Dr. Tarannum Khan, a neurologist at Cleveland Clinic Florida along with local president of the Kingdor Parkinson’s Foundation, Mavis Darling-Hill, shed some light on the common but misunderstood disorder known as Parkinson’s disease.
Commonly confused with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease is a condition in which cells in the brain begin to degenerate. The progressive disorder slowly affects the nervous system, causing both motor and non-motor symptoms. Alzheimer’s disease, on the other hand, is a disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, eventually destroying the ability to complete simple tasks.
Research suggests that individuals, particularly over the age of 50, experience the early stages of Parkinson’s differently. Atypical symptoms include drooling, low voice changes, trouble keeping balance, trouble swallowing, stiffness, and slowness of movement and processing information.
Dr. Khan emphasized the importance of visiting one’s general practitioner regularly, especially if you suspect that you or a family member may have Parkinson’s. “They may have all the classic symptoms and signs before they’re diagnosed. Diagnostic tools often include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain, which is done sometimes to rule out other diseases, however, an MRI can never diagnose Parkinson’s. With an MRI you can rule out things like silent strokes, normal pressure hydrocephalus (excess water in the brain) or a slow-growing tumor, if there was an indication for that” says Dr. Khan.
In 2016, Deep Brain Stimulations (DBS), were approved for treating middle-staged Parkinson’s disease by the FDA. DBS is a procedure that involves implanting a device, similar to that of a pacemaker, that can alleviate some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s such as tremors, slowness and stiffness.
For patients who experience trouble swallowing, treatments are available in the form of Botox injections in the salivary glands. Botox injections have been proven to be highly effective in other symptoms such as muscle cramping in the calf and legs.
“One of the most effective treatments to slow down the progression of Parkinson’s disease is exercise. In the beginning stages, I encourage patients to try to do different types of exercises like flexibility exercises, stretching exercises, muscle building exercises, aerobics, core strengthening, pilates, yoga, Tai Chi, dance” says Dr. Khan.
As a growing number of Bahamians are being diagnosed with Parkinson’s, Mavis Darling, president of the Kingdor Parkinson’s Foundation, shared that the foundation’s objective is to heighten awareness by educating and sensitizing persons about the disease, particularly family members and caregivers, to help make living with the disease easier to manage.
“Parkinson’s disease is not something to be ashamed of. I’ve had conversations with individuals who are living with Parkinson’s, yet they feel hesitant to discuss it openly due to a sense of shame. It’s important to remind these individuals that they have nothing to be embarrassed about. Parkinson’s is not a hidden illness, it affects families and communities as a whole.”
The Kingdor Parkinson’s Foundation encourages Bahamians to work together to break the stigma and support those living with Parkinson’s.
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