Acupuncture helps to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease and improves both signs and the extreme slowness of movements and tremor at rest, or disease symptoms such as fatigue, so it allows the reduction of drugs and reduces side effects.

To mark World Parkinson’s Day, celebrated on Sunday 11 April, the Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Master of Acupuncture Carrillo Beltran notes that acupuncture Neurobiochemistry level decreases neuronal death increases dopamine levels and cyclophilin, and changes the protein expression of the nervous system for neuronal survival.

Moreover, this expert said that diminishes the loss of dopamine transporter and improves its activity, increases the expression of neurotrophic factor, the number of stem cells and the neurons processed in them, and boosting antioxidant systems.

As said Dr. Carrillo, conventional treatment for Parkinson’s disease is effective but not without side effects, besides not always succeeds in controlling all symptoms and end up losing its effectiveness.

In this sense, the expert highlighted the results of a study at the University of Maryland (USA), conducted on twenty patients with Parkinson’s, for eight years, which showed that 85 percent of them improved their symptoms, including tremor, walking, writing, slowness, pain, insomnia, depression and anxiety.

A thorough physical examination and a complete medical history are the two key elements for diagnosis. Physical examination will show the location of trigger points and the local response of the taut muscular band. There are usually no neurological deficits or abnormalities in laboratory tests hematological, biochemical or urinary tract, unless there are concomitant diseases such as nutritional or metabolic disorders. Electromyography will show an increase in spontaneous electrical activity at trigger points. X-rays or MRI reveal no pathological changes in the affected muscle or connective tissue. However, these muscles may show altered patterns of increasing their fatigue, stiffness, subjective weakness, pain on movement and slight decrease in range of motion. Furthermore generate pain when undergoing stretching, forcing the patient to avoid such postures and exercises to maintain muscle contractions greater movement restriction condition. It may be possible to use ultrasound to visualize the spasmodic response by stimulating the trigger point, and thermography, to show areas of increased skin temperature in the region of the trigger points.

The algometers are used to quantify the sensitivity of muscle pressure on one point. Are applied perpendicular to the zone of maximum sensitivity. The pressure threshold is the minimum amount of pressure that induces pain. It is considered abnormal if there is a difference of less than 2 kg cm2-1, involved in a normal control point, usually measured on the opposite side.