5 min read
My Sister Has Parkinson's!
This month is Parkson's Awareness Month #ParkinsonsAwareness
What does it mean when a sister, brother, parent, grandparent, or family member gets stricken with Parkinson’s Disease? For everyone, Parkinson's becomes part of everyday family life. In order to be able to deal with it in the best way possible, it is important to be informed and not just see the disease.
April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month. I decided to write about it because my sister, Danny, was diagnosed with the disease last year. Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with PD each year. More than 10 million people worldwide are living with PD. The likelihood of getting Parkinson's disease increases with age, but an estimated four percent of people with PD are diagnosed before age 50.
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Signs of Parkinson's my Sister Experienced
Before even hitting the golden age of 60 my sister finds out that she has Parkinson's! Even though the progression of PD might be slow over time it became very apparent to me when I saw my sister last summer after my mom passed away. A common symptom experienced by people with Parkinson's disease (PD) is “freezing”: a sudden, but temporary, inability to move. It can happen at any time, such as when walking (called a freezing gait) or when attempting to rise from a seated position. I was in shock, to say the least when I saw my sister. It was bad and I couldn't really comprehend it! But I could not overlook her unsteady walk, slow movement, and lack of balance and coordination.
Treatment Options my Sister chose for a New Beginning
It was difficult for me to process it at first and, besides, my knowledge about the disease was almost nonexistent. A quick google search gave me some basic understanding that the disease can be treated, but will never go away. I was wondering how long she might have had it and it was only over time that I started to learn more about the disease. A lot has happened since then. At the beginning of the year, my sister went for treatment at a nearby clinic that specializes in the disease.
There, the department of Neurology and Complementary Medicine of the Ev. Hattingen Hospital combines two medical systems: Western medicine, based on the most modern scientific findings in neurobiology, and the 5,000-year-old empirical medicine of Ayurveda.
Besides medical treatment based on the most recent findings in treating PD, the patients receive a vegetarian Ayurvedic diet. In addition, there is general nutritional counseling on the principles of Ayurvedic nutrition including advice for lifestyle changes. The holistic approach of the special clinic with Ayurveda treatments is unique in Germany.
"As a certified Parkinson's clinic, we also have a lot of experience in classic Parkinson's treatment. However, we are not just concerned with treating symptoms such as tremors, but with a sustainable improvement in the quality of life of our patients," explains Dr. Szymanski, Chief Physician for the Department of Neurology and Complementary Medicine.
For my sister, supplementary treatment using the Ayurveda method was the solution. "Meticulously" she now sticks to her diet and her newfound lifestyle with daily exercise including Yoga, meditation, and Qi Gong sessions from YouTube - listening much more consciously to what her body is telling her. So much has improved and she stopped thinking that the condition she is in now was unachievable.
She no longer focuses just on the disease but rather on the possibilities her new lifestyle offers. The conventional medical, medicinal therapy accompanied by an Ayurveda concept gave my sister the start of a new life.
Sharing Your Diagnosis and Experiences
However, this does not mean completely ignoring the disease. My almost daily conversations with my sister mean a lot to me. We are open about the fact that my sister lives with Parkinson's. We’re both continuing our Google searches to learn more about PD, exchange newfound information, and look for new ideas on how to live with PD.
It’s important now to stay well informed about Parkinson's and how to avoid the stumbling blocks in everyday life. We are continuously thinking about strategies to deal with the disease. For everyone who is at the beginning of this path, I have my own personal advice: “One should not expect to understand everything immediately and always act correctly. It takes time." It is particularly important not to only limit a person with Parkinson's to the disease, but to continue to deal with each other as normally as possible. It is important and of even greater help to continue seeing the positive side. Despite Parkinson's, there are many great things that you can still do and accomplish. This is not the end of the road but can be a new beginning.
What is Parkinson's?
Parkinson's disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in the part of the brain called the substantia nigra. Nerve cells in this part of the brain are responsible for producing a chemical called dopamine.Dopamine acts as a messenger between the parts of the brain and nervous system that help control and coordinate body movements. If these nerve cells die or become damaged, the amount of dopamine in the brain is reduced.
This means the part of the brain controlling movement cannot work as well as normal, causing movements to become slow and abnormal. The loss of nerve cells is a slow process. The symptoms of Parkinson's disease usually only start to develop when around 80% of the nerve cells in the substantia nigra have been lost.
There is no one definitive cause of Parkinson’s. Medical experts believe that environmental causes may help trigger Parkinson’s disease. Exposure to farming chemicals, like pesticides and herbicides; repeated blows to the head — think boxers, like Muhammad Ali — might also increase one’s risk of developing Parkinson’s. Causes are likely a blend of genetics and environmental or other unknown factors. The biggest risk factor for developing Parkinson’s is advancing age. The average age of onset is 60.
Besides age, none of this holds true for my sister. At least not to my knowledge. But another train of thought is the relationship between stress, anxiety, and PD. Stress, or emotional strain due to difficult circumstances, is an inevitable part of life for everyone and can be caused for example, by tension with family or employers. I must say my sister had a fair share of it as a single mother raising three children and looking after our aging mother while holding down a demanding airport job as a check-in agent and purser with a major international airline.
Although tremors, in particular, tend to worsen when a person is anxious or under stress, all the symptoms of PD, including slowness, stiffness, and balance problems, can worsen. Symptoms my sister noticed well before her final diagnosis.
Complimenty Treatments including Stress Reduction
While today's medicine offers successful treatment solutions for someone to regain his or her quality of life, these symptoms, particularly tremors, can become less responsive to medication. The solution in these situations is not to increase medication but to find ways of reducing stress. Lifestyle modifications, such as Ayurveda, and exercise has been shown to improve many of the non-motor symptoms of PD, including stress and anxiety. Stress-reducing exercises such as Yoga, meditation, and mindfulness have shown to be particularly helpful.
My sister has found these complementary therapies important treatments because they not only help her improve the symptoms of PD without just relying on medication. She is no longer anxious about going out to a restaurant or the supermarket due to fear that she will spill or embarrass herself.
Parkinson's Awareness Month
This month being Parkinson’s Awareness Month, I want everyone to take action to impact the future of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Whether that means learning how to navigate your own or someone else's future with Parkinson’s or helping to create a world without PD, together we can make a difference. Complementary therapies are a growing group of treatments that may improve the symptoms of PD without medication. Reducing stress and anxiety might even help to reduce the possibility of contracting Parkinson’s Disease in the first place.
I have written past blogs on dealing with stress and anxiety. If you are experiencing stress or anxiety then it is important to understand all of the symptoms you are experiencing in order to best help you improve your quality of life. To assist you in your endeavors I will, therefore, this month, blog about lifestyle modifications, including exercises and steps you can take that may be helpful in combating anxiety and relieving stress.
"There is no simple way to deal with the life-changing event of a Parkinson’s diagnosis. The good news: Most people find acceptance and quality of life after the initial adjustment period.” The Michael J. Fox Foundation - For Parkinson’s Research
What have you done or will be doing to reduce stress to avoid neuroligical diseases such as Parkinson's? Let me know in the comments below or on my Facebook Group “The Living Well Community”! As always, I am curious.
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For now, as always, I wish you every success in boosting your body's natural energies by keeping your weight in check!
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My best,
Patrick
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