NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS
Parkinson's Disease
Parkinsons is a clinical syndrome involving bradykinesia, plus at least one of the following three features: tremor, rigidity and postural instability. All patients with Parkinson's disease have parkinsonism, but not all patients with parkinsonism have Parkinson's disease.
Classification
Primary parkinsonism
Paralysis agitans or Parkinson's disease or idiopathic parkinsonism
Secondary (symptomatic)
Post-encephalitic (post-encephalitis lethargica)
Toxins - e.g. MPTP (mythylphenyltetrahydropyridine), manganese, carbon monoxide
Drugs - e.g. reserpine, phenothiazines, butyrophenones, α-methyldopa, metoclopramide
Ischaemic (vascular parkinsonism)
Tumors in basal ganglion
Punch-drunk syndrome in boxers
Infections - e.g. HIV infulenza
Parkinsonism plus (degenerative disorders with prominent additional neurological features)
Progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy (MSA) (striatonigral degeneration, Shy-Drager syndrome, sporadic olivopontocerebellar atrophy), diffuse Lewy body disease, Wilson's disease, Huntington's disease (HD) in children
Paralysis agitans (primary parkinsonism) is a degenerative disorder.
Parkinsonism plus are a group of degenerative disorders that have additional neurological signs other than that of parkinsonism. For example, multiple system atrophy (MSA) includes variable combination of parkinsonism (poor response to L-dopa), cerebellar, pyramidal and autonomic degeneration. MSA can have a predominance of parkinsonian features (MSA-P subtype) or cerebellar ataxia (MSA-C subtype) Autonomic dysfunction results in urinary sypmtoms (urge incontinence, incomplete bladder emptying), erectile dysfunctions in males, orthostatic hypotension and chronic constipation.
Secondary (symptomatic) parkinsonism includes a group of disorders where aetiological agents are identifiable.
Symptoms
Two environmental factors are recognised to lower the risk for Parkinson's disease - cigarette smoking and coffee drinking.
Affects both sexes equally, and starts usually during sixth decade and later. Occasionally, it may appear during fifth decade. Initial symptoms may be easy tiredness or muscular aches, usually unilaterally. Mild slowness of activity or depression may be present. Later, classical combination of tremor, rigidity and hypokinesia appear.
Tremor
It is classically a tremor at rest and is compound (called pill-rolling tremor), occuring at wrist and fingers on one side first that decreases with action. At times, action or postural tremor may also be present. Tremor may also occur at head, jaw or lower limbs.
Rigidity
Hypertonia is due to rigidity. When tremor is present, it adds cog wheeling character to the basic lead pipe hypertonia (cog-wheel rigidity). It is unilateral in the beginning of disease.
Hypokinesia/akinesia
It is difficulty in initiating the motor acts. This results in delay or slowness of motor act after intention to start.
Bradykinesia
It is the paucity or slowness of movements. Some physicians consider hypokinesia under the term bradykinesia when it is defined as slowness of initiation of voluntary movement with progressive reduction in speed and amplitude of repetitive actions. There is reduced movement in acts like getting up, adjusting posture, walking, etc. Two common features are reduced arm swing on one side (which is often misinterpreted by patients and physicians as an orthopedic problem) and repetitive supination/pronation of hands. Face looks blank and expressionless ("mask-like face"). Amplitude of writing declines near the end of a sentence.
Disturbed postural reflexes
Occurs about 5 years after the onset of disease.
Results in stooped or bent posture with tendency to fall easily, and difficulty in maintaining equilibrium while sitting or standing.
Muscle strength and tendon jerks remain normal. Glabellar tap becomes positive. Priitive reflexes get released.
Speech is of low volume and is monotonous. Micrographia is present with a tendency to tail off at the end of a lone. Stance is stooped, gait becomes shuffling (festinant), associated arm swinging is absent, and turning about becomes slow and labourious.
With advancing disease patient assumes fixed flexed postures, remains curled in bed unable to move. Death occurs due to infection (bronchopneumonia, septicaemia).
Treatments
Parkinson’s being a chronic, deep seated and progressive disease gets better only proper long term treatment which acts deeply and cures its symptoms. Homeopathy is the science which does exact same thing. It works deeply and cures conditions from within and reduces its symptoms. In such patients with Parkinson’s homeopathy helps in reducing the symptoms and further progress of the disease. The quality of patients life improves. Few homeopathy medicines which acts well in such cases are argentum nitricum, causticum, cuprum metallicum etc
