Ten Important Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Parkinson’s Disease

Being faced with the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is a frightening one for any person. There are certain key questions a patient must ask of his/her doctor at that time. These ten important questions and their brief explanations are found below.

The first question is a very obvious one- Why did I get this disease? In other words, the patient is wondering if there might have been a genetic predisposition for them to develop it or perhaps was it environmental factors that played a role, such as where they lived or elements of their workplace. Or were lifestyle choices such as diet, personal habits and/or exercise to blame?

Secondly, what options do I have in regards to treatment? Not all symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are the same in all people just as all people do not respond in exactly the same fashion to different forms of treatment. Speaking with your doctor at length about the options that best suit your particular situation is the most appropriate way to go. If the symptoms are mild some doctors may prescribe changes in diet or suggest incorporating more exercise into the patient’s day-to-day routine. When symptoms get worse there are a number of medications that can be prescribed. The most commonly prescribed is Levodopa (generally in the form of Sinemet) but other drugs, such as Requip and Mirapex are gaining in popularity. In the severest of cases, surgery is sometimes undertaken, but it is thought of as a last resort.

The third question is what are the good and bad points of each treatment? Patients need to make informed decisions and they can only do that if they are armed with the right information. On the heels of this question is the next, number four, which is what are the short and long term effects of each treatment and is there anything that can be done to decrease the uncomfortable effects of said treatment? As previously mentioned, some treatments are better suited for certain individuals than others. Ask questions of your doctor but also be willing to allow him/her input into the treatment decision making process.

The fifth question is how do I tell my family about my newly diagnosed health condition and can you recommend any outside sources for help for both myself and my loved ones? There are many support groups for individuals suffering from a variety of diseases. Your doctor should be able to point you in the right direction.

The sixth question is, are there any alternative and/or non-drug related options that could help my condition? Closely related to this is the question, would certain modifications to my lifestyle (i.e. diet, exercise, reducing stress levels, etc.) help me physically and emotionally to cope better with the progression of the disease?

Moving right along, question number seven is; are there particular foods, drinks, over the counter meds and/or vitamin supplements that I should steer clear of from now on? Your health is no longer as it once was and you therefore need to be extremely cautious about what you do and don’t put into your body. You do not want to face an adverse drug reaction once your treatment commences.

Question number eight is where can I find more resources for information about this disease? Knowledge is power and this is so true where illness is concerned. Devour every morsel of information that you can get your hands on.

The ninth important question to ask of your doctor is if he/she can recommend any non-traditional (or naturopathic) techniques for relaxation and reducing stress levels? Some of these techniques might include yoga, meditation, reflexology, massage, deep breathing, etc. Your doctor might also be privy to a directory of available practitioners in your area of the discipline that interests you.

Finally the tenth question is; are there any clinical trials taking place presently or in the near future that you can be a part of? Clinical studies need willing participants and these studies can sometimes lead to very promising results for those suffering from diseases. Get involved if you can.