In Summary Reduce Your Stress
The most important thing we can do for our long-term health, both physical and cognitive, is to reduce the stress in our bodies. All stress physical, emotional and chemical causes inflammation and long-term damage throughout the body.
Whether youre seeking Parkinsons prevention techniques or ways to alleviate symptoms, any of the above dietary and lifestyle practices can have long-term health benefits. Drinking green tea, eating organic, local vegetables, and regular aerobic exercise all significantly reduce the long-term cumulative damage done by stress.
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How Often Do Patients Need To Exercise To Benefit
Patients need to engage in at least 150 minutes of exercise each week to see an impact. In a paper published in JAMA Neurology, researchers were able to delay the progression of PD for six months through exercise alone, splitting exercise into three sessions per week, with each session increasing the participants heart rate to a maximum of 80-85%.
Symptoms And Warning Signs
Symptoms of Parkinsons fall into two major categories: those related to motor functions, and those related to changes in someones mood. The four most common signs and symptoms of Parkinsons disease include:
- Trembling: This usually presents itself in the arms, jaw, legs and face.
- Rigidity: Most patients experience stiffness of the bodys core as well as their arms and legs.
- Bradykinesia: This is the term for slowness of movement. Some patients pause or freeze when moving without being able to start again, and others begin to shuffle when trying to walk.
- Postural instability : This results in loss of strength, loss of balance and problems with moving muscles or coordinating body parts.
Other symptoms that can also occur, which often impact someones moods and other behaviors, include:
- Sexual dysfunction
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What Is The Outlook For Persons With Parkinsons Disease
Although there is no cure or absolute evidence of ways to prevent Parkinsons disease, scientists are working hard to learn more about the disease and find innovative ways to better manage it, prevent it from progressing and ultimately curing it.
Currently, you and your healthcare teams efforts are focused on medical management of your symptoms along with general health and lifestyle improvement recommendations . By identifying individual symptoms and adjusting the course of action based on changes in symptoms, most people with Parkinsons disease can live fulfilling lives.
The future is hopeful. Some of the research underway includes:
- Using stem cells to produce new neurons, which would produce dopamine.
- Producing a dopamine-producing enzyme that is delivered to a gene in the brain that controls movement.
- Using a naturally occurring human protein glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor, GDNF to protect dopamine-releasing nerve cells.
Many other investigations are underway too. Much has been learned, much progress has been made and additional discoveries are likely to come.
Stages Of Parkinsons Disease
Neurologists usually describe the progression of Parkinsons symptoms in stages, using the system known as the Hoehn and Yahr scale. These stages are:
- Stage 1 Symptoms are seen on one side of the body only.
- Stage 2 Symptoms are seen on both sides of the body. Theres no impairment of balance.
- Stage 3 Balance impairment has begun. In this mild-to-moderate stage of the disease, the person is still physically independent.
- Stage 4 This stage is marked by severe disability, but the person is still able to walk or stand unassisted.
- Stage 5 The person requires a wheelchair or is bedridden unless assisted.
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So What Does Nutrition Have To Do With Parkinsons
1. The neurotransmitter dopamine is made in the body from amino acids which are the building blocks of protein. Every time we eat a protein rich food we take in protein, which the body breaks down into its component amino acids. Two amino acids are converted in the body into L-Dopa, which is then converted into dopamine in the brain.
2. Nutrient co-factors are required for each stage of this conversion process, so deficiencies of these may reduce dopamine production.
3. L-dopa medication competes for absorption with dietary amino acids, therefore the timing of taking L-dopa and the eating of protein needs to be managed for optimal absorption and effectiveness of the drug and the reduction of side-effects.
Therefore, the nutritional therapy approach to Parkinsons includes:
1. Supporting dopamine production by ensuring adequate precursors and co-factors
2. Considering drug-nutrient interactions to enhance effectiveness and reduce side-effects
3. Optimising nutritional status and addressing co-morbidities . These co-morbidities include constipation, depression, fatigue, and insomnia.
