Parkinson's Disease - Know What's It's All About

Parkinson’s disease adversely affects the way you move, as it is a neurodegenerative disorder. This happens when there are problems with certain nerve cells in the brain. These nerve cells produce an important chemical called Dopamine, which in turn sends signals to the region of our brain that takes care of the movement. This chemical help muscles to function smoothly and allow in carrying out one’s daily activities. When somebody is suffering from Parkinson’s disease, the nerve cells break down, thus hampering movements of limbs.

What Causes This Disease?

Over the years, a lot of research has taken place to find out the exact reasons due to which people get affected by Parkinson’s disease but till now neither scientists nor doctors have been able to come up with any solution. They are thinking on the lines of aging or hAarmful chemicals in the environment, to be possible causes for this neurological problem. Sometimes researchers even feel that this could be a hereditary problem but there is no concrete evidence to substantiate this statement.

Symptoms Of Parkinson’s

As discussed earlier, Parkinson’s occur in aged individuals, when nerve cells break down, when the chemical called Dopamine is no longer able to send signals to the brain. You can easily recognize Parkinson’s disease in any of your family members, if you come across certain symptoms, which are generally four of them:

• Trembling or shaking of limbs and these tremors can affect different body parts like, hands, arms and legs.
• Muscles become stiff, due to which it becomes tough for the affected individuals to move their limbs freely.
• Due to stiffness of muscles, movement becomes slow and thus each and every activity of theirs takes much more time than usual.
• People are unable to keep their balance and walk freely without any hindrance.
• Generally, tremor is the first thing you would notice in a person and thus instantly get to know that the person might be suffering from Parkinson’s.
• Problems of constipation or facing difficult in swallowing tend to happen as the disease goes on to affect all the muscles in one’s body.
• During the latter stages, someone who has Parkinson’s, might well have a blank expression to the face with problems being faced while trying to speak and other related issues. The symptoms of this disease usually start for people aged between 50 and 60 but at times, it can even crop up at an earlier stage.

Preventive Measures And Treatment

Let’s take a look at how you can prevent yourself from getting crippled by Parkinson’s Disease.

Unfortunately, as the disease is mostly age related, so after attaining the age of 60, if not from 50, there would be very few individuals who would not be the victims of Parkinson’s.

Research has revealed that having less of dairy and red meat and consuming more of fruits, vegetables and high-fibre foods, thus maintaining a healthy diet, can protect people from the dreaded disease. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!