Ancient technique offers new hope for Parkinson’s patients

It’s no secret that disease risk heightens with each passing year.

Nor is it a secret that many of these age-related diseases are irreversible—with limited treatment options.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is just one example. Its average age of onset is 60 years. And sadly, it’s quite common.

Not only does PD impact movement and cognition, but it can also steal your sleep. And this lack of quality sleep can exacerbate symptoms. (It’s a vicious cycle.)

So, today, let’s look outside of the box to tackle this unwanted side effect of PD.

(Bonus: It will help improve your quality of life.)

Put down the pills

PD worsens over time—and there’s no known cure. Some treatment options can either slow progression or help ease symptoms. But more often than not, Parkinson’s symptoms are poorly managed by medication.

The earliest (and perhaps most pronounced) symptom of PD is tremors.

Eventually, people may also develop muscle stiffness, coordination issues, and depression. As a result, it becomes more difficult to swallow, walk, and communicate.

And then there’s the sleep deprivation…

It’s estimated that up to 2 in 3 patients have trouble sleeping.

But here again, prescription drugs (sleep aids) are NOT the answer.

(You can learn more about my stance on this by checking out the August 2016 issue of my monthly newsletter, Logical Health Alternatives [“Four terrifying reasons you should never take sleeping pills”]. Subscribers: Click here to log in and access the article. To learn about becoming a member, click here.)

That’s why I was happy to stumble upon this research—where researchers set out to explore if acupuncture—an ancient technique used to help treat different ailments—could help improve sleep patterns for those with Parkinson’s…

Significant improvement that lasts

The study included 78 subjects with moderate to severe sleep issues who were taking anti-Parkinson’s medication.

Each participant completed the Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) survey prior to treatment to measure sleep quality.

Then, subjects were randomly assigned to receive real acupuncture or sham acupuncture three times a week for a total of four weeks. The sessions lasted 30-minutes each.

After four weeks, participants completed the PDSS survey again—and once more after eight weeks.

Turns out, after comparing the PDSS results between both groups, subjects who received real acupuncture experienced significant improvements in sleep quality. They even scored 29.65 points higher in their PDSS score after four weeks, compared to a 10.47-point improvement in the control group.

Plus, after eight weeks of follow-up, participants who received acupuncture continued to show improvement in their PDSS score, whereas the control group did not.

This same improvement continued for overall quality of life among those who received acupuncture. In fact, their reduction in motor and non-motor skills was not as severe when compared to their baseline scores!

Better still, no adverse events were reported. This suggests acupuncture is a viable option for Parkinson’s patients looking to improve their symptoms and overall quality of life.

And I quite agree.

After all, PD affects millions of people around the world. It remains unclear exactly what causes the disease. And there’s currently no known cure.

That’s why it’s SO important to keep looking for ways to improve the quality of life for PD patients. So, if you or a loved one suffer from PD, show your treating physician this research on acupuncture—and discuss if it might be the right fit for you.

P.S. Struggling with sleep, whether or not you have PD? No problem. My Perfect Sleep Protocol can help cure your insomnia so you’re better able to enjoy quality sleep for LIFE. Click here now to learn more about this innovative, online learning tool.

Source:

“Acupuncture can help boost sleep quality in Parkinson’s disease.” Medical News Today, 07/06/2024. (medicalnewstoday.com/articles/acupuncture-sleep-quality-parkinsons-disease)