Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system, which impairs both motor and non-motor functions. Motor symptoms: The movement-related issues, referred to as parkinsonism, include tremors, slow movement (bradykinesia), rigid muscles, and poor balance (postural instability).

Non-motor symptoms: These can emerge at any stage of the disease and include autonomic nervous system dysfunction (dysautonomia), sleep disorders, loss of smell (anosmia), and neuropsychiatric problems such as anxiety, psychosis, and cognitive decline. Symptoms typically begin gradually and non-motor issues tend to become more pronounced as the disease progresses. The primary cause of Parkinson’s disease is generally unknown, or idiopathic.

Parkinson's disease is an incurable, progressive neurological condition for which treatment aims to manage symptoms, primarily motor ones, through medications like levodopa, MAO-B inhibitors, and dopamine agonists in early stages. As the disease advances, these drugs can become less effective or cause side effects such as involuntary movements, leading to the consideration of deep brain stimulation or specialized dietary and rehabilitation therapies for improved function. While evidence for treating non-motor symptoms like mood and sleep issues is limited, a holistic approach combining various treatments can help improve quality of life for people with Parkinson’s disease. 

Ayurveda treatment for Parkinson's disease, focuses on balancing the aggravated Vata dosha through a combination of therapies, herbal medicines, diet, and lifestyle changes. While Ayurveda does not claim to cure the neurodegenerative condition, it can significantly help manage symptoms, slow disease progression, and improve a patient's overall quality of life. 

 

WHAT IS PARKINSON’S DISEASE?

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system, which impairs both motor and non-motor functions. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder that affects movement, balance, and other neuro motor functions body functions. Symptoms develop gradually over many years due to the loss of nerve cells in the brain. Brain cells produce a chemical messenger called dopamine, and its depletion causes irregular brain activity that leads to motor problems.

 

Symptoms

Symptoms are categorized as either motor (movement-related) or non-motor. Non-motor symptoms often appear years before motor issues are noticeable. 

 

Primary motor symptoms: 

Individuals with this condition experience several core motor symptoms. A rhythmic shaking, known as a tremor, frequently begins in a hand or finger while at rest, often mimicking a "pill-rolling" movement. Their movements become noticeably slowed (bradykinesia), making everyday actions more difficult and time-consuming. Muscle stiffness, or rigidity, can cause aches and limit mobility in various parts of the body. Furthermore, impaired balance, or postural instability, is common, potentially causing a stooped posture and increasing the risk of falls.

Common non-motor symptoms: 

Loss of smell (anosmia): Often an early warning sign that can appear years or decades before motor symptoms. Sleep disorders: Including insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and REM sleep behaviour disorder, in which individuals physically act out their dreams. Depression and anxiety are common and can occur early in the disease. Cognitive changes like issues with memory, reasoning, and other thinking skills, which can progress to dementia in later stages. Constipation, bladder problems, and a sudden drop in blood pressure upon standing (orthostatic hypotension). 

Pathology and causes:

The primary cause of Parkinson’s disease is generally unknown, or idiopathic, though certain factors have been identified which are helpful to explain the pathology.

The disease involves the progressive degeneration of dopamine-producing nerve cells in the substantia nigra, a region of the midbrain essential for voluntary motor control. This cell death is linked to the build-up of a protein called alpha-synuclein into clumps known as Lewy bodies, though the exact cause of this aggregation is not fully understood.

Other contributing factors may include genetic mutations, environmental influences like toxin exposure, certain medications, lifestyle choices, and previous health conditions. The risk of developing Parkinson's increases with age, with the average age of onset around 60. Men are more likely to develop the disease than women. 

Treatment and prognosis:

Parkinson's is a progressive disorder, and symptoms worsen over time. While there is no cure, a range of treatments can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. Unconventional treatments at present consists of medications to increase dopamine in brain.