Care In The Privacy Of Your Home
Finding the right caregiver is an important and highly personal process. To help you with the caregiving process, Homage offers a zero-commitment consultation with its Care Advisors to better understand the care needs of your loved ones and offer some clarity on the services that Homage can provide.
Homage also offers care packages that can help you save up to 20% of the caregiving cost. Alternatively, you can consider a la carte service options to better suit your care needs.
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Risk Factors And Causes
There isnt one single cause of Parkinsons that has been proven at this time. Researchers believe a loss of the neurotransmitter dopamine, neurological damage, inflammation and brain cell deterioration are among the primary factors that trigger Parkinsons development. But why exactly patients develop these problems is a complex issue that remains up for debate.
What is known is that certain risk factors can make someone more susceptible to developing Parkinsons disease, which can include:
- Being a man, especially during older age. Research suggests that men in their 50s and 60s are most likely to develop Parkinsons.
- Genetic susceptibility: Studies have now identified several gene mutations that can put someone at a greater risk. Parkinsons has also been found to run in families, and having a sibling or parent increases someones risk.
- Damage to the area of the brain called the substantia nigra, which produces brain cells that are responsible for making dopamine.
- Toxicity and exposure to chemicals, including pesticides present on produce from non-organic farming. Living in a rural area and drinking well-water that might contain chemicals is another environmental risk factor.
- Poor diet, nutrient deficiencies, food allergies and an unhealthy lifestyle.
- Hormonal imbalances and other medical conditions that affect cognitive health and increase inflammation.
Make Sure You Get Enough Vitamin D And Omega
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of Parkinsons disease, whereas vitamin D supplementation and sunlight exposure are associated with a reduced risk. How does vitamin D combat neurodegeneration in Parkinsons disease? A high density of vitamin D receptors reside in the part of the brain most affected by Parkinsons disease this finding suggests that vitamin D regulates the function of neurons.
Vitamin D also lessens the severity of autoimmunity and regulates neurotrophins, proteins that induce the survival, development, and function of neurons. Vitamin D is one nutrient you wont want to skimp on if your goal is to prevent Parkinsons disease!Safe sun exposure is the best method for boosting vitamin D levels. However, full-body sun exposure is not possible for most people year-round in this case, I recommend you take cod liver oil and eat fatty cold-water fish, beef liver, and egg yolks to obtain dietary vitamin D.
Omega-3 fatty acids, like EPA and DHA, are critical for normal brain development and function across the lifespan. Low levels of EPA and DHA increase the risk of neurodegeneration, whereas omega-3 supplementation can help reduce neuron death in the brain, alleviate neuroinflammation, boost antioxidant enzymes, and relieve motor symptoms in PD. EPA and DHA are abundant in seafood, so I recommend consuming two to three servings of seafood per week to achieve a healthy intake of these neuroprotective fatty acids.
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Best Life: How To Prevent Parkinsons Disease
ORLANDO, Fla. — Nearly one million people are living with Parkinsons disease in the U.S. and about 60,000 more are diagnosed with it each year.
But can you lower your risk of getting this neurodegenerative disorder? Ivanhoe reports on intriguing new research.
Parkinsons is a disease that affects movement causing tremors, stiffness, slowness, and more.
The pattern of their movement is notable. But also, it affects many of other functions of the brain such as sleep, mood, sometimes cognition, stated Hooman Azmi, MD, FAANS, a neurosurgeon at Hackensack University Medical Center.
But are there ways to stop the disease before it starts?
In a recent study, scientists followed more than 41,000 people for 18 years. During this time, 465 developed Parkinsons. They found patients with the highest intake of vitamins C and E had a 38 percent reduced risk of Parkinsons.
Exercise might be another way to reduce the risk of Parkinsons.
According to the Harvard Health Letter, exercising in your thirties and forties decades before Parkinsons typically occurs may reduce your risk of developing the disease by about 30 percent.
