A Collection of Hope for Parkinson's Sufferers

Adult Stem Cell Research Reverses Effects of Parkinson's

2009-02-19T07:03:00.001-08:00

Scientists have published a paper in a medical journal describing the results of the world's first clinical trial using autologous neural stem cells for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. A leading bioethics watchdog says the results show more money should be put behind adult stem cells.

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Where Are the Cures?

2008-11-20T21:00:00.001-08:00

When I asked Kierstead if he ever wondered how many promising leads are gathering dust between the covers of research journals because no one is willing or able to push them forward, he said, "I don't wonder. I know it's the case."

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Curry Spice and Parkinson's Disease?

2008-11-20T20:59:00.001-08:00

Curcumin, derived from the curry spice turmeric, has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Both oxidative damage — damage caused by oxygen — and inflammation have been implicated in nerve cell death associated with Parkinson's disease.

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Parkinson's case offers glimmer of hope for future research

2008-10-25T14:16:00.001-07:00

Matthew Greenstein is living a story about illness, failure and a chance at redemption. He’s also an example of how, in an era when medical research is mostly about crowds of scientists and millions of dollars, a little luck might still make a difference.

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The Upside and Downside to the Mucuna Bean

2008-10-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

There is an upside and a downside to taking Mucuna bean
to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's.
The Upside
Macuna bean (or Mucuna Puriens) is derived from a plant
that grows in tropical climates. The Mucuna herb has been used
for generations in India and other eastern countries to treat
Parkinson's with varying success. Mucuna is by no means
a new revelation.
People use Mucuna in part because it does not
have the side effects of prescription medications.
Several volunteers from the Portland Parkinsons Energy
Project who do not take prescribed medications
for Parkinson's have been pleased with the results they
get from taking Mucuna. Other people have been able
to reduce the dose of their prescribed medications or
even wean themselves off medications altogether.
Research on the effectiveness on Mucuna is encouraging.
I will be summarizing these discoveries in upcoming
Parkinsons Recovery newsletters
No changes in the dosage of prescription
medications should of course be made without
consulting with your doctor first. Even though it
is not a prescription medication, it is also just
as important to consult with your doctor before
taking any natural herb supplement like Mucuna.
The Downside

It is clear from talking with other health professionals that
Mucuna is not a cure nor does it provide relief
for everyone. After all, if Mucuna were a panacea
everyone with Parkinson's would be taking it and no one
today would be suffering from its symptoms.
Many people think of Parkinson's simplistically as a
deficiency of dopamine. In fact, the "disease" is
described by most health care providers as such.
The truth of the matter is that reasons for
the symptoms of Parkinson's are far, far more
complicated than this.
Symptoms of Parkinson's are aggravated by an imbalance
of over 39 different neurotransmitters. When you take
Mucuna (or any dopamine supplement for that matter)
you are making a decision to focus on only a tiny fraction
of the problem.
The body is making fine adjustments to the production
and distribution of hormones continuously, second by
second, minute by minute. Consider the maze of
complicated adjustments your body makes to produce
and distribute the other 38 neurotransmitters when you take
any dopamine lookalike.
Ingesting a single synthetic hormone once a day creates an instant
imbalance. The body is challenged with the task of re-balancing
all the other 38 hormones that must be continuously manufactured
and distributed to the tissues. The "adjustment" that comes from
taking a dopamine supplement is crude.
Mucuna is taken once or twice a day. The body produces and
distributes hormones continuously each and every second of the day.
Do the math. The difference is mind-boggling.
If the choice is between the body and Mucuna I am betting on the
body any day of the week.
A second challenge you will encounter if you decide to
take Mucuna - and keep in mind this may be a good
choice for you - is that you are giving your body the
signal it does not need to produce dopamine
on its own. Think like your body and you will understand
the long term consequences of what happens when
you take a dopamine producing supplement like Mucuna.
Here is the decision sequence: Your body is busy
with the work of adjusting and balancing hormones
which, after all, is one of its important jobs. Mucuna mysteriously
appears in the digestive system.There is suddenly and
unexpectedly an external intrusion into the body. The
body begins to ponder:
"Who is in charge here?"
A critical function of the body is suddenly and unexpectedly
being handled by someone else. The mind then says to itself:
"If someone else is doing my job, why should I bother?"
Isn't this just what you do when someone else begins doing
a job you thought was your responsibility?
A reason that cells in the substantia nigra die is because
dopamine is being supplied by an external source. Cells
that produce dopamine are no longer needed. You either
use it or lose it. In this case you lose it. The body eventually
surrenders responsibility for producing dopamine.
John Coleman ND points out that most of the Macuna bean
that is packaged and sold in the marketplace is not actually
"natural." It is processed. The Mucuna pill capsules
are manufactured and refined, purified and converted to
powder.
John Coleman has also observed in his clinic that
Macuna can induce the "same adverse effects as synthetic
levodopa if consumed in large quantities over a long period.
Coleman has a different recommendation for his clients.
He suggests you hydrate your body by taking a
natural homeopathic remedy. The body has an easier
time producing and balancing hormones when the cells
are adequately hydrated.
Mucuna may provide welcome relief in the short term.
But if it is used as a lifetime remedy your body's
incredibly intricate system for monitoring
hormones will be short circuited. Sensitivity of
the monitoring system is degraded and the system
itself is eventually disabled.
Your body gradually gives up its charge at birth to maintain
health and wellness. You eventually begin to feel lousy.
Your health deteriorates.
Why not give your body a chance to do its work whenever
possible? Wait. Be patient. Acknowledge to yourself
that you will not necessarily feel good every day. Accept
the reality that some days you will likely feel lousy. Helping
the body re-remember how to balance hormones is not an
easy task but the rewards are worth it.
Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

