Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease Treatment

Parkinson’s disease treatment in Wesley Chapel, FL using an integrative approach. Parkinson’s disease is the fasting growing neurodegenerative disorder. Neurodegeneration is an inflammatory process where the nervous system loses brain cells at an accelerated rate. This process will occur for 10-20 years before symptoms occur.

This disease impacts the part of the brain responsible for movement. Specifically this part of the brain is known as the substantia nigra and is responsible for producing the neurotransmitter dopamine. Individuals will not show classical symptoms are tremors, slow walking, loss of smell, constipation, and stooped posture until a significant portion of the neurons in the substantia nigra have died. It is estimated that 50-80% of patients with Parkinson’s will progress into a dementia as the area impacted grows.

While it may seem like there is nothing that can be done, we’ll review what a traditional medical approach looks like and then compare it to how we approach this neurodegenerative condition.

Managing Parkinson’s Disease

Traditional treatment of Parkinson’s is based upon treating the motor issues such as gait speed, stiffness, and tremor. The first line of therapy is dopamine replacement using a medication like carbidopa/levadopa. When this medication stops working individuals will proceed to getting a deep brain stimulator, which is an implant that stimulates part of the brain to help with the motor symptoms. Beyond this, there are no other treatments for Parkinson’s disease beyond medication management for symptoms. Some of the symptoms that will be managed are depression, anxiety, insomnia, and constipation.

Functional Medicine Treatment For Parkinson’s Disease

For individuals looking for more than medication management individuals are turning to functional medicine providers. Dr. Zimmerman at Peak Brain and Body in Wesley Chapel is an expert in functional medicine and functional neurology.

The core concept of functional medicine is to identify what is driving a process. As noted above, traditional medicine focuses on replacing the dopamine that is no longer produced but currently does nothing to slow down the degenerative process.

A functional medicine approach is based on not only identifying factors that contributed to the development of Parkinson’s, but addressing the factors that contribute to further progression.

It is based around the foundations of health.

Nutrition
Sleep
Exercise
Stress
Socialization

After the foundation is evaluated, functional medicine providers will go into more depth to identify what is driving the neuroinflammatory response that is responsible for the loss of dopamine producing neurons and progression of this devastating disease.

There are many factors that may contribute, but here are some that individuals will often consider.

Peak Brain and Body Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

At Peak Brain and Body we use a combined functional medicine and neurology approach. While functional medicine does a great job using advanced labs, it doesn’t evaluate brain health.

Functional neurology is a way to evaluate how the brain is functioning and based off the information gathered rehabilitation strategies are used. This helps individuals with Parkinson’s see improvement with memory, concentration, balance, and gait.

If you’d like individualized help request a “Discovery Consult” today.

TESTIMONIALS

Our Patients Say

“At our dedicated doctor’s office, we take immense pride in the care and service we provide to our patients. Here, you can discover the genuine experiences and heartfelt feedback from those who have entrusted us with their health and well-being. These testimonials offer valuable insights into the compassionate and expert care that defines our practice. We are grateful for the trust our patients place in us and invite you to explore their stories, which reflect the exceptional standard of healthcare we aim to deliver every day.”

“I have known Dr. Spencer Zimmerman (Dr. Z) for over a decade and watched him fine-tune his incredibly detailed approach to overcoming disease and illness. He is not your average physician. In addition to continuing education seminars and conferences, he spends 100’s of hours annually…personally studying and researching the latest cutting-edge, in-depth medical science. He’s a seeker of truth and viable, usable, effective healing solutions. His approach to immunology and rapidly boosting the body’s innate ability to mobilize and defend itself…is novel and highly comprehensive.

Cory C.

Wow were my eyes opened by Dr. Z. I was suffering from daily migraines, neck, back, shoulder, hip pain, vision and hearing problems, and the list goes on. Dr. Z saved my life. No joke. He is super meticulous and very passionate about his work. He is very smart and forward thinking and researches all the time. He genuinely cares about his patients. He’s an amazing and very caring provider and I highly recommend him.

Amanda R.

“Dr. Spencer Zimmerman is phenomenal! In January I found out I have Lyme disease and along with that discovery, I found out that most traditional Doctors won’t/can’t help treat Lyme disease patients due to FDA restrictions. My only option appeared to be a Lyme specialist, which was going to cost enormous amounts of money because insurance doesn’t cover Lyme specialists. I felt hopeless. And that’s when I had the amazing fortune to come across Dr. Spencer Zimmerman. He gave me the hope I so desperately needed. He is very knowledgeable in regards to traditional medicine, but also homeopathic care as well.

Kensi E.

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