What is the Motor Symptom of Parkinson’s? - Parkinson’s Diseases 18

Three beautiful flowers, just for illustration

As we know that Parkinson’s is a disease relates to movement disorder, then we call motor symptoms.

There are many motor symptoms, the important most are:

- tremor

- hypokinesia

- rigidity

Parkinson’s patients experience tremor or rhythmic shaking in some part or their body such as:

- legs

- chin

- arms

- hands

- feet

Several plants with flowers

Two kinds of tremors are rest tremors and active tremors:

- Rest tremor refers to shaking of body parts when patients on relaxing mood.

- Active tremor occurs when patients eager to active such as to drink. Water may out of the cup due to hand shaking uncontrollable.

Hypokinesia is conditions where patients face with movements which are:

- reduction

- slowness

- there is no movement at all in some conditions.

Rigidity is stiffness, usually painful in parts of body, include:

- neck

- back muscles

- legs

- arms

We will talk some terms that relate to motor movements and Parkinson’s diseases in the next posting.

Some previous posts:

- Is there Relationship between Parkinson’s Diseases and Mitochondria? – Parkinson’s Diseases 5.

- Can Younger People Get Parkinson’s Diseases? - Parkinson’s Diseases 6

- What are Early Stages of Parkinson’s Diseases? - Parkinson’s Diseases 7.

- How Odor may Determine Parkinson Diseases? - Parkinson’s Diseases 8.

Take care, stay healthy and virus free!

Baby Mockingbird Fall Down from Its Nest - Nature and Wildlife 21

Fig 01- little mockingbird at our backyard corner

We just cut trees down at our front yard (Cutting the Tree Before Hurricane Coming – Nature and Wildlife 20), but we still have some at the backyard.

Many birds use those trees as their nesting place. We observed little birds down from their nest sometimes:

- A Little Baby Bluebird Fell Out of Its Nest - Nature and Wildlife 17

Recently, we saw a little mocking bird on our backyard corner. She looks quite stress. Since we saw her mom flies around, hence, we just let her rescued by her mom.

In nature, there are about 17 species. These birds eat varieties foods such as:

- berries

- wild fruits

- insects (wasps, ants, beetles, grasshoppers and caterpillars)

Berries and some other wild fruits are growing well in our backyard, it might be one of reasons for mockingbird and other birds to visit our yards.

Fig 02- Mockingbird looks confuse

I recognize mockingbirds song, but I just know (from internet sources) that they are able to mimic other critters sounds, such as:

- other birds

- insects

- amphibian

Fig 03- Adult mockingbird (credit to All about Birds)

Scientific name of the Northern mockingbirds is Mimus polyglottos. The name refers to birds ability to imitate other bird songs or other critter sounds.

Interestingly, they just mimic some species of bird sounds, include:

- cardinals

- Carolina wren

- blue jays

- titmice

- blue birds

Do you know mockingbird songs? Do you love it?

We Need to Share the Road with Biker - Health and Medicine 16

Fig 01- The sign of share the road

We walk routinely every day, usually in the morning (before 9.00 AM) from Monday to Saturday if not rain or other disturbance things. We have done this practice just recently.

Since we have many places to walk or jogging, we always change the venues sometimes, depend on our “mood.”

There are three favorites gardens and parks for us:

- city garden and park (please read: Garden in the Middle of Pandemic - Nature and Wildlife 19)

- university lake and park

- neighborhood garden

We drive from home to reach one these garden, take about 10 minutes to 20 minutes. Not so far.

Fig 02- Jogging path, circumference the city garden and park

Path of jogging which circumference the rectangle of the city garden, has total distance about 3.5 km (2.2 mile). 

Fig 03- Another side of jogging path

By slow steps, we need 35 minutes to reach 3.5 km distance, more than enough for daily movement for us.

However, the bikes from behind make us annoying, because their speed make us hurry to step aside.

We wondered why bikes use the same path for jogging? Just recently, we found the answer that while we are walking or jogging we must share the road with bikers.

Have you seen “share the road” sign in your city park and garden? If not what kind of signs have you seen?

May Taste Loss Have Connection to Parkinson’s? - Parkinson’s Diseases 17

A male orange cat, just for illustration

At previous post, we talked about smell lost as one of signs to Parkinson’s Diseases:

- Smell Loss may Lead to Parkinson’s - Parkinson’s Diseases 11

We understand that we have nose, tongue and taste buds to perceive or recognize flavor and taste such as:

- saltiness

- sourness

- bitterness

- sweetness

- savoriness

What happen if we lost our taste? I can not imagine it, but we might feel our foods taste strangely. 

Cat’s eyes, just for illustration

Declining in taste sense is one of important indicators lead to primary symptoms of Parkinson’s diseases.

You may read the following posts to know simple signs and early stages of Parkinson’s diseases:

- Why People Could Get Parkinson’s Diseases? - Parkinson’s Diseases 1

- What are Early Stages of Parkinson’s Diseases? - Parkinson’s Diseases 7

Be careful that loss of taste could be caused by factors such as age. Other factor could be:

- Nasal problems due to common cold and allergies.

- Infections on sinus and tonsils

- Sore throat

These factors may be treated by physicians. Many medicines could treat common cold, allergies and infections on nasal, sinus, tonsil and throat.

Just visit doctors to know whether our sense declining may lead to Parkinson’s or other diseases!

