Additional therapies in Parkinson’s disease patients: useful tools for the improvement of the quality of life or senseless loss of resources?

Abstract

In advanced stages of Parkinson's disease problems of speech, mobility and balance occur with a high frequency. Although the symptoms of the disease can be treated by specific and individual pharmacotherapy, some of the severe symptoms such as freezing, falls, unsteadiness, and dysarthria persist. To evaluate the potential use of additional therapies, a diagnosis of all current symptoms must be performed; afterwards a specific individual treatment can be decided by the therapist based on objective data. Only if the initial evaluations of a new therapy show improvement, will such therapies be subjected to long-term evaluation, which should be also performed by the patient. This contribution presents examples of a useful prediagnosis and of the evaluation of the conventional physiotherapy. Also, two new methods are evaluated as additional therapies: low-frequency muscle stimulation and magnetic pulse therapy. A thorough symptomatic diagnostic view, specifically directed additional therapy and the careful evaluation of the use of therapies provide the only meaningful treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Sense of coherence is a sensitive measure for changes in subjects with Parkinson's disease during 1 year

“…In addition to motor disturbances, subjects with PD also experience emotional, cognitive, sensorial and autonomic disorders that entail functional and psychosocial impairment (2). All these symptoms have a negative effect on the subjects’ health‐related quality of life (HQoL), and cause them to experience uncertainty in activities of daily life, suffer from restrictions in social and professional opportunities, and live with the threat of falls and injuries (3).…”

Older Swedish women's experiences of living with symptoms related to Parkinson's disease

“…‘Off’‐period refers to a patient's state when she switches from a normal movement (‘on’‐period) to a state of Parkinsonism (‘off’‐period) which means she is incapable of moving; for example, one foot suddenly seems to stick to the floor. The shift from an ‘on’‐ to an ‘off’‐period can happen very rapidly from 1 minute to the next (Ellgring et al . 1993, Henneberg 1998, Sunvisson et al .…”

Complementary and alternative medicine in Indian Parkinson's disease patients

“… 26 To assure effect of CAM, it is important to have objective means of rating patients' state before and after treatment. 27 Thus, there is a need for evidence-based effectiveness and safety information about CAM therapies, together with respect for patients' beliefs and choices.…”