UPLAND — The ability to walk and move without problems are acts many people take for granted. For the 1.5 million Americans currently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, however, the ability to maintain these acts as part of daily life is anything but taken for granted, according to experts at the Parkinson Disease and Movement Center at Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a brain disorder that occurs when neurons in the brain die or become impaired. Many of these cells are responsible for producing dopamine, a chemical that permits fluid and coordinated function of the body's muscles. When approximately 60 percent of these cells are damaged, the symptoms of Parkinson disease begin to appear.

A progressive and chronic disorder, the disease often strikes people after the age of 60. Symptoms of the disease include rest tremor of a limb, slowness of movement, rigidity of the limbs or neck and poor balance.

“Most people will notice a tremor first,” says Norman Leopold, D.O., director of the Parkinson Disease and Movement Disorder Center at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. “Most people will immediately associate this symptom with PD, when in actuality, they have a much more benign illness.”

With no known cure, treatment is to control the symptoms to allow the person to lead as normal a life as possible. A diagnosis of PD does not signal the end of life as the patient knows it. In fact, many people can continue leading a relatively normal life for a long time, says Leopold.

“The reaction by people in regards to the diagnosis really varies from person to person,” says Leopold. “Some people try to ignore it, and physically or mentally compensate for their disease, to prove to them and everyone else that nothing has changed. Others fall apart and do nothing. It’s the difference between letting the disease run your life, or letting your life run the disease.”

While symptoms such as tremors, slowness, rigidity or poor balance can begin to limit what a person with Parkinson’s can and cannot do, Leopold says that there are treatment options, such as prescribed medications, that can work to control the symptoms, so that people can go about their usual, daily activities.

“Medications can help control the symptoms,” says Leopold. “It can’t completely eliminate the symptoms, but it can make the symptoms much easier to live with.”

Levodopa is the currently the most widely-prescribed medication for the treatment of PD. There are surgical options to treat symptoms available as well, but generally, surgery is only recommended for a relatively small group of people who have more advanced cases of the disease. 

While some people may choose to forgo medication when initially diagnosed, Leopold says that once a person’s daily routine becomes increasingly harder and more frustrating to complete, he strongly recommends going on medications.

“I tell my patients to make the best use of their time,” says Leopold. “You only have one life and there is no point in suffering with symptoms that may limit their quality of life, because you don’t get that time back.”

In addition to medication, a person with Parkinson’s can also follow some general advice in maintaining optimum wellness with the disease, including: 

• Continue regular daily activities. Remaining active is important in maintaining mobility.
• Begin a regular exercise program. An exercise program may help maintain or reestablish physical conditioning.
• Eat healthy. Good nutrition can help maintain the best level of health for someone with Parkinson’s.
• Manage Stress. All symptoms of Parkinson’s get worse under stress, so it therefore becomes very important to manage stress.

Since most people diagnosed with Parkinson’s are generally over the age of 60, Leopold says that continuing with daily activities is not quite as hard as someone diagnosed in their 40s.

“Because we’re dealing mostly with people in their late 60s, who are nearing the end of working and don’t have kids at home, their quality of life may not change very much as opposed to someone younger who’s in the prime of their career and still has kids at home,” says Leopold.

Also, while Parkinson’s disease can eventually greatly impair a person’s quality of life, Leopold points out that most people do not die as a result of the disease.

“The life expectancy of someone with Parkinson’s is said to be around 20 years,” says Leopold. “If we’re talking about a 60-year old person who has Parkinson’s, that puts them right around 80, which is still above the national average life expectancy.” 

The Parkinson Disease and Movement Disorder Center at Crozer-Chester Medical Center provides comprehensive and individualized care within a supportive and home-like atmosphere. Affiliated with the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA), Crozer’s Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Center is one of the APDA’s officially recognized information and referral centers.

For more information about the Parkinson Disease and Movement Center, call 610-447-6380.