The New Parkinson's Disease Treatment Book

The fundamental guide to the most effective treatments for Parkinson's Disease, from a Mayo Clinic doctor with thirty years of clinical and research experience. In this second edition follow-up to the extremely successful first edition, Dr. Ahlskog draws on thirty years of clinical experience to present the definitive guide to dealing with all aspects of Parkinson's Disease, from treatment options and side effects to the impact of the disease on caregivers and family. Dr. Ahlskog's goal is to educate patients so that they can better team up with their doctors to do battle with the disease, streamlining the decision-making process and enhancing their treatment. To do this, Dr. Ahlskog offers a gold mine of information, distilled from his years of experience treating people with Parkinson's at the Mayo Clinic. In addition to providing a comprehensive account of Parkinson's medications, this book also examines additional aspects of treatment, such as the role of nutrition, exercise, and physical therapy. Although many commendable texts have been written on the subject of Parkinson's Disease, their discussions of treatment have not been in depth. Dr. Ahlskog sifts through aspects of the disease in order to give the reader a comprehensive sense of Parkinson's and the best available treatment options. With a broader understanding of the disease and the available options, patients are able to make more informed choices, and doctors are able to provide more tailored care. This book delivers hopeful, helpful, and extensive information to all parties concerned: patients, caregivers, and doctors. The ultimate guide to symptoms and treatment, this thoroughly updated second edition is the first place patients should turn for reliable, easy-to-grasp information on Parkinson's Disease.

J. Eric Ahlskog, PhD, MD, is Professor of Neurology at the Mayo Medical School, and Chair of the Mayo Section of Movement Disorders, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Widely considered to be a leading authority on this disorder, he has more than 30 years of experience treating people with Parkinson's Disease, both in the clinic as a full-time, patient-seeing neurologist, and as a clinical-investigator responsible for PD treatment protocols.

Acknowledgments
1. Background
Part I. Basic Facts about the Brain and Parkinson's Disease
2. Primer on the Brain 3. Parkinson's Disease: Changes in the Brain and Beyond
Part II. Parkinson's Disease: Diagnosis and Prognosis
4. How do I Know If I Have Parkinson's Disease? 5. Prognosis
Part III.
6. Conditions Mistaken for Parkinson's Disease 7. Testing
Part IV. The Cause and Progression of Parkinson's Disease
8. Clues to the Cause(s): Genes, Environment 9. Drugs or Strategies to Slow Parkinson's Disease Progression?
Part V. The Movement Problems of Parkinson's Disease: Medication Rationale and Choices
10. Medications for Movement Problems (Gait, Tremor, Slowness): Background and Rationale 11. Starting Medical Treatment of Parkinson's Disease Movement Problems
Part VI. Beginning Treatment of Parkinson's Disease: Medication Guidelines
12. Starting Levodopa Treatment 13. Starting Dopamine Agonist Treatment 14. Refractory Tremor Syndromes: "Medications Don't Help My Tremor!"
Part VII. The Early Years on Medications
15. The First Few Years on Carbidopa/Levodopa Treatment 16. The Early Years of Parkinson's Disease If Started on Other Drugs
Part VIII. Later Medication Inconsistency: Motor Fluctuations and Dyskinesias
17. Later-Developing Movement Problems: Motor Fluctuations and Dyskinesias Treated with Levodopa Adjustments 18. Supplemental Drugs for Motor Fluctuations and Dyskinesias
Part IX. Other Treatment Problems: Not Just a Movement Disorder
19. Subjective Parkinson's Disease Symptoms Due to Dopamine Deficiency 20. Sleep Problems: Insomnia, Daytime Sleepiness, and Nighttime Disruptions 21. Orthostatic Hypotension and Other Causes of Dizziness 22. Depression 23. Thinking, Memory, and Dementia 24. Hallucinations, Paranoia, Delusions, and Problematic Compulsive Behaviors 25. Problems with Swallowing, Saliva, and Speaking 26. Managing Digestive Problems and Constipation 27. Urinary Symptoms 28. Sexual Dysfunction, Estrogen, and Menstrual cycles 29. Other Treatment Problems: Swelling, Skin rashes, and Visual symptoms
Part X. Nutrition, Exercise, Work, and Family
30. Diets, Vitamins, Nutrition, Osteoporosis 31. Exercise, Physical Medicine, and Physical Therapy 32. Family, Friends, the Workplace, and Caregivers
Part XI. Surgery and Procedures for Parkinson's Disease: Present and Future
33. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and Other Brain Surgery for Parkinson's Disease 34. Experimental Treatments: Fetal and Stem Cell Implantation; Neurotrophic Hormone and Gene Therapy; Vaccines and Immunotherapy
Part XII. Parkinson's Disease Information Services
35. Support and advocacy groups; the Internet
Glossary
Index