Health Tips

Signs and Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
* Tremor of the hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face

* Stooped posture

* postural instability

* Impaired balance and/or coordination

* Short shuffling steps

* Rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and trunk

* Bradykinesia-slowness of body movements

* Speaking softly and rapidly

Can Parkinson’s Disease be cured?
There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease. There are, however many treatment options such as medication and surgery to help manage the symptoms. Research is ongoing. Stem cell research offers hope in the future for people with Parkinson’s disease.

Treatments for Parkinson’s Disease
Medication: Medication can help control and manage symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Used individually or in combination they include; Sinemet (levodopa/carbidopa), Eldepryl (selegiline hydrochloride), Parlodel (bromocriptine mesylate) and Permax (pergolide mesylate), Mirapex (pramipexole), Tasmar (tolcapone), Apokyn (apomorphine).

Surgical Procedures for Parkinson’s:
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical procedure used to treat a variety of disabling neurological symptoms and the commonly the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Thalamotomy: this surgical procedure destroys part of the thalamus, a part of the brain involved in movement control. Transplantation surgery of dopamine-producing cells are implanted into the striatum.

Famous People with Parkinson’s Disease:
actors Terry Thomas, Michael J Fox, Katherine Hepburn, Attorney General Janet Reno, the pope, evangelist Billy Graham, country singer Johnny Cash, boxer Muhammad Ali, President Harry Truman, Mao Tse Tung, General MacArthur .