You may have come across the term Parkinson’s disease even if you have never known anyone that has had it, this is because actor Michael J Fox and boxer Muhammed Ali both have or were diagnosed with the condition.

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disease, there is no cure and it is not yet clear what leads to a person developing the condition. It is known that people who have the disease do not produce enough dopamine, which is made by nerve cells in the brain. Dopamine is involved in sending signals to the parts of the brain which control movement and the cells which make the chemical have died.

You may have come across the term Parkinson’s disease even if you have never known anyone that has had it, this is because actor Michael J Fox and boxer Muhammed Ali both have or were diagnosed with the condition.

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disease, there is no cure and it is not yet clear what leads to a person developing the condition. It is known that people who have the disease do not produce enough dopamine, which is made by nerve cells in the brain. Dopamine is involved in sending signals to the parts of the brain which control movement and the cells which make the chemical have died.

Diagnosing Parkinson’s is difficult, it is a bit like putting the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together through taking a history of the persons symptoms and undergoing tests performed by neurologists.

The main symptoms that people may experience who have Parkinson’s are; tremor (often in their hand at rest), slowed movement (such as walking) and rigidity (stiff resisted movements through the joint). There are other symptoms which people who suffer from Parkinson’s can experience such as pain, fatigue, bladder / bowel issues, dementia, thinking problems and depression for more information please visit http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/content/parkinsons-symptoms

Medications can improve the early symptoms of the condition and diet and rehabilitation have shown in some instances to improve peoples symptoms.  Surgery and deep brain stimulation is used to reduce motor symptoms in severe cases where drugs are no longer effective.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a procedure involving the implantation of a medical device called a neurostimulator (sometimes referred to as a ‘brain pacemaker’), which sends electrical impulses, through implanted electrodes, to specific parts of the brain DBS directly changes brain activity in a controlled manner, its effects are reversible. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_brain_stimulation

Recently on ITV’s ‘This Morning’ a lady talked about her rare ability to smell out people who have Parkinson’s Disease. This was discovered after her husband was diagnosed with the condition. She is a nurse and her husband was a Doctor. After her husband’s diagnosis they attended Parkinson’s support groups where she became aware that the other attendees had a similar ‘smell’ to her husband. This has led to further research into this area, where Doctors verified her ability to accurately identify people with a Parkinson’s diagnosis from their smell. It is felt that this may lead to further research and may help in the future with earlier and clearer diagnosis. Watch the interview on http://www.itv.com/thismorning/health/joy-milne-supersmeller-who-can-sniff-out-parkinsons-disease

Occupational therapists can offer practical help to people suffering with Parkinsonian symptoms. By assessing their abilities and providing advice to manage their roles and routines we can help to control some of the impact of symptoms on day to day functioning.

If you would like to discuss this further please contact us at info@otpartners.co.uk.