It is said that Parkinsons disease is one among those diseases that affect the nerve cells of the section of the brain that brings about movement. Statistics show that there are more than a million people in America who are suffering from Parkinsons disease. One more point to be noted here is that the average age of a person who suffers from Parkinsons disease is 50.

Common symptoms of Parkinsons disease

The common symptoms of Parkinsons disease is the shivering of hands, difficulty in moving around, walking unsteadily and problem with speaking too at times. This is mainly due to the problems with the nerves that have been harmed.

The disheartening fact about Parkinsons disease is that there is no cure for this ailment. The medicines that are available are said to have side effects too that can worsen the disease. Under such circumstances, the best solution would be exercise, as this relieves the muscles and makes it more flexible. Exercise is the only way how the severity of Parkinsons disease can be lowered and the progress slowed down.

Few methods that will help you combat Parkinsons disease

1. In case you decide to go with exercise as a solution for your ailment, it would be advisable to choose a physical therapist over a normal personal trainer. The reason for this is that these people are trained to help patients with disease specific exercise and hence, can be more effective in helping you combat Parkinsons disease.

2. Start exercising for a few minutes every day. Once you get grip of things, increase the duration to 20 minutes and concentrate on making sure that the intensity of workout increases. By assigning a 2:1 ratio to the timing of hard work out and relaxing phase in your exercise routine everyday, you can get the maximum results.

3. Work at a good pace that does not pressurize you too much. By following the right kind of food habits and good amounts of exercise, you can still live happily in spite of Parkinsons disease.

4. By making sure that you exercise at the peak response time of your medication, you can enhance the effect of medicines and thereby nullify the effect of the disease to a great extent.

5. The common kind of exercises can relieve the pressure and stiffness in a person who is suffering from Parkinsons disease. These might include, neck rotation and turning the head either side, stretching the legs and hands, moving the tongue and eyebrows etc. Smiling and talking aloud can also help you keep your body healthy and fit during the process. One can bring his knees till the chest, to make sure that he does not face any problems with hamstring at a later stage.

6. Yoga can be a good idea to establish a good connection between the body and the mind. This will help you exercise more effectively and make your body more flexible.

7. Spend little time waking around. People, who feel that the disease has affected their walking abilities, need to make sure that they walk a little everyday to avoid any further problems. With the help of poles and treadmill, one can walk with confidence. Taking larger steps and trying to move sideways and backwards adds to the confidence of the person. The technique of aqua exercise, where one exercises with water resistance makes it easier for a person to gain balance.

8. Resistance training would help you gain back the grip and strength in your body. For people who see mild symptoms of Parkinsons disease in them, exercising with moderate weights would be of great help, whereas people who see higher levels of symptoms need to perform sit ups and squats to increases the muscle strength in the legs. Using a stress ball would help you better your grip and keep your hands healthy. Similar exercises can be performed for abdomen too, wherein you tighten your abdomen.

9. Parkinsons disease challenges a person’s balancing capacities and hence, by performing exercises that increase your balance, you may stay healthier. Simple exercises like standing on one feet and shifting the weight of the body from one leg to another can increase the strength of your body. You can make use of the wall for support in case you feel that you might stumble.

Since there is no cure for Parkinsons disease, the only method of lessening the effect would be to make sure that you work on building strong muscles, having good balance and increasing the flexibility of muscles in the body. Provided these are catered to, the problems caused by Parkinsons disease can be minimized greatly and problems related to cardiovascular muscles can be solved.

People with a sleep disorder that causes them to kick or cry out during their sleep may be at greater risk of developing dementia or Parkinson’s disease, according to a study published in the December 24, 2008, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The sleep disorder is called REM sleep behavior disorder. People with the disorder do not have the normal lack of muscle tone that occurs during REM sleep, often known as the dream stage of sleep. Instead, they have excessive muscle activity such as punching, kicking, or crying out, essentially acting out their dreams.

The study involved 93 people with this type of sleep disorder who had no signs of a neurodegenerative disease, such as dementia or Parkinson’s disease. The participants were followed for an average of five years. During that time, 26 of the people developed a neurodegenerative disease. Fourteen developed Parkinson’s disease, 11 developed dementia and were diagnosed with either Alzheimer’s disease or Lewy body dementia. One person developed multiple system atrophy, a rare disorder that affects movement, blood pressure and other body functions.

The estimated five-year risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease was 18 percent, with the 10-year risk at 41 percent and the 12-year risk at 52 percent.

“These results are obviously of great interest to people who have this sleep disorder and their physicians and families,” said study author Ronald B. Postuma, MD of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, who carried out the studies at the sleep disorders center at the Sacre Coeur hospital, University of Montreal. Postuma is also a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “The results may help us better understand how these neurodegenerative diseases develop. They also suggest that there may be an opportunity for protecting against the progression to disease, perhaps even preventing it before the symptoms can appear.”

Postuma noted that the study involved only people with no known cause for the REM sleep behavior disorder. The disorder can also be caused by narcolepsy or rare brainstem abnormalities. REM sleep disorder from these causes does not necessarily carry the risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease, he said.

The study was supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the FRSQ (Fonds de la recherché en santé du Quebec) in Montreal, Canada.

This article is brought to you by The American Academy of Neurology.