This week the American Academy of Family Physicians introduced new diagnostic and treatment guidelines for Parkinson's disease. In addition to being a valuable resource for family practice physicians, it is a great tool for teaching other people about Parkinson's disease.
This document updates thousands of primary care physicians on the latest treatments in Parkinson's disease. However, we recommend you seek treatment for Parkinson's disease from a movement disorders specialist, or a neurologist who focuses on Parkinson's disease.
The Highlights
Some of the highlights from the bulletin include:
- Each person with Parkinson's disease has a different experience with the condition.
- How a doctor should diagnose Parkinson's disease.
- An excellent differentiation between Parkinson's disease and other "Parkinsonisms."
- An expert overview of Parkinson's medications, with an emphasis on COMT and MAO inhibitor's ability to "prolong the half-life of levodopa."
- Amytriptyline effectively treats Parkinson's-associated depression, but because of its side effects, most physicians tend to prescribe selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
- An emphasis on the value of proper nutrition, physical therapy, and exercise.
Food For Thought
Family practice physicians are amazing doctors. They have to master a wide body of knowledge. One moment they may be treating a challenging infection, the next they may be helping a patient to battle emotional issues such as anxiety or depression, while the third patient could present with back pain. Furthermore, family practice physicians always must be on the cutting edge of diabetes treatment. However, it is our opinion that movement disorders specialists are the right doctors to treat Parkinson's disease. We realize there are many people who live in areas and/or economic circumstances that do not allow them to consult with a neurologist. In these cases, family practice physicians will be able to manage your Parkinson's disease care. This document is an remarkable resource for them.
This bulletin recommends speech therapy for people with Parkinson's. Some newer techniques have shown benefit in some people. However, we wonder if the time, effort, and money may be better spent on physical therapy or exercise. Or perhaps the time and other resources can be used to pursue leisure and relationships that keep life flavorful. Patients just do not get that much speech back, and the benefit erodes away quickly. There are ongoing studies of speech therapy that may alter our opinion.
What Does this Mean to People With Parkinson's?
You can access the bulletin by clicking on the link CME Bulletin, Diagnosis and Treatment of Parkinson's Disease.
Physicians have stay abreast of the latest developments in medicine. The process is called continuing medical education or CME. You may help yourself by passing this information on to your family practice or internal medicine physician. However, we constantly hear people who want to make a difference to other peoples' lives. You can encourage primary care physicians, and other health care providers to read this bulletin and complete the CME module.
However, more than anything, this is a document to add to your personal library. It is a good update for one of the world's foremost experts on Parkinson's disease—you. You may also be able to pass it along to caregivers, friends, and family members who are respectfully curious about your life with Parkinson's. Of course, it will be a handy tool to share if you find yourself talking with a person that has just discovered that Parkinson's is a new part of his or her life.
In a previous newsletter we wrote about six specific Parkinson's disease treatment guidelines produced by the American Academy of Neurology. You can access the physician and patient versions of those guidelines at:
You will need to scroll down the page to the "Movement Disorders" section. They will provide additional depth about many aspects of Parkinson's disease.
Our General category is a great place to start learning about basic Parkinson's Disease Information.