Parkinson’s disease is one of the most debilitating diseases known to man. It affects the brain greatly, which results in reduced functioning and severe memory loss. It turns a person into a vegetable, someone who cannot anymore fend for himself and needs assistance every time.
However, damaging as it may be, Parkinson’s disease is not without treatment. Here are some of the ways that this dangerous ailment is treated and prevented from destroying one’s life.
Through Medication
Doctors prescribe medicines that are all intended to slow down the effects of Parkinson’s disease. Depending on the severity of symptoms, age and medical conditions of the patent, different medicines are prescribed but these are the most common medicines recommended by doctors.
- Levodopa: Doctors prescribe oral medicines of this substance, which is normally found in the body. Levodopa is used for the production of dopamine, an important substance in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
- Dopaine agonists: Doctors tell patients to take these drugs in order to slow down symptoms. This is usually combined with levodopa.
- COMT inhibitors: First introduced in 1998, COMT inhibitors are used to enhance the effects of levodopa. These medicines are intended to stop an enzyme from breaking down levodopa in the body.
Through Surgery
Surgery can also be performed on the brain in order to control the attack of Parkinson’s disease. There are four procedures generally performed for patients with Parkinson’s, and these are:
- Ablation: Ablation is the destruction of specific areas in the brain that are afflicted by the disease in order to reduce abnormal chemical or electrical impulses in the brain. However, this procedure is rarely done as people prefer deep brain stimulation over ablation.
- Deep brain stimulation: Similar to ablation, this approach involves the destruction of affected areas via an electrode surgically inserted into the brain. Although expensive, this procedure is proven to be effective for movement disorders as well as Parkinson’s disease.
- Pallidotomy: In this procedure, the patient is awake while being operated on in order to pinpoint the specific area that needs to be treated. Once the area is identified using small voltage electric shocks, the cells in that area are then burned by the surgeon.
- Cerebral transplantation: Since dopamine is an essential substance to address the problem of Parkinson’s disease, the patient’s brain is then implanted with cells that facilitate its production. Like ablation, this procedure is rarely undertaken. This is because the surgery is still in its experimental and development stage.
Through Therapy
The goal of using therapy to treat Parkinson’s is to promote the use of the patient’s muscles, which will otherwise be rendered useless by the disease. The therapy prescribed for Parkinson’s disease is simple, and involves the use of such common exercises such as walking, swimming and running, among others.
Patients may also choose to have themselves massaged in order to soothe muscles that are rendered rigid by Parkinson’s. Doctors may also complement the treatment with nutritional supplements as well.
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