The Parkinson’s Foundation describes Parkinson’s as a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominately dopamine-producing (“dopaminergic”) neurons in a specific area of the brain called substantia nigra.
Typically, symptoms develop slowly over years. The progression of symptoms is often a bit different from person to person due to the diversity of the disease. People with PD may experience:
Tremor, mainly at rest and described as pill rolling tremor in hands.
Other forms of tremor are possible
Bradykinesia (slow movement)
Limb rigidity
Gait and balance problems
The cause remains largely unknown. Although there is no cure, treatment options vary and include medications and surgery. While Parkinson’s itself is not fatal, disease complications can be serious. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rated complications from PD as the 14th cause of death in the United States. A recent study conducted by University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Hangzhou China compared the effects of drug therapy by itself and then with acupuncture integrated into the drug therapy protocol. Based on that data they concluded that acupuncture in addition to the Parkinson’s drug therapy was significantly more effective then only using the drug therapy.
Read the full study here: Acupuncture Provides Parkinson’s Disease Relief
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