Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

Parkinson's is one of the most common neurological conditions for those over the age of 60 - Michael J Fox very famously has early onset Parkinson's, and is now a champion for awareness of the disease.     So what is Parkinson's?   A degenerative disease of the nervous system causing movement problems.   Affects 1:100 over the age of 60. Occasionally it’s early onset like with Michael J Fox.  Nerve cells in the brain break down, we lose a chemical messenger called dopamine.  There’s no simple test to diagnose, diagnosis comes from symptoms.       How do you recognise it?   It’s often very slow to develop and initially can be difficult to diagnose.   Everyone’s journey with Parkinson's is different.   It’s common to notice tremors at rest, often on one side. You may notice it gets better when moving or doing something – it can fluctuate.  Over time: Slow movements become difficult, stiff muscles, loss of balance.   Can be associated with