Causes Of Parkinsons Disease
As identified by specialists, the main cause of PD is the brains inability to produce dopamine. But, what makes the brain not able to produce dopamine? Your health is in your hands. Be educated and take charge.
Here are some of the reasons that contribute to the deterioration of not only PD but also neurological health:
- Various nutrient deficiencies
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Other Recent Studies Have Shown Certain Vitamins Can Decrease Your Risk Of Developing Parkinson’s
Other recent research shows that diet can affect your Parkinson’s risk, but in some cases, it’s for the better. A study published in January in the journal Neurology tracked the health of 41,058 men and women aged 18 to 94 for an average of 17.6 years. None of the participants were previously diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The study subjects were divided into three vitamin consumption groups, separating them by highest intake, moderate intake, and lowest intake.
The resulting data led the researchers to conclude that vitamin C and vitamin E can reduce your risk of Parkinson’s disease, with members of the highest consumption cohort of both vitamins being 32 percent less likely to develop the condition. “Our large study found that vitamin C and vitamin E were each linked to a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, and we found the association may be even stronger when intake of both vitamin C and E is high,” study co-author Essi Hantikainen, PhD, said in a statement.
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Are There Any Changes I Could Make To Help Me Stay In Control
Yes, there are many changes you can make to help you stay in control and remain independent. Adapting your daily routine is one important way that you can help yourself. Choose a time in the day when your medication is working well to embark on any strenuous activities, and always pace yourself, taking rests if you need to.
There are also many types of specialist equipment to help with activities such as washing, dressing and eating for example. Occupational therapists are trained to help people to maintain their independence and adapt to any limitations they experience. They can advise on special equipment and modifications to your environment or daily routine.
Many people also devise their own strategies for coping with some difficulties – see Coping strategies videos for a range of ideas. For other helpful hints on everyday living see Helpful hints.
See also Living well.
How To Eat Well In Parkinsons Disease
Healthy Diet: The main idea is to eat a balanced and healthy diet. Consumption of fruits, nuts, vegetables and lean meat in small proportion may be beneficial.
Maintaining Weight- It should be taken care that the patient should not gain a lot of weight and become obese.
Fiber: Fiber rich food like broccoli, peas, apples, cooked beans, whole-grain bread and cereals are seen to be a part of a good diet.
Fats: Sugar and salt consumption must be cut down along with saturated fats from meat and dairy.
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Alcohol Consumption And Risk Of Parkinson’s Disease: Data From A Large Prospective European Cohort
Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Correspondence to:
Unit of Cancer Epidemiology, Città della Salute e della Scienza University-Hospital, Turin, Italy
Center for Cancer Prevention, Turin, Italy
Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece
First Department of Neurology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Department of Epidemiology, Regional Health Council, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria -Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain
Centrode Investigación Biomédica en Red in Epidemiology and Public Health, Madrid, Spain
Department of Health and Social Sciences, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
Memory Clinic, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
Centrode Investigación Biomédica en Red in Epidemiology and Public Health, Madrid, Spain
Navarra Public Health Institute, Pamplona, Spain
Institutode Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra , Navarra Institute for Health Research, Pamplona, Spain
Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Correspondence to:
How Will My Daily Life Be Affected
Parkinsons is such an individual and personal condition, it affects everyone differently so it is difficult to say to how it will impact on your everyday life. Many people find they can carry on as usual with hardly any problems for some time, but as the illness progresses you will probably find that you need to adapt your routine to make life easier.
The type of symptoms you experience and how well your medication controls them will be a big factor, so keeping a close eye on how effective your medication is and communicating well with your doctor is crucial in managing your Parkinsons and enabling you to continue your usual activities. Keeping in contact with friends and doing the things you enjoy are also important in maintaining a positive attitude and ensuring that you continue to enjoy a good quality of life.
If over time you find some activities start to get difficult, talk to your doctor and other healthcare professionals, they may be able to suggest adaptations or specialist equipment that can help you continue to do these things for longer.
See also:
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Eat More Organic Fresh Raw Fruits And Vegetables
It is a known fact that eating more fresh, raw fruits and vegetables is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Fruits and vegetables provide your body with all the nutrients that your body needs, without any side effect: Phytonutrients, antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, amino acids, fiber and anti-inflammatory properties.
When eating processed and fast foods, they are void of these nutrients on their own, but require them for digesting the foods, thus causing nutrient deficiencies that contribute to deterioration of health.
If you dont eat much fruits and vegetables now, then you will have a lot to catch up on. Drinking freshly extracted juices will help speed up your healing. The key is to eat/drink of them raw and organic .
