General Medical And Health Lab

The low dopamine levels caused by Parkinson’s disease interfere with regular sleep patterns. People with PD often have trouble fall­ing asleep, waking frequently during the night, and staying up for hours in the middle of the night. This condition is known as sleep fragmentation. Just as people with Parkinson’s have good days and bad, we also have good nights and bad.

“Rest is a problem,” said James, 51. “I suffer from insomnia. I get about two to three hours of sleep a night; sometimes I’m up for two or three days at a time. I’ve gotten used to it. If I get more than four hours of sleep, I feel stiff, almost frozen. It takes two doses of medication before I’m up and able to move enough to do anything. About a month ago, I slept 12 hours, and it took almost 24 hours to get over that.” Read the rest of this entry »

When you’re diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, you find out who your real friends are. Some people pull away; others come much closer. I’ve had both types of friends. When I was first diagnosed I don’t know how I could have made it without my dear friend Jess. She took me to doctor’s appointments; she picked up the slack in our relationship without my saying anything.

Sometimes she would listen while I tried to make sense of what was happening to me, and at other times she sat quietly and I felt comfort in the silence. There were times when I actually fell asleep in the middle of a sentence, and she let me doze off and then reminded me of what I was talking about when I woke up a few minutes later. I couldn’t have asked any more from her.

Other people avoided me because they didn’t know how to deal with me. They were suddenly unavailable, and they didn’t return phone calls. I felt like a leper, at a time when I really needed to be around other people.

Michael had the same experience, especially with his friends in politics. Because of his outward symptoms, he be­came politically embarrassing—would people think he was drunk or using drugs? Was he simply strange? Michael learned just how shal­low some of those people were, and it was a difficult time for him. Read the rest of this entry »

Life is stressful for everyone, particularly those of us with PD. Just as your body can’t tell the difference between real and imagined stress, your body can’t tell whether the relaxation response was triggered by a change in circumstances or a change in your attitude. This can work to your advantage because you can learn to promote relaxation and reverse the stress response by using various mind-body techniques.

Studies have shown that people who are well-trained in mind-body techniques can voluntarily lower their blood pressure and heart rate, alter their brain-wave activity, reduce blood-sugar lev­els, and ease muscle tension. With practice, you, too, can put mind over illness and use stress-reduction techniques to help control your Parkinson’s symptoms.

You can learn more about each approach by checking books out of the local library or contacting a community center or health clinic to inquire whether classes are offered in your area. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether you are trying to confirm a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease or need to work with a doctor to manage your condition, it is essential that you find a doctor you feel comfortable with and trust.

If you have any questions about your diagnosis, be sure to seek a second opinion. A good doctor will respect your desire to learn as much as you can about your condition rather than feeling threatened by your decision to speak with another physician.

Don’t be afraid of telling a doctor, “You’re fired!” You want a doctor who will be your advocate and who will care about you. If you have any reservations about the doctor you’re seeing, it’s time to find another doctor.

You will want to establish a team of caregivers, possibly including:
- A general practitioner, who will address your overall health care
- A neurologist, who will manage your Parkinson’s disease
- A movement-disorders specialist if your neurologist doesn’t have experience in this field
- A physical therapist, who will help you develop an exercise program and find ways of meeting your specific physical challenges
- An expert on complementary or natural medicine, who will be able to recommend nutritional supplements, diet plans, herbs, exercise, and other parts of a balanced health regimen that may not be covered by a traditional physician
- A good pharmacist, one who is willing to answer your questions and knows about possible drug interactions. Read the rest of this entry »

Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid, is one of the oldest medications in use today; it is still the most commonly found substance in most medicine cabinets. Its active ingredient is found in the bark of the willow tree as well as in oil of wintergreen.

Aspirin’s best-known use is as an antiinflammatory, countering inflammations that cause body aches and pains. But recent evidence demonstrates that those little white pills have miraculous disease-preventing qualities, partic­ularly regarding the three most dreaded geriatric diseases: cardiovas­cular disease (heart disease and stroke), cancer, and dementia.

The way aspirin reduces inflammation is by blocking an enzyme our bodies needs to make a group of compounds that promote inflammation and its symptoms. For some time many researchers have felt that chronic, long-term inflammation is an important part of a series of events that leads to many types of cancers. Read the rest of this entry »