What do you recommend for Parkinson's disease?

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What do you recommend for Parkinson's disease? JoAnn Guest Apr 30, 2005

13:01 PDT

 

 

Parkinson's disease is caused by nerve damage to areas of the brain that

control muscle tension and movement. It is caused by a lack of the brain

compound dopamine. Parkinson's disease usually begins as a slight tremor

of one hand, arm, or leg. In the early stages of the disease the tremors

are much worse at rest. In other words, the symptoms are most visible

when a person is just sitting or standing and less visible when the hand

or limb is used. One of the usual early symptoms of Parkinson's disease

is called " pill-rolling. " The person moves their fingers as if they were

rolling a pill. The next time you happen to be around a group of

seniors, take a look around and see if you can spot someone with the

early or later stages of Parkinson's disease. It shouldn't be too hard,

over 50,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

 

As Parkinson's disease progresses, symptoms get much worse. It is

heart-breaking to watch these people as they are unable to control their

movements. Fortunately, most people are helped by drugs like Sinemet

which work by increasing brain dopamine levels. I think that natural

medicines can enhance the effectiveness of the standard drug approach as

well as slow down (or even halt) the progression of the disease.

 

One of the most dramatic improvements that I have seen in my clinical

practice involved Bill, a 56 year-old man with Parkinson's disease. Bill

was accompanied by his wife and daughter. Bill was severely affected by

Parkinson's disease. He had lost virtually all motor function, he could

not walk without assistance, and he had been unable to feed himself for

over two years. In taking his medical history it was clear to me that he

was severely depressed and extremely frustrated by his physical

condition. He was taking the drug Sinemet, but it was not providing much

benefit. During the course of the interview Bill fell asleep in the

chair. I was glad he did in that as I began talking to his wife (Ellen)

and daughter (Jennifer) I found out the real reason behind the visit.

Bill's wife and daughter became quite emotional as they told me how

devastating Bill's condition was playing on his mood and behavior. Bill

had always been a kind and loving man, but with the progression of his

Parkinson's disease his personality took a severe turn to the worse. It

seems he had become abusive, both verbally and physically. It was not

easy for Ellen and Jennifer as they told me of how helpless they felt.

It was heartbreaking for them to see Bill's physical condition

deteriorate and work so hard to help him only to have Bill lash out at

them. They did not understand why Bill was treating them so poorly.

 

I could not answer this question for them. Instead I asked them what

Bill was like before the development of Parkinson's disease. This

question changed the tone of the conversation immediately as both women

began to tell me of the wonderful man had been in their lives. I asked

about Bill's professional life. He was quite successful and he held a

political position of high importance in the State of Washington. They

described a man with great pride, independence, and strength.

 

I then asked how they thought Bill felt about his current condition and

his requirement for assistance with even the most simple tasks as

buttoning his shirts or bringing a fork to his mouth. They felt his pain

and wept as they imagined what this condition was doing to Bill's image

of himself. I told them that I did not know if I could help with the

physical signs of Parkinson's disease, but I definitely could help with

his mood. Here is what I recommended:

 

A low protein, high complex carbohydrate diet.

L-methionine: 500 mg with meals three times daily.

Vitamin B6: 50 mg three times daily.

5-HTP: 150 mg at bedtime.

D,L-phenylalanine: 500 mg at least 20 minutes before breakfast

Ginkgo biloba extract: 80 mg three times daily.

Vitamin E: 1,200 IU daily

Vitamin C: 1,000 mg three times daily.

 

I got a call from Ellen one week after our first visit. She was

ecstatic, Bill was able to feed himself breakfast and was able to walk

without assistance. In fact, he actually went out for a walk. And,

perhaps more importantly, he was showing signs of his old self. A week

later, I saw for myself this remarkable transformation. Bill still had

his Parkinson's disease, but the symptoms were significantly improved

and limited to tremblings of the hands, " pill-rolling, " and other minor

symptoms.

If I had to say what I thought was responsible for this remarkable

transformation, I would have to say it was a combination of all that was

recommended. However, I think the real key was improving Bill's mood

with the Ginkgo and removing the obstacles so that the Sinemet could

work more effectively. I think Bill's negative attitude in accepting and

making the most of his condition was largely responsible for the rapid

progression of Parkinson's disease in his case. Usually Parkinson's

disease is a slowly progressing condition, but in Bill's case he had

gone from being relatively symptom-free to severely disabled in a period

of less than three years!

 

One of the first books I read when I got interested in naturopathic

medicine was Dr. Ken Pelletier's book Mind as Slayer, Mind as Healer.

 

The mind can greatly enhance or reduce the severity the perception of

one's physical state. I really think that Bill's depression and

frustration was worsening his physical condition beyond how significant

he really was affected.

 

While the exact cause of Parkinson's disease is unknown, it is thought

that a neurotoxin causes oxidative damage to the basal ganglia in the

brain. Antioxidant nutrients like vitamin C and E have been shown to be

quite effective in slowing the progression of Parkinson's disease in

those patients not yet on medications. These results have led to a pilot

trial of high-dose vitamins C and E in early Parkinson's disease as well

as a large study of high-dose vitamin E and the drug deprenyl. High

dosages are required because it is more difficult to increase

antioxidant levels in brain tissue compared to other body compartments.

 

In one study, patients with early Parkinson's disease were given 3,000

mg of vitamin C and 3,200 IU of vitamin E each day. The patients were

followed closely for a period of seven years. Although all patients

eventually required drug treatment (Sinemet or Deprenyl), the

progression of the disease as determined by need for medication was

considerably delayed in those receiving the nutritional antioxidants.

Dividing the patients in both groups into younger-onset and older-onset

patients, those not receiving antioxidants required medication 40 and 24

months, respectively, after the onset of the disease. In contrast, the

two age groups in the pilot study were able to delay the need for drug

therapy for 65.3 and 59.2 months, respectively. Thus, the patients

receiving the vitamins were effectively able to delay the need for

medication for up to 2 to 3 years longer. These preliminary results are

quite promising and offer some hope in slowing down the progression of

this dreaded disease.

 

I would add a new supplement to the above-mentioned list - NADH

(niacinamide adenine dinucleotide), the activated form of vitamin B3

(niacin). It is available commercially in a tableted form under the

tradename " Enada. " This new supplement in the United States has been

receiving a lot of attention lately. For good reason, preliminary

research indicates NADH may enhance brain chemistry in Parkinson's

disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other causes of dementia.

 

NADH is required by the brain to make various neurotransmitters as well

as chemical energy. Typically as one ages, the level of NADH declines.

This reduced level of NADH leads to reduced energy production and

decreased levels of important brain chemicals. By correcting this state

of low NADH, significant improvements can be seen in terms of mental

function. It has also been shown to significantly improve the symptoms

of Parkinson's disease. The typical dosage for NADH is 5 to 20 mg daily

depending upon the severity of the symptoms.

 

 

www.doctormurray.com

_________________

JoAnn Guest

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