What is Parkinson disease and what are its symptoms?
Parkinson disease (also called PD or Parkinson) is the most common form of Parkinsonism, which is a group of motor system disorders. It is a disease that slowly progresses and gets worse over time. While a PD diagnosis is a life-changing event, it has been found that most people and their families have a good quality of life after the initial adjustment period.
PD is caused by the non-functioning of brain cells that make dopamine. Dopamine is a substance that helps in smooth and coordinated muscle movement. Parkinson often causes these symptoms:
Symptoms of Parkinson vary from person to person. The symptoms may appear slowly and in no certain order. Early symptoms may be subtle. They may slowly get worse over many years before reaching a point where they disrupt normal daily activities.
Other forms of Parkinsonism
In the other forms of Parkinsonism, either the cause is known or suspected. Or the disorder occurs as a secondary effect of some other neurological problem. These forms are sometimes called Parkinson syndrome, atypical Parkinson, or, simply, Parkinsonism. They may be caused by:
How is Parkinson disease diagnosed?
Diagnosing Parkinson in the early stages can be hard. Right now, there are no blood or lab tests to diagnose Parkinson. Diagnosis of Parkinson is based mainly on a health history and nervous system exam. Brain scans or lab tests may be done to help rule out other diseases or conditions. But brain scans generally will turn out to be normal with Parkinson.
Ayurveda outlook & management of PD
The review of much early literature of Ayurveda date back as far as 5000 BC would show that syndrome strikingly similar to Parkinsonism was already known including the treatment with the seeds of a plant containing therapeutic levels of what is today known as levodopa apart from several other preparations. It is known as Kampa vata.
According to Ayurveda, most of the diseases of the Vata are essentially the conditions of degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Kampa vata is one such condition caused by imbalance of Vata. The treatment of kampavata consists of both internal and external administration of drugs in different forms aimed to reverse the vata imbalance.
Ayurveda was found to be an effective treatment for patients with Parkinson’s disease. Ayurveda is an ancient Indian system of medicine. It has an integrated approach to the prevention and treatment of illness and tries to maintain or re-establish the harmony between the mind, body, and forces of nature.
For the effectiveness of Ayurveda herbs and preparations, the necessity of Ayurvedic cleansing procedures (Panchakarma Therapies) prior to the use of Palliative therapy is recommended.
At Tatkshana Ayurveda Hospital, we are offering exclusive ayurvedic treatment for Parkinson’s disease, Panchakarma therapies for Parkinson’s disease and researched internal medicines for treating Parkinson’s disease. These are found very effective not only in controlling the symptoms of PD but also in arresting the further progression of the disease. Quality of life can be improved drastically with these custom made therapies.
If the patient is already on Allopathic medication, these treatments and medicines can be comfortably combined with them. Our Ayurveda treatment regime is effective and over a period can even reduce dosage of allopathic medications. If a patient can come in the initial stages or before starting the allopathic medication, the results are wonderful.
