1 00:00:07,133 --> 00:00:10,453 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast 2 00:00:10,573 --> 00:00:11,453 Speaker 1: from News Talks. 3 00:00:11,453 --> 00:00:16,053 Speaker 2: That'd be Michael J. Fox is probably the best known 4 00:00:16,133 --> 00:00:18,573 Speaker 2: person with Parkinson's disease in the world, but he had 5 00:00:19,093 --> 00:00:23,213 Speaker 2: or has early onset Parkinson's disease. What's interesting about the 6 00:00:23,213 --> 00:00:26,253 Speaker 2: condition is that it is now one of the most 7 00:00:26,293 --> 00:00:29,733 Speaker 2: common neurological conditions for people over the age of sixty, 8 00:00:29,773 --> 00:00:33,133 Speaker 2: which obviously isn't early onset. Here with the details is 9 00:00:33,173 --> 00:00:36,573 Speaker 2: doctor Brian Betty go old O. Brian. Oh, good morning 10 00:00:36,653 --> 00:00:39,653 Speaker 2: Jack here Ian, nice to be chatting with you, as per. 11 00:00:39,973 --> 00:00:43,493 Speaker 2: Let's start off with the basic question, then, what is Parkinson's. 12 00:00:43,573 --> 00:00:47,133 Speaker 3: Well, Parkinson's. Yeah, look, it's a degenerative disease of the 13 00:00:47,173 --> 00:00:51,733 Speaker 3: neurosystem and it causes movement problems. Okay, it's one of 14 00:00:51,733 --> 00:00:54,813 Speaker 3: the commonest conditions neurological conditions that occur over the age 15 00:00:54,853 --> 00:00:58,373 Speaker 3: of sixty. Now it effects about one in one hundred 16 00:00:58,373 --> 00:01:01,133 Speaker 3: over the age of sixteen. We've got about fourteen thousand 17 00:01:01,853 --> 00:01:06,613 Speaker 3: people in New Zealand whore affected by Parkinson's. Occasionally has 18 00:01:06,893 --> 00:01:08,773 Speaker 3: As you get older, there's more of a risk, but 19 00:01:08,853 --> 00:01:12,013 Speaker 3: occasionally there's early onset. And I suppose Michael j. Fox 20 00:01:12,133 --> 00:01:15,013 Speaker 3: is the big example of that, and we're all familiar 21 00:01:15,093 --> 00:01:18,053 Speaker 3: with that. Now. Basically, what happens is nerve cells in 22 00:01:18,093 --> 00:01:21,173 Speaker 3: the brain start to break down and we lose a 23 00:01:21,293 --> 00:01:23,973 Speaker 3: chemical messengers. So these are little messages in the brain. 24 00:01:24,053 --> 00:01:27,893 Speaker 3: It's a chemical called dopamine. Now, this dopamine starts to 25 00:01:27,893 --> 00:01:31,333 Speaker 3: cause these movement problems. Now there's no simple test to 26 00:01:31,373 --> 00:01:36,053 Speaker 3: diagnose Parkinson's. It's actually a diagnosis of symptoms and what 27 00:01:36,133 --> 00:01:37,293 Speaker 3: actually happens over time. 28 00:01:37,493 --> 00:01:39,493 Speaker 2: I didn't realize that, So how do you recognize it? 29 00:01:40,373 --> 00:01:42,373 Speaker 3: Yeah, look now that now it can be really really 30 00:01:42,373 --> 00:01:44,933 Speaker 3: tricking in the early eight In the early stages, it 31 00:01:45,093 --> 00:01:49,453 Speaker 3: often is a very very slow developing disorder, and so 32 00:01:49,733 --> 00:01:52,413 Speaker 3: initially it can be missed and very very difficult to see. 33 00:01:53,013 --> 00:01:55,853 Speaker 3: And everyone's journey is different with Parkinson's. That's something I 34 00:01:55,853 --> 00:01:58,013 Speaker 3: do need to say. So there's no to that are 35 00:01:58,053 --> 00:02:02,053 Speaker 3: exactly identical. But what commonly people start to notice is 36 00:02:02,453 --> 00:02:04,853 Speaker 3: a trendor at rest. So it'll be one side of 37 00:02:04,853 --> 00:02:06,813 Speaker 3: the body. It will often be the arm, and it 38 00:02:06,813 --> 00:02:08,813 Speaker 3: would be just a trendor that they start to notice 39 00:02:08,813 --> 00:02:11,613 Speaker 3: when they're resting and when they go to do something 40 00:02:11,653 --> 00:02:14,133 Speaker 3: like pick up a couple do something, it can actually 41 00:02:14,413 --> 00:02:17,453 Speaker 3: go away or disappear. So it's very particular what starts 42 00:02:17,453 --> 00:02:20,053 Speaker 3: to happen, but over time it starts to fluctuate, so 43 00:02:20,053 --> 00:02:22,133 Speaker 3: it can get worse at particular times a day and 44 00:02:22,213 --> 00:02:25,693 Speaker 3: better at other times a day. Now again, over time, 45 00:02:25,813 --> 00:02:28,573 Speaker 3: other things start to develop, so you can start to 46 00:02:28,613 --> 00:02:31,853 Speaker 3: get this slow movement disorder where it's very difficult to 47 00:02:31,893 --> 00:02:35,333 Speaker 3: do things like pick up cups, get up off a chair, 48 00:02:35,493 --> 00:02:38,893 Speaker 3: start to move or walk, very stiff muscles and a 49 00:02:38,933 --> 00:02:42,133 Speaker 3: loss of balance which can risk falls and things often 50 00:02:42,213 --> 00:02:46,093 