What is the Best Parkinson’s Disease Treatment?
Unfortunately, there is still no cure for Parkinson’s disease, but certain treatments can do a great deal to alleviate the symptoms.
In most cases, patients receive prescription medications that help reduce tremors, and they improve movement and speech. But there are also alternative Parkinson’s disease treatment methods that people can pursue in addition to medication. It’s important to explore these before the patient considers surgical intervention.
This article gives you a brief overview of Parkinson’s disease and its symptoms. Then, we outline the basics of an alternative treatment.
Parkinson’s Disease – An Overview
As a progressive neurological disorder, Parkinson’s starts off slow, usually with just a small tremor in one hand. In time, the symptoms worsen and cause movement and walking impairments, a lack of facial expressions, as well as changes in the way the sufferer speaks or writes.
What Are the Causes?
The exact causes are still largely unknown, but genetic makeup and the environment play a major role in the development of this disease. For example, certain genetic variations signal a higher risk of Parkinson’s than others. The same applies to prolonged exposure to toxins.
As for the disease mechanism, symptoms start to occur when some neurons deteriorate and die. The lack of dopamine in Parkinson’s patients’ brains is connected with neural degeneration and it triggers abnormal brain activity. As a consequence, the patient starts to experience tremors, muscle rigidness, or impaired balance.
Can You Prevent It?
Parkinson’s prevention methods still remain largely anecdotal. However, some researchers suggest that aerobic exercise and caffeinated drinks may prevent the disease. To be precise, studies have shown that those who often enjoy caffeinated drinks are less likely to suffer from Parkinson’s, but there’s not enough evidence to support this yet.
Parkinson’s Disease Treatment
As indicated, there are mainstream medical and alternative treatments for this condition. Here is what you need to know about them:
Parkinson’s Medication
The goal of Parkinson’s medication is to increase the dopamine in the patient’s brain, lessening the overall symptoms. However, this comes with some side effects which may include lightheadedness, nausea, or even involuntary movements. In addition, the benefits of Parkinson’s drug treatments may wear off as the years go by.
Alternative Parkinson’s Treatment
Permanent auriculotherapy is an acupuncture-based method that has proved successful in treating the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The procedure involves the insertion of small titanium needles under the skin of a patient’s ear.
The needles stimulate the nerve endings and promote the continuous production of dopamine. The therapy also reinvigorates the parts of the brain which have deteriorated due to the lack of dopamine. As a result, Parkinson’s patients experience less severe symptoms and achieve a better chemical balance in the brain.
The best thing about this treatment is that it’s minimally invasive and there are no side effects. A patient undergoes only one session and the implants stay in the ear forever. They don’t interfere with the patient’s regular daily activities in any way.
Don’t Surrender to Parkinson’s
Parkinson’s disease is a widespread condition all around the world, and it affects the younger population as well as the elderly. For example, a new person gets diagnosed with Parkinson’s every hour in the UK.
There is no definitive cure, so it is best to combine alternative treatment with medication. By doing so, Parkinson’s patients can lead a more comfortable and socially active life.
