...make an important chemical called dopamine. Dopamine sends signals to the part of your brain that controls movement. It lets your muscles move smoothly and do what you want them to do. There are four major signs that you may have Parkinson’s: Tremors, which means shaking or trembling. Tremor may affect your hands, arms, or legs. Stiff muscles. Slow movement. Problems with balance or walking. There are many factors in what can cause Parkinson’s; this is why there is such a hard search for a cure. According to the video, a person who shot up Heroin gave him instant Parkinson’s, it was tainted. It is hard to figure out how to cure since it can happen to people in different ways. There is a drug out there that many people with Parkinson are prescribed, this is called Sinement (Carbidopa/Levodopa) there is extended release and immediate release of this drug and has been shown to not cure but to help with the symptoms. Now they are doing stem cell research to help people they are cells that can be put back in the brain and restart the dopamine, from abortive tissue and transferring them into patients. There are many problems with stem cell research. One of the problems is the religious groups that wish to have the research stopped. They believe that killing an embryo is the same as aborting a fetus in a...
Words: 1155 - Pages: 5
...Parkinson's Disease Erick Magana PSY/340 January 21 2014 Melvin Council Parkinson's Disease As people start to become more health conscious there are some illnesses that cannot be prevented or cured. As to say it was destined from some kind of deity. To be given a disease or a disability that one cannot recover from must be a horrible feeling, the thought of death around the corner or not being able to do the things that one could do with ease at one point in their life. Not like the thought of death of one day everyone will all die by an unsuspecting death. But to know that having three months, a year or two year two live. How can one not crumble and fall under depression as to quit on one’s life. The human race is extremely resilient. Knowing that a person has a disease does not mean that it is the end of the world. There is treatment and therapies that help with the disease or disability to make life easy to deal with. One of the diseases is that has no cure is but treatment is available is Parkinson’s disease (PD). Parkinson’s is a disease that is hereditary, at least that is what some doctors believe even though no one really knows how Parkinson’s is developed. Parkinson's disease may be caused by a viral infection or by exposure to environmental toxins such as pesticides or carbon monoxide. Parkinson’s is usually found in older people from the ages of 50-65 but can occur at any age. It is slightly more common in men than in women. Parkinson’s is the gradual degeneration...
Words: 1010 - Pages: 5
...Parkinson’s Disease Jennifer Brock English 147 May 4, 2015 Elsie Walker Parkinson’s Disease What would you do if you were told you only had six years to live? During those six years you would become a burden to your family. You will no longer be able to do the simples of tasks, like tie your shoes, eat, and bath yourself. One percent of the world population is dealing with this. Parkinson’s is a treatable and manageable disease even though it’s incurable, with proper treatment the disabling effects of Parkinson’s can be controlled. Parkinson’s is a neurological motor system disorder effecting one percent of the world’s population (Shaikh & Verma, 2011). The disorder damages or kills the nerves cells producing the chemical dopamine (Parkinson’s disease (PD),2013). The nerve cells producing dopamine transmit chemical signals to the brain, fabricating smooth muscles movement throughout the body. The damage or death of these cells triggers involuntary actions such as tremors and balance problems, leaving the patient powerless to regulate normal body motion. The disorder is most common in men but women are not immune, normally patients see symptoms around the age of 60, but in rare cases the symptoms have started as early as the age of 18 (Foundation, n.d.). Nevertheless, Parkinson’s symptoms are treatable and manageable with therapies, medications and surgeries that will allow patients to live a more active lifestyle. The common therapies used to combat Parkinson’s...
Words: 948 - Pages: 4
...Parkinson’s Disease and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Sukhwinder Randhawa Introduction: “Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease” (7). When the cells that produce dopamine die then Parkinson’s disease arises. Dopamine is a “chemical that carries signals between the nerves in the brain” (7) to control movement. Since movement is no longer monitored and controlled certain body parts start to shake uncontrollably. Although Parkinson’s disease has no cure it can be somewhat controlled through medication. However Parkinson’s disease would be easier to control if it could be diagnosed earlier. By the time Parkinson’s disease is diagnosed, a person has already lost 80% of their dopamine neurons. In order to diagnose Parkinson’s disease earlier on doctors and patients need to see the sign and symptoms beforehand. Researchers have come upon the fact that an earlier way of diagnosing Parkinson’s disease might be through watching the patients sleeping patterns. Researchers are saying that REM sleep behavior disorder might share a common cause with Parkinson’s disease. REM sleep behavior disorder is a disorder in which there is rapid eye movement while a person is sleeping. It is a type of parasomnia in which vivid dreams are associated with the enactment of dreams. This disorder is a “dysfunction in REM sleep and the motor control circuitry in the pontomedullary structures” (2) which causes the loss of control over movement, especially of the eyes. Within this new discovery the REM...
