
Parkinson’s disease is a condition that affects how you move. This happens because certain nerve cells in the brain that make a chemical called dopamine start to die.
When that happens, people find it difficult to control their movements. They can have shaky hands, stiffness, and find it hard to walk.
Apart from these movement issues, Parkinson’s can also make people feel sad or depressed, mess up their sleep, and even affect their sense of smell.
Doctors aren’t sure what exactly causes Parkinson’s, but they think it’s a mix of your genes and your environment.
Some known risk factors are getting older, having someone in your family with the disease, being around certain poisonous substances, and having had serious head injuries.
The Mystery of TCE
Trichloroethylene, or TCE for short, is a chemical that’s used a lot in factories and other businesses. It’s good for cleaning metal parts and getting caffeine out of coffee.
It’s also used in dry cleaning. But what’s worrying is that this chemical has been suspected to be linked to Parkinson’s disease since as far back as 1969.
Recent studies have even shown that if you’re exposed to TCE, you might be up to five times more likely to get Parkinson’s disease.
What makes it even scarier is that you don’t have to work in a factory to come into contact with TCE. This chemical can get into the air we breathe, the water we drink, and even inside our homes without us knowing it.
However, not enough research has been done to figure out just how closely TCE and Parkinson’s disease are connected.
Digging Deeper into the Connection
Researchers from the University of Rochester, along with other experts, recently looked at all the information available about TCE and Parkinson’s.
They think that TCE could be one reason why more people are getting Parkinson’s disease around the world. While they can’t say for sure, they believe it’s important to look into this more carefully.
Living with Parkinson’s and Staying Safe from TCE
Since there’s no cure for Parkinson’s right now, the focus is on making daily life easier for those who have it. Medicines that help increase the level of dopamine in the brain are commonly used.
Physical exercises can also help in dealing with movement issues. Eating healthy, staying active, and managing stress can also make a difference in how you feel if you have Parkinson’s.
Getting emotional support from friends, family, and support groups can help too. And given what we’re learning about TCE, it’s becoming more important to also focus on staying away from harmful chemicals.
This means we need to think about safety measures at both work and in the environment around us.
The study, led by Dorsey Ray and published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, adds to what we already know about how our environment could be affecting our health.
It’s a wakeup call, telling us that we need to keep researching and taking steps to protect ourselves from hidden dangers like TCE.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies about Vitamin E that may help prevent Parkinson’s disease, and Vitamin D could benefit people with Parkinson’s disease.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about new way to treat Parkinson’s disease, and results showing COVID-19 may be linked to Parkinson’s disease.
Follow us on Twitter for more articles about this topic.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.