Other evidence has shown people who consume caffeine are less likely to develop Parkinsons disease.
Drinking coffee also reduces the risk by up to 30 percent. Green tea and beer may also have a protective effect.
When it comes to exercising to lower Parkinsons risk, some experts believe the exercise needs to be vigorous to make a difference.
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Incidence Of Parkinson’s Disease
A study of data from 2005 to 2018 indicated that PD is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases worldwide . The influence factors in the study of PD were mainly divided into prospective studies and case-control studies. In the world’s high-income countries, the median incidence of PD is 14/100,000, and the rate is 160/100,000 in people aged 65 or older . Among the 40-year-old American population, the risk of PD in men is about 2%, while in women is 1.3% . The age-adjusted prevalence of PD reflects morbidity and mortality, which in Africa is lower than that in Europe, the United States, and Asia . Currently, there are fewer morbidity data related to racial or ethnic, but the incidence varies according to the current research. A study from a large medical institution in the United States indicated that the incidence in Blacks is higher than that in Whites. The age-adjusted and gender-adjusted incidence of PD was highest among Hispanics , followed by non-Hispanic whites , Asian , and Blacks . Another study based on beneficiaries of US health insurance suggested that the incidence of PD in Whites was also higher than that in Blacks or Asians . The incidence of PD increases with age and reaches a maximum at 80 years old. In the Chinese population aged 60 years, the incidence of PD is more than 1%.
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What Type Of Exercise Is Best
Any type of exercise is beneficial, so patients should focus on activities they enjoy. Patients who engage in movement and training exercises like yoga, jogging, swimming, cycling, or calisthenics improve their physical fitness and work towards alleviating PD symptoms. For example, yoga improves balance and flexibility, while running or cycling increases endurance.
More important than the type of exercise is the frequency that patients exercise. Patients with PD who engaged in exercise programs of any kind for longer than six months have shown improvement in balance and mobility far more than individuals who enrolled in short-term programs.
Studies indicate that short bursts of intense exercise may also be more effective than longer, less demanding sessions. A recent study published in the Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine outlined the impact of High-Intensity Interval Training cycling in patients with mild-to-moderate PD. Participants saw improvements in their cardiovascular health, brain functionality, and their bodys circulation of oxygen after periods of short, intense bursts of cycling for three times a week over an eight week period.
Ways Of Cutting Down The Risk Of Parkinsons Disease
Parkinsons disease is a common, chronic degenerative disorder of the central nervous system affecting about 10 million people in the world. PD is a disabling disease and affects mobility and locomotion.
It is possible to prevent the risk of acquiring this condition through the following ways.
Diet: Adequate consumption of greens, vegetables, fruits, proteins, vitamins and anti-oxidants, with reduced carbohydrates help cutting down on the risk of Parkinsons, says Bangalore based Dr Udaya Kumar Maiya, who is the medical director for the app Portea Medical.
Get more vitamin D3: Studies have found that many of those with early Parkinsons are deficient in vitamin D. Get more of this sunshine vitamin through sources such as mushroom and egg yolk. Alternately, one can also get about 15 to 30 minutes of daily exposure to sunlight for vitamin D.
Eat fresh, raw vegetables: These contain the B vitamin folic acid which is thought to prevent the onset of PD. Some good sources include dark green leafy vegetables avocado, legumes and lentils, says Dr Udaya.
Increase intake of omega-3 fatty acids: Parkinsons is an inflammatory disease and omega-3 fatty acids are known for their anti-inflammatory effect. They prevent cell degeneration and death. Some sources include fatty fish such as salmon, eggs, and walnuts.
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What Are The Surgical Treatments For Parkinsons Disease
Most patients with Parkinsons disease can maintain a good quality of life with medications. However, as the disease worsens, medications may no longer be effective in some patients. In these patients, the effectiveness of medications becomes unpredictable reducing symptoms during on periods and no longer controlling symptoms during off periods, which usually occur when the medication is wearing off and just before the next dose is to be taken. Sometimes these variations can be managed with changes in medications. However, sometimes they cant. Based on the type and severity of your symptoms, the failure of adjustments in your medications, the decline in your quality of life and your overall health, your doctor may discuss some of the available surgical options.
