FREE ESSAY ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE

PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Microbes and Society 
03/06/00
Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease usually affects people of late middle age. Most run between the age
of 50-60. The symptoms of Parkinson's disease are usually subtle and occur gradually.
Some examples of symptoms a person may have, are feeling shaky or having trouble getting
up from a chair or a couch. Others may notice that their speaking is softer or quieter.
They will lose track of a thought or feel irritable or even depressed for no reason.
These are early symptoms that may last a long time before the more classic and obvious
symptoms appear.
For now there is no way to cure or prevent Parkinson's disease from happening., but there
has been new research looking at (PET) Position Emission Topography. This will allow
scientists to scan the brain, which see chemical change that occurs in the brain. Using
PET scientists can study the brain's nerve cells that are affected by disease. 
IF you are in the major stages of Parkinson's disease the major symptoms are tremors,
problems walking, bradykinesia, and rigidity. Rigidity is an increase of stiffness in the
muscles. If it is eased by medications, rigidity is always present. It's also responsible
for a mask like expression. In some patients it leads to sensations of pain in the arms
and shoulders. Secondly, victims with experience bradykinesia, which means slowness of
movement. It causes the brains to react slower in its transmission of instructions to
parts of the body therefore causing the body to act slowly in carrying them out. Poor
balance is often true when victims move abruptly. Some patients experience falls due to
poor balance. Last are tremors, they will affect three out of four patients. Tremors may
affect only one part or side of the body. For the most part they don't disable people and
it disappears during sleep. Some minor symptoms are depression, emotional changes, memory
loss, difficulty swallowing, and chewing. 
At this point there is no cure for Parkinson's disease but there are a wide variety of
medications that provide relief for the symptoms. Treatments are determined by how much
the symptoms affect the person by a physician. Most of the medications will have to be
adjusted to a countable dosage for the patients. In the early stage the physicians begin
with one or two less powerful drugs. They saved the most powerful medicines for the time
when patients need it the most. 
One of the most common medicines is Levodopa. Levodopa allows the nerve cells to use it
to make dopamine with which the brain can use. It prevents or delays some symptoms in
most patients. It also extends the time in which some patients can lead some normal
lives. There are some side effects that could happen like nausea, vomiting, low-blood
pressure, and restlessness. Symmevel which is used as an anti flu medication but it is
also used with Parkinson's patients too. It reduces the symptoms of rigidity. Some other
is anthicholinergics, selegiline, and deprehyl. 
A physician will also strongly suggest that to remain active in the early stages they
will tell you to perform daily activities as much as possible. Taking supplements of
vitamin E is showed to help somewhat. For the tremors, medication or anything relaxing
will sooth them down too. When Parkinson's disease gets in the later stages physicians
will help design exercise programs to help meet your specific needs. Last, they will also
suggest for you to get a cane or a walker because the patient will be more prone to fall.

Bibliography
Parkinson's Disease Resource Center http//www.healingwell.com/parkinsons/info.htm 
Parkinson's Disease Foundation Inc., http://www.parkinsons-foundation.org 
Discovery Health: Parkinson's diseases, http://www.discoveryhealth.com
PlanetR.com