Parkinson’s Disease
Overview
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is estimated to affect 7-10 million Americans, with 60,000 new cases diagnosed each year. The most common treatment for Parkinson’s is Levodopa medication, which does not always yield results with all Parkinson’s patients. Symptoms can have a wide variety between each patient, with some of the common ones being: rigidity, tremors, and difficulty with initiating gait. Due to the variability of symptoms, one would think there would be a variety of treatments based on symptoms, yet the same medication is used for all. This is where NeuroLogic Chiropractic Center thrives on working with PD patients. Each individual is treated for their specific needs, with the main goal being to improve functional aspects of daily living.
NeuroLogic Approach
NLCC looks at both the functional aspects of one’s life affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD) and the brain based effects. Functional aspects with PD are difficulty initiating gait, rigidity with movement, and poor facial expression. Brain based aspects with PD include one’s vestibular system, especially their center of gravity and particular eye movements. These are assessed with posturography and Visual Eyes analysis. Posturography is obtained with the HUMAC balance plate to see where one’s center of gravity is (typically posterior/backwards with PD patients). Eye movements are recorded with the Visual Eyes system in order to asses changes before and after care.
The Solution
With Parkinson’s disease (PD), treatments are comprised of nutritional, functional, vestibular, and eye movement rehabilitation alongside chiropractic adjustments. Nutritional aspects reduce inflammation and promote improved cellular function. Vestibular exercises help to alter one’s center of gravity and reduce chances of falling. Eye exercises help to stimulate areas of the basal ganglia, often affected by PD. Chiropractic adjustments help to restore movement in joints that are often immobile due to difficulty and rigidity with movement. By combining the aforementioned therapies, PD patients may experience improvements in functional aspects of life.