The New Parkinson's Disease Treatment Book

This completely updated Second Edition represents a major revision with even more directed treatment guidelines, updated discussions relating to the possible cause(s), and assessments of the current and future role of surgical and innovative strategies.

J. Eric Ahlskog, Ph.D., M.D., 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