Imagine wanting to pick up an object but your hands are shaking so badly that it seems like you will never be able to hold it, then imagine trying to walk and your body is rocking uncontrollably; each step you are taking is more unstable as if you are about to fall. All such symptoms are associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) or the “shaking palsy.”

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is among a group of disease called movement disorders, which cause unplanned or uncontrollable movements of the body. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. Recent statistics indicates that approximately 1 million Americans have PD and more than 10 million persons worldwide are affected.

One of the most destructive elements of the disease is the loss of nerve cells in a particular area of the brain known as substantia nigra. It causes them to be damaged or die in the area which produces dopamine or black substance, a chemical that is necessary for smooth, decisive body movements.

The exact cause of this disease is not known but some cases are hereditary while others are elicited by a combination of genetics and environmental factors.  Four indicators of the disease are: tremors (shaking which has a rhythmic back and forth motion), rigidity (stiffness of the muscles), slowness of and a resistance to movement.

Moreover, the muscles are continually tense and contracted as a result of bradykinesia i.e. slowing of spontaneous and automatic movements. This condition makes it extremely difficult to perform even modest routine movements.

Those suffering with this disease have postural instability, impaired balance, and changes in posture which does increase the risk of falls. PD is both chronic and progressive- it gets worse overtime. Some persons become severely disabled whereas others experience merely minor motor interruptions.

Not all PD patients experience severe tremors; some have only mild symptoms while others can be moderate or quite aggressive. The possibility of predicting what type of symptoms will affect each individual or its intensity is impossible as the condition varies from patient to patient.

Currently, there is no cure for the disease although there are a variety of medications along with treatments which slows its process and offers relief from symptoms. These medications are combined to treat affected individuals.  The m.ost common medication combination is comprised of levodopa, carbidopa.

The observance of World Parkinson’s day is on the 11^th of April each year which coincides with the birthday of James Parkinson; a neurologist, geologist, scientist and activist born on the 11^th of April 1755. It was he who first brought the disease to light in the form of an essay in 1817, which he referred to as “The Shaking Palsy.”