Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic motor disorder that causes tremors, rigidity, slowed body movements, unstable posture and abnormal gait. This happens when neurons, nerve cells, in a part or the brain called the substantial nigra gradually die. These cells normally produce dopamine, a chemical that helps relay messages between areas of the brain that control body movement. The death of the cells leads to abnormal low levels of dopamine, and causes difficulty in controlling muscle tension and muscle movement both at rest and during periods of activity.

PD as of now affects about 500,000 Americans, with about 50,000 new cases diagnosed each year. It is generally a disease that affects people of late or middle age at about age 60 however about 5 percent of patients have early-onset PD and are younger than 40 years old when symptoms begin. PD is slightly more common in men then women.

Complementary/alternative therapies for the treatment of Parkinson's are becoming more common because they are proving to slow the progression of the disease in its early stages. Some of these treatments include supplementation with vitamins C, B and E, co-enzyme Q-10; controlled diet, relaxation therapy to alleviate stress which aggravates PD; and detoxification to eliminate as much metal toxicity as possible. A well designed program of rest, exercise, and physiotherapy can also significantly ameliorate the symptoms of PD.

In many PD patients a problem with balance and unsteady posture occur. This may make it hard for them to lower or raise oneself into a chair. Walking may require small shuffling steps usually without the normal arm swinging motions. Handwriting also becomes shaky and often illegible.

The most common conventional treatment for PD is the use of drugs such as l-dopa medications, selegiline (deprenyl and eldepryl) which blocks the breakdown of dopamine in the brain, and anticholinergenic drugs which reduce the amount of acetylcholine produced in the brain which corrects the imbalance between dopamine and acetylcholine. Surgical procedures such as pallidotomy are proving successful in the treatment of PD. Pallidotomy is a procedure in which a small portion of the globus pallidus

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