Abstract

PHYSICAL REHABILITATION PROCEDURES AND HOLISTIC APPROACHES TO THE TREATMENT OF SOME NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES

Petya Kasnakova, Danka Obreshkova, Valentina Petkova* and Peter Atanasov

ABSTRACT

Neurodegenerative disease is an umbrella term for a wide range of disorders with one common aspect – they are all characterised by a progressive loss of neurons in the brain (cerebrum) and the spinal cord, as a result of which memory and motor skills. The most common neurodegenerative diseases include Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s and Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy; all these diseases require physical rehabilitation procedures. The holistic approach and the long-term aims of physiotherapy in these conditions focus on the good management of the process of recovery, maintenance and slowing down of the disease for the purpose of attaining optimal health and optimal recovery of the individual quality of life of the patient. The complex care for the patient calls for a syncretic-integrative approcheda combined with complementary therapy: self-therapy, physical rehabilitation and psychotherapy.

Keywords: neurodegenerative diseases, holistic approach.