Things you may not know about Parkinson's Disease

My husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2012. Since his diagnosis, we have been waging war against the disease. Everyone is familiar with the tremors that are the most well-known symptom of Parkinson's Disease but 25 percent of people do not get the tremors, my husband is one of them. 

Parkinson's can be caused by genetics but it can also be caused by exposure. Just because no one in your family has ever had it doesn't mean that you are safe. My husband was exposed at work to a toxic chemical. It has been shown to cause Parkinson. He is quite obviously one of those people.

While tremors may be one of the most common symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, there are several other indicators that may manifest themselves. Knowing what to look for can help with an early diagnosis and the onset of treatment.

Things to look for:

If you notice that you or someone that you love walks without swinging their arms, this can be a symptom of Parkinson's.

Another common symptom is shuffling. If someone has always shuffled, don't worry, but if it is new, it might be worth checking out. Our son who is a nurse first noticed this in my husband. I didn’t associate it with a disease, I just thought it was a sign of aging.

Loss of smell. My husband did have this and we in no way ever would have thought of Parkinson's.

A change in response time. For example, if a car is stopped in front of the person and they don’t respond to that by stopping. Sort of a continual oops moment.

A loss of depth perception, again this may be most evident when driving. It can be difficult to park and also to stay within the lines on the road.

Cognitive issues. In my husband’s case, he is a machinist and he had to use math every day. He started having trouble adding numbers.

These are just a few of the changes you might see that may be symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. Having one or even all of these doesn’t mean that it is Parkinson’s Disease but what it does mean is that a visit to a neurologist is probably indicated.

We chose to begin treatment with a naturopath because in this case of exposure Parkinson’s we felt that detoxing might be the best way to start and perhaps by getting the toxins out of his system we might be better able to control the progression of the disease. It has proven to be a good decision.