Alternative Ways to Treat Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is an incurable neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement and up until recently offered few options in terms of treatment.  Typical treatments included prescription drugs to help alleviate symptoms and/or a special device implanted in patients, used to help control tremors. 

However since Parkinson’s affects the whole body, doctors and researchers have been looking at different complementary and alternative methods to treat the many symptoms of the disease.  The U.S. News and World Report published an article describing some of those different methods of treatment.   

As Parkinson’s occurs when dopamine-producing cells in the brain stem die off, doctors say exercise is key to managing some of the effects of Parkinson’s.  Dr. Dean Sutherland, a neurologist and Parkinson’s disease specialist in Sarasota, Florida, explains, “Exercise releases dopamine into the same parts of the brain that are stimulated by taking medication. That helps with motor issues like stiffness, tremors and muscle freezing.”

Other activities that appear to help patients with Parkinson’s disease include massage therapy to help alleviate stiffness and pain; and acupuncture, which helps some people reduce tremors and also relieves stiff muscles and pain.   Physical therapy appears to help patients improve balance and gait as well as flexibility.  There are even programs specifically targeted to Parkinson’s patients that focus on teaching them to take bigger steps to avoid common walking problems such as shuffling.   

In addition, people with Parkinson’s are discovering that alternative treatments such as singing can help improve voice volume, which in turn, can improve their social interactions.  When you can control the volume of your voice to be heard by others, you are more likely to feel comfortable interacting socially.  Another thing proving to be helpful to people with balance problems is aqua therapy.  Parkinson’s patients have found that being in the water gives them the freedom to move about without the fear of falling.  And finally as swallowing can become difficult for some people with Parkinson’s, swallowing therapy is also recommended. 

At MorningStar at Bear Creek, our memory care community offers a wide range of care services including physical, occupational, respiratory, speech, and massage therapy.  Our community is designed to accommodate the needs of our residents and encourages and supports their independence while keeping them safe.   If you have a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another dementia-related disease, please visit our website to learn more about our experienced, compassionate Alzheimer’s care.  

MorningStar at Bear Creek brings a unique vision to senior living with our mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve. We are dedicated to creating a true home within an ideal setting and invite you to schedule a tour to see firsthand the best dementia and Alzheimer’s care in Colorado Springs.

Source: health.usnews.com/health-care/patient-advice/articles/2019-01-11/medication-free-ways-to-treat-parkinsons-disease