Understanding
Parkinson’s Disease
Who is Mr. Parkinson and What’s the deal with his disease?
Parkinson’s Disease is a complicated neurologic disorder
that affects over 1 million people in the United States today (Parkinson’s Disease Overview, National Parkinson Foundation, 2015). Because it touches the lives of so many
people, my objective for this blog is to break down the complex information
into manageable bits so that anyone can better understand the disease.
What is Parkinson's? Infographic
Let’s start with a simple definition of the disease.
Parkinson’s Disease affects a part of the brain that deals with movement. It
destroys cells that produce a neurotransmitter (brain chemical) called
Dopamine. We’ll talk about more specifics later but for now the most important
part to remember is that Parkinson’s destroys certain cells in your brain that
normally help control movement. Because these cells are damaged, a person that
has Parkinson’s Disease will have many problems with movements. Think weakness,
slow movement, or shaking (tremors). This can make activities such as walking,
or even holding a fork, more challenging.
Parkinson’s is a progressive disease, which means over time
it gets worse. This sounds like bad news. But the good news is that it happens
pretty slowly and people with the disease work with their healthcare team to
come up with different ways to manage the symptoms.
Think about anyone you know that has been touched by
Parkinson’s disease. Keep them with you as you read this blog and try to relate
what you learn to your experience with that person. Please do keep in mind that
everyone is different though!
If you don’t know anyone with the disease, here are some
familiar faces to help you get acquainted:
Ok so who is this Mr. Parkinson? Well, his first name is
James and we’ll have more on his later when we talk about epidemiology. Stay
tuned!
Parkinson’s Disease Overview. National Parkinson Foundation.
http://www.parkinson.org/parkinson-s-disease.aspx.
Accessed January 9, 2015.
Ryan Reynolds, Michael J. Fox Team Up Against Parkinson’s |
TODAY [Video]. Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJTQ9G4eQ2o.
Published November 26, 2014. Accessed January 9, 2015.
Understanding Parkinson’s Disease- The Basics. WebMD http://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/guide/understanding-parkinsons-disease-basics.
Accessed January 9, 2015.
What is Parkinson’s? The Michael J. Fox Foundation. https://www.michaeljfox.org/page.html?what-is-parkinsons-infographic.
Accessed January 9, 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment