Parkinson’s Disease Treatment
One of the most terrible diseases to develop at any point in someone’s life is Parkinson’s disease. Also known as PD, Parkinson’s is a disease that attacks the motor portion of brain and causes people to become more rigid, to move slower, or even suffer from tremors in advanced cases. There is no known cause of this terrible disease but there are some Parkinson’s disease treatment techniques available. It is also speculated that it can be induced by drugs, head trauma, toxins, or by someone’s genes.
Once this disease is identified, there are routes to follow that can extend someone’s life and teach them how to deal with living with Parkinson’s. One of these treatments is called Levodopa or L-DOPA. Because the body doesn’t produce enough dopamine in the motor part of the brain affected by this disease, doctors supplemental Levodopa to get this dopamine to the brain to curb the side effects of the affliction.
Dopamine agonists are another option to pursue because they can also drastically reduce the terrible side effects that this disease can have on patients. This treatment is generally tried before Levodopa because it can stop the spread of the deterioration of that part of the brain. However, side effects to agonists are hallucination, nausea, constipation, and insomnia.
MAO-B inhibitors are another way to battle this disease and improve the quality of life for a patient suffering from PD. How this drug works by blocking the metabolizing of the dopamine in this part of the brain allowing it to stop the side effects of PD. This kind of treatment can also help improve motor skills that may have deteriorated and is usually tried before Levodopa.
The most drastic and revolutionary tract to battle PD is deep brain surgery which, needless to say, can be quite dangerous. Operating on the brain and the nervous system, which PD attacks specifically, is still one of the final frontiers for modern medical practitioners. However, though it was more common before the medicines were developed, brain surgery is usually held as the last option for treatment.
Levodopa, Dopamine agonists, MAO-B, and deep brain surgery are all examples of Parkinson’s disease treatment. Two famous people who inspire many people to battle this condition because they are battling it themselves are actor, Michael J. Fox and legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali. Both of these individuals have shed light on this debilitating diseases that we will hopefully one day cure.