Steamboat Pilot & Today | Steamboat residents battle Parkinson's Disease with exercise, support
Due to the loss of specific brain cells, people with Parkinson’s produce less dopamine, a vital chemical that transmits messages to the part of the brain responsible for movement, according to the Parkinson Association of the Rockies. The movement disorder affects an estimated 25,000 Coloradans and impairs balance and coordination, slows movement and leads to tremors and stiffness of the limbs. Dr. Tracy Vargas, a neurologist with UCHealth Neurology Clinic in Steamboat since August 2020, estimates she sees approximately 300 people living within a 100-mile radius region who battle Parkinson’s. Vargas said the four cardinal signs of the disease are resting tremor, stiffness, imbalance including frequent falls and slowness, such as shuffled walk or reduce facial expression or stiffness.