Our Thoughts Manifest Health (and Disease)

2008-09-17T22:18:00.000-07:00

Our thoughts create our reality. If we hold the thought (either
consciously or unconsciously) that we have a disease that is
destined to become worse over time, this is precisely what will
happen. We will feel progressively worse over time.
Alternatively, if we believe that we can heal from disease we will
heal. We will eventually feel better.
The process for Parkinson's takes a familiar course. Eventually
there is a spell of feeling worse. Fear rears its ugly head. The
following thought emerges:

"I will never heal from this disease. Everyone says that my
condition will get progressively worse. Look what is happening
to me today. I must finally accept the reality that I am getting
progressively worse."
What we know from quantum physics is that this belief will
eventually be confirmed. The truth of the matter is that this
belief is not - I repeat not - true.
It is possible to heal from any condition or disease. Hold in your
consciousness the belief that your body knows how to heal itself.
Wait.
Listen to your body.
Give it what it needs.
Give it time.
Watch what happens.
You will be delighted.
Robert Rodgers, PhD.
Parkinsons Recovery

Simple Powder To Beat 2,400 Genetic Diseases

2008-09-16T17:30:00.001-07:00

A powdered drug which eases the symptoms of incurable genetic diseases could be on sale within two years, researchers say. They hope it could treat 2,400 conditions, including some types of cystic fibrosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, as well as the blood clotting disease haemophilia.

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New drug may be Parkinson’s cure

2008-09-16T11:43:00.001-07:00

A PILL to cure Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases could be made available in five years, according to the Godmanchester company behind the discovery.

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Potential Parkinson's Treatment Found In Century-old Drug

2008-08-22T13:22:00.001-07:00

A new study conducted by researchers at Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland shows that a century-old drug, methylene blue, may be able to slow or even cure Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

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Scientific breakthrough! No embryonic stem cells needed!

2008-08-22T13:20:00.001-07:00

The abortion-rights arguments that cite embryonic stem cells as the potential solution for a vast array of human diseases has taken another significant hit with an announcement from a San Francisco research and development company that it has defined and isolated an adult cell that has been shown to develop into tissues to cure ailments.

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Thoughts Can Heal Your Body

2008-08-13T13:46:00.001-07:00

Our thoughts can make us sick, and they can help us get well. That may seem like New Age thinking, but medical research increasingly supports the role played by the mind in physical health.

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John Coleman ND Recovers from Parkinson's

2008-08-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

John Coleman ND Recovers from Parkinson's Part II

2008-08-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

Parkinsonian Tremor Caused By 'Cross Fire' From The Brain

2008-08-07T18:22:00.001-07:00

A typical symptom of Parkinson's disease is tremor in patients. A group of scientists, including Professor Peter Tass from Forschungszentrum Julich have succeeded in demonstrating the mechanisms which cause the so-called tremor: neuron clusters in the depths of the brain drive the tremor.

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Scientists Create Disease-Specific Stem Cell Lines

2008-08-07T18:07:00.001-07:00

The new cell lines will enable scientists to investigate ten different genetic disorders like Parkinson's, muscular dystrophy, and type 1 diabetes in the test tube instead of in the patient, a huge step forward compared to current methods.

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Adult Stem Cells Activated In Mammalian Brain

2008-08-07T17:56:00.001-07:00

Adult stem cells originate in a different part of the brain than is commonly believed, and with proper stimulation they can produce new brain cells to replace those lost to disease or injury, a study by UC Irvine scientists has shown.

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"Stem Cells to Cure Parkinson's in 5 Years"

2008-07-15T21:02:00.001-07:00

Stem cell therapy will be utilized in treating patients suffering from Parkinson's disease within the next five years, a renowned Swedish expert said during his visit to Seoul.

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Is this the cure for Parkinson's disease?

