Latest news with #ParkinsonsDisease
Medscape
an hour ago
- Health
- Medscape
How Music Therapy Rivals Opioids in Pain Relief
Tango, a rhythmic partner dance that enhances balance and coordination, can help ease the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Choral singing, which combines vocal training and social interaction, may reduce depression in individuals with dementia. Music therapy has been shown to support stroke recovery by improving speech disorders. Many clinics in Germany have incorporated music therapy to address mental and physical health conditions. 'There is good evidence of effectiveness,' said Lutz Neugebauer, PhD, chairman of the German Music Therapy Society and co-organiser of the 13th European Music Therapy Congress, themed 'Bridges,' during an online press briefing. He noted that since Germany last hosted an international music therapy congress in 1996, nearly 9000 music therapy-related articles have been published in PubMed, including 1500 randomised controlled trials and 360 systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Germany's clinical guidelines on dementia, which reflect the highest level of evidence-based medical recommendations, endorse music therapy to ease symptoms such as anxiety, restlessness, and apathy. Music therapy is also included in 37 national clinical guidelines in Germany published by the Association of Scientific Medical Societies, 29 of which follow the country's highest standard for evidence-based care. 'There is an impressive wealth of evidence,' said Sabine C. Koch, PhD, professor of empirical research in the arts therapies at Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences in Alfter, Germany. She outlined the conditions under which music therapy can complement psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy and its effectiveness. A recent meta-analysis of the effects of arts-based interventions in the treatment and management of noncommunicable diseases included 150 systematic reviews encompassing 3885 randomised controlled trials. 'The results particularly support music and dance therapy,' said Koch. The authors reported small-to-moderate effects for neurologic disorders (standardised mean difference [SMD] = 0.40; 95% CI, 0.30-0.50) and moderate effects for cancer (SMD = 0.52), cardiovascular disease (SMD = 0.52), mental illness (SMD = 0.53), and chronic respiratory disease (SMD = 0.76). However, most of these reviews had low methodologic quality. Still, the authors concluded that 'arts-based interventions may be a valuable addition to traditionally first-line treatments.' Clinical Benefits Music therapy has been well studied in the context of chronic pain and pain management in patients with advanced cancer. 'The overall effect is comparable to opioids, but without unwanted side effects,' Koch said. Music therapy also improves sleep and helps reduce fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Among newborns, music therapy has been shown to improve oxygen saturation, heart and respiratory rates, sleep duration, body temperature, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In premature infants, it also supports the development of a functional brain. Studies have shown positive effects on cardiorespiratory function, pain scores, oxygen saturation, and sleep duration, even during sleep. 'Music therapy helps these children reduce stress and recover,' said Koch. Neugebauer added that in premature infants, music therapy also strengthens the parent-child bond, 'one of the key indicators for better development after a difficult start in life.' Music therapy supports speech development in children with developmental delays. 'Music therapy is particularly effective for adolescents and young adults who have experienced trauma such as domestic violence, during migration, or war,' Neugebauer said. 'It enables expression beyond the spoken word and bridges language barriers.' He added that music therapy is often the first-choice approach for individuals struggling to communicate through speech, including those with disabilities. Oncology and Palliative Use Koch reported that music therapy has shown significant benefits for people with cancer, including reduced anxiety, depression, pain, fatigue, heart rate, and blood pressure. 'The effect is strong and significant,' she said, noting that the outcomes are comparable to those seen with cognitive-behavioural therapy. Music therapy promotes relaxation and reduces fatigue during palliative care. 'Music therapy is an effective treatment with a low dropout rate and improves the well-being of terminally ill patients,' said Koch. 'In treating depression and anxiety, it often matches the efficacy of cognitive-behavioural therapy.' Access Barriers According to Neugebauer, music therapy is an established part of inpatient care for anxiety, depression, substance use disorders, and the consequences of social isolation. However, music therapy remains excluded from outpatient reimbursements for health insurers. 'This urgently needs to change, particularly in vulnerable groups who depend on this therapy,' he said. Despite strong scientific evidence and positive clinical experience, calls to establish music therapy as a standard outpatient service are yet to be addressed at the political level, as Neugebauer noted. A 2011 report by Christine Bergmann, a former commissioner for the investigation of child sexual abuse, called for outpatient music therapy to be covered by health insurance. In 2019, the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care reported that access to outpatient treatment remains unequal, with only higher-income individuals being able to afford it. 'In a healthcare system that prioritises outpatient over inpatient care, access to music therapy must be guaranteed for all patients — including in outpatient settings and health insurers must be required to cover the cost,' Neugebauer emphasised.
