Hello. This is Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic.

Is Dad's Stiff Expression and Slurred Speech an Early Symptom of Parkinson's Disease?

Many people visit the hospital or search for information with a worried heart, wondering, "Could it be that my dad has Parkinson's disease?" Unlike usual, a family member's expression becomes stiff, walking becomes unnatural, and communication becomes difficult even among close family members due to slurred speech. This situation is very painful for both the patient and the family. In particular, changes such as "speech becoming slurred" can be an early symptom of Parkinson's disease, requiring special attention and quick action.

💡 Key Answer The 3 most common causes of "Dad's expression stiffening and speech becoming slurred": ① Decreased motor function due to reduced neurotransmitters (dopamine) ② Dysfunction of the brainstem and autonomic nervous system ③ Decreased mobility of facial muscles due to muscle rigidity Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic helps improve symptoms caused by Parkinson's disease by restoring the brain's nerve function and regaining overall body balance through Autonomic Stabilization.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative brain disease that starts when dopamine neurons in a specific part of the brain, especially the substantia nigra of the midbrain, are gradually damaged. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter that regulates various brain activities such as body movement, emotions, and cognitive functions. When this dopamine is deficient, problems occur in signal transmission from the brain to the muscles, leading to characteristic motor symptoms such as tremors (vibration), rigidity, bradykinesia (slow movement), and postural instability.

In particular, the symptoms of 'stiff expression and slurred speech' are closely related to muscle rigidity in the face and decreased function of the cranial nervous system involved in vocalization and pronunciation control. If the brain cannot rest and overheats, the balance of the autonomic nervous system is disrupted, which can be a factor that accelerates the damage to dopamine-secreting cells or worsens symptoms.

Parkinson's disease is easy to mistake for a simple aging phenomenon because symptoms are very subtle in the early stages. However, if you correspond to the following questions, it is important to consider the possibility of early Parkinson's disease and receive a professional examination.

Parkinson's Disease Early Symptom Checklist

• Do your hands, arms, legs, or jaw shake when at rest?
• Do overall body movements seem slow and dull?
• Is your gait slower than usual and do you tend to drag your feet?
• Do people say your facial expression looks expressionless and stiff?
• Has your voice become smaller or speech slurred and pronunciation unclear?
• Has your handwriting become smaller or difficult to write?
• Has your posture become stooped and is it difficult to maintain balance?
• Do you frequently have dreams of shouting or struggling severely during sleep?
• Do you complain of depression or anxiety without a clear reason?

Judgment Criteria: 3 or more → Suspected Parkinson's disease → Review herbal complex treatment at Dalimchae 5 or more → Immediate visit and consultation for accurate diagnosis and treatment plan recommended.

Recent studies are focusing on the complementary role of herbal treatment in Parkinson's treatment. In particular, acupuncture treatment has been reported to have a positive effect on protecting dopamine neurons and activating brain function.

A 2026 systematic review and network meta-analysis study published in Brain Research Bulletin analyzed 57 randomized controlled trials (total 4,262 people) from 2002 to 2024. The study found that when acupuncture-based treatment is combined with conventional medication, it increases the overall effectiveness and significantly improves motor symptoms in Parkinson's patients.

In addition, a 2021 network meta-analysis study published in MDPI compared various acupuncture treatment methods through 17 randomized controlled trials (total 1,071 people). In this study, bee venom acupuncture (BEEV) was most effective in improving motor symptoms (UPDRS-III) compared to the conventional medication group alone (MD = -7.37; 95% CI: -11.97 to -2.77).

At Dalimchae, we focus on Autonomic Stabilization treatment that corrects the imbalance of the brain and autonomic nervous system, which is the root cause of symptoms, beyond simply suppressing symptoms.

Dalimchae focuses on creating an environment where the brain can recover and rest by lowering the heat of the nervous system. Through this, we help improve not only motor symptoms but also non-motor symptoms such as depression and sleep disorders commonly experienced by Parkinson's patients.

Where life blooms. Herbal medicine is, after all, Dalimchae. Medical Supervision | Yang Yuchan, KMD (Incheon Branch) #Parkinsons #SlurredSpeech #StiffExpression #AutonomicNervousSystem #IncheonParkinsonsClinic