Premium Essay

Essay On Parkinson's Disease

Submitted By
Words 1916
Pages 8
Parkinson's disease signs and symptoms can vary from person to person. Early signs can be very mild and even unnoticed. Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease usually begin on one side of the body, typically they remain worse on that side, even after symptoms start to affect both sides. It can be difficult to detect early signs of Parkinson’s disease but there are some signals or symptoms to look out for.
Experiencing shaking or tremors is a symptom of Parkinson’s. The tremors usually begins in a limb like fingers or hands. Pill-rolling tremors are also something to look out for, this is when a person rubs the thumb and forefinger back-and-forth. If person is experiencing a tremor in the hand, when the hand is at rest, this is characteristic …show more content…
Simple tasks can become time-consuming and more difficult because Parkinson’s can slow down movement and decrease the ability to move. Simple tasks that are taken advantage of can become difficult. Steps may become shorter when walking and standing up out of a chair can be tuff. Also, people may drag their feet as they walk, making it a challenge to move.
People with Parkinson’s also encounter muscle stiffness, impaired posture and balance. Muscle stiffness can take place in any part of the body. This can cause pain and limit range of motion. Do to Parkinson’s disease impairing posture and balance, a person’s head and shoulders can be habitually bent forward.
Loss of automatic movements is also a symptom. Unconscious movement like smiling, blinking, or swinging arms when walking can be impaired. A person may no longer use body language like gesture when talking. A masked face should also be looked out for. When a person always has a serious, depressed or mad look on their face, even when not in a bad mood, this is called a masked face.
Small handwriting can also be a symptom. Sometimes letter sizes become smaller and words crowd together when writing. This sudden change in handwriting is usually a sign of Parkinson’s

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Essay On Parkinson's Disease

...Abstract Research has shown that a high number of individuals with Parkinson’s disease also present with speech and voice disorder. While this occurs in the majority of individuals, a small minority receive speech and language treatment. This needs analysis aims to investigate the current status and potential barriers in delivery of speech and language treatment to individuals with Parkinson’s disease, and explore how this need can be addressed through introduction of e-health. In this instance, the e-health application LSVT companion has been researched and proposed as an e-health solution. A number of studies were analysed to support this application, as well as acknowledgement of position statements, legislation, policy and recommendations from key stakeholders. Findings indicate that while there are a number of current barriers that hinder treatment of any kind, future implementation of the LSVT companion in Australia will ensure that speech pathology services are available to all individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Introduction Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurologic condition, which is currently estimated to affect up to 80, 000 Australians. Current statistics indicate that one person with PD is diagnosed...

Words: 931 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

How To Write An Essay On George Parkinson's Disease

...inspirational speech by a brilliant actor, Michael J. Fox, not only signifies his strong attitude but also describes the most disheartening detail of the crucial Parkinson’s disease. Like Michael J. Fox, one could have a confident thought towards everything or a cold perspective. Once this disease is introduced in life, it is stuck there. Current research has revealed the causes, symptoms, and the most effective methods of treatment for this debilitating disease. Although there is no cure, advances have been made to give the patient a more quality life....

Words: 1188 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Parkinson's Disease

...year 1817, a man named James Parkinson diagnosed the disease once known as ‘shaking palsy,’ as Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is a central nervous system disorder that affects around 1.5 million people in America alone. James Parkinson was a doctor in London where he wrote a paper about the symptoms of Parkinson. Symptoms for Parkinson’s disease are tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability. Usually these symptoms are caused in result of degeneration of nerve cells in the Mostly older people have a better chance of catching the disease than younger adults. Parkinson’s disease typically begins between the ages of 50 and 65, hitting about 1% of the population in that age group. For many decades there was not...