CNN
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Harrison Ford says Michael J. Fox's presence on ‘Shrinking' Season 3 has been ‘essential'
Harrison Ford is grateful that he has Michael J. Fox to help guide his character on 'Shrinking.' His presence on set has been 'essential,' the 'Indiana Jones' actor told Variety in an interview published Wednesday, saying that Fox 'gives me both a physical representation of the disease to inform myself with, but more than that, he allows me to believe that Paul could believe that he could be adequate to the challenge.' Fox was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's disease in 1991 at age 29 and launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for the disease through research and ensuring improved therapies, in 2000. Ford's character on the AppleTV+ series, Paul, was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in Season 1, and is facing the advancement of the disease in the upcoming third season, for which Fox has joined the cast. 'Michael's courage, his fortitude and his grace, more than anything else, is on full display,' Ford said of Fox's involvement on 'Shrinking.' 'He's very smart, very brave, noble, generous, passionate guy, and an example to all of us, whether we're facing Parkinson's or not. You cannot help but recognize how amazing it is to have such grace.' Ford, who this year earned his first-ever Emmy nomination for his role in the series, is serious about telling the story of someone living with the disease. 'The truth is that we can't be f**king around with this just to make a joke or anything. Parkinson's is not funny,' he said. 'And I want to get it right. It's necessary to be correct with what we do in respect of the challenge that Parkinson's represents, and that we don't use it for its entertainment value.' 'Shrinking' stars Jason Segel, Jessica Williams and Ford, and follows Jimmy (Segel), who starts to use non-traditional methods in his therapy practice as he grieves the death of his wife. His decision to throw ethics and his training out the window results in big changes in his clients' lives as well as his own. Ford's character's Parkinson's Disease becomes a major storyline in the upcoming third season, he told Variety. 'He knows he's in decline. He knows that he's facing even more difficult physical circumstances than he finds himself in at the moment,' Ford said. 'He's entering a phase of his life which is a mystery, but he has a partner in the character that Wendie Malick plays.' 'Shrinking' Season 3 will be available to stream on AppleTV+ this fall.
CNN
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Harrison Ford says Michael J. Fox's presence on ‘Shrinking' Season 3 has been ‘essential'
People in entertainmentFacebookTweetLink Follow Harrison Ford is grateful that he has Michael J. Fox to help guide his character on 'Shrinking.' His presence on set has been 'essential,' the 'Indiana Jones' actor told Variety in an interview published Wednesday, saying that Fox 'gives me both a physical representation of the disease to inform myself with, but more than that, he allows me to believe that Paul could believe that he could be adequate to the challenge.' Fox was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's disease in 1991 at age 29 and launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for the disease through research and ensuring improved therapies, in 2000. Ford's character on the AppleTV+ series, Paul, was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in Season 1, and is facing the advancement of the disease in the upcoming third season, for which Fox has joined the cast. 'Michael's courage, his fortitude and his grace, more than anything else, is on full display,' Ford said of Fox's involvement on 'Shrinking.' 'He's very smart, very brave, noble, generous, passionate guy, and an example to all of us, whether we're facing Parkinson's or not. You cannot help but recognize how amazing it is to have such grace.' Ford, who this year earned his first-ever Emmy nomination for his role in the series, is serious about telling the story of someone living with the disease. 'The truth is that we can't be f**king around with this just to make a joke or anything. Parkinson's is not funny,' he said. 'And I want to get it right. It's necessary to be correct with what we do in respect of the challenge that Parkinson's represents, and that we don't use it for its entertainment value.' 'Shrinking' stars Jason Segel, Jessica Williams and Ford, and follows Jimmy (Segel), who starts to use non-traditional methods in his therapy practice as he grieves the death of his wife. His decision to throw ethics and his training out the window results in big changes in his clients' lives as well as his own. Ford's character's Parkinson's Disease becomes a major storyline in the upcoming third season, he told Variety. 'He knows he's in decline. He knows that he's facing even more difficult physical circumstances than he finds himself in at the moment,' Ford said. 'He's entering a phase of his life which is a mystery, but he has a partner in the character that Wendie Malick plays.' 'Shrinking' Season 3 will be available to stream on AppleTV+ this fall.