Cutting the Tree Before Hurricane Coming – Nature and Wildlife 20

Fig- 01- Busted and broken tree

We have 3 trees in front of our house. Squirrels, birds and some other critters use these trees as their:

- shelter

- play areas (branches)

- site for reproduction (nesting for birds)

- resting

- hiding from predators

- source of foods

We love to observe these critters, usually in the morning or afternoon while drinking a cup of coffee or tea.

Unfortunately, the trees seem have been “decayed” due to fungi diseases, and even one of them busted and destroyed recently.

Fig- 02- Falling part of broken tree

We decided to cut all these trees down, the day before hurricane Delta “visit” our areas.

This Hurricane was estimated as category 3, where the wind could reach 115 mph (185 km per hour). Deadly wind actually.

Fig- 03- Special truck ready to cut the trees

In addition to strong wind, Delta could cause surge along coastline up to 3.4 m (11 feet). Then, followed by rainfall and flooding.  

Fig- 04- Cutting into pieces

We wonder whether our trees could stand up by this kind of hurricane, thus we call a tree removal, pruning or trimming company in our city.

The company sent a truck with special equipment. It was take several hours only (less than a day):

- to cut trees down

- chopping the trunk (log) into pieces

- clean all debris

- haul the woods away

Hopefully, we could replace the removal trees to new ones in the next near future. 

Migratory Hummingbirds in My Backyard – Pet and Hobby 9

One of winter hummingbirds sitting on the branch.

I observed the hummingbirds in my backyard, they appear in some seasons, and disappear in other seasons.

The hummingbirds seem migratory birds in my place. One of hummingbirds is Rufous hummingbird, Selasphorus rufus.

This species seems visit my small garden when temperature quite lower. It means from Fall to Spring in Southern States of USA.

This little birds have winter ground in southern states (Texas, Louisiana) of USA, and even to countries such as Mexico.

Based on several resources, some states as Rufous hummingbirs breeding grounds are:

- Washington

- Oregon

- Canada

- Idaho

- Alaska

Little size of winter hummingbird compared to human fingers

Rufous hummingbird size is small with following distinct characteristics:

- body length size is 3.1 inch (8 cm).

- bill length is about 15 to 19 mm with slender and straight shapes.

- weight is around 0.12 oz

The bird range of migrating is quite stunning consider to its small size. It may flight to long distance of 2,000 miles or 3,200 km.

I love to observe this cute critter in the morning, 7.00 AM to 8.00 AM while drink a cup of coffee in my backyard, usually in the early fall and spring or when comfortable temperature.

Unfortunately, hummingbirds found only in the American continent, no in Europe or other continents.

Is Migraine One of Risk Factors for Parkinson’s? - Parkinson’s Diseases 16

A cat ready to sleep, just for illustration

Quite a lot of people face with migraine both in the USA and the world. Men and women or adults and kids

In term of number who suffer from migraine (please search on internet):

- 39 million people in the USA

- 1 billion people in the world.

We may wonder: why migraine relates to Parkinson’s diseases?

Migraine is brain disorder, while Parkinson’s diseases is movement disorder which relate to brain relate cells.

You may read the previous posts:

- Why People Could Get Parkinson’s Diseases? - Parkinson’s Diseases 1

- How Neuron Cells Affect on Parkinson’s Diseases? - Parkinson’s Diseases 2

Scientific journal, Neurology, September 30, 2014 reported that there is effect of migraine on Parkinson’s diseases.

Boy and girl bears, for illustration only.

Thousand people are observed in a clinical trial in Ireland for 25 years. They are asked about symptoms of diseases:

- migraines

- Parkinson’s diseases.

The study shown that people who have headache and neurological problems also have symptoms of Parkinson’s diseases later on at their life.

Surprisingly, who have migraine (headache) problems will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s diseases after sometimes.

It is said migraine patients will likely to have:

- twice riskier to get Parkinson’s diseases than who migraine free.

- movement disorders similar to Parkinson’s diseases.

Researchers suggested that brain injury and genetic might higher risk to have migraine and Parkinson’s diseases altogether.

Hope, we take care with “headache” or migraine as soon as possible at early stages to avoid Parkinson’s diseases.

Garden in the Middle of Pandemic - Nature and Wildlife 19

Fig- 01- Shade area of garden

We regularly visit several park and gardens in our city for walking or jogging, but just take a break for a while during pandemic.

Staying about 1 hour long in the garden each visit. We used to see some people: old, young and even kids. Few people walking with their dogs, but almost no body recently.

While jogging, we may see critters buzzing, dancing over the flower or plant’s leaves and chirping between branch trees.

The critters include:

- bees (bumble bees)

- dragonflies

- birds

- butterflies

Fig- 02- Red flowers are climbing the object.

There are about 250 kind of flowers, they are blooming at different times. It may be reason we saw blooming flowers in every seasons.

Some flowers grow at sidewalks and benches, make very bright and colorful views everywhere. 

Fig- 03- Banana like color flowers

We always see many blooming flowers at different climates, some of them:

- Alamanda flower

- Day lily

- Bromeliad flowers

- Iris plant

- Roses

- Crepe myrtles

- Gingers

Fig- 04- One of garden corner

Ginger is one of plants which be used for seasoning. Its flowers beautiful too. Lovely colors.

Interestingly, one of our city gardens are maintained mainly by volunteers. We meet with them sometimes.

Finally, do you love with your city park and garden? What flowers and plants are found there?