What is Essential Tremor?

An essential tremor is the most common cause of hand tremors and idiopathic in nature and has no known treatment options. Treatable organic causes of Essential Tremor should first be investigated and treated where possible, such as: hyper/hypoglycaemia, systemic infections, and thyroid abnormalities.

Essential Tremor is often considered more of an irritating disorder or embarrassing disorder, than overall debilitation. In certain professions requiring high hand acuity may find this disorder more disabling. Personally, I have suffered with Essential Tremor all my life and found that for many years, as a paramedic, people have assumed me to be nervous rather due to the tremor. These days, experience has enabled me to insert cannulas and perform other tasks requiring higher levels of hand dexterity faster than most, but still with the same level of success.

What is the difference between Parkinson’s Disease and Essential Tremor?

Unlike Parkinson’s Disease, in which the hands usually shake most at rest, Essential Tremor causes hands to shake more during movement and use. Stimulants, such as caffeine, some Asthma medications, and increased stress all contribute to the disorder and increase the severity of the hands shaking.

Abstaining from stimulants such as caffeine, high levels of stress, and certain medications, such as Beta Blockers may resolve the symptoms of the disorder.