Words: 1109 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Cellular Disease: Parkinson's

...------------------------------------------------- Cellular Disease: Parkinson’s Disease One characteristic that all living beings share is the fact that they are considered to be highly organized, complex creatures. One of the most complex creatures are human beings. The human body contains thousands of genes, proteins and other cellular membranes. Each cell responds to chemical signals from the body or the environment and modifies its behavior in response to signals (Tremblay, 2010). When these cells behave differently from their intended design, the dysfunction is called cellular disease. Cellular disease can include a mutation of the DNA cells, an increase of the amount of cells, insufficiencies in existing cells, or loss of vital cells. Parkinson disease is considered to be one of the most common cellular diseases. It affects the nervous system and causes its victims to experience loss of muscle control. The disease takes place when there is a problem with certain nerve cells in the brain. These nerve cells produce a chemical called dopamine that sends signals to the part of the brain that controls movement. It allows muscles to move smoothly and operate as intended (WebMd, 2005). When the cellular disease known as Parkinson’s is present, these nerve cells break down causing a scarcity in the dopamine that is being produced. When there is a deficiency in dopamine, the body tends to move uncontrollably. Parkinson disease is considered a chronic illness. As time progresses...

Words: 1147 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Parkinson's Disease

...Parkinson’s Disease Part 1 Melissa Whisman King University NURS 3005 Pathophysiology Jessica Belnap Parkinson’s Disease Part 1 Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common and complex neurodegenerative disorder. It is second only to Alzheimer’s disease in commonality (Lees, A. J.,2011). Parkinson’s disease is a slowly progressive degenerative disorder and is usually idiopathic. The first extensive description of Parkinson’s Disease was written over 2 hundred years ago. In 1817, English physician James Parkinson write an essay describing six causes of a condition called paralysis agitans (Lees, A.J., 2011). The essay, titled “Essay on the Shaking Palsy” described characteristic traits such as resting tremor, abnormal posture and gait, paralysis, and decreased muscle strength, and the way the condition progressed over a period of time (Lees, A.J., 2011). Early neurologists such as Trousseau, Gowers, Kinnier Wilson, and Erb made contributions to the knowledge of Parkinson’s disease. But the most noteworthy was Jean-Martin Charcot. His specific studies between 1868 and 1881 proved to be the turning point in gaining knowledge about the disease (Lees, A.J., 2011). During this particular period of time, Charcot was able to distinguish between muscle rigidity, muscle weakness, and the slowness of movement, also known as bradykinesia. Charcot was instrumental in renaming the disease in honor of James Parkinson. In 1912, Frederic Lewy observed microscopic particles in the...

Words: 2250 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Parkinson Disease Research Paper

...Parkinson’s Understanding the scope of mental disease and their treatment can be beneficial for families that have one or two of their members suffering from a mental disease. According to (Chaudhuri, Clough, Sethi, 2011), it is estimated that Parkinson affects “1% of 70-year-olds, but is also seen in younger people, with 10% of cases occurring before the age of 50). Although, Parkinson disease is incurable despite all the new innovations occurring in the medicine field to help eliminate treacherous disorders; however, medications available can remarkably improve the intense side effects of Parkinson. Parkinson is a neurological disorder of brain and spinal cord, which affects the motor system “sometimes the disease is referred to as the “shaking...

Words: 619 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Disorder Paper

...Disorder Paper LaTridia M. Chambers Psych/575 November 15, 2012 Dr. Fred Benner Disorder Paper One of the mostly commonly know neurological disorders within society today is Parkinson’s disease. It is classified as a neurodegenerative disorder (Healthwise, 2010). As of today there isn’t a known cure for Parkinson’s disease. Most patients are diagnosed after age of 60, but symptoms can begin much sooner. The most well-known case of this happening is the case of celebrity Michael J. Fox that was diagnosed at the age of 30 with Parkinson’s disease (MedicineNet, 2004). In order to understand treatment methods, it is essential to understand the history, causes, symptoms and pathology of Parkinson’s disease. The disease received its name from James Parkinson, an English doctor (Jankovic, 2008). Parkinson wrote a paper in 1817 entitled “An Essay on the Shaking Palsy.” In the essay, Parkinson reviewed the cases of 6 of his patients who exhibited symptoms of what is now known as Parkinson’s disease. The disease is complicated to explain. It is caused by a defect in nerve cells in the brain. In normal brains, nerve cells make dopamine. Dopamine in turn is the chemical that tells parts of the brain to send signals that control movement. The disease takes place because there is a deficiency of dopamine because of a defect with the nerve cells that create the chemical (Freed, 2001). Dopamine in a healthy brain travels between two areas of the brain: The Substantia Nigra...

