Parkinson’s disease was first described in the early 1800s when Dr James Parkinson wrote a paper on what he called ‘the Shaking Palsy’. Surprisingly Dr Parkinson managed to relate the symptoms to a fault in the brain however at the time he knew nothing of the true cause. Thankfully much has been learnt about the disease since then and although there still isn’t a cure for this progressive disease, there are a number of effective treatments to slow down its progress.

A cure can not easily be found until scientists and researchers understand exactly what causes the disease to develop in the first instance. Research has so far shown that the underlying cause is probably a mixture of genetic and environmental factors although how these factors interact with the brain to cause the disease is still a mystery.

Parkinson’s disease can affect anyone at any age however statistics show that it is much more common in men over the age of 50 than any other group of people. This doesn’t mean however that younger people are safe; the number of people under the age of 50 affected by the disease is rising steadily. Parkinson’s disease affects around 0.02% of the worlds population which doesn’t sound much but as you get older the probability of developing the disease increases dramatically.

So what may be the trigger for Parkinson’s disease? Research into the genetics of Parkinson’s has found that there may be a genetic link which makes siblings and offspring of a sufferer more susceptible to the disease. Unfortunately there is still a long way to go before this theory is proven and so relations of Parkinson’s sufferers should not worry unduly about developing the disease.

A second chain of thought and one that is attracting a lot of attention in the research world is that the condition may be triggered by one or a number of environmental agents, or toxins. Many diseases have already been linked to specific toxins and so the possibility that Parkinson’s is also linked is being taken very seriously. Studies are being carried out worldwide to look into the connection between established cases of the disease and the use of such agents as fertilisers, pesticides, insecticides and heavy metals.

A lesser researched theory is that head injury might contribute to the probability of developing Parkinson’s disease. The famous boxer Muhammad Ali was hit thousands of times during his illustrious career and now he is a recognised sufferer of the disease. There is a chance that he was more susceptible to the condition before he had his first fight however the theory is one which should definitely be looked into further.

Finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease is one of the top priorities for pharmaceutical companies and whoever manages to do it first will be guaranteed a place in history.

By: Jeremy Parker

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G-Lop asked:


I’m new with running and there is a 5k run for Parkinson’s disease in october. So far i can only run a mile. I really would like to do this because my dad has parkinsons. Is it possible. Don’t make fun of me for not being able to run more than a mile i’m very self conscous about it and i try really hard.

Lo asked:


alright i have a pathology class that i have to write a paper on a disease and then make a presentation. No two people can have the same disease and I am kind of at a loss of what to do.
these are ones i know are taken:
alzhiemers, stroke, prostate cancer, parkinsons, fibro myalgia, aids, als, tb

does anyone have any ideas of any diseases that are interesting, and also have enough info aobut them?

thanks so much!

FixedNewsChannel asked:

17 March, 2010 MSNBC

amandaklinekln asked:


There was this guy who was like my grandfather who passed right before school started and then about a week after that my mom told my brother and me that are dad”s parkinsons disease cant get no better. I am not failing school but i am not doing that great. i am usually an “A” or “B” kind of student but i already have “C” in almost all of my classes. How do i deal with this kinda stuff?????

alexkerten asked:

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An estimated 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease each year. It generally affects people in their middle to late years. It is a kind of disorder that causes uncontrollable muscle movements, tremors, muscle rigidity and may even lead to severe memory loss. The patient’s speech and motors skills can also suffer.

Parkinson’s Disease is a degenerative disorder that affects the body’s nervous system which in turn is responsible for the relay of communication between the brain and the muscles. A disruption occurs in the nervous system that gravely affects reactions and movements of the muscles leading to such abnormalities as tremors and rigidity.

The disease usually starts to show symptoms with just a few individual muscle tremors. Sometimes it can manifest itself due to lack of muscle controls that are gradually visible to other people. This can be lack of ****** expressions, mumbling sounds while talking, and even the non-movement of the arms while walking. These are simple symptoms that may usually mean the starting occurrence of Parkinson’s Disease.

A patient suffering from this disease may likewise suffer from very poor dental hygiene. While it is true that most people who have Parkinson’s Disease are already old and therefore no longer requires a set of perfect teeth, the fact remains that oral health is an important factor on the overall health condition of an individual. Therefore it is of high importance that people suffering from this disease still get the right amount of dental hygiene.

