1)
Colored fruits is the way to go..
A recent study has found that diet rich in Flavonoids is linked to lower mortality rates in patients of Parkinson's Disease. Flavonoids are naturally-occurring, plant based dietary components, rich in fruits and vegetables. They give various colors to these plants. Researchers found that adapting a healthy dietary regime, high in colorful fruits/veggies (e.g. berries) even after diagnosis of PD could slow the progression and improve survival rate.
Specifically, following are the two important results of this study:
1) Participants with PD who ate diet high in flavonoids prior to their diagnosis had lower mortality from all causes.
2) Participants who began high-flavonoids diets after PD diagnosis demonstrated lower mortality rates
Following is the link to the original source:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/diets-high-in-flavonoids-may-help-people-with-parkinsons-live-longer
2)
1-2 hours of exercise thrice a week is enough
Researchers have found that those who exercised regularly for over five years had better results on cognitive tests. It also slowed down the progression of disease. The results suggest that it may never be too late to exercise. Study was conducted on patients with early stage disease. People who got at least 4 hours per week of moderate to vigorous exercise like walking or dancing had slower decline in balancing and walking five years later as compared
to those who didn't get enough exercise.
Following is the link to the original source:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/health/regular-1-2-hours-of-moderate-exercise-twice-a-week-slows-progression-of-parkinson-s-disease-finds-study-101643597890428.html
3)
Home exercise for better living!
Exercise is beneficial in two ways:
a) Release of chemical called dopamine, which positively impacts the movement, mood and sensation of pain
b) Growth and change in the cortical stratum, that controls voluntary movements
These two changes can help the patients as follows:
Improved balance
Reduced sleep disruptions
Increased cognitive function
Decreased risk of falls
Slowed decline in quality of life
Increased gait quality
Two key aspects to keep in mind while exercising:
Safety while moving
Regularity in exercise
Fitness regimen should include four types of exercises:
Aerobics: At least three times a week
Strength training: Two-three times a week
Balance, agility, multi-task exercises: Two-three times a week
Stretching: Two-three times a week
Home exercises could include:
Early stage:
Chair squats
Push ups
Brisk walking or jogging
Middle stage:
Bridges
Jogging in place
Dancing
Advanced stage:
Clam shells
Heel lifts
Trunk twist
Following original article has more details:
https://www.verywellhealth.com/exercises-for-parkinsons-disease-5217557#:~:text=The%20Parkinson's%20Foundation%20recommends%20people,two%20to%20three%20times%20weekly.
4)
Moderation in everything is important!
Each patient may have a different dietary need. As per a dietitian who himself is a patient of PD, diet that includes fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat and more fish, whole grains, lower fat dairy products, moderate intake of sweets and alcohol could be useful. Mediterranean plan based diet is most suited. The key mantra is - there is no bad food, but what is important is practicing moderation in anything that one does include nutritional intake.
Also as much as possible, one should get nutrients from food rather than pill or supplements. Healthy lifestyle is more important that a specific diet.
Following is the detailed original article:
https://davisphinneyfoundation.org/how-can-nutrition-help-you-live-well-with-parkinsons/
5)
Managing the common symptom of drooling:
One symptom common is most patients is drooling. However this is not because of extra production of saliva. Rather, this is due to patients inability to swallow the saliva. Symptoms like these isolate the patient further. A workout for the swallowing muscles could be of help as per the recent study. A behavioral treatment called 'expiratory muscle strength training seems promising to manage drool.
This training was first developed for the high school band students to increase exhalation strength. It involves blowing into a device against resistance. This needs to be done 5 times a week.
A study involving larger number of patients will be started soon.
Following is the link to the original article:
https://theconversation.com/drooling-is-a-common-symptom-of-parkinsons-could-a-workout-for-the-swallowing-muscles-help-158954
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