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NONPHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENTS
Nonpharmacologic interventions are fundamental elements of the overall management of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). It is important that physicians, who tend to concentrate on pharmacologic and surgical approaches to disease, recognize the importance of these essential aspects of care for the PD patient.
Education. Education about PD can provide the patient with understanding and a sense of control. Alternatively, knowledge about the potential consequences of the disease can be alarming and anxiety-provoking. In early-stage disease, too much education can be overwhelming for both patient and family, and selective information is usually more helpful. Education regarding preventive health maintenance behaviors can provide some sense of control over a disease that inexorably progresses.1 As PD progresses, problem-oriented education can be very effective. Patients and families should be referred to PD literature available through the national PD organizations, books written for the lay public, patient/family symposia, and the Internet. PD patients tend to be well educated and often bring new treatments to the attention of their physician. However, one must take care to ensure that the information given to the patient is reputable and has been scrutinized by PD authorities. Misinformation, particularly on the Internet, could lead to unauthorized, inappropriate, and potentially harmful treatments, diets, or exercise programs, among others. The well-informed patient is the best advocate for his or her own care.
Healthcare providers should direct patients to these invaluable educational resources. Recommended books include:
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Parkinson's Disease: A Guide for Patient and Family, Fourth Edition (1996); R. C. Duvoisin; Lippincott-Raven Publishers; New York, NY
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Living Well With Parkinson's (1991); Glenna Wotton Atwood; John Wiley and Sons; New York, NY
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My Fading Full Moon-A Husband's Journal (1984); Baen Hallum; QUESTS; Columbus, OH
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The 36-Hour Day (1981); Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins, MD; The Johns Hopkins University Press; Baltimore, MD …
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