Could singing relieve the symptoms of Parkinson's?
According to a recent pilot study, singing therapy might reduce some of the difficult-to-treat motor and mood symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that affects more than 10 million people worldwide.
Because Parkinson's predominantly affects older adults, as the population of the United States ages, its prevalence is increasing.
Symptoms include tremor and difficulty coordinating movements. Also, mood changes can occur, with anxiety and depression being relatively common.
Drugs can help reduce symptoms, but they tend to "become less effective as the disease progresses," and the side effects can also become worse.
Finding nonpharmaceutical ways of managing Parkinson's disease is a priority, and one intervention that is gaining traction is singing.