Because of the weakness of the muscles, a patient may not be able to brush his own teeth. As such, he may require the assistance of another person preferably from a well-trained professional like a caregiver. An expert assistance is necessary to make sure that the patient gets the best dental hygiene even for his condition. This may mean brushing the patient’s teeth, flossing them and administering any required medicines.

Another important point to consider is that some Parkinson’s Disease patients are prescribed to take drugs that can cause xerostomia. Xerostomia is more commonly called dry mouth. The saliva is an important component of a good oral hygiene as it helps clean the mouth by fighting off bacteria. Now, a person who suffers from xerostomia has higher risk of developing tooth decay, halitosis and other periodontal diseases and disorders. If you have constant dry mouth, your dentist can prescribe you with a medicine that can stimulate the production of more saliva as well as prescribing you with fluoride treatments to help battle tooth decay.

Also, due to the fact that Parkinson’s Disease patients may suffer from tremors, muscle rigidity and weakness, as well as feel agitated, it will be harder to keep him still in the dentist’s chair. This is very important because it makes it harder for the dentist to conduct the necessary dental procedures. Some form of equipment and contraptions may be used to keep the patient still. For much worse situations, the dentist may require to sedate his patient to avoid any unnecessary movements during the treatment.

By: Robert Melkonyan

About the Author:

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Tagleeze asked:


I’ve noticed some people very indirectly which can be decoded in dream symbols? I’ve heard “I’ve learned to swim underwater” when I know that it was not literal. I interpreted that to mean that “she had healed from past relationships.” and “He has Parkinsons Disease” to mean “He wants to control everyone”.
Does anyone have any insight?

CIRMTV asked:

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that affects nearly a million people in the United States. The symptoms include tremors, slow movement, muscle rigidity and less ****** expression. No cure exists for the disease and current medications become less effective over time. William Langston, CEO and scientific director of the Parkinson’s Institute, discusses stem cell-based research strategies to better understand the disease and to find new therapies. The Parkinson’s Institute has an Early Translation grant from CIRM.

Parkinson’s disease often affects the patient’s ability to speak clearly and this is often considered one of its worse symptoms. For many patients, the loss of their ability to communicate clearly to others is heartbreaking. For these patients, they have the added problem of feeling as if they have some sort of dementia. It is important to remember that a Parkinson’s patient can hear himself just fine.

It has been estimated that between 65-90% of Parkinson’s disease sufferers will ultimately have troubles with their speech, and these problems can become apparent in explicit ways which include speaking in either a monotone or unintelligible gibberish. At times, patients hesitate before actually speaking which can give the impression that there is some memory impairment or dementia with the patient. At other times, the speech is faster than normal, and very often the same words are repeated over and over. Again, this can give the impression that the patient is suffering from dementia or memory impairment problems.

Dysarthria is another speech problem associated with Parkinson’s disease. This speech problem shows itself in ways such as a weak, soft spoken, slow or incoherent speech. As both the pitch and volume of speech is also affected by dysarthria, eventually speech becomes unintelligible.

Dysarthria is caused by the speech muscles weakening and becoming uncoordinated due to the Parkinson’s condition. Severity can vary from one patient to the next. In fact, some patients may have this in very severe form, while others may only have slight effects from it.

Speech therapy can often help with this problem for some patients. If speech therapy is carefully introduced in conjunction with medication extremely good results can often be achieved.

Voice exercises to improve vocal cords and muscles can also improve speech difficulties caused by Parkinson’s disease. Regular voice exercises can be very effective.

Regardless of the therapy used, a person with Parkinson’s disease who is also suffering from a speech impediment should always be treated with consideration and patience. Visitors should remember that they need time to formulate their words and then must deliver the words through the mouth. It can frustrating for both parties, the speaker and the person listening to the Parkinson’s sufferer, but patience and respect must win out. Trying to get the speaker to speak faster will only make the problem worse.

Everyone should keep in mind that Parkinson’s disease steals many things from a person. The fact that it can also steal a person’s ability to communicate only makes it more dreadful.

By: Jeremy Parker

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