Parkinson’s Disease – Things To Consider

Being faced with the diagnosis of Parkinson’s or any other
disease is a frightening, but don’t allow that initially felt
fear, confusion, or even denial to cloud your judgment
Doctor’s are great at diagnosing diseases, but they 100′s of
patients and together with all of the paperwork and insurance
headache, they tend to not personally get involved with each
patient
Meaning that you need to be the “captain of your own ship” You
need to consider a number of things, such as:
Finding the “right” doctor, or doctors, for you Develop a team
of doctors, therapist, etc, that you trust and enjoy speaking
with
Join a support group near you and be on the look out for forums
on the Internet where you can “chat” with others similarly
affected so as to learn about solutions to problems and new
treatments that you and your doctor may not be aware of
All of the questions and thoughts to consider here are for you
to ask yourself, your doctor(s), and other Parkinson’s patients
who you get to know via support groups and/or Internet forums
* Why did I get this disease?
Might have been a genetic predisposition for them to develop it
or environmental factors that played a role, such as where they
lived or elements of their workplace
Or were lifestyle choices such as diet, personal habits and/or
exercise to blame?
* What treatments are available?
If the symptoms are mild some doctors may prescribe nothing more
than change in diet or suggest including more exercise into the
patient’s day-to-day routine
For symptoms to are more severe the doctor may prescribe
medication Levadopa (Sinemet ® ) is the most common, but newer
drugs, Requip ® and Mirapex ® are being prescribed now days too
However medications don’t always have the same effect on
patients, so while on drug may help one person considerably, it
may not work for someone else
In some cases, usually the severest, surgery is the best option
* Along with the benefits of the medications, don’t forget the
potential side effects
Parkinson’s’ sufferers are often going through enough discomfort
so you must make sure that you are aware of and prepared for any
potential side effects of a medicine
* Not all Parkinson patient are the same in the symptoms they
suffer and some respond to medicines and other treatments
differently
What are the short and long term benefits of each treatment, is
there anything that can be done to decrease the potential side
effects of the treatment (particularly medicines)?
Don’t just “sit back” and let your doctor decide everything, ask
questions of your doctor but also be willing to allow yourself
to accept what your doctor is recommending
* Look at Yahoo, Healthboardscom, and BrainTalk Communities
which are my favorite forums
You can ask other members if there any alternative and/or
non-drug related options that could help your condition?
You may find that some of the members have made modifications to
their lifestyles (ie diet, exercise, reducing stress levels,
etc) that are helping them physically and emotionally to cope
better with the progression of the disease
Are there particular foods, drinks, over the counter medications
and/or vitamin supplements that I should stay away from or look
into?
Your health is not as it once was, even the “common” colds
aren’t so “common” any longer
* You don’t want any adverse drug reaction when your treatment
and medications begin, be very careful about what you do and
don’t put into your body, especially supplements and other not
so common over the counter vitamins and medications Be sure to
speak with your pharmacist
* Can your doctor, your support group, or the Internet forum
members recommend any non-traditional (or naturopathic)
techniques for relaxation and reducing stress levels?
Look at city services, the local junior college for classes in
yoga, meditation, reflexology, massage, deep breathing, etc
The local support group may be aware of classes that would be of
help to you
* Are there any trials or clinical studies that you can be a
part of?
If the idea interest you be sure to speak with your doctor, your
support group and be on the look out, via the Internet,
yourself
Clinical studies need willing participants and these studies
occasionally have very good results for the participants

Tags | choices, confusion, diagnosis, doctors, environmental, factors, headache, judgment, lifestyle, mirapex, paperwork, parkinson, predisposition, result, sinemet