The New Parkinson's Disease Treatment Book

Acknowledgments 1. Background Part I. Basic Facts about the Brain and Parkinson's Disease 2. Primer on the Brain 3. Parkinson's Disease: Changes in the Brain and Beyond Part II. Parkinson's Disease: Diagnosis and Prognosis 4. How do I Know If I Have Parkinson's Disease? 5. Prognosis Part III. 6. Conditions Mistaken for Parkinson's Disease 7. Testing Part IV. The Cause and Progression of Parkinson's Disease 8. Clues to the Cause(s): Genes, Environment 9. Drugs or Strategies to Slow Parkinson's Disease Progression? Part V. The Movement Problems of Parkinson's Disease: Medication Rationale and Choices 10. Medications for Movement Problems (Gait, Tremor, Slowness): Background and Rationale 11. Starting Medical Treatment of Parkinson's Disease Movement Problems Part VI. Beginning Treatment of Parkinson's Disease: Medication Guidelines 12. Starting Levodopa Treatment 13. Starting Dopamine Agonist Treatment 14. Refractory Tremor Syndromes: "Medications Don't Help My Tremor!" Part VII. The Early Years on Medications 15. The First Few Years on Carbidopa/Levodopa Treatment 16. The Early Years of Parkinson's Disease If Started on Other Drugs Part VIII. Later Medication Inconsistency: Motor Fluctuations and Dyskinesias 17. Later-Developing Movement Problems: Motor Fluctuations and Dyskinesias Treated with Levodopa Adjustments 18. Supplemental Drugs for Motor Fluctuations and Dyskinesias Part IX. Other Treatment Problems: Not Just a Movement Disorder 19. Subjective Parkinson's Disease Symptoms Due to Dopamine Deficiency 20. Sleep Problems: Insomnia, Daytime Sleepiness, and Nighttime Disruptions 21. Orthostatic Hypotension and Other Causes of Dizziness 22. Depression 23. Thinking, Memory, and Dementia 24. Hallucinations, Paranoia, Delusions, and Problematic Compulsive Behaviors 25. Problems with Swallowing, Saliva, and Speaking 26. Managing Digestive Problems and Constipation 27. Urinary Symptoms 28. Sexual Dysfunction, Estrogen, and Menstrual cycles 29. Other Treatment Problems: Swelling, Skin rashes, and Visual symptoms Part X. Nutrition, Exercise, Work, and Family 30. Diets, Vitamins, Nutrition, Osteoporosis 31. Exercise, Physical Medicine, and Physical Therapy 32. Family, Friends, the Workplace, and Caregivers Part XI. Surgery and Procedures for Parkinson's Disease: Present and Future 33. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and Other Brain Surgery for Parkinson's Disease 34. Experimental Treatments: Fetal and Stem Cell Implantation; Neurotrophic Hormone and Gene Therapy; Vaccines and Immunotherapy Part XII. Parkinson's Disease Information Services 35. Support and advocacy groups; the Internet Glossary Index