Green juices contain high levels of chlorophyll that is powerful in healing of the gut and to detoxify the body of heavy metals. So it makes sense to start drinking green juices in small amount, gradually building up the amount to up to 2-3 glasses of green juices a day.
If drinking green juices is a hassle for you, a good alternative is making your own moringa tea or green matcha tea that are very rich in chlorophyll and anti-cancer properties.
What Is Parkinsons Disease
The Parkinson Foundation explains Parkinsons Disease as follows:
Parkinsons disease is a neuro-degenerative brain disorder that progresses slowly in most people. A persons brain may stop producing a neurotransmitter called dopamine. With lesser dopamine, a person has lesser ability to regulate their movements, body and emotions.
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Dementia Or Alzheimers Like Phenotypes
Expression of TLR7, HMGB1, and microglia activation marker are increased in post-mortem human alcoholic hippocampal tissue and expression of TLR7 was correlated with alcohol intake. Consistent with human findings, TLR7, HMGB1, IL-1, TNF-, and let-b are also highly expressed in rat HEC brain slice culture following alcohol intake. Alcohol increased the release of let-7b in microglia-derived microvesicles and binding of let-7b to the chaperone HMGB1 and DAMP, and reduced the binding of let-7b to its classical target, Ago2. Together, the findings suggest that alcohol may mediate hippocampal neurodegeneration via let-7b/HMGB1/TLR7-associated signaling pathways . MicroRNA let-7b is highly expressed in CSF of AD patients . Intrathecal injection of CSF from AD patients into the CSF of wild-type mice resulted in neurodegeneration, whereas injection into CSF of mice lacking TLR7 did not result in neurodegeneration, suggesting the pivotal role of microRNAs such as let-7b in TLR7 signaling mediated CNS damage .
Signs And Symptoms Of Parkinsons Disease
Patients of Parkinsons disease may deal with the following signs and symptoms-
Shaking or Tremor: Shaking or tremor usually starts in a particular limb, more often in any finger or one hand. You may even notice a forth and a back rubbing of your forefinger and thumb, known commonly as a pill-rolling type of tremor. parkinsons disease problems major characteristic is tremor in one hand when it remains in rest or in relaxed condition.
Bradykinesia or Slow Movement: With time, Parkinsons disease reduces the physical ability associated with your body movement and thereby, makes even simple tasks very much difficult and much time consuming. You may take relatively short steps while you walk or face difficulty in standing from your chair. Even you may drag the feet while trying to walk and thereby, causing difficulty in your body movements.
Muscular Rigidity: Muscular stiffness may take place in any specific part of the patients body. Stiff muscles may limit the exact motion range and cause pain.
Impaired Balance and Posture: Posture of Parkinsons disease patients may sometimes become stoop or individuals may deal with balance problems because of the disease.
Loss in Automatic Movements: In case of Parkinsons disease, you may deal with reduced ability in performing unconscious movements, such as swinging arms while you walk, smiling and blinking of your eyes.
Changes in Writing: You may face difficulty in writing or the writing becomes small than before.
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How Beer Protects You Against Parkinsons And Alzheimers Diseases
There are studies that say wine, when moderately consumed, is actually good for the body. This leaves the beer-drinkers almost out of excuse to drink their favorite alcoholic beverage. However, in a recent study conducted by scientists in China showed that there is something for beer lovers to celebrate about.
According to the study, beer could help combat degenerative brain diseases by means of protecting the brain from damage. The researchers performed the study at Lanzhou University where they have discovered that xanthohumol, a compound found in beers, could have the ability to fight off brain diseases, including dementia, Parkinsons, and Alzheimers.
Research Suggests Moderate Drinking May Protect Against Stroke Parkinson’s Disease And Cognitive Decline
When a friend invites you to grab a glass of wine after a difficult day at work, you may be doing your brain some goodas long as that one glass doesn’t turn into three. Indeed, several studies have found a link between limited, moderate drinkingup to one drink per day for women and two per day for menand a lower risk of neurologic illnesses.
Wine and Stroke
Studies have observed that small amounts of wine increase levels of high-density lipoprotein , and reduce fibrinogen, a protein involved in coagulation. Lower levels of fibrinogen reduce the likelihood of a blood clot, a cause of ischemic . An analysis of data from the long-running, community-based Framingham Heart Study published in the journal Stroke in 2006 found that wine may protect against atherosclerosis by raising HDL levels and inhibiting low-density lipoprotein , in adults aged 60 to 69.
Beer and Parkinson’s
The National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study looked at the association between drinking habits and future risk of in more than 300,000 adult men and women aged 50 to 71. The results, published in PLOS ONE in 2013, showed that drinking up to two 12-ounce beers a day was linked to a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease. Drinking more than two 1.5-ounce servings of liquor per day correlated with an increased risk.
