Author(s):
Parkinson's disease, or simply Parkinson's, is a chronic degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. As the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms become more common. The symptoms usually emerge slowly. Early in the disease, the most obvious symptoms are shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement, and difficulty with walking. Thinking and behavioural problems may also occur. Dementia becomes common in the advanced stages of the disease. Depression and anxiety are also common, occurring in more than a third of people with Parkinson’s disease. Other symptoms include sensory, sleep, and emotional problems. Medical management is the mainstay treatment but along with medications we need to incorporate complementary therapies to improve the quality of life. Once diagnosed we need to adopt certain lifestyle changes to live well with Parkinson’s.
