Is Parkinson’s Disease The Same as Dementia?
There have been people asking me about Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and dementia. Both PD and dementia are progressive disorders. But PD is different from dementia as PD is a disease characterised by movement impairment, whereas dementia is a disease characterised by cognitive impairment. In people living with PD, their brain cells are not able to make (enough) dopamine for optimal functioning. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, a chemical in the mid-brain that is responsible for transmitting signals between the nerve cells called neurons. The activation of the dopamine neurons releases dopamine in the brain that plays a vital role in controlling and coordinating movements in an individual, as well as the reward pathway in the brain (how one experiences pleasure). This reward pathway helps humans find things interesting, strive as well as to stay focus, influencing the human’s ability to think and plan. The level of dopamine affects one’s physical functions and behaviours, including:
- Learning
- Concentration
- Motivation
- Emotional responses
- Sleep
- Memory
- Motor control
Therefore, the right level of dopamine is crucial for one’s physical and mental wellbeing. In reality, there are very few neurons in the brain that produce dopamine, for people living with PD; these neurons either die or are damaged and stop working.
The brain changes caused by PD results in the following early symptoms:
- Resting tremors and shakiness
- Muscle stiffness
- Slowness (bradykinesia) including walking at a slower pace, less arm swinging while walking, or decreased in facial expression or reduction in blinking
Over time, other physical and mental symptoms may appear:
- Apathy
- Mood disturbances including depression or anxiety
- Shuffling step
- Stooped posture
- Postural instability
- Difficulty initiating movement
- Drooling
- Pain
- Skin changes and increased risk of melanoma
- Excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue
- Decreased ability to smell
- Speech problems characterised by speaking in a soft and monotone voice, and at times slurred speech or mumbling
- Vision changes including dry eyes, trouble reading and double vision
- Swallowing problems
- Weight changes characterised by mild to moderate weight loss
- Problems with sleep:
- Insomnia (difficulty either with falling asleep or staying asleep)
- Restless legs syndrome (an uncomfortable sensation in the legs that goes away by moving them)
- Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder – acting out of one’s dreams
The experience of living with PD is unique to each individual as individuals experience different symptoms and varying degree of those symptoms – a progressive disorder resulting in brain changes gradually spreading. It often goes on to affect mental functions, including one’s memory, one’s ability to pay attention or concentrate, one’s ability to make sound judgments as well as one’s ability to plan the steps needed to complete a task. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, about fifty to eighty percent of people with PD will develop dementia. The incidence is higher for those who have had PD for twenty years or more. PD tends to affect older adults, aged 60 and above; affecting men more than women.
Like dementia, there is currently no cure for PD. Having said so; there are several therapies to delay the onset or progression of motor symptoms and to improve motor symptoms. These therapies seek to extend one’s quality of life by increasing the level of dopamine in one’s brain either by a direct replacement, prolonging the effect of dopamine through inhibiting its breakdown or mimicking dopamine. Surgery, like the deep brain stimulation (DBS), may be an option for individuals with advanced motor symptoms. In recent years, stem cell therapy has demonstrated great potential, but more research is needed to validate its therapeutic value. In addition, a good amount of exercise, sufficient rest, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy are also beneficial.
If you are living with PD, at ECI Consulting Holdings, we like to introduce a holistic workout that seeks to rewire your brain by combining mindfulness, exercise and stretching to help people with PD manage their symptoms. Mindfulness practice has been demonstrated by various studies done to influence the pleasure or reward pathway in the brain; hence, it helps with improving the symptom of apathy, loss of interest (in life). Reduction in dopamine also affects one’s motivation and one’s ability to concentrate, along that line, mindfulness practice can help individuals to develop awareness, focus and drive to strive once again. Also, mindfulness practice has been widely used for the treatment of anxiety and depression. Exercise helps to stimulate the production of various neurotransmitters, including dopamine, while stretching reduces the muscles stiffness. In this workout, we are not doing the common exercises that you are familiar with, we will like to inject fun and challenge to you through non-contact boxing (at your level and your pace)! So get your boxing gloves (or not) ready. Boxing and mindfulness rewire your brain, retrain your brain to use the different muscles all over again, and improves your gait and balance through the adrenaline-inducing boxing dance! We truly believe that this workout will improve your quality of life and add meanings to your life again.
If you are interested to join us, please contact us here https://workhappy-eci.com/contact-us/