Alcohol and Cognition
In Moderation
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Beer Minimizes The Risk Of Alzheimers And Parkinsons
The hops have lots of good properties, according to researchers.
There should be no doubt that beer is not exactly a health drink, but now we have actually been given a good excuse to drink some more.
Scientists from the University of Lanzhou have found that beer drinkers are less likely to develop degenerative diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons.
READ: 10 Scientific reasons why Beer is good for you
The health effects of wine have received some attention, which has put beer a bit in the shade. But researchers have found that the latter can have a much greater health impact than previously thought, the university writes.
It is the substance xanthohumol in hops that is both a good antioxidant, is good for the cardiovascular system and counteracts cancer to a degree.
However, the researchers point out that beer must be consumed regularly in order to have the beneficial effect.
And then you have to drink those hip special beers with a high concentration of hops.
Cheers!
Study Population And Exclusion Criteria
We included all men and women in Sweden who were hospitalized with either a diagnosis of an alcohol use disorder or appendicitis between January 1, 1972 and December 31, 2008, identified through the Swedish National Inpatient Register. This register is kept by the National Board of Health and Welfare and covers the entire Swedish population.
The study was approved by the Stockholm Regional Ethical Review Board, Sweden.
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Protect Against Alzheimers Disease
Perhaps one of the most remarkable health benefits of beer is its ability to protect against Alzheimers. Researchers at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine analyzed several studies and came to the conclusion that moderate beer drinkers were 23% less likely to develop different forms of dementia and cognitive impairment, including Alzheimers.
The silicon content in beer is thought to protect the brain from the harmful effects of high amounts of aluminum in the body, which are one of the possible causes of Alzheimers.
Classification Of Alcohol Exposure
Each individual was considered to be exposed from the time of his or her first admission with a diagnosis of an alcohol use disorder recorded in the Swedish National Inpatient Register during the study period. Survival time was calculated as the interval between this date and the date of first admission with PD, administrative censoring on 31 December 2008, or as recorded in the National Cause of Death Register, whichever came first. The criteria for assignment to the cohort with alcohol diagnoses were: ICD-8: 291.00-.99 , 303.00-.99 ICD-9: 291A-X , 303 , 305A , 980A-X ICD-10: F10.0-9 , F10.0-.9 , T51.0-9 , X45 .
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Help Reduce Risk Of Heart Disease
One eye-opening study involving 200,000 subjects conducted at Italys Fondazion di Ricerca e Cura found that people who drank a pint of beer daily had a 31% reduced chance of heart disease.
This heart-protecting power of beer stems largely from beers natural antioxidants called phenols. However, the study also showed risk of heart disease increased in people who consumed higher amounts of beer.
What Will My Treatment Involve
There is no single, optimal treatment because Parkinsons is such an individual condition and evolves differently for each person. You will need to work together with your doctor to find the right balance of treatments for your specific symptoms.
In the beginning, a single medication or a combination of different medications can be used. Medical treatment is started in low doses and increased gradually. Furthermore, the effects of a medication can vary greatly between individuals and some may experience side effects. Therefore, treatment for people with Parkinson’s requires regular follow-up appointments with a doctor who has a good knowledge of the condition so that adjustments can be made as needed.
Symptoms can be effectively controlled, often using a combination of the following:
See also Treatments and Therapies.
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Alcohol And Its Effects On Parkinsons Disease
According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the active element in beer, wine, and liquor is ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, which is known colloquially as alcohol.
In 2013, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health has shown that 52.2% people over 12 years of age in America were current alcohol users, 6.3% of the population over 12 are a heavy drinker and 10.9% had driven a car under influence of alcohol . Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. It is a highly lipid soluble and can cross the blood-brain-barrier. After that, it acts on the receptor level, particularly the GABA and Glutamate. Here it acts by slowing down the movement and speech. But the pleasurable effects produced by alcohol are brought about by its action at a Dopamine receptor level. A casual drinker may suffer from a loss of memory even after a few drinks .
One study has shown that heavy drinking contributes to involuntary body movements such as akathisia . Several other studies have demonstrated that acute alcohol intoxication and withdrawal may provoke transient Parkinsonian movements particularly, akathisia, dystonia, cogwheeling, tremor, wide-based gait and bradykinesia. These symptoms were diminished following abstinence from alcohol . Animal studies have demonstrated impaired striatal dopaminergic function during severe ethanol intoxication or withdrawal. Thus chronic alcoholism may exacerbate or uncover the sign-symptoms of latent Parkinson’s disease .