Many patients are terrified when they learn that they have Parkinson’s disease and feel that the future looks bleak. Is Parkinson’s Disease really like a storm or a fog? By recognizing Parkinson’s disease correctly and giving ourselves a light, we can lift the clouds and see the sky. First of all, what is Parkinson’s disease? Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative brain disease commonly seen in middle-aged and elderly people, first described by James Parkinson in 1817, with a prevalence rate of 1% in people over the age of 65. Parkinson’s disease mainly causes the degeneration and death of dopaminergic neurons in the brain, and is characterized by bradykinesia, muscle tonus and tremor, which seriously affects patients’ daily work and quality of life. For nearly 200 years, scientists have been conducting unremitting research on Parkinson’s disease, and now have a profound understanding of this disease. Parkinson’s disease has an insidious onset and accumulates nigrostriatal dopamine neurons in the midbrain. Years or even decades before the onset of obvious motor symptoms, the degeneration of the brain has already begun – toxic proteins have appeared in the brain, gradually forming a type of pathologic alteration typical of the Parkinson’s disease brain (known as Louie’s vesicles) – resulting in the degeneration and death of nerve cells. When more than 80% of the dopamine-secreting nigrostriatal neurons die, the amount of dopamine synthesized decreases to the point where it cannot properly transmit brain signals, and the patient develops bradykinesia, tremor, tonus, and other typical motor symptoms. Therefore, it is very necessary to recognize the signs as early as possible and strive for timely medical treatment in the early stages of the disease. Early therapeutic intervention can maximize the salvage of dopamine neurons and slow down the progression of the disease. So what are the common first symptoms of Parkinson’s disease? They are summarized as: tremor or shaking (70.5%), muscle tonus or slow movements (19.7%), loss of dexterity and/or dysgraphia (12.6%), gait disorders (11.5%), myalgia, spasticity, pain (8.2%), psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, etc. (4.4%), speech disorders (3.8%), generalized weakness, muscle weakness (2.7%), drooling and reduced facial expression each accounted for 1.6%. Generally speaking, Parkinson’s disease patients often with static tremor and less movement as the first symptom, especially one side first, or one side of the side, the other side of the light should be considered the disease, if coupled with the less facial expression, walking slow, lower limbs shuffle, slow and unstable turning movements and postural abnormalities, should be suspected of Parkinson’s disease may be more, but its mental, intellectual and speech can be normal. These are often considered by themselves or others as a manifestation of aging and are not investigated, and the diagnosis is delayed because they do not go to the doctor. Those with resting tremor as the main manifestation are easy to detect, while those with muscle tonus and reduced movement are often detected later. According to some statistics, the time between onset and clinical diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is usually 2-3 years. This is often due to the fact that patients tend to ignore the early symptoms and do not seek medical attention, especially in the elderly who are easy to be ignored. How does Parkinson’s disease progress? Parkinson’s disease progresses slowly with progressive exacerbations. Survival is typically 10-30 years. Proper treatment can allow patients to maintain their ability to work or take care of themselves for years or even decades. To date, there is no means of cure for Parkinson’s disease. Patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease are often bedridden due to generalized rigidity. Medication is the main treatment for Parkinson’s disease. In addition to improving the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, certain medication regimens have some neuroprotective effects that can slow the progression of the disease. What can we do after recognizing Parkinson’s disease? First of all, we should recognize the early non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease such as constipation, loss of smell, nightmares with abnormal behavior, etc., and the early motor symptoms such as trembling hands and slow movements. Therefore, we need to be vigilant and seek timely medical treatment to take the initiative to fight against it. The relatively long duration of Parkinson’s disease determines that it is a long-lasting battle, which gives us plenty of time to make psychological adjustments and reserve strength to fight against it. Yes, it is true that our life from now on is different from the past, our movements are not as flexible as before, but the situation may not be so bad, in addition to taking medication correctly according to the doctor’s instructions, we can adjust to adapt to the various aspects of clothing, food, housing and transportation: for example, eat more cereals and fresh vegetables and fruits, drink more water, to prevent constipation that Parkinson’s disease may bring the trouble of constipation; in the bathroom next to the bed to install handrails, paving non-slip floor tiles, as far as possible, do not wear Install handrails in the bathroom next to the bed, lay non-slip floor tiles, try not to wear slippers, rationalize the home layout, reduce obstacles and so on to alleviate the trouble of mobility. With the gradual aggravation of physical disorders, about nearly 50% of the patients will suffer from depression and anxiety and other mental aspects of distress, psychological factors is an important element that can not be ignored. We should try to cultivate hobbies and actively participate in social activities. In addition, persistent and progressive exercise is a very effective way to improve balance and muscle strength. Although Parkinson’s disease cannot be reversed, early medical attention and appropriate treatment can significantly improve symptoms and minimize disease progression. We need to be prepared to fight a long marathon battle with it over the next decade or so, or even decades. A proper understanding of Parkinson’s disease will help us cope with the challenges of the disease.