Can people with Parkinson's disease eat honey?

Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
Updated on May 19, 2025
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Parkinson's disease, also known as paralysis agitans, is a common neurodegenerative disease of the nervous system. Clinically, it is primarily characterized by symptoms such as bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, and resting tremors, as well as non-motor symptoms such as loss of smell. Patients with paralysis agitans also experience autonomic dysfunction, commonly manifesting as constipation due to slowed intestinal peristalsis. These symptoms can appear 10 to 20 years before the motor symptoms and may include lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and increased salivation. For patients with paralysis agitans, consuming honey is beneficial as it can help alleviate constipation by softening the stool and facilitating bowel movements, due to the reduced intestinal motility.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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How does one get Parkinson's disease?

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease of the nervous system. The actual mechanism of the disease is not very clear, and its fundamental cause has not yet been identified. It is generally believed that Parkinson's disease is mainly caused by the following factors. First, genetic factors. Some cases of Parkinson's disease have a clear familial tendency, where patients may experience mutations in synaptic nuclear protein genes, leading to abnormal aggregation of these proteins. This abnormal aggregation can damage the neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain, leading to Parkinson's disease. Second, there are some external factors related to sporadic cases of Parkinson's. These may be closely related to oxidative stress, trauma, poisoning, or an excessive stress response of the body. However, the specific cause is not very clear. Parkinson's disease, which causes symptoms such as bradykinesia, tremors, and rigidity, requires active treatment to improve the quality of life of the patients.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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Can people with Parkinson's disease drink alcohol?

Patients with Parkinson's disease should not drink alcohol. This is primarily due to concerns that due to the symptoms of movement slowness and muscle rigidity, they may exhibit abnormal postural balance, greatly increasing the risk of falling. Consuming alcohol can inhibit the function of the cerebellum, exacerbating limb ataxia and increasing the risk of falling, which poses significant risks to the patient. Therefore, to protect the balance function of patients and prevent the risk of falling, they should not consume alcohol. Additionally, patients with Parkinson's disease often need to take multiple medications for their condition, and these medications should not be taken with alcohol to avoid exacerbating any adverse reactions.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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Causes of Parkinson's Disease

The cause of Parkinson's disease is mainly due to a part of the brain called the brainstem, which has some black moles and clusters containing a large number of neurons that can produce dopamine. The death of these neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain, caused by various factors, leads to Parkinson's disease. This results in noticeable slowness of movement in the limbs, muscle rigidity, as well as tremors, and unstable walking and other clinical manifestations. The causes of the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra include genetic factors. Additionally, age is the biggest cause of the disease. Furthermore, dysfunctions in mitochondrial function, ischemia and hypoxia in the midbrain, certain traumas, and the use of drugs that deplete dopamine can all potentially cause Parkinson's disease.

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Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
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Methods of Diagnosing Parkinson's Disease

In the auxiliary examinations for Parkinson's disease, routine laboratory tests as well as CT and MRI scans of the head generally show no specific changes. However, in molecular imaging, PET CT can reveal a significant decrease in striatal dopamine transporter. For olfactory tests, over 80% of Parkinson's patients exhibit olfactory dysfunction. Doppler ultrasound can also detect a significant enhancement of the substantia nigra signal. Despite these advancements in auxiliary examinations, diagnosis in patients with Parkinson's disease still primarily relies on clinical evaluation. According to the 2015 criteria, the diagnostic standards are still based on clinical diagnosis, which includes two main points: first, bradykinesia, where voluntary movements are slow and the speed and amplitude of repetitive movements progressively decrease; second, at least one of the following two manifestations must be present: muscular rigidity or resting tremor.

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Parkinson's disease skin symptoms

In Parkinson's disease, there are two main types of clinical manifestations. One is motor symptoms associated with damage to the dopaminergic system, and the other is non-motor symptoms related to damage of non-dopaminergic systems. The non-motor symptoms include olfactory dysfunction, sleep disorders, mood disorders, as well as cognitive and psychiatric behavioral disturbances. Additionally, there are dysfunctions of the autonomic nervous system, which manifest in the gastrointestinal tract mainly as constipation, and in the urinary system as urinary incontinence, urinary frequency, urinary retention, and sexual dysfunction. There also occurs orthostatic hypotension, along with changes in the skin. Some patients may experience abnormal increases or decreases in sweating and abnormal secretion of sebum in the facial area, which are specific skin symptoms of Parkinson's disease.