All Shook Up? It may not be Parkinson’s Disease.

When you have shakes and tremors, it may not always be Parkinson’s  disease. It really depends on what factors are present. Typical symptoms associated with Parkinson’s are finger tremors, unsteadiness, facial muscle weakness, muscle stiffness, and slow movement. But  there are many other conditions that can cause tremors such as: Brain infection, injury, tumor, thyroid conditions, psychiatric disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, hereditary, heavy metals, chronic alcohol abuse leading to liver disease. Chinese medicine views shakes and tremors as a deficiency in the functioning of the hepatic (Liver) system, digestive and endocrine systems. Weakness in these body systems can create an environment whereby the nervous system becomes malnourished. Starving nerves the very instruments used by our brains to control movement will lead to poor neural transmission to the muscles and ligaments. Another reason for the loss of motor control is poor circulation, which causes inflammation in the nervous system. In order to help patients with shakes and tremors, we use acupuncture to balance the Qi flow throughout the body and we prescribe customized herbs to nourish the digestive and endocrine systems.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs both actively support Qi and blood circulation. As circulation improves, the inflammation in the nervous system decreases and the nerves become better able to be nourished. As a result, the shakes and tremors slowly diminish. At Tao of Wellness, we treat the root cause of the patients’ tremors, in order to normalize and help the patient return to a good quality of life.

So next time you feel all-shook-up, make sure to give us a call. Our practitioners will be glad to help you recover your steady hand.