Words: 3382 - Pages: 14

Free Essay

Parkinson's Disease

...Diseases are sometimes extremely devastating and cruel. Some diseases move very rapidly while others are slow and painful. Treatments are sometimes useful yet other times nothing can stop the silent beasts that lurk in the body. Parkinson’s disease is a slow moving disease that slowly corrupts the brain. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic motor disorder that causes tremors, rigidity, slowed body movements, unstable posture and abnormal gait. This happens when neurons, nerve cells, in a part or the brain called the substantial nigra gradually die. These cells normally produce dopamine, a chemical that helps relay messages between areas of the brain that control body movement. The death of the cells leads to abnormal low levels of dopamine, and causes difficulty in controlling muscle tension and muscle movement both at rest and during periods of activity. PD as of now affects about 500,000 Americans, with about 50,000 new cases diagnosed each year. It is generally a disease that affects people of late or middle age at about age 60 however about 5 percent of patients have early-onset PD and are younger than 40 years old when symptoms begin. PD is slightly more common in men then women. So far scientists have not determined the reason why some people develop PD and others do not. Some experts blame a process called oxidation. During oxidation unstable molecules that areproduced in the brain as a result of its normal chemical reactions which ultimately damage the brain. Another...

Words: 3594 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Exercise

...the world. This essay will focus on the benefits of exercise for both physical and mental health. It is obvious that exercise helps people prevent a variety of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular, depression and Parkinson’s. This also raises an argument on whether government should play an important role in promoting physical activity. This essay will clarify that it is reasonable for the state to take responsibilities in order to make sure that social health would be improved in the following years. 1/ Introduction A healthy lifestyle and longer lives are always the target that everyone wants to achieve, specifically; it is obvious that one of the most effective ways to do this is through exercise. Exercise generally means physical activity that makes your body strong and healthy. In addition, exercise also benefits mental health, especially in stressful work conditions which can affect individuals who lead busy lives. Therefore, in my opinion, it will be reasonable for the government (the state) to be responsible for ensuring regular exercise of all citizens. This essay consists of three main parts which will discuss the reasons why physical activity is beneficial to everybody. Firstly, the piece shall discuss the positive effects that exercise brings to our physical health. After that, it will focus on mental health as it is clear that physical activity plays a crucial role in keeping our mind active and productive. Finally, as a result, the essay shall represent...

Words: 2279 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Behavioural Neuroscience

...These behaviours have been observed in patients that have Parkinson's disease which is a disease that is a typical example of the loss of dopamine. The impulsive-compulsive behaviours are especially evident when a patient has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at a young age. Therefor patients feel an overwhelming drive or urge to act in a certain way, for example patients may become hoarders. Additionally patients may find it difficult to resist certain urges which leads them to become addictive gamblers or have increased abnormal hypersexuality. These behaviours are performed by a person who does not have rational motivation. Additionally, cognitive behavioural symptoms could lead to depression and anxiety, which are induced by insomnia were patients have difficulty sleeping or hypersomnia were patients sleep too much. Dopamine agonist therapies manage and reduce the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, however they can cause impulsive disorders such as gambling behaviours. A study conducted by Cocker, P. J., Tremblay, M., Kaur, S., & Winstanley, C. A. (2017), used male Long Evans rats, which were trained to work a rodent slot machine. The prescription drug ropinirole which is a dopamine agonist drug was administrated...

Words: 1761 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Psy 340

...University of Phoenix Material Neurological Structures and Functions Worksheet Short-Answer Essays 1. Describe why humans have a blind spot. Humans have blind spots because of the optic nerve information that is sent to the brain from the retina is through the optic nerve. Well the nerve has to have a way to exit the eye, that exit is where the blind spot is. 2. Describe the functional and anatomic differences between rods and cones. The retina is what houses the eye’s rods and cones. The eye has about 6 million cones and 120 million rods. Both rods and cones get their names from their shape. Rods do not provide color vision, and are sensitive to dim light. Cones function well in the day and provide color vision. 3. Describe the trichromatic and opponent-process theories of color vision. The opponent-process theory of color vision states how some of our color combnations are some that we never see like reddish-green or yellowish-blue. This theory says that color is basically ran by wo opponent systems which is blue-yellow, and reg green mechanisms. The trichromatic theory of color suggests color vision is formulated by the actions of three different receptors. People who have normal vision of color should have three wavelengths of light to make different colors. 4. Trace the process of interpreting auditory information from the stimulus to the interpretation. When a sound is heard the energy from the sound is changed into nerve impulses...

