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Treating PD Without Prescription Medications
Prescription medication for people with Parkinson disease is limited, and although the available medications help control tremors associated with the disease, many patients are not familiar with additional complementary or alternative treatment options.
“Parkinson’s disease is a whole-body disease. You can’t just treat it with one modality. Medicines work well but they don’t address all of the other problems we see,” Dean Sutherland, MD, a neurologist and Parkinson disease specialist in Sarasota, Florida, explained to US News.
Parkinson disease impacts both motor and non-motor skills. Specifically, motor symptoms include involuntary tremors, stiffness throughout the body, slowed movement, and stooped posture. Non-motor symptoms include cognitive impairment, gastrointestinal problems, mood disorders, and unexplained pain.
According to Dr Sutherland, exercise is crucial in helping manage symptoms of Parkinson disease.
“Exercise releases dopamine into the same parts of the brain that are stimulated by taking medication,” Dr Sutherland said. “That helps with motor issues like stiffness, tremors and muscle freezing.”
There is evidence that three weekly sessions of exercise can help slow or delay the progression of the disease. Notably, tai chi and yoga have been associated with reduction in body stiffness and improved balance. Further, a boxing class tailored to patients with Parkinson disease also showed improved gait, endurance, balance and quality of life.
Additional medication-free options for patients with Parkinson disease include:
- massage therapy;
- acupuncture;
- singing;
- physical therapy;
- occupational therapy;
- swallowing therapy; and,
- aqua therapy.
“I clearly see a difference in people who are proactive about exercise and alternative therapies versus people who are sedentary,” Dr Sutherland expressed. “Being sedentary with Parkinson’s is like poison. It contributes to disability down the road.”
—Julie Gould
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