Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease affecting 10 million people worldwide, with approximately 90,000 new diagnoses each year. Those diagnosed with the disease experience stiffness in the limbs, balance issues, and resting tremors. While there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, various therapies and medications are available to help ease symptoms and enable patients to lead a normal life. For most patients, carbidopa-levodopa is prescribed to help the body produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential for regulating movement in the brain.
Additional therapies, such as yoga, acupuncture, massage, and meditation, are often pursued as alternative treatments to help manage the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Many fitness and dance studios across the country offer intensive exercise programs that have proven beneficial for many who participate. Research has pointed out that regular exercise by Parkinson’s patients has improved balance, walking, and improved cognitive capabilities like memory, speaking reasoning, and problem-solving.
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, scientists are also investigating the effects of vitamin E, vitamin C, and the antioxidant properties of certain foods to lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Although no conclusive evidence exists, research is ongoing.
Surgical treatment options, such as deep brain stimulation and high-frequency ultrasound, have been used by doctors to help treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Those who benefit from deep brain stimulation are patients who experience uncontrollable tremors in cases where medications are short-lived or just ineffective. High-frequency ultrasound emits thousands of targeted sound waves to precisely disrupt abnormal neural pathways in the brain responsible for the patient’s symptoms.
The Parkinson’s Foundation has a fact sheet available online to guide you or someone you know with an exercise program based on Aerobic activity, such as brisk walking/running and strength training (to help fight muscular stiffness). Balance, agility, and multitasking, (like yoga, dance, and boxing), and an active stretching routine.
The benefits of exercise for anyone have always had profound effects on the mind and body, for Parkinson’s patients, exercise provides a way of relief in dealing with the symptoms and helps make life easier for millions across the globe.
