Lifestyle of Parkinson Disease?

What about the lifestyle for Parkinson's disease?

Continuing to perform as many daily activities as possible and following a program of regular exercise can help people with Parkinson's disease maintain mobility.

Exercise helps maintain range of motion in stiff muscles, improve circulation, and stimulate appetite.

An exercise program designed by a physical therapist has the best chance of meeting the specific needs of the person with Parkinson’s disease.

A physical therapist may also suggest strategies for balance
compensation and techniques to stimulate movement during slowdowns or freezes.

Physical and occupational therapy can help them maintain or regain muscle tone, maintain range of motion, and learn adaptive strategies. Mechanical aids, such as wheeled walkers, can help them maintain independence.

Good nutrition is important to maintenance of general health.

A person with Parkinson’s disease may lose some interest in food, especially if depressed, and may have nausea from the disease or from medications, especially those known as dopamine agonists (which are discussed further in the Drugs section).

Slow movements may make it difficult to eat quickly, and delayed gastric emptying may lead to a feeling of fullness without having eaten much.

Increasing fiber in the diet can improve constipation, soft foods can reduce the amount of needed chewing, and a prokinetic drug such as cisapride (Propulsid) can increase the movement of food through the digestive system.

A high-fiber diet can help counteract constipation, which may be worsened by the use of levodopa.

People with Parkinson’s disease may need to limit the amount of protein in their diets. The main drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease, L-dopa, is an amino acid, and is absorbed by the digestive system by the same transporters that pick up other amino acids broken down from proteins in the diet.

Limiting protein, under the direction of the physician or a nutritionist, can improve the absorption of L-dopa.

Certain foods, such as prune juice and other juices, and stool softeners, such as senna concentrate, can help keep bowel movements regular.

Difficulty swallowing can result in malnutrition, so doctors must ensure that the diet is nutritious.

Learning to sniff more deeply may improve the ability to smell, enhancing the appetite.

Simple changes around the home can make the home safer for people with Parkinson's disease.

For example, removing throw rugs can prevent tripping, and installing railings in bathrooms, hallways, and other locations reduces the risk of falling.