Close your eyes and picture this. You’ve just finished a long day at work and while driving home feel your left hand and arm shake a little, as you exit your vehicle you notice that you have trouble swinging your arms as you walk. You walk into your home trying to figure out why your arms are a little less mobile and why you have some shaking in your left hand.After eating and watching your favorite television program you realize the shaking in your arm hasn’t stopped. Blaming it on hard work you walk up the stairs for a rest that is sure to drive these recent shakes away.Â
When you wake up you notice that the shaking subsists, worried you call the doctor and set-up an early morning appointment. After meeting with the doctor for only a few minutes he says all signs point to Parkinson’s disease. After a few months the tremors become worse and it is much more difficult to do some of the small things that seemed so meniscule, a couple of years later the disease becomes so progressive that you have to quit your job much earlier than anticipated and focus your energy and attention on your health. I won’t go any further but this is the happenings of many people who develop Parkinson’s.
Fortunately, there are drugs and surgical procedures that have been found to eliminate some or all the tremors that persist. A new procedure, deep brain stimulation, is performed when small electrodes are implanted in the brain and through electrical methods are used to stimulate the brain. Some Parkinson’s patients who had this surgery can attest to how successful it can be in eliminating some or even all of the tremors that existed in their condition. This is one of a few treatments for Parkinson and there are many more being researched. A few organizations have risen up and are actively seeking a cure and much greater treatment. It’s unfortunate that more and more people are developing Parkinson’s disease, but it is amazing how much progress we have made in treating it.