Words: 778 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Legalization of Marijuana

...approved Amendment sixty-four. Amendment sixty-four was approved to legalize and retail the sale of marijuana (Hudak, 2015). The amendment was passed even though there was opposition from everyone on the state level as well as law enforcement. In this essay it will be explained to you the medicinal, manufacturing and economical values of legalizing marijuana. Medicinal marijuana has shown promising therapeutic effects in conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease as well as rheumatoid arthritis. Multiple cannabinoids including delta nine, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol make up most of the chemical additives of marijuana and have been proven to be much less addictive than alcohol (Grotenhermen,2015). Inhalation through smoking and vaporization are the most common route to administer medical marijuana. Other methods have included rectal, transdermal, and intravenous ways routes as well. Medicinal Marijuana has also been found to help the appetites of HIV/AIDS as well as cancer patients. The cannabinoids in medicinal marijuana have pain reducing properties when given to patients who suffer from numerous ailments and medical conditions, including but not limited to Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and glaucoma. Tests have been successfully conducted on patients who use medicinal marijuana since the 1990’s (ProCon.org, 2015). Medical marijuana has been proven to help in the natural insulin regulation of diabetics. Hemp is the stems of the marijuana...

Words: 732 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Module 1 Critical Thinking

...the ease of navigation through the links contained on the site. This essay will address these issues and more. The links on the site are set up in a manner that makes them easy to find and easy to use. Once you get to the website there are links at the top of the page that take you to various issues that are leading to the way of life many people are currently living. Food, community, health, transportation, and design are all areas in which people can make changes for the better in order to lead a more healthy lifestyle. Each link contains large amounts of information that makes finding the answers that people look for easy. Dr. Jackson has spent the vast majority of his professional life studying the impact that auto-centric lifestyles have on the people of various communities. He spent many years with the Center of Disease Control. One of his core beliefs is that because of people’s reliance on cars and poor eating the current generation of children’s life expectancy is going to be less than that of their parents. The information contained on the website is easy to find and easy to understand. The various categories that anybody is interested in are clearly visible and easy to use. Finding information on how often the website is updated was a bit challenging. The websites offered many videos that go into detail on various health topics such as obesity, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. The videos were easy to understand and contained more than enough information...

Words: 391 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Difference in Contemporary Uk Society

...In this short essay, I will be attempting to define difference by describing the concept in my own words with the inclusion of examples. Difference may allude to several variants, including behavioural, physical, anecdotal or a set of beliefs. Groups based on age, sex, class, religion and ethnicity all differentiate when relating or corresponding to those variants (Blakeley and Staples, 2014, p. 25). Physical variants may refer to the elderly, who are susceptible to different diseases and health related issues (e.g. Parkinson's, Arthritis, Alzheimer's) than those in their teens or early adulthood. Difference can be examined through individual or group choices. People may have different tastes and choices in clothes and restaurants. Others may prefer to choose different methods of travel. Certain groups of people may use different shops and stores. On City Road, the older generations typically use the Taste Buds Café, for it's friendly and secure environment where the elderly are made to feel welcome. The same people who use the Taste Buds Café may be different to those who use The Municipal Club, which is frequented by a small community of nostalgic pub goers who reminisce on times gone past (The Open University, 2015). Xquisite Africa and the Mackintosh Centre may appeal to people from different ethnic backgrounds and groups due to their differing identities and cultural connections (Blakeley and Staples, 2014, p. 25). Those looking to tap into their African heritage...

Words: 269 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Stem Cell Research Debate

...Stem Cell Research Essay Stem Cell research is a highly controversial topic in the world of science. Many people disagree with and oppose the research because of their belief that the research is unethical. The laws regarding the research of Stem cells vary from country to country. Many countries have very strict laws on the research and some have completely banned it. There are many organizations and scientists that are pushing for the research and study of the stem cells. These viewpoints establish that Stem cells can be very beneficial for human use. There are three main types of stem cells: embryonic, tissue and induced pluripotent (Euro Stem Cell, 2012). Embryonic stem cells are used because they do not have a designated function...

Words: 499 - Pages: 2