Physical Activity And Exercise
People involved in moderate to vigorous type of physical activities usually experience low prevalence of Parkinsons disease in a significant way. If a person has already developed Parkinsons disease problem, he may not expect to cure it completely, but in case a person opts to perform daily exercise, he or she may expect to avoid low neurotransmitters levels in their bodies. Regular workout to exit sweat regularly is obviously the best thing, which a person may perform for his healthy brain.
Movement of your body increases the flow of blood towards the brain to elevate oxygen levels to activate biochemical changes and to protect the new resultant neurons based on bathing them within the nerve growth factor. These conditions encourage growth of your brain and change it by simply forming a large number of neural pathways as well as synaptic connections, known popularly as neuro plasticity. Be active and prevent Parkinsons disease.
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History Of Parkinsons Disease
Symptoms and possible treatments for Parkinsons were discussed in texts related to Ayurveda, an ancient Indian medical practice thats been around since as early as 5,000 B.C. A Parkinsons-like condition was also mentioned in the first Chinese medical text, the Huangdi Neijing, more than 2,500 years ago.
Parkinsons disease was formally recognized in an 1817 paper, An Essay on the Shaking Palsy, by James Parkinson, a London apothecary-surgeon and member of the Royal College of Surgeons. 30644-5/fulltext” rel=”nofollow”> 3)
Parkinson observed what are now known as the classic symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, including tremors, rigidity, and postural instability. He theorized that the disease developed because of a problem in the brains medulla region.
Parkinsons essay received little attention until 1861, when French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and his colleagues distinguished the disease from other neurological conditions and termed it Parkinson’s disease.
Gait Training To Improve Balance
Patients with Parkinson’s symptoms can enhance their treatment by doing what’s called “gait training” at home. This involves practicing new ways to stand, walk, and turn. People undergoing gait training should try to:
Practice gait training with the help of a metronome, a tool musicians use to keep a steady beat. A study published in March 2010 in PLoS One showed that when people with Parkinson’s walked to the sound of a metronome set about 10 percent faster than their fastest stride, it significantly improved their gait.
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You can also try dance classes for people with Parkinson’s through the Dance for PD program, which is supported by a grant from the National Parkinson Foundation. The classes first started in Brooklyn, New York, and are now found in locations across the globe.
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Shake Off Your Stress
Freezing episodes are more frequent and intense when youre anxious. Anxiety leads you to tense up your hands, arms, shoulders and jaw which raises stress in your body and feeds your freezing, making you even more anxious!
To combat this vicious cycle, deliberately give your body a good shake before you start walking. Start with loosening and shaking your hands, arms, shoulders, neck and tongue. Take a deep breath, stay as relaxed as possible and set out towards your destination!
Tips For Daily Living
If you are already living with Parkinsons disease, here are some tips to manage it:
- Exercise your brain. Read, work on crossword puzzle, do Sudoku, or engage in other activities that use your brain.
- Get moving. If you feel comfortable walking, swimming, or riding an exercise bike, go for itand try to do it on a regular basis.
- Try tai chi. We think of as a mind-body exercise, and it is, but it also has roots as a martial art in China. A 2012 study found that practicing tai chi helped people with moderate Parkinsons disease maintain stability and balance. And a 2014 study found that tai chi can help people reduce their risk of falling. It incorporates a flowing series of coordinated movements to help you maintain flexibility, strength and balance, and it can be easily adapted to meet your abilities.
- Practice yoga. You dont have to perform headstands or other physically challenging poses to get significant benefits from . You can improve your balance, mobility, flexibility, and strength with a form thats adapted for you.
- Find a support group. Whether you prefer an online support group or a group that meets in person, a can be an invaluable resource for helping you live with Parkinsons disease.
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