Chinese medicine could treat Parkinson's: HK study

Chinese medicine could treat Parkinson's: HK study - Chinese medicine can be effective in combating certain symptoms of Parkinson's disease and reduce side effects of medications used to treat the disease according to a new study.

Researchers at Hong Kong Baptist University, said Gouteng, a traditional Chinese herb used to treat high blood pressure, helping patients to communicate better and made them less prone to depression and insomnia.

"There is no cure for Parkinson's at the moment, but the study showed, Chinese medicine can help treat the disease," a university spokesman said the news agency AFP on Thursday.

Parkinson's is a progressive motor system disorder that tends to have people over the age of 50, although it can strike early, often resulting in severe symptoms such as trembling body, stiffness and loss of balance.

The condition is usually treated with the drug levodopa, which converts into dopamine, the brain to relieve the symptoms, but it can also cause nausea and hallucinations.

The Baptist University study found that patients who Gouteng together with levodopa has fewer side effects experienced from the drug, while showing a significant improvement in their ability to communicate.

Li Min, an associate professor who led the study, said the findings could also help raise the profile of Chinese medicine.

"They not only demonstrate the efficacy of pharmacological Gouteng in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, but will also contribute to the efficacy and safety of Chinese medicine to the international medical field," she said.

Li - whose team has applied for a U.S. patent - said the South China Morning Post that they expected to start the herbs would be used to treat the disease after the second phase of the study in 2013.

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/chinese-medicine-could-treat-parkinsons-hk-study-051708997.html