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
A smartphone app could help detect early signs of deadly brain disease... leading to earlier treatments
A newly released phone app could help measure early, tell-tale signs of a growing brain disease and provide early treatment options to halt its progression. Researchers at the world's largest dementia conference this week announced the rollout of Neu Health, a software downloaded on smartphones to measures tremors and other motor issues in people with Parkinson's disease. Suffered by about 1million Americans, Parkinson's disease is a progressive brain disorder caused by the death of nerve cells in the brain that produce dopamine. This leads to movement and speech issues that worsen over time. The disease is on the rise in the US, which experts have suggested could be due to environmental toxins and increased prevalence of ultra-processed foods. Neu Health is a first-of-its-kind software downloaded onto the phones of people with a Parkinson's diagnosis and paid for by doctor's offices. Between medical appointments, doctors can send patients a prompt to complete motor function tests, such as holding the phone in their hand or tapping objects on the screen. The platform has gained FDA clearance this week, allowing it to be marketed in the US and used in doctor offices. It launched 18 months ago in the UK, where 145,000 people have the disorder, and now has about 1,700 participants. Neu Health researchers speaking with are hopeful the technology can help measure signs of Parkinson's early in the disease, potentially stalling progress and slowing the rise of the condition across the US. Caroline Cake, CEO and co-founder of Neu Health, told at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) in Toronto: 'The aim is to keep it as low burden for the patient as possible, whilst getting the data and things that's needed to actually progressing care. 'We see confidence and knowledge levels increase quite considerably for patients while they're using the product, which is really exciting to see. so they feel a better quality of life as a result of that.' The app is available at Mass General Brigham in Boston and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and now that it has FDA clearance, the company plans to roll it out to other hospitals nationwide. The Parkinson's Foundation estimates 1.2million Americans will be diagnosed with Parkinson's by 2030, and 90,000 are struck by the disease every year. There are roughly 35,000 deaths annually. This is a 50 percent increase from the previously estimated rate of 60,000 a decade ago, the foundation estimates. Experts believe environmental factors could partly be to blame for the rise of Parkinson's disease in the US. Researchers in Minnesota, for example, found exposure to the pollutant particulate matter, PM2.5, raised the risk of Parkinson's disease by 36 percent. Another study published earlier this month also found consuming at least 11 servings of ultra-processed food in a day increased the risk of early Parkinson's symptoms by damaging dopamine-producing neurons. There is no cure for Parkinson's disease, but medications and other treatments can help replace lost dopamine and keep symptoms at bay. Cake noted this rise in Parkinson's makes the advent of simple technology vital to improving patient health over time. Neu Health uses a cell phone's motion sensors and microphone to monitor a patient performing basic exercises like holding the phone, tapping objects on the screen or repeating words or phrases. This is meant to measure the intensity of and changes in tremors, the most tell-tale sign of Parkinson's, as well as shifts in balance, speech patterns and cognitive function. Cake said: 'It's picking up reaction time changes, finger tapping, balance changes, things like that. It's also picking up changes in cognition, medication and self-reported symptoms.' Patients may receive a prompt through the app after doctors have adjusted their medications or started a new treatment to see how well they're working. Cake says this may help doctors make critical adjustments faster without patients having to wait until their next follow-up. She told this website: 'If the clinician says, "Actually, we'll change the medication, or we want to see what happened," you do perhaps another baseline at that point, so you can see what changes happen for you.' A pop-up would show up on the user's phone with a prompt saying their doctor wants them to complete a series of exercises. Users receive a simplified report after and more detailed analytics get sent directly to the doctor. This is especially vital for making Parkinson's care more effective for patients between appointments, which can be several months apart and delayed. Cake said: 'Really importantly, [Neu Health] is also picking up information between [appointments], so you can see when patients are starting to diverge. 