Do you experience shaky hands that make everyday tasks like writing or drinking coffee a challenge? Hand tremors (involuntary shaking of the hands) can be frustrating and disruptive. While traditional treatments often involve medications or surgery, exciting new holistic options are emerging. At Better Brain & Body, we have been utilizing the Vilim Ball, a noninvasive tool that temporarily relieves hand tremors to make daily life tasks easier, for almost three years now.
This blog post will discuss the Vilim Ball, how it works, its holistic application for hand tremors, and how to use it. We also will cover the other types of tremors and their causes.
Table of Contents:
Types of Tremors:
Essential Tremor
Parkinson's Disease Tremor
Psychogenic Tremor
Physiological Tremor
What is Essential Tremor (ET)?
Essential tremors are a neurological and nervous system condition that causes involuntary shaking or movement, particularly in the hands. They are the most common tremor, usually occurring during movement or action instead of resting. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the cause of essential tremor is unknown, but around 50% of those with ET receive it genetically from a parent. The other 50% represents the people with ET without a known cause. It is most common in older adults but anyone of any age can have tremors1.
What is Parkinson's Disease Tremor?
Parkinson's Disease is a neurodegenerative and progressive movement disorder that causes problems with balance and various movements over time. Tremors often begin in one hand or arm and may eventually spread to the other side. These tremors usually happen when the limb is relaxed and tend to lessen or disappear entirely when the person actively tries to move that limb. The cause of tremors in Parkinson's patients results from a lack of dopamine in the brain. This lack of dopamine can lead to various symptoms, including tremors in the body or hands, slowness, stiffness, and balance and coordination issues. Tremors in Parkinson's patients will often become noticeable by stage 2 of the disease.
What is the Difference Between Parkinson's and Essential Tremor?
Parkinson's Tremor: This resting tremor happens most when the limb is still and often starts on one side of the body.
Essential Tremor: This action tremor happens most when you're moving, like trying to drink or write. It can affect both sides of the body from the start.
What is a Psychogenic Tremor?
A psychogenic tremor is body shaking caused by stress or psychological factors, not a neurological disorder. It can resemble tremors from other conditions. While the shaking is real, it doesn't stem from a problem in the brain itself.
What is a Physiological Tremor?
A physiological tremor is a very slight shaking that everyone experiences. It's most noticeable when you hold your arms out straight or try to hold a cup with your hands perfectly still. This tiny tremor is caused by the natural way your muscles fire and doesn't indicate any underlying health problems.
Is There a Cure for Tremors?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for essential tremors or other tremors—however, various treatment options attempt to alleviate tremors and their impact. The most common treatments are medications, which not all patients respond to. These medications often treat other conditions or symptoms, meaning they do not solely treat tremors and may come with unwanted side effects.
Botox injections may also be an effective treatment for some tremors; however, we'd like to emphasize the word "may" in this sentence. Adverse side effects of botox injections for tremors may include hand stiffness, difficulty swallowing, and a hoarse voice2. In the case of severe tremors, surgery may be necessary. However, there are other holistic options to help patients manage their tremor symptoms, like the Vilim Ball. Please speak with your doctor about the various options for hand tremor treatment, as many may have adverse side effects. In severe cases, surgery may be necessary. The rest of our blog post will be dedicated to the Vilim Ball, a non-invasive device Better Brain & Body uses to help patients relieve hand tremors. At the end, we'll talk about more holistic options for hand tremor relief.
What is the Vilim Ball?
The Vilim ball is a handheld device designed to reduce hand tremors. It uses neuromodulation therapy, which involves delivering specific stimuli to the nerves or nervous system to reduce hand tremors temporarily, so people can go about their life without constant disturbance from their hand tremors. In Vilim Ball's case, the administered stimuli are comfortable and safe vibrations.
How Does the Vilim Ball Work for Hand Tremors?
Interestingly, the Vilim Ball uses built-in artificial intelligence (AI). This AI analyzes the user's tremors with sensors and adjusts the treatment vibrations it produces accordingly, providing a personalized treatment experience. Only one person must use this device as the built-in AI technology will personalize their treatment based on the information the Vilim Ball picks up from their individual hand tremors, enhancing the efficacy of treatment outcomes.
How Effective is the Vilim Ball for Hand Tremors?
Two clinical trials have demonstrated the Vilim Ball's efficacy. The graphs above represent each study and can be found on Vilimed's website (the company that makes the Vilim Ball). The graphs show that the Vilim Ball is primarily effective for temporarily reducing tremors. In the first study, researchers found the device to be 76% effective, and in the second study, they discovered that the Vilim Ball has a 93% efficacy rate for hand tremor reduction. The Vilim Ball can target hand tremors in both Essential Tremors and Parkinson's Tremors.
