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Is it fear of the
unknown? Or just feeling uncomfortable when other |
|
people “act funny.”
Knowledge and understanding go a long way |
|
towards solving such
problems. So mark April in general and April 11 in |
|
particular as the
special time to learn more about Parkinson’s Disease |
|
and other
movement-related disorders. Firstly, Parkinson’s is
not “just |
|
an old people’s
sickness.” SA may not have accurate statistics but one |
|
tenth of the estimated
6.3 million people worldwide who are living with |
|
the disease are under
the age of 50. Two well known sufferers are
|
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screen actor Michael
J Fox & of course Mohammed Ali who
developed |
|
the “shaking
palsy” thanks to the trauma of having his brain
pounded |
|
in the boxing ring. Who
is more likely to get the disease? And what
|
|
destroys nerve cells
apart from trauma? The answers are: Parkinson’s |
|
can hit anyone.
Chemicals, pesticides and polluted water are thought |
|
to affect nerve cells & there may be
some sort of genetic susceptibility |
|
Normal, every day
movements require an astonishingly complex |
|
system of control.
Disruption of any portion of this intricate network
can |
|
produce movements that
are spasmodic, too weak, too forceful or too
|
|
uncontrolled. |
|
Here is a good technical
example as all cell phone users, who have |
|
suffered the frustration
of dropped calls and poor connections, can |
|
relate to Parkinson’s.
So can computer users, as it’s |
|
just as easy for the
human brain - as the greatest computer ever |
|
invented - to go
“offline” from time to time. Look at the similarities. |
|
Electromagnetic
radiation carries messages via radio waves & gamma |
| rays.
Chemicals or neurotransmitters carry messages from the
nerves
|
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|
|
|
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|
|
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April
is Parkinson's Disease Month |
|
|
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| in
the brain to various parts of the body, telling
muscles, |
|
limbs and such
what to do. With cell phones and computers, |
|
messages will not
reach their destination if the provider or system |
|
is “down”. In
Parkinson’s, the “provider” is an all-important neuro- |
|
transmitter called
Dopamine. If the Dopamine chemical is “down,” |
|
the messages won’t
get through properly and warning signs will start
|
|
flashing. So what
are the warning signs/symptoms? The symptoms |
|
vary from person
to person. The most common are tremor |
|
(trembling or
shaking), stiffness and slowness of movement. These |
|
symptoms lead to
difficulties with daily activities such as walking,
|
|
getting in and out
of bed, sitting down in a chair & then standing up. |
|
People with PD
become less supple, they also tend to apply too little |
|
force to that
movements becomes slower, too small and executed |
|
with difficulty.
Eventually they can carry out only the most basic of
|
|
movements.
Generally, Parkinson’s does not affect a person’s
powers |
|
of comprehension.
Although PD affects a small part of the brain,
|
|
people with the
disease have only a ten percent higher chance of
|
|
developing
dementia than their contemporaries without the
illness. |
|
No one knows what causes the
brain damage that results in PD but |
|
there are a number
of possibilities. PD might be caused by a virus or |
|
it may be an
immunological disease. Another theory is that PD may
|
|
be caused by
chemicals in the food and fluid we consume or by their |
|
by-products
following digestion. We know that PD is not an
infectious |
|
disease, or by the
consumption of alcohol or by stress, although
|
|
these factors can
have an adverse effect on symptoms at a particular |
|
time. If you or
anyone in your family is diagnosed with
Parkinson’s or |
|
any of the
other movement disorders such as Dystonia,
Essential |
|
Tremor,
Restless Leg Syndrome, Huntingdon’s Disease,
Inherited |
|
Ataxias,
Tourette Syndrome and other tic disorders or
Cerebral Palsy, |
|
help is at
hand. The Parkinson’s Disease and Related Movement
|
|
Disorders
Association of South Africa is there for you. The
head- |
|
quarters are
in Blairgowrie and 40 branches countrywide are at
your |
|
service. “We
offer a wealth of information and support,” says
National |
|
Director Karin Willemse.
“Sufferers from movement related disorders |
|
need never feel alone. We
help people to manage the disease and |
|
provide hints and useful
tips on managing medication and daily living. |
|
We advise on
what complementary and alternative treatments
there |
|
are, on
exercise, society, relationships and many other
facts of life. |
|
Walk by our
sides as we show society that underneath the
masked, |
|
expressionless
faces, the unintelligible speech, the slow
shuffling, |
|
shaking gaits,
abnormal postures and muscle spasms, lay
intelligent, |
|
creative,
sensitive, loving mothers, fathers, sisters,
brothers and |
|
children.
People no different from you and I in their desire
to work, |
|
create, love
and live with dignity. Help us to come off the
sidelines of |
|
life with the
opportunity to live life alongside you - richly,
fully & with |
|
purpose.
Sufferers of Movement Disorders want the same
oppor- |
|
tunities as
you have to experience fully, and to participate
actively |
|
in this precious gift of LIFE ! |
| |
| |
| |
For details:
Phone 011 326 2112 or
011 787 8792 |
|
| |
or Send email to :
karin.pasa@tiscali.co.za |
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