Words: 888 - Pages: 4
...Terapia ocupaţională în boala Parkinson: intervenţia în sfera autoângrijirii Rezumat Boala Parkinson este o afecţiune lent progresivă degenerativă a sistemului nervos central. Este caracterizată prin tremor când muşchii sunt în repaus (tremor de repaus), creşterea tonusului muscular (rigiditate), lentoarea mişcărilor voluntare şi dificultate în menţinerea echilibrului (instabilitate posturală). Semnele şi simpotomele acestei boli duc la desfăşurarea cu dificultate de către pacienţi a activităţilor de auto-îngrijire (îmbrăcat, mâncat, spălat, îngrijire personală), precum şi a activităţilor din afara casei (cumpărături), a celor de la locul de muncă şi a celor de timp liber şi agrement. Terapia ocupaţională ajută pacienţii cu Parkinson să-şi îmbunătăţească capacitatea de a îndeplini sarcinile lor zilnice. Intervenţia constă în asistarea pacienţilor în dezvoltarea unei rutine în autoîngrijire, ţinând cont de limitările mobilităţii funcţionale, încurajarea pacienţilor să menţină maximul funcţional în activităţile zilnice pentru cât mai mult timp posibil, învăţarea de tehnici adaptative pentru a reduce tremorul. Cuvinte cheie: boală Parkinson, terapie ocupaţională, activităţi de autoângrijire Abstract Parkinson's disease is a slowly progressive degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. It is characterized by tremor when muscles are at rest (resting tremor), increased muscle tone (rigidity), slowness of voluntary movements, and difficulty maintaining...
Words: 1373 - Pages: 6
...Parkinson's Disease Erick Magana PSY/340 January 21 2014 Melvin Council Parkinson's Disease As people start to become more health conscious there are some illnesses that cannot be prevented or cured. As to say it was destined from some kind of deity. To be given a disease or a disability that one cannot recover from must be a horrible feeling, the thought of death around the corner or not being able to do the things that one could do with ease at one point in their life. Not like the thought of death of one day everyone will all die by an unsuspecting death. But to know that having three months, a year or two year two live. How can one not crumble and fall under depression as to quit on one’s life. The human race is extremely resilient. Knowing that a person has a disease does not mean that it is the end of the world. There is treatment and therapies that help with the disease or disability to make life easy to deal with. One of the diseases is that has no cure is but treatment is available is Parkinson’s disease (PD). Parkinson’s is a disease that is hereditary, at least that is what some doctors believe even though no one really knows how Parkinson’s is developed. Parkinson's disease may be caused by a viral infection or by exposure to environmental toxins such as pesticides or carbon monoxide. Parkinson’s is usually found in older people from the ages of 50-65 but can occur at any age. It is slightly more common in men than in women. Parkinson’s is the gradual degeneration...
Words: 1010 - Pages: 5
...Parkinson's Disease and Stem Cell Treatment ____________________________________________________________ _ Abstract Parkinson's disease is a neurogenerative disease characterized by a progressive loss of the dopaminergic neurones in the substantia nigra, pars compacta in the midbrain ( Borta & Hoglinger, 2006). Stem cells derived from embryos or fetal tissues have been introduced in the clinic as an alternative treatment for parkinson’s disease. Because of their self-renewal capacity and pluripotentiality, human embryonic stem cells are thought to hold enormus promise as potential replacement tissue in neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson’s. Pluripotential embryonic stem cells, neural tissue derived stem and phenotype-specified progenitor cells have been investigated for their ability to generate neurons and glia, and the molecular mechanism by which they do so (Goldman & Windrem, 2006). Logistical issues, in particular the difficulty in obtaining ample supply of fetal ventral mesencephalic cells coupled with their poor graft survival, limit the clinical applicability of fetal dopamine cell transplants. This review evaluates human neural stem cells as a graft source for Parkinson's disease. ____________________________________________________________ ____________ Introduction Parkinson's disease is a relatively common disorder of the nervous system that afflicts patients later in life with tremor, slowness of movement, instability and rigidity. Treatment...
