A WEEK IT HELPS HER ASK YOUR GP