What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder that impacts the central nervous system of the body. This disease impacts the motor system of the body and the ability of movement is slowly affected by this disease. Neuropsychiatric disturbances are a common symptom of this disease and this disease slowly impairs other functions of the body. This is a slow generative disease in which one of the most visible symptoms is an almost constant tremor in the body. This disease causes stiffness and initial movement of an individual slows down.
Parkinson’s disease cause impaired posture, balance, speech changes and an inability to write. Generally, there are five stages to Parkinson’s disease and each stage the disease becomes more and more severe than the previous stage. Many complications can arise from this disease which has to be treated along with this disease. At the later stages, it even becomes difficult for a patient to chew and eat food and this disease can make it very difficult to even perform the basic functions as an individual. Quality of life is severely impacted by this disease.
Causes & Risk Factors
The main causes of this disease are hereditary factors and the environment. Researchers have identified a mutation in the genes that cause Parkinson’s disease. If the disease has happened within a family, the members of the family are more likely to be susceptible to the disease. Environmental factors also play a role in this disease. Certain toxins if present in the environment can increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Presence of Lewy bodies and alpha-synuclein present in the Lewy bodies are also factors that increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Risk factors also include gender and age.
Parkinson’s generally happens to a patient in the middle age or in the old age and it is more common among men rather than women. It is important for patients to get the right treatment as this is a very complicated disease that affects the daily life.
Choosing a Doctor for the Treatment of Parkinson’s disease
Finding the best doctor for your disease is important to treat and manage this disease. There are different specialists that are needed, for a Parkinson’s disease patient has many different problems that may arise from this disease. It is a good idea to have one family doctor to help coordinate and advice the patient on the consultations with different specialties. A primary care physician generally suggests a neurologist who specializes in this disease. Movement specialists might be needed due to this disease. Movement specialists and physical therapists are all required at one point or another. Parkinson’s disease also leads to many psychological problems like anxiety and depression. The primary health physician can suggest a reputed psychiatric counselor to help people with this disease to fight psychological problems.
How to Choose the Right Doctor
- The first step is to find out details about the doctor. This includes finding out details about the medical degree, experience and whether the neurologist has treated many patients in the past with similar health issues. Board certification in Neurology is an important factor while deciding on a doctor for treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
- The ability to move is severely impacted by Parkinson’s disease. Movement specialists are qualified in giving physical therapy and medical treatment to improve the ability to move. Looking at reviews of the movement specialist will help the patients analyze actual results and experiences of past patients and hence can make an informed decision. Not just for a movement specialist but checking out reviews for every doctor online is a good idea. This helps in making a right decision while choosing doctors for this disease.
- The primary care physician often suggests the psychiatric counseling. Again finding out all the details about the doctor and the doctor’s experience in dealing with these issues is a sensible plan. Finding the right doctor is important when it comes to psychiatric help. The primary physician assesses whether psychiatric help is also needed for the spouse or loved one of the patients dealing with Parkinson’s disease.
- Patients must be comfortable with the doctors that they choose. Usually, for other illnesses, the primary health physician handles most of the medical care. Patients are very comfortable with their family doctors but going to new specialists can be daunting. Patients must have a rapport and a level of comfort with their doctors.
- While deciding on the doctors for treatment and management of the disease it is important that the patients know the exact treatment plan. Getting the right treatment plan is an important step in dealing with this disease. Finding a good doctor has become very easy these days because of the internet. Sites like Xpertdox help find qualified doctors for different types of diseases with experience in the field. Such sites find the right doctors to help patients with various difficult and complicated diseases like Parkinson’s disease.
Medical Care Professionals
Most patients need round the clock care especially in the later stages of the disease. Organising a strong care team helps such individuals deal with the disease in a better way which includes doctors, nurses and loved ones who are willing to help the patients deal with this disease. Communication becomes difficult with this disease so choosing xpertdox health care professionals who are experienced in dealing with Parkinson’s patients is a good idea as they know how to communicate with these patients.
Parkinson’s disease is a heartbreaking disease that impacts the patient’s life in a variety of different ways as mentioned above. Finding the right doctor to go through the treatment and management of this disease can be a difficult choice. There are many qualified doctors in various fields of study which can help patients with Parkinson’s disease and all the problems and complications that may arise from the disease. With the right treatment, this disease, especially in its early stages is quite manageable if the patient gets good medical advice and treatment from the primary care physician and also from specialists in this field of medicine.
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