Parkinson's Disease
Kaya Life: Medical Marijuana
Medical Marijuana Specialists located in Pensacola, Marianna, Miramar Beach, Panama City, FL & Gulfport, MS
Parkinson’s disease, an incurable and progressive neurological disease, can limit your ability to move or walk normally and requires a lifetime of treatment. If you’re living with Parkinson’s disease, medical marijuana could help you relieve your most unpleasant symptoms, including pain, anxiety, and nausea. Call Kaya Life in Miramar Beach, Marianna, Panama City, and Pensacola, Florida, and Gulfport, MS, today, or make an appointment online.
Parkinson's Disease Q & A
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s is a progressively degenerative disease that attacks your nervous system and affects your ability to move. There’s no cure for Parkinson’s disease, but it can be managed with medication to control your symptoms and maintain your quality of life. Symptoms often appear gradually and worsen over time.
What are the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease?
In the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, your symptoms are subtle. Your face may not show expression as clearly as normal, or your arms may not swing when you walk. You may notice your speech change, becoming quiet or slurred. Symptoms usually begin on one side of your body and will remain worse on that side as the disease progresses. Common symptoms include:
- Tremors, usually beginning in the fingers or hand
- Slowed movement (bradykinesia), difficulty walking, dragging your feet
- Rigid or stiff muscles
- Pain when moving stiff muscles
- Impaired posture and difficulty balancing
- Loss of automatic movements, like blinking or swinging your arms when you walk
- Changes in your speech
- Changes in your writing
While Parkinson’s disease can’t be cured, your symptoms can be significantly improved with treatment.
What is the traditional treatment for Parkinson’s disease?
Treatment for Parkinson’s disease is focused on medication and therapy to help you resist the effects of the disease. Speech and physical therapy can both help your body adjust as necessary, and medication is used to increase the amount of dopamine entering your brain.
Some of the most common types of medication prescribed for Parkinson’s disease include carbidopa-levodopa and dopamine agonists. It’s common to see a dramatic improvement when you begin treatment, but side effects like overactive movement or nausea are also frequently reported.
How can medical marijuana help people with Parkinson’s disease?
Cannabis has been shown to treat a variety of symptoms of Parkinson’s as well as relieving side effects of common medications used in the treatment of the disease. Patients using cannabis have reported improvements with insomnia, anxiety, and pain caused by Parkinson’s. They also report increased appetite and relief from nausea.
If you have Parkinson’s disease and would like to learn more about how medical marijuana can help you, call the office today or make an appointment online with the scheduling tool.