Non-Pharmacological Treatment of Parkinson's

Approximately one million Americans suffers from Parkinson's disease, according to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation. In addition to medications used to reduce the symptoms of the disorder, some patients also rely upon non-pharmacological treatments.

Background

• Many of the prescription medications used for Parkinson's like levodopa and dopamine antagonists like pramipexole produce unwanted side effects like confusion, delusions, hallucinations and uncontrollable twitches or tics. If you are unable to use medications for Parkinson's due to these effects, non-pharmacological treatments may be options for you.

Identification

• The most common non-pharmacological treatments for Parkinson's are surgery and physical therapy.

Function of Physical Therapy

• Physical therapy helps patients with Parkinson's increase muscle strength and range of motion that will help you with walking and maintaining your balance despite the effects of Parkinson's, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Features of Surgery

• Deep brain stimulation is the surgery used to treat Parkinson's disease and involves implanting an electrode in the part of your brain responsible for movement and a device called a pulse generator under your skin. The electrical stimulation produced by the pulse generator often decreases trembling caused by the disease.

Risks

• Risks of deep brain stimulation include stroke, brain hemorrhages and infections. There is also a chance that the surgery will make symptoms of dementia caused by Parkinson's worse, warns the Mayo Clinic.