28th February 2014 - New research

CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

JAMA Neurology [2014] Feb 24 [Epub ahead of print] (A.Videnovic, C.Noble, K.J.Reid, J.Peng, F.W.Turek, A.Marconi, A.W.Rademaker, T.Simuni, C.Zadikoff, P.C.Zee) Complete abstract

Diurnal fluctuations of Parkinson's Disease symptoms and a high prevalence of sleep-wake disturbances in Parkinson Disease suggest that the circadian rhythm is affecting these symptoms. The circadian rhythm is a roughly 24 hour cycle that regulates physiological processes by various factors such as daylight. Secretion of melatonin from the pineal gland is largely responsible for this regulation. For more information go to Circadian rhythms

People with Parkinson's Disease have been found to have blunted circadian rhythms. The differences and the range of secretion of melatonin from the pineal gland were found to be lower in Parkinson's Disease than in people that do not have Parkinson's Disease. Compared with people who had Parkinson's Disease who did not have excessive daytime sleepiness, people with excessive daytime sleepiness had narrower ranges of melatonin secretion. Overall Parkinson's Disease symptoms and duration of symptoms were not significantly related to the circadian rhythm. So it was only daytime sleepiness and not Parkinson's Disease symptoms generally that can be affected by the blunted circadian rhythm that can occur in Parkinson's Disease. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.   

27th February 2014 - History

EARTHWORMS AND OIL OF WINGED ANTS FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Nicholas Culpeper (1616-1654) was an English botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer. He published books, The English Physitian (1652) and the Complete Herbal (1653). The Complete Herbal contains both pharmaceutical and herbal knowledge. Among the recommendations in Complete Herbal, he suggests sage for "sinews, troubled with palsy and cramp". For centuries prior to this, Sage had also been recommended for tremor in the hands. Amongst other plant remedies Culpepper suggested for palsy and trembling were bilberries, briony (called "English mandrake"), and mistletoe. In the 1696 edition of his Pharmacopoeia Londinensis, a variety of substances were claimed to be useful in the treatment of "palsies", the "dead palsy", and "tremblings". These included "oil of winged ants" and preparations including earthworms. For more concerning the history of Parkinson's Disease go to the History of Parkinson's Disease.   

12th February 2014 - New research

HEARING LOSS IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

European Journal of Neurology [2014] Feb 10 [Epub ahead of print] (S.W.Lai, K.F.Liao, C.L.Lin, C.C.Lin, F.C.Sung)  Complete abstract

Hearing loss has been found to be three times more likely in elderly people who have Parkinson's Disease. This is partly due to the increased prevalence of loss of hearing with age. However,  hearing loss is still 1.77 times more likely in elderly people with Parkinson's Disease than it is in elderly people who do not have Parkinson's Disease.

Hearing is perceived in the Cochlea, in the Organ of Corti, which is the sensory organ of hearing. For more information go to Cochlea. Dopamine, whose deficiency causes Parkinson's Disease, helps to protect against  noise exposure in the Cochlea  [1]  [2]  [3]  [4]. Insufficient dopamine can therefore lead to damage that can result in loss of hearing. The cause of the increased likelihood of loss of hearing that can occur in Parkinson's Disease is therefore originally probably biochemical rather than structural.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here.   

11th February 2014 - New book

PIONEERS OF RECOVERY : HOW PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE REVERSE THEIR SYMPTOMS

Robert Rodgers

Publisher's description : Parkinsons Recovery Radio show guests often talk about how they reversed the symptoms of Parkinsons Disease. Now you can read nine of these amazing stories as they were first told on the radio show in this 2012 release of Pioneers of Recovery. Each chapter includes details on the steps that each pioneer took to make miracle of healing happen. Therapies that paved the road to recovery include : TMJ adjustments, Candida cleanses, Voice Profiling, sound therapy, Tai Chi, Martial Arts, Qigong, Low Dose Naltrexone, forced exercise, Chinese medicine, supplements, diet, detoxes. You will be intrigued by how each pioneer went about reversing their symptoms Click here for more details. For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to Parkinson's Disease Books  

8th February 2014 - New review

SKIN DISORDERS IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

The integumentary system is the skin and its associated glands, including the sweat glands, the sebaceous glands, and the hair and nails. Those medical disorders asociated with the skin that commonly occur in Parkinson's Disease are seborrhea, hyperhidrosis, and melanoma.

Seborrhea causes excessively oily skin. Sebaceous glands are glands in the skin that secrete sebum, to lubricate the skin and hair. Seborrhea can therefore result in excessive secretion of sebum by the sebaceous glands and its accumulation on the skin surface. There is an increased likelihood of seborrhea in Parkinson's Disease that is due to low dopamine. For more information go to Seborrhea

Hyperhidrosis is overactive sweat glands. Hyperhidrosis can therefore result in excessive sweat secretion. There is an increased likelihood of hyperhidrosis in Parkinson's Disease. Instead of being due to Parkinson's Disease, the increased sweat secretion is usually due to Parkinson's Disease drugs. As an unintended side effect L-dopa can produce adrenaline, which stimulates the sweat glands. For more information go to Hyperhidrosis

Melanoma is a form of skin cancer. The risk of melanoma could sometimes be as much as four to five times higher in Parkinson's Disease. The melanocyes in the skin produce melanin, which is made from L-tyrosine via L-dopa. This is the same means as dopamine in the dopaminergic neurons. Given that melanin helps to protect skin cells from Ultra Violet induced damage, melanoma is probably increased in Parkinson's Disease because of the reduced capacity to produce L-dopa in the melanocytes. For more information go to Melanoma In order to refer to this article on its own click here.