Other accessible therapies: Deep brain stimulation (DBS): Surgical procedure to implant electrodes in the brain, which can improve tremors and other motor symptoms. Physical and occupational therapy: Helps with balance, gait, mobility, and adapting to daily living activities.

Prognosis: Due to advancement in treatment, most people with Parkinson's now have a normal or near-normal life expectancy. The disease is not directly fatal, but complications such as falls and infections can reduce life expectancy, particularly in the later stages. The rate of disease progression varies significantly among individuals and is influenced by factors like age at diagnosis and symptom severity.

 

AYURVEDIC VIEW OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE;

Parkinson disease can be co-related to Vepathu disease in Ayurveda, which is a nanatmaja vata vyadhi (disease caused by only vata Dosha) and one among the 80 disorders caused by vata dosha. Vepathu refers to shaking, trembling, or tremors, which are caused by an imbalance or vitiation of the Vata Dosha. Due to tremor being prominent symptom of synonymous term kampavata is also used some time for the co- relation.

Causes The primary cause of Vepathu is the aggravation of the Vata dosha, which can happen due to various factors. 

  • Dietary factors Consuming a diet that is dry (rukshanna), light (laghvana), or dominated by astringent (kashaya), bitter (tikta), and acrid (katvanna) tastes can aggravate Vata.
  • Lifestyle factors Excessive exercise, running, sexual intercourse, or staying awake late at night can all contribute to Vata vitiation.
  • Psychological factors Emotional imbalances caused by fear (bhaya), anger (krodha), grief (shoka), and excessive worry (chinta) can disturb the Vata dosha.
  • Trauma: Physical injury or trauma (abhighata) can affect the vital points (marma) of the body, causing tremors.
  • Degeneration A loss or depletion of body tissues (dhatus) and nourishment can cause Vata to increase. This is common in elderly individuals.
  • Toxicity: Exposure to certain poisons (visha), including some medications, can lead to tremors as a long-term complication. 

Sign and symptoms of Vepathu almost similar to Parkinson’s disease.

The characteristic symptom of Vepathu is uncontrolled shaking or tremors (kampa), but it can manifest in different parts of the body with other associated signs. 

  • Sarvanga kampa -Shaking of the entire body.
  • Shiro kampa - Involuntary shaking of the head.
  • Karapadatale kampa -Tremors in the hands and legs.
  • Deha bhramana - Loss of balance and postural instability.
  • Stambha -Stiffness and rigidity of muscles and joints.
  • Cheshtahani - Difficulty with voluntary movements.
  • Other symptoms -Sleep disturbances (nidrabhanga), cognitive impairment (matiksheena), anxiety, and speech disorders (vakvikriti) may also be present. 

 

AYURVEDA TREATMENT:

 

Our Ayurveda treatment for Parkinson's disease, focuses on balancing the aggravated Vata dosha , Nourish the nervous system (Majja Dhatu) and Remove toxins (Ama) accumulated in the channels (srotas).

Holistic treatment approach at Ketav’s Ayush Health Paradise includes a combination of therapies, herbal medicines, diet, and lifestyle changes. While we do not claim a complete cure of this neurodegenerative condition, but Ayurveda therapies can significantly help to manage symptoms, slow disease progression, and improve a patient's overall quality of life. 

Ayurveda treatment plan is always personalised one as per the prakrity, severity, physical and mental strength of the patient. It is aims to maintain neuro-nutrition through Rasayanas therapies, Balancing Vata Dosha through specific Panchkarma therapies and expelling out the toxin (Ama) by Panchkarma Shodhna therapies. 

This approach addresses both the motor symptoms (tremors, rigidity, and slow movement) and non-motor symptoms (anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances) associated with the disease. 

Our treatment plan is of 21 days include two therapy sessions along with one-hour yoga / meditation session every day. There will be diet and food restrictions as per the disease and constitution of the individual.

Ayurveda Panchkarma therapies may help to slow down the progression of disease and a ray of hope to live a better quality life with this disease condition.

https://ayushpanchkarma.com/