TCM Parkinson's Disease Management
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system. About 3 in 1000 people, aged 50 years and above have PD in Singapore, and it is more common as you get older.
The exact cause of PD is unknown. In people with PD, brain cells that produce the chemical messenger dopamine start to die. Dopamine are responsible for keeping the body's movements smooth and well-coordinated. The brain starts to lose the ability to tell the body when and how to move.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of PD depends upon the presence of one or more of the four most common motor symptoms of the disease, which are resting tremor, bradykinesia (slow movement), muscular rigidity and postural instability.
Secondary symptoms may include memory loss, constipation, sleep disturbances, dementia, hunched posture, and speech, breathing, swallowing problems.
TCM Perspective
Many of these are typical signs and symptoms of liver-wind in TCM. Chinese medicine believes that overwork, excessive sexual activity, improper diet and emotional stress are common pathogens for many diseases. They will eventually give rise to kidney deficiency. Moreover, senility is characterized by kidney deficiency. As liver and kidney share the same origin, kidney deficiency leads to both kidney and liver deficiency. From a TCM perspective, the main manifestations and age of onset of PD indicate that the disease relates primarily to liver and kidney disharmony and liver-wind.
The general treatment principle is "nourishing yin and extinguishing wind". The specific treatment plan will be different in different stages of the disease and with different patients. Generally speaking, PD is a chronic and difficult disease taking a long period of treatment with herbs and/or acupuncture.
Effective Treatment
Western drug treatments often become less effective over time. However, TCM PD management is effective over time so that PD symptoms are minimized and/or disappeared.
The exact cause of PD is unknown. In people with PD, brain cells that produce the chemical messenger dopamine start to die. Dopamine are responsible for keeping the body's movements smooth and well-coordinated. The brain starts to lose the ability to tell the body when and how to move.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of PD depends upon the presence of one or more of the four most common motor symptoms of the disease, which are resting tremor, bradykinesia (slow movement), muscular rigidity and postural instability.
Secondary symptoms may include memory loss, constipation, sleep disturbances, dementia, hunched posture, and speech, breathing, swallowing problems.
TCM Perspective
Many of these are typical signs and symptoms of liver-wind in TCM. Chinese medicine believes that overwork, excessive sexual activity, improper diet and emotional stress are common pathogens for many diseases. They will eventually give rise to kidney deficiency. Moreover, senility is characterized by kidney deficiency. As liver and kidney share the same origin, kidney deficiency leads to both kidney and liver deficiency. From a TCM perspective, the main manifestations and age of onset of PD indicate that the disease relates primarily to liver and kidney disharmony and liver-wind.
The general treatment principle is "nourishing yin and extinguishing wind". The specific treatment plan will be different in different stages of the disease and with different patients. Generally speaking, PD is a chronic and difficult disease taking a long period of treatment with herbs and/or acupuncture.
Effective Treatment
Western drug treatments often become less effective over time. However, TCM PD management is effective over time so that PD symptoms are minimized and/or disappeared.