When you feel unwell, you may think that it is something simple that will go away within a short while. That is not the case every time, and in fact, you could be endangering yourself.Whenever you encounter a strange feeling in your body, the first step should be to go for a check-up. When you fail to do so, you are exposing yourself to a severe condition that maybe you could have avoided earlier.
You may never know what situation could be developing from that headache that you ignore every day. Once you develop some of these conditions, your life may change forever. One such condition that starts gradually and later on may affect you severely is Parkinson’s disease.
What is Parkinson’s?
You could have heard about Parkinson’s and you wonder what kind of an ailment it is. According to research, it is considered as a condition that interferes with the normal operation of the nervous system. During this process, Parkinson’s affects the production of dopamine in the brain.
Causes
This are several factors that you need to be aware of that play a significant role in Parkinson’s condition. Some of these causes are;
- The genes of an individual. Parkinson’s disease can be passed over to another person through genetic mutation. In this case, if family members have had this condition, there is a possibility that other people along the lineage can easily develop Parkinson’s Disease.
- Exposure to a harmful environment. Your surroundings could result in you developing Parkinson’s disease later in life. Most importantly, if you live around areas full of toxins, such as near industries, you could be risking your health.
Stages of Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease doesn’t just start all of a sudden. Here are the main stages of Parkinson’s disease and what takes place in each of them.
- Stage 1 – Like every other condition, you may not be aware of the disease as starts. In most cases, the signs that you are going to see at this stage are mild, and you cannot recognize some of them. As you start to experience these symptoms, you are unaware that you can still go on with your daily tasks. However, you may begin to experience fatigue most of the time, or you won’t be able to stand for a long time. There is a possibility that someone who is always close to you will notice this before you do.
- Stage 2 – Once you cannot notice your symptoms at an early stage, you cant take any action. In this case, the condition advances to the mid-stage. Here, your symptoms start to get more serious, and you can now notice them. You begin experiencing issues with the way that your muscle moves. Sometimes they tend to become stiff. Although you can undertake most of your tasks at this stage, it may take you longer to finish them.
- Stage 3 – Without any form of treatment, the condition advances to the mid-late stage. At this point, your symptoms have become more severe, and you cannot continue with your life the way you used to. Something simple like just standing and walking becomes much harder to an extent where you may need someone to help you move around.
- Stage 4 – In this stage, you cannot survive on your own since you are not able to do anything. Your life depends on other people to help you with basic things like bathing, wearing clothes and sleeping.
- Stage 5 – At this later stage, the condition is now advanced. Here, Parkinson’s disease has completely weakened your body, and you become bedridden. You might even need to have a wheelchair to take you around. You start to experience vision problems, issues with your sleep, hallucinations, and poor memory.
Early Diagnosis
Based on the severe effect that Parkinson’s disease has, it is essential to always go for a check for early diagnosis. The early diagnosis of this disease mainly revolves around the pre-motor signs. The early these symptoms are identified, the easier it is to get the right treatment. Some major signs include gastrointestinal issues, hyposmia, and the food moving slowly into the stomach.
Treatment
Researchers haven’t yet proven the availability of Parkinson’s condition treatment. However, you can use several treatment methods to reduce the severity of the symptoms.
- Drugs are the first form of treatment available for Parkinson’s. You may be prescribed the following medicine for the condition; Levodopa which reduces the stiffness caused by the disease. Others that you may be given include; Amantadine, Dopamine Agonist, MAO B Inhibitors, and Anticholinergics.
- Hormone Replacement Therapy, in such clinics like Medzone, is another available treatment method. In this case, the focus is on replacing the HRT for Parkinson’s Disease neurodegenerative hormones associated with the condition’s occurrence.
- Going for workout and physical rehabilitation is another excellent way to combat Parkinson’s disease. Regular exercises help strengthen the muscles that the disease may weaken.
- Speech therapy – Progressive stages of Parkinson’s sickness affect a person’s communication. In this case, it would be ideal to undergo speech therapy so that one doesn’t lose their speech completely.
- Individuals with Parkinson’s disease can also undergo occupation therapy. This mode of treatment aims to help one continue to be active in their activities. In this case, an occupational therapist will be responsible for assisting you to do some of your daily activities still.
- Aside from all these treatments, you can also do surgery and specifically, deep brain stimulation. Such a treatment requires electrodes to be implanted to focus on interfering with the ones affected, thus causing movement issues. These electrodes would then help resolve the mostions complaints you could be having
Prevention
There have been no precise ways to comprehend what eventually leads to Parkinson’s disease. It has also been difficult for a scientist to come up with preventive measures that would keep the disease away. However, doctors have recommended regular workouts to prevent this condition. Moreover, some research shows that regular consumption of caffeine could prevent Parkinson’s disease.
Are you feeling sick and ignoring it? That could be the worst thing you can ever do. A simple discomfort might end up with a severe condition that you could have prevented earlier, costing you a lot of money. Always call your doctor when you feel there is something wrong with your body.