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Self Care For People With Parkinson's Disease A diagnosis of Parkinson's disease can be overwhelming. In addition to dealing with the physical changes in your body, you may be dealing with a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness. There are many things you can do to help yourself stay active and healthy longer. The experts at Mayo Clinic recommend the following strategies to help you feel healthy and stay healthy longer. Eat a Healthy Diet A diet nutritionally balanced diet that's high in fruits, vegetables and grains can help protect your body against damages from free radicals. Fruits and vegetables are high in natural antioxidants that may be more effective than taking nutritional supplements. In addition, a healthy, high fiber diet will help prevent constipation that's a common side effect of medications used to treat Parkinson's disease. You may also choose to take a fiber supplement, such as Citrucel or Metamucil to help with constipation. In that case, says the Mayo Clinic, be sure to introduce it into your diet gradually, or you may actually make things worse. don't forget that drinking plenty of fluids is also part of a healthy diet. Lots of water and fruit juices will reduce the risk of constipation and keep you feeling well. Stay Active Physically Regular exercise can help you stay physically active longer by helping your body maintain its strength and flexibility. Your doctor may recommend physical therapy or a formal exercise program, but any regular physical activity is good for you. Gardening, walking, swimming and jogging are all excellent ways to keep your body in motion. If your mobility is already limited, there are many excellent exercise programs that will take that into account. In particular, you may find that 'chair-obics', a form of seated aerobics, can help you to maintain and even regain some of your mobility and flexibility. Many Parks Departments and senior centers offer courses in seated aerobics. Choose a time to exercise when your medication is working well, and be sure to take the time to stretch. It warms up your muscles and your equilibrium. Walking with Care One of the main symptoms of Parkinson's disease is loss of balance that leads to an awkward gait. The way you walk can help you avoid falls and walk more normally. The Mayo Clinic physical therapy department offers these suggestions to help you walk more normally. * Buy a good pair of walking shoes. Proper support can help you walk more easily and keep you from falling into bad habits. Avoid running shoes, which aren't designed to help your balance. * If you feel yourself shuffling along, slow your pace down and straighten your shoulders. Good posture can help you maintain a normal gait. Aim to keep your shoulders above your hips while you walk. It may feel awkward at first, but if you routinely work on your posture, it will become more natural. * When you walk, take long steps. Deliberately lift your feet extra high, and swing your arms to help with your balance. One of the things that Parkinson's robs you of is natural, involuntary movements, like swinging your arms while you walk. Make a conscious attempt to restore those movements. * One of the most frustrating effects of Parkinson's is 'freezing' feeling like you're stuck in place and can't continue walking. It often happens at doorways or thresholds. If this happens, rock gently from side to side and then try again, or pretend that you're stepping over something on the floor. Avoiding Falls As Parkinson's disease progresses, you may find that you fall more often. This is because Parkinson's affects the balance and coordination centers in the brain. Take steps to improve and maintain your balance. These suggestions may help. * Talk to your doctor about exercises that help improve your balance. One that's especially good is Tai Chi, an ancient Chinese martial art that emphasizes slow, graceful movements to relax the muscles and joints. * Install handrails throughout your home, especially on stairways. * Keep the floor free of obstructions. Remove area rugs and keep phone and electrical cords along the edges of the walls. * Install grab bars in the bathroom to help you keep your balance as you get in and out of the tub and off of the toilet. * Make sure that the phone is in easy reach of the bed, and keep a cordless phone with you during the day so that you're not trying to get to the phone before it stops ringing. The authors of e-books, newsletters and other site content of parkinsonsdiseaseadvisor.com are competent, experienced writers or health care specialists within their own field. They have made every effort to ensure all information produced is correct and up to date at time of writing. Please note no documentation on this site has been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and no documentation on this site should be used to diagnose,treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Any information given on parkinsonsdiseaseadvisor.com is to be used for educational and information purposes only. It should never be substituted for the medical advice from your own doctor or other health care professionals. We do not dispense medical advice, prescribe drugs or diagnose any illnesses with our literature. parkinsonsdiseaseadvisor.com is not responsible or liable for any self or third party diagnosis made by visitors based on the content of this website. Neither does parkinsonsdiseaseadvisor.com in any way endorse any commercial products or services linked from other websites to this website. Please, always consult your doctor or health care specialist if you are in any way concerned about your physical wellbeing. Rayilyn Brown Director AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn