I
am not a doctor, but was asked to explain in simple terms that patients could
understand and grasp why Parkinson's occurs.
There
are two main neurotransmitters, and I'm not talking about science fiction or a
new fangled radio that tunes into your brain. Serotonin and dopamine are both neurotransmitters and work
together. All this technical medical jargon is not easy to understand, and having
difficulty myself in comprehending, I hope I've managed to explain in a simple way
so that you too know how to answer difficult questions when thrown at you
unexpectedly.
Serotonin:
an inhibitory neurotransmitter responsible for mood, relieving anxiety and
improving sleep. It is mostly found in regulating intestinal movements.
Dopamine:
an excitatory neurotransmitter in the
mid-brain area called the substantia nigra is responsible for motor control, energy,
generating motivation, focus, concentration and memory. There are several
diseases of the nervous system where the dopamine system does not function
properly, one of which of course, is Parkinson's.
When
there is an imbalance in the neurotransmitters, the deficiency needs to be made up
by taking medication. The imbalance effects one's lifestyle and stress
exacerbates this defect. It therefore appears to come down to either chemicals
in your environment that have caused this flaw, or people, like myself who are
born with an inability to make sufficient amounts of these chemicals, and is
therefore not related to environment, but rather to genetics.
It would be so much
easier to explain if for example one had a simple broken leg, or even a hip
replacement. People can generally understand and grasp these types of medical issues, but
as soon as you get into the fascinating world of neurology, explanations and
symptoms, side effects and treatments are so much more involved. Why does life
have to be so complicated?
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