15/12/2023
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson's Disease, often causing considerable physical and mental distress to patients, presents the following challenges:
1. **Resting Tremors:** Rhythmic shaking during rest, often starting on one side and progressing to the opposite limbs, lips, jaw, and tongue. Tremors may disappear during sleep.
2. **Bradykinesia:** Slowness of movement in daily activities like dressing, tying shoelaces, and eating. It can lead to progressively smaller handwriting, narrow steps while walking, low voice, monotone speech, and difficulties in swallowing.
3. **Muscle Rigidity:** Stiffness in muscles, limited movement, reduced facial expressions, and decreased blinking. Abnormal posture and gait may cause the patient to lean forward and take small, quick steps, increasing the risk of falls.
Additionally, Parkinson's patients may experience low mood, delayed reactions, constipation, oily skin, excessive sweating, and other symptoms.
The cause of Parkinson's Disease, first described by Dr. James Parkinson in 1817, remains elusive. It is generally accepted that the disease results from the degeneration and loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra. Aging, genetics, and environmental factors like industrial and agricultural pollution, indoor pollution, mobile phone radiation, and computer radiation may contribute.
Since the late 1960s, the introduction of levodopa significantly improved the quality of life and extended the lifespan of Parkinson's patients. However, long-term use of Western medications may lead to diminished efficacy and adverse reactions. Current mainstream drugs include dopamine replacement therapies like levodopa, anticholinergic drugs like amantadine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and dopamine agonists. Nevertheless, the side effects of Western medications cannot be ignored.
Acupuncture, a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine, has shown promising results in treating Parkinson's Disease. It focuses on individualized treatment, addressing imbalances in yin and yang, qi, and blood. Clinical observations suggest that acupuncture can:
1. Improve clinical symptoms, especially reducing stiffness and bradykinesia.
2. Slow disease progression.
3. Alleviate medication side effects.
4. Reduce drug dosage, allowing for a decrease in levodopa use.
5. Provide overall improvement, addressing autonomic nervous system symptoms and relieving stiffness and tremors.
While acupuncture may not provide immediate results like levodopa, its holistic and non-dependency characteristics make it a valuable option. Treatment should ideally begin early, and patients are advised to consider physical and occupational therapies in the early stages.
Acupuncture for Parkinson's includes both head and body acupuncture. Head acupuncture adjusts qi and blood in the head region and indirectly influences the entire body. Body acupuncture, focusing on points related to liver and wind control, helps alleviate tremors and stiffness. Patients should seek acupuncture treatment in reputable medical institutions.
Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Yueyang Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital established a clinic for combined acupuncture and drug treatment for Parkinson's Disease in 2000. The clinic, staffed by experienced acupuncture physicians, has achieved significant success in using acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and Western medicine in combination. This approach has not only slowed disease progression and reduced Western medication dosage but also alleviated symptoms like tremors, stiffness, constipation, and nocturia, improving patients' overall quality of life. By utilizing the strengths of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, the clinic aims to restore balance in patients' yin and yang, promoting smooth qi and blood circulation to alleviate Parkinson's symptoms and relieve patient suffering. The approach has elevated patients' quality of life and extended their lifespan, offering hope for benefiting from the latest advances in medical science.