'And because these are very complex conditions and there's all sorts of variability there, we can start seeing which patients are actually steady versus which ones actually perhaps need to be seen.' Cake also noted this may help indicate if medication doses need to be increased or if patients are progressing to a more severe stage of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's symptoms typically begin in a person's mid-60s, which can make things like phone apps a challenge to implement. However, Cake said she was pleasantly surprised during Neu Health's UK rollout, as data showed older users were more likely to follow the app's guidance than younger patients. 'It's a really interesting counter-narrative,' she said. The app will be free for patients and paid for by hospital systems that adopt it. Cake hopes as Neu Health gains a foothold in the US it could also be used for other neurodegenerative disorders like dementia and multiple sclerosis. 'We can now scale this up. How can we do this at scale so that all Parkinson's patients, all dementia patients, are getting this sort of care? So that's exciting for me, the scale and the impact.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kelly Osbourne Shoots Down Speculation Dad Ozzy Is 'Dying' Amid Parkinson's Battle
"You are a nasty c--t for sending anyone a message like this. Stop watching AI generated content and stop perpetuating the bulls--t," Kelly wrote in response to an Instagram DM. Kelly Osbourne is defending her father, Ozzy Osbourne, after fans made "rude" comments to her about his battle with Parkinson's disease. The singer posted on her Instagram Story a screenshot of a direct message she received on July 14. The person who wrote to Kelly said she does "not understand how Parkinson's disease works." "This is the s--t I wake up to. Wtf is wrong with people?" she wrote alongside a screenshot of the fan's message. The user wrote, "Kelli, do you understand how Parkinson's disease works? The fact that you keep saying your dad isn't dying just shows that you do not understand how Parkinson's is disease works.!!" "Parkinson's disease eventually stops the people from breathing and functioning and they die from Parkinson's if he's stage five and he just said that he doesn't feel good and his health is failing. You need to trust what he's saying not what you're hoping," they continued, "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you but stage five Parkinson's does mean that you are dying." In her next story, Kelly posted her bold response to the unnamed user, where she defended her father and checked the user's understanding of his condition. "Believe me I fully understand how this works. Your message is incredibly rude. So firstly I want to tell you to go f--k yourself! He is not in stage 5!!!" the former Fashion Police host wrote. "That is not the way his kind of Parkinson's works. You are a nasty c--t for sending anyone a message like this," she continued. "Stop watching AI generated content and stop perpetuating the bulls--t. I don't really respond messages such as this but you really pissed me off how dare you!" Per E!, Kelly also addressed statements her mother, Sharon Osbourne, previously made about having a suicide pact with Ozzy, which was reiterated in an AI generated video. "Stop making articles or posts about how you think my parents are having a suicide pact," she said. "That was bulls--t my mom said to get attention one time. And my dad's not dying. Stop." Later, Kelly posted a video of her 2-year-old son, Sidney -- whom she shares with fiancé Sid Wilson -- dancing with the Black Sabbath member during breakfast time. She captioned the story, "Breakfast with papa!" with the song "Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra playing over the video. Earlier this month, Ozzy performed his final show with Black Sabbath, closing that chapter of his life. But backstage post performance, Wilson proposed to Kelly in front of her father and mother, along with other crew members.