Words: 1556 - Pages: 7
...In this paper I am going to discuss Parkinson’s disease. I will explore what the disease is, symptoms, treatment, and prognosis. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. It is present in mainly elderly patients (male and female) but there is an early onset in younger children if it is genetic. This disease occurs when nerve cells in the brain (substantia nigra) that produce dopamine are destroyed. It is unknown what causes these cells to die. Once the majority of nerve cells are lost, the brain cannot send the proper signals to the body to produce movements and motor control is affected. The symptoms then begin to appear which change a person’s life forever. The majority of symptoms in Parkinson’s disease are noticeable. However it is not until patients begin to show symptoms that they are diagnosed with the disease. Tremors at rest, inability to initiate movements or slow movements (Bradykinesia), slow speech, problems with balance, constipation, low blood pressure, and rigidity are some of the main symptoms that patients will begin to notice. These symptoms become worse over time if left untreated. The first initial treatment for Parkinson’s disease is L- Dopa therapy. It is used to cross the blood brain barrier where dopamine itself cannot in patients. This treatment is used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease but does not cure the disease. It can make the patient nauseous and become toxic after time. L- Dopa also does...
Words: 655 - Pages: 3
...Parkinson’s disease Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year, and this number does not reflect the thousands of cases that go undetected. Parkinson's disease is a disorder that affects nerve cells in the part of the brain controlling muscle movement. Parkinson's is progressive, meaning the signs and symptoms become worse over time. Although Parkinson's may eventually be disabling, the disease often progresses gradually, and most people have many years of productive living after a diagnosis. We will be going through the organ system Parkinson’s affects as well as the signs, symptoms, and treatements. Organ System Affected With Parkinson’s The major organ system affected by Parkinson’s is the nervous system. The nervous system is the major controlling, regulatory, and communicating system in the body. It is the center of all mental activity including thought, learning, and memory. Together with the endocrine system, the nervous system is responsible for regulating and maintaining homeostasis. Like other systems in the body, the nervous system is composed of organs, principally the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and ganglia. These, in turn, consist of various tissues, including nerve, blood, and connective tissue. Together these carry out the complex activities of the nervous system. The various activities of the nervous system can be grouped together as three general, overlapping functions, sensory, integrative, and motor. Functions of...
Words: 1168 - Pages: 5
...Parkinsons Disease The cause of Parkinsons Disease & Which cells stop working? Parkinson’s occurs when certain nerve cells (neurons) in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra die or become impaired. Normally, these cells produce a vital chemical known as dopamine. Dopamine allows smooth, coordinated function of the body's muscles and movement. When approximately 70% of the dopamine-producing cells are damaged, the symptoms of Parkinson disease appear. The problems that result: 1. Tremor, (shaking, trembling) is the most well known symptom of Parkinsons, but is absent in one third of people when the condition is first diagnosed. Tremor usually begins in one hand and the spreads to the leg, before crossing to the other side. It may also be felt internally. Typically it is most noticeable at rest and when stressed or tired and disappears during movement and when asleep. 2. Rigidity or stiffness of the muscles is a very common early sign of PD whereby the muscles seem unable to relax and are tight, even at rest. You might feel that your muscles will not do what you want them to do. Rigidity may be experienced through the entire range of movement of a joint (called 'lead pipe rigidity') or just in parts (called 'cog-wheel rigidity). 3. Bradykinesia (slowness of movement) occurs because the brain is not able to control smooth and delicate movements. * Leads to a lack of spontaneous activity eg. arm swing diminishes. * Fine motor coordination...
Words: 346 - Pages: 2
...Doctor James Parkinson in 1817. The disease was first known as the “shaking palsy” before being named after James Parkinson. (Ramirez, 2004). One million people are affected by Parkinson's disease in the United States. Worldwide five million people are affected. Parkinson’s disease is an idiopathic disease that occurs in people over 60 years of age. However study also shows that a small number of people 40 years of age also have Parkinsons. It affects both men and women. It is rare in children. Having a close relative with Parkinson's increases the chances that a person can also develop the disease. Exposure to herbicides and pesticides increases the risk for Parkinson's. Symptoms for Parkinson’s disease are easily noticeable. They may be mild at first. For instance, you may have a mild tremor or a slight feeling that one leg or foot is stiff and dragging. The characteristic shaking associated with Parkinson's disease often begins in a hand. A back-and-forth rubbing of your thumb and forefinger, known as pill-rolling, is common, and may occur when your hand is at rest. However, not everyone experiences tremors. Bradykinesia or slowed movements occur. Parkinsons decreases the ability to start voluntary movement. This may cause a simplest task to be time consuming and difficult. Muscles become stiff and can occur any part of the body. If the stiffness gets really sever it causes limited movement and brings a lot of pain to the individual. Parkinsons also affects...
