PARKINSONS TREATMENT BY STEM CELL THERAPY

What does Parkinson’s mean?

Parkinsonism is known to be a degenerative disorder of central nervous system, particularly  mid brain resulting due to the death of cells which produce a chemical messenger called ‘dopamine’. The characteristics of Parkinson’s are tremors, bradykinesia and rigidity.

Causes of Parkinson’s

Lack of dopamine is the major cause, but factors like late age, family history and exposure to herbicides and pesticides etc. put patient at a higher risk of developing the disease.

An overview of signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s

•          Tremors

Continuous finger and thumb rolling, shaking of hands at rest are main features.

•          Slowness of movements

Difficulty in initiating a movement, overall slowness and more time consumption are experienced by the patient. Patient may also freeze while doing any particular movement.

•          Memory loss

Or known as dementia, patient finds mental confusion and loss of mental clarity.

•          Muscle rigidity

Stiffness and muscular spasm may develop causing pain in the limbs and neck which may further limit the normal movements.

•          Speech impairment

Patient speaks rapidly but softly, repeats words and slurs while speaking.

•          Postural imbalance

Patient loses control over balance and adopts a stooped posture with time.

•          Loss of automated movements

There is marked impairment in simple gestures like smiling, eye blinking and swinging of arms and patient develops a fixed expression.

How are stem cells effective?

Stem cells are considered to be the master cells of our body with great ability to renew and divide on their own into new and multiple generations.  The stem cell treatment is not given as the standard mode though, but being a major breakthrough, it does help in retarding the tremors, stiffness and freezing episodes if not reversing the symptoms completely.

Understanding how the stem cell treatment for Parkinson’s work

The therapy begins with injecting the stem cell in the brain through surgey. After this a combination of neuropathic medicines are given which activates patients own stem cells. These cells are signalized and proceed towards the damaged brain tissue along the nerve chords, giving brain an active and fertile environment. This in turn allows the newly implanted cells to survive and differentiate further on their own.

Side effects and benefits

The benefits of stem cell treatment for Parkinson’s are:

•          Complete replacement of damaged tissues of brain.
•          Introduction as new cells.
•          Body does not reject its own cells.

The side effects are minor and last for 2-3 days. They can be vomiting, dizziness, headache or fever.