Caring for Alzheimer's

Mags says:

Below is a compilation on my Yahoo!Answers on prior occasions:

Don’t let anyone tell you that the brain is the only organ which suffers in PD. The entire body is affected.

Here are the organs of the body:
Organs and Organ Systems:
Skin
Skeletal System composed of bones, cartilage, tendons & ligaments
Muscular system: skeletal and smooth muscles
Circulatory system: heart, blood vessels and blood
Nervous System: To relay electrical signals throughout brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves
Respiratory system: nose, trachea, lungs
Digestive system: Mouth, esophagus, stomach, liver, intestines
Excretory Syseem: Kidneys, ureters, badder, urethra
Endocrine System: pancreas, adrenal glands, etc
Reproductive system: testes, seminal vesicles, penis, ovaries, oviducts,uterus, vagina, mammary glands
Lymphatic/Immune System:
Lymph, nodes & vessels, white blood cells, T- and B- cells

Below are the symptoms of PD
Symptoms:
Automatic movements such as blinking, sweating – Brain
Constipation: Brain (because of muscle rigidity and Digestive organs – same reasons)
Difficulty starting or continuing movement: Brain but the eyes can also be involved to assist the way out of the freeze.
Dystonia/dyskinesia – often a result of medication wearing off
Impaired balance of walking: Brain, muscular and skeletal systems
(see this link to an interesting research abstract: http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/cont…
Drooling: lack of ability to swallow – stiffening of muscles
Lack of facial expression: stiffening of muscles
Loss of small or fine hand movements: muscles stiffen
Muscle aches (myalgia) and joint aches from stiffening
Problems with movement – sitting, standing, walking, getting into and out of bed
Rigid or stiff muscles
Shaking, tremors
Shuffling gait: (part of muscle rigidity, lack of balance)
Slowed movements:
Slowed, quiet speech, monotone voice
Slowed thought processes
Stooped posture:
Fainting: (orthostatic hypotension – blood pressure) medication side effects also
Loss of muscle function or feeling:
Variations in heart rate:
Urinary problems: urinary frequency, urinary hesitancy, incontinence
Sexual Dysfunction

Non-motor:
Anxiety, stress, tension
Dementia
Depression
Hallucinations (this is also a side effect of some meds)
Memory Loss
Loss of sense of smell/taste
Vision disorders
Sleep disorders
Seborrhea or seborrheic dermatitis:
Loss of cognitive skills:
Liver is stressed and overstressed because many of the medications are processed by the liver.

Despite all of the above, PD patients have a remarkable low suicide rate. Many survive by maintaining a sense of humor, others through hope for a cure.

More is being learned about Parkinson’s disease every week but as more is learned researchers realize how much more there is to learn including the very reasons that the disease initiates. More research is being done about the genetics, the chemistry, the triggers for Parkinson’s. Techniques are being researched, developed which will improve existing therapies. Is there a cure in pipeline? It is difficult to say. There may be more than one type of cure needed because of the many variations of the disease. Will a cure reverse the disease and restore the lost neurons or will it simple stop all further progression. One thing that is known is that prompt treatment is needed as soon as there is a diagnosis. And that better diagnostics (in the works) are needed to speed the ability to diagnose. The medical profession needs to learn as much as possible about the very early warning signs, the precursors to the disease, in order to begin treatment possibly years earlier – if not with medication than with nutritional supplements, diet and an exercise routine which makes Forced Exercise available at an affordable price.

diagnostics available now
http://parkinsonsfocustoday.blogspot.com/2009/03/questions-about-parkinsons-disease-part_3744.html

The endocrine system
http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/endocrine.html#

Prolactin as an index of dopaminergic receptor function in PD. 1981
http://www.springerlink.com/content/x0t44836307273rn/

Estrogen
http://www.pdcaregiver.org/Estrogen.html

Endocrine system – good table of all endocrines and their functions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocrine_system#Table_of_endocrine_glands_and_secreted_hormones_discovered

Hormones are informational molecules
they travel through the blood to signal distant parts of the body to do
something. Human growth hormone signals cell division and bone growth. It
only works on cells that have the proper receptor or "docking station" on
their surfaces.
Enzymes are catalysts, they make chemical reactions go
faster than they normally would so metabolism can take place at a useful rate