Speaker 3: associate with depression. Anxiety and lack of motivation is another 51 00:02:46,133 --> 00:02:48,213 Speaker 3: thing that's really seen with that. People are very low 52 00:02:48,293 --> 00:02:51,373 Speaker 3: motivation as it develops, and in particular issue is loss 53 00:02:51,373 --> 00:02:55,173 Speaker 3: of smell and that that actually occurs. And the other 54 00:02:55,213 --> 00:02:58,693 Speaker 3: thing that we see is difficulty in speech. So there's 55 00:02:58,733 --> 00:03:02,653 Speaker 3: this very slow, difficult to speak thing that occurs and 56 00:03:03,693 --> 00:03:06,293 Speaker 3: what we call paucity of facial muscles, so people get 57 00:03:06,453 --> 00:03:08,973 Speaker 3: this very blank look on their face and a very 58 00:03:09,013 --> 00:03:12,653 Speaker 3: difficult to express things. And that's what happens over time 59 00:03:12,853 --> 00:03:16,453 Speaker 3: as it develops. Yeah, so what causes it, Look, we 60 00:03:16,493 --> 00:03:20,573 Speaker 3: don't know the cause, so it's not well understood However, 61 00:03:20,573 --> 00:03:22,933 Speaker 3: there are some risk factors so like age is probably 62 00:03:22,973 --> 00:03:26,213 Speaker 3: the biggest risk factor, family history know as risk factors 63 00:03:26,253 --> 00:03:28,773 Speaker 3: that males are more likely to get it than females. 64 00:03:29,533 --> 00:03:32,573 Speaker 3: Now there's a couple of other things. Exposure to certain 65 00:03:32,653 --> 00:03:36,133 Speaker 3: pesticides can we thought of got a link now at 66 00:03:36,133 --> 00:03:39,053 Speaker 3: some illegal drugs as well. That's the other really interesting thing. 67 00:03:39,093 --> 00:03:41,653 Speaker 3: But the other one is traumatic brain injuries. And again 68 00:03:41,693 --> 00:03:44,653 Speaker 3: probably the big example of that is Muhammad Ali that 69 00:03:44,813 --> 00:03:48,613 Speaker 3: three years entry stocked boxing started to develop Parkinson's and 70 00:03:49,053 --> 00:03:51,853 Speaker 3: again that was very well known and that was trauma induced. 71 00:03:52,173 --> 00:03:54,413 Speaker 3: So there's a number of things that can be associated with. 72 00:03:54,333 --> 00:03:56,013 Speaker 2: It, right, so can we tweat it? 73 00:03:57,093 --> 00:03:59,773 Speaker 3: Look, it can't be cured and it does tend to 74 00:03:59,773 --> 00:04:03,693 Speaker 3: be progressive. However, there's a range of medication that can 75 00:04:03,813 --> 00:04:07,133 Speaker 3: actually help and alleviate the symptoms. Now, these are either 76 00:04:07,213 --> 00:04:10,853 Speaker 3: medications that replace the dopamine, this chemical in the brain 77 00:04:10,893 --> 00:04:14,173 Speaker 3: that we're losing, or stop the breakdown of dopamine in 78 00:04:14,213 --> 00:04:18,213 Speaker 3: the brain, and they can be very very effective at 79 00:04:18,333 --> 00:04:22,133 Speaker 3: reducing the symptoms over time and allviating symptoms. Now, we 80 00:04:22,213 --> 00:04:25,493 Speaker 3: know that lifestyle is very important, so that's exercise to 81 00:04:25,533 --> 00:04:30,973 Speaker 3: improve muscle strength, falls, prevention, use of walking aids, massage, 82 00:04:31,053 --> 00:04:33,013 Speaker 3: things like that we know are very useful and actually 83 00:04:33,013 --> 00:04:37,213 Speaker 3: occupational therapists. They're very very useful to teach people how 84 00:04:37,213 --> 00:04:39,933 Speaker 3: to do daily activities like you know, picking up a 85 00:04:39,933 --> 00:04:43,013 Speaker 3: cup and doing things, so they often become involved as 86 00:04:43,293 --> 00:04:46,213 Speaker 3: time goes on. And there's a very very good support 87 00:04:46,293 --> 00:04:49,733 Speaker 3: or organization in New Zealand which is Parkinson's New Zealand. 88 00:04:50,093 --> 00:04:54,093 Speaker 3: Lots of really useful information, lots of really useful support 89 00:04:54,773 --> 00:04:58,573 Speaker 3: mechanisms or to tap into support. So Parkinson's New Zealand 90 00:04:58,733 --> 00:05:01,293 Speaker 3: is a really really good place to go for information 91 00:05:01,373 --> 00:05:03,613 Speaker 3: on Parkinson's itself and we can get support. 92 00:05:03,813 --> 00:05:06,253 Speaker 2: Yeah right, hey, thank you, Brian. I appreciate it as either. 93 00:05:06,733 --> 00:05:07,373 Speaker 3: Great. Thanks. 94 00:05:07,693 --> 00:05:10,253 Speaker 2: There's doctor Brian Betty with us this morning. It's nine 95 00:05:10,293 --> 00:05:11,053 Speaker 2: to eleven. 96 00:05:11,493 --> 00:05:14,573 Speaker 1: For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live 97 00:05:14,693 --> 00:05:17,493 Speaker 1: to News Talks at B from nine am Saturday, or 98 00:05:17,573 --> 00:05:19,493 Speaker 1: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.