Words: 1641 - Pages: 7
...Parkinsons Disease Introduction Defination Parkinson’s diseases is a slow progressive neurological movement disorder that eventually leads to disability. Its associated with decreased levels of dopamine resulting in distruction of pigmented neuronal cells in the substantia ingrain the basal ganglia region of the brain. (brunner and suddarth eleventh edition) Signs and symptoms Tremor is the characterisitic shaking associated with Parkinsons diseas and often begins in the hand. Pill-rolling and bacj and forth rubbing of the thumb and forfinger is alos seen and may occure whrn the hand is at rest. Slloowed motion is another common sign and symoptom of parkinsons disease, over time there is reduced ability to initiate voluntary movement therefore making simple tasks difficult anf time consuming. This causes the patient to have a short steps while walking and a shuffling walk. Muscle rigidity is occurs in any part of the body, it may sometimes be so severe that it limits the range of movement s and causes pain. The posture is impared and there is no balance therefore the patient is seen to have a stooped posture. This causes a problem with balance in later stages of the disease. Loss of automatic movements such as blinking smiling swinging the arms while walking are diminishes and sometimes even lost Some patients with Parkinsons disease have a problem with speech they may speak more softly, rapidly or in monotone and sometimes slurring or repeating words is seen. hestitance...
Words: 303 - Pages: 2
...Parkinsons Disease Introduction Defination Parkinson’s diseases is a slow progressive neurological movement disorder that eventually leads to disability. Its associated with decreased levels of dopamine resulting in distruction of pigmented neuronal cells in the substantia ingrain the basal ganglia region of the brain. (brunner and suddarth eleventh edition) Signs and symptoms Tremor is the characterisitic shaking associated with Parkinsons diseas and often begins in the hand. Pill-rolling and bacj and forth rubbing of the thumb and forfinger is alos seen and may occure whrn the hand is at rest. Slloowed motion is another common sign and symoptom of parkinsons disease, over time there is reduced ability to initiate voluntary movement therefore making simple tasks difficult anf time consuming. This causes the patient to have a short steps while walking and a shuffling walk. Muscle rigidity is occurs in any part of the body, it may sometimes be so severe that it limits the range of movement s and causes pain. The posture is impared and there is no balance therefore the patient is seen to have a stooped posture. This causes a problem with balance in later stages of the disease. Loss of automatic movements such as blinking smiling swinging the arms while walking are diminishes and sometimes even lost Some patients with Parkinsons disease have a problem with speech they may speak more softly, rapidly or in monotone and sometimes slurring or repeating words is seen. hestitance...
Words: 715 - Pages: 3
...Parkinson's illness is a progressive nervous system disorder of the brain and affects the brain cells producing dopamine, the diseases distresses the ability to move and alterations in gait and speech. It progresses steadily, occasionally starting with a hardly perceptible tremor in just one arm. Although a tremor may be the greatest recognized indication of Parkinson's illness, the sickness also usually causes reducing the speed of movement or rigidity (Armstrong, 2011). A common bacterial septicity might contribute to the risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD), conferring to new investigations available in the European Journal of Neurology. The research is the first to connect the bacterium to Parkinson’s in a big populace. The bacterium, named Helicobacter pylori (HP), is more usually linked with stomach complications, comprising ulcers and not often, cancer of the stomach. But investigators have for a long time been mystified as to why many individuals suffering from the Parkinson’s have a past of stomach complications, for instance, ulcers, before the development of Parkinson’s. Some study has even revealed that eradicating H. pylori infections assisted with the indications of Parkinson’s. Yet no investigators had done an epidemiological research in a big group so as to statistically indicate a linkage between H. pylori and Parkinson’s. A new research, executed by an assemblage of scientists steered by Beate Ritz, M.D., Ph.D., put into used two big Danish catalogs, one...
Words: 1706 - Pages: 7
...8/04/08 Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease affects the way you move. It happens when there is a problem with certain nerve cells in the brain. Normally, these nerve cells make an important chemical called dopamine. Dopamine sends signals to the part of your brain that controls movement. It lets your muscles move smoothly and do what you want them to do. When you have Parkinson’s, these nerve cells break down. Then you no longer have enough dopamine, and you have trouble moving the way you want to. Parkinson’s is progressive, which means it gets worse over time. But usually this happens slowly, over a period of many years. And there are good treatments that can help you live a full life. No one knows for sure what makes these nerve cells break down. But scientists are doing a lot of research to look for the answer. They are studying many possible causes, including aging and poisons in the environment. Abnormal genes seem to lead to Parkinson's disease in some people. But so far, there is not enough proof to show that it is always inherited. The four main symptoms of Parkinson’s are: Tremor, (which means shaking or trembling) Tremor may affect your hands, arms, legs, or head. Stiff muscles, slow movement, Problems with balance or walking. People usually start to have symptoms between the ages of 50 and 60, but in some people symptoms start earlier Tremor may be the first symptom you notice. It is one of the most common signs of the disease, although not everyone...
Words: 992 - Pages: 4
