This topic is the continuation of our topic Parkinson's disease. General information on the disease, diagnosis and spread can be found under our topic: Parkinson's disease.
The therapeutic options for treating Parkinson's disease can be roughly divided into 3 main categories:
Illustration of a nerve cell
A nerve cell has many dendrites, which act as a kind of connecting cable to other nerve cells in order to communicate with them.
The Parkinson's Disease / Parkinson's Disease is not curable today, but treatable.
The mechanisms responsible for the symptoms are known and this leads to the following conclusion:
So if you now know that Parkinson's disease is the messenger substance Dopamine absent, one should actually be able to assume that one is only offering something to the patient Dopamine from the outside and he would feel better.
However, there is a natural limit to this idea in the truest sense of the word:
The main "transport tool" for Medication and nutrients in our body is blood. In this way, however, unwanted pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi and poisons) also reach almost every part of the body. Since the brain, as the body's control center, has to be protected against pathogens and the like in particular, it is naturally "Blood-brain barrier"Protected. Many harmful, but also some very useful substances cannot easily pass through this barrier. Dopamine typically cannot overcome this barrier."
$config[ads_text2] not found
Nevertheless, all drug approaches revolve around the idea that the body is adequately supplied with dopamine.
For a drug therapy to be successful, however, the most important requirement is that the Medication be taken regularly and in the prescribed dosage.
The theoretical drug approaches here are:
As a family member or person affected, you should definitely talk to your doctor about a balanced diet in connection with this medication, as certain foods come with it Selegelin should not be taken.
$config[ads_text2] not found$config[ads_text3] not found
6. Amantadine:
The mode of action of this substance is still not fully understood. Guesswork goes in the direction of that Amantadine intervenes in the above-mentioned imbalance of the messenger substances and in particular influences the effect of glutamate.
However, today we know for sure that amantadine helps! It can have a positive effect on all symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Further advantages are that patients usually tolerate it very well and that it can also be administered in liquid form.
The disadvantage is that other groups of active ingredients (especially L-Dopa) have a much better and stronger effect.
7. Budipin:
The Budipin influences a number of Neurotransmitters. Particularly noteworthy, however, is the dopamine-promoting and glutamate-inhibiting effect.
It is particularly suitable for treating the severe tremors.
Unfortunately, when using Budipin, side effects such as dizziness, nausea and occasionally cardiac arrhythmias occur quite often.
In many cases a doctor will sooner or later suggest a combination therapy of 2 or 3 different drugs.
It has been shown that there are a number of things that Parkinson's patients can do themselves to positively influence their illness.
Move:
As with many diseases, regular exercise helps with Parkinson's disease. It is true that there is a progressive limitation in mobility, but a patient does not have to give in to it.
Regular running or walking can have a positive effect, especially with back pain that is common during the illness.
$config[ads_text4] not foundExercise has also been shown to have a positive effect on mood.
Even light gymnastics exercises can improve the overall picture.
However, you should be careful not to overdo it. Competitive sport is not a particularly recommended measure for Parkinson's disease.
Occupational therapy:
In occupational therapy, exercises are carried out in which, in particular, fine motor skills are trained. This is primarily intended to train the so-called "everyday practical skills" (tying shoes, buttoning a shirt, etc.).
Speech Therapy:
One of the first symptoms is a decrease in the volume at which a patient can speak. This is due to the increasing rigidity of the Respiratory muscles. You can counteract this with regular training and breathing exercises.
This can either be done with the guidance of a speech therapist (speech therapist), but it can also be trained at home with reading aloud.
Psychotherapy:
There are trained therapists who can support patients in dealing with the disease.Most of the depressive episodes are easily treatable.
Mental requirements:
Also regular "Brain jogging"can keep a patient very active. Although the disease can lead to a slowdown in thought processes, this development can be countered.
A wide variety of intellectual activities are suitable here: be it crossword puzzles or Sudoku tasks, magazines or arithmetic problems. Anything that stimulates the brain and is also fun is recommended in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
For decades there have been approaches to tackle individual symptoms of Parkinson's disease surgically. In the past one operated on different areas of the brain with the help of heat sclerotherapy (Thermocoagulation).
However, such a procedure was only found in certain types of Parkinson's disease (one-sided tremor that cannot be adjusted with medication) Application.
Attempts to perform such an operation even with bilateral complaints have often led to in the past Speech disorders or Reduction of the ability to motivate of the patient.
Derived from this type of operation, one nowadays implants a so-called in certain areas of the brain (e.g. thalamus and subthalamic nucleus). "external pacemaker ", with which in the best case the Akinesia can be significantly improved. This allows the L-dopa Significantly reduce dosage. Such a pacemaker can improve the inhibitions in the "communication" of different brain areas caused by illness.
$config[ads_text1] not found
There is also the (ethically much discussed) surgical approach to brain tissue from human embryos to be implanted in the patient's brain in order to "repair" lost areas.