On average, patients can expect relief from their tremors from 10 minutes to 4 hours. It is essential to point out that the Vilim Ball does not cure tremors completely. There is no known cure for any type of tremor. Rather, the Vilim Ball provides necessary relief from often debilitating hand tremors that patients experience. Any relief, whether for 10 minutes or four hours, is tremendous for those suffering from hand tremors and allows many people to keep living their lives and perform daily tasks without constant disturbance from their tremors.
How To Use the Vilim Ball?
Using the Vilim Ball is easy and straightforward. The device is small and circular, fitting in the palm. You can use the device for both hands. Press the black cap to start the therapy, and for 10 minutes, the device will administer its vibrational treatment and turn off automatically at the end. Vilimed states that the "proposed therapy time" is every four hours, each hand for 10 minutes, three times a day. It is recommended that the device be used for 14 days straight so that the artificial intelligence technology can evaluate and assess an individual's tremors and administer the proper vibrational treatment over time.
Vilim Ball for At-Home Treatment
We recently partnered with Vilimed to give our patients access to their holistic hand tremor reduction device, the Vilim Ball, for at-home use. Now, patients can find relief from tremors while they perform daily tasks or are in their usual throws of life. Patients can save $53.36 when they purchase the Vilim Ball using our code: BBB50
What Causes Tremors?
Tremors can also be caused by other neurological conditions, including Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Pre-Stroke, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and Dystonia. Health conditions like heavy alcohol use, mercury poisoning, kidney failure, hyperthyroidism, stress, anxiety, PTSD, and sleep deprivation can cause hand tremors3. Certain medications may also cause hand tremors, such as asthma, seizure, antiarrhythmic, antiviral, and some psychiatric medications4. Please note that these medications do not necessarily cause tremors exclusively but can depending on the individual. Please consult with your physician before you start or stop taking any medication.
Tremor Triggers to Avoid
Drinks with caffeine can aggravate or trigger tremors. Tea, soda, coffee, and chocolate, if they have caffeine, can trigger tremors. Excessive emotional stress or anxiety can also be triggers. Heavy alcohol use can trigger tremors and is not recommended. Please speak with your provider to determine the best course of action for you and your tremors.
Closing Out
Better Brain & Body is a human optimization center and functional neurology clinic in South Charlotte, NC. The clinic combines a holistic brain-body approach with cutting-edge diagnostic testing equipment and state-of-the-art rehabilitation technologies and therapies to treat various conditions, optimize human health and wellness, and enhance brain-to-body function. Our holistic services and therapies are designed to analyze brain function and its impact on the body. Then, we customize a personalized treatment protocol based on a patient's goals, needs, and diagnostic testing results to improve their brain and body function, medical condition, or overall health.
If you or a loved one are looking for hand tremor treatment or our personalized treatment plans for Parkinson’s Disease or any other condition, please call us at 704-752-8100 or click the button below to schedule your complimentary 15-minute phone consultation with our lead doctor, Dr. Alicia Brown. If you'd like to purchase the Vilim Ball for personal use at-home or on the go, you can click the button below. Use our code BBB50 to get $53.36 off your order.
Affiliate Disclosure
Here at Better Brain & Body we strive to provide honest and valuable information to our readers. As you navigate through the content we create, it's important to be transparent about our relationships with the brands we mention. This blog post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the retailer. While this can help support our work and allow us to keep creating content, our primary goal is to recommend products and services that we genuinely believe in and that align with our values.
Reviewed by Dr. Alicia Brown, DC, DACNB.
Sources:
NIH: National Library of Medicine (n.d.). Essential Tremor Disorder. John Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/essential-tremor-disorder#:~:text=Everyone%20has%20at%20least%20a,affect%20people%20at%20any%20age.
2. Mayo Clinic Staff (2023, March 29). Essential Tremor. Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/essential-tremor/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350539
3. NIH: National Library of Medicine (n.d.). Tremor. MedlinePlus. Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://medlineplus.gov/tremor.html
4. Barrell, A., & Hammond, N., M.D. (n.d.). Why are my hands shaking? Causes, is it normal, and remedies. MedicalNewsToday. Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322195
Dementech Neurosciences Clinical Academic Centre (2022, November 10). What are the 5 stages of Parkinson’s Disease? Dementech.com. Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://dementech.com/2022/11/10/what-are-the-5-stages-of-parkinsons-disease/
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