2008-07-09T07:44:00.001-07:00

Parkinson's brings rigidity, tremors, poor coordination, and unsteady gait. You get a mask-like face unable to show facial expressions. Until now, there wasn't any known cure for these terrible symptoms. But now there's strong evidence that the cause - and cure - of Parkinson's may be related to a simple mineral.

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Drug Companies spend more on marketing than research

2008-07-08T12:01:00.001-07:00

It's okay for drug companies to spend oodles on advertising because they spend even more making sure their drugs are safe and effective, right? Not so much, according to a study in PLOS Medicine.In reality, drug companies pour $57.5 billion into marketing, dwarfing the comparably paltry $31.5 billion devoted to research.

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Green tea may protect brain cells against Parkinson's

2008-07-08T12:00:00.001-07:00

Does the consumption of green tea, widely touted to have beneficial effects on health, also protect brain cells" Authors of a new study being published in the December 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry share new data that indicates this may be the case.

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Nov 2005 study- Restricting diet may reverse early-stage Parkinson's disease

2008-07-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

Restricting diet may reverse early-stage Parkinson's disease
OHSU/VAMC study shows mice consuming fewer calories experience boost in essential neurochemical
PORTLAND, Ore. – A new Oregon Health & Science University and Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center study suggests that early-stage Parkinson's disease patients who lower their calorie intake may boost levels of an essential brain chemical lost from the neurodegenerative disorder.

The study by Charles Meshul, Ph.D., associate professor of behavioral neuroscience in the OHSU School of Medicine and the VAMC's Neurocytology Lab, shows that dietary restriction reverses a Parkinson's-induced drop in glutamate, a brain neurotransmitter important for motor control, function and learning, in a mouse model for the disease's early stages.

The results, presented today at the Society for Neuroscience's 35th annual meeting in Washington, D.C., are the first to show that a restricted diet can disable neurochemical changes in the brain occurring in early-stage Parkinson's even after those changes are observed.

"In the early stages of the disease, we see certain markers in the brain that are changing that may be indicative that dietary restriction is helpful," Meshul said.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder affecting a region of the brain called the substantia nigra where movement is controlled. Symptoms such as tremor or shaking, muscular stiffness or rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty with balance appear when about 80 percent of cells in the body that produce the neurochemical dopamine die or become impaired.

Incidence increases with age, and the disease is uncommon in people younger than 40. According to the OHSU Parkinson Center of Oregon, the disease affects both men and women across all ethnic lines and occurs in about two of every 100 people older than 55. About 1.5 million Americans suffer from the disease.

Meshul's lab compared two groups of mice with 60 percent to 75 percent loss of dopamine in the brain, representing early-stage Parkinson's: One had access to food every day while the other had access every other day, and both were fed over a 21-day period. The mice that ate less often lost 10 percent to 15 percent of their body weight compared to their counterparts.

"Dietary restriction appears to be normalizing the levels of glutamate," Meshul said. "The fact that we're getting the levels of glutamate back to, essentially, control levels may indicate there are certain synapse changes going on in the brain to counteract the effects of Parkinson's. In fact, what this may indicate is a reversal of locomotor deficits associated with the disease."

In addition to the rise in glutamate, Meshul's group, using a dopamine-synthesizing enzyme called tyrosine hydroxylase as a marker for dopamine nerve terminals, found that dietary restriction caused a drop in the number of dopamine terminals in the mouse model for early-stage Parkinson's.

"As it turns out, dietary restriction, in and of itself, had an effect. It actually caused a small but significant decrease in the numbers of these dopamine terminals. So in other words, dietary restriction really is doing something to the brain," Meshul said. "It could very well be that what dietary restriction is doing is trying to protect the system somehow. And one of the reasons dietary restriction is protective may be that it's reducing the activity of particular synapses. That's actually what the data indicates."

Matching the upturn in glutamate levels with positive behavioral changes is difficult at this point in the research, Meshul said. "One of the unfortunate problems with this model is it's tough to do any behavioral measures. We see a reversal of the effect of glutamate in the brain due to the dietary restriction, but what does that actually mean in terms of the behavior of the animal? Unfortunately, we don't know. We didn't measure that."

But a similar primate study at the University of Southern California that Meshul is associated with is testing the hypothesis that glutamate does have an effect on behavior. "It turns out that, in time, these animals recover behaviorally from all of the motor deficits that are associated with (early-stage Parkinson's)," he said. "Our hypothesis is there may be changes in glutamate that account for these behavioral changes."

Dietary restriction's beneficial effect on neurological function has been studied in primates by scientists at the National Institutes of Health for 30 years, Meshul said. Researchers found that animals whose calorie intake was lowered by 20 percent aged better, suffered from fewer immunological disorders, displayed healthier hair and skin tone, and "looked significantly better than a counterpart that hasn't had a restricted diet."

"They live longer," Meshul said. "It's been known for many, many years that dietary restriction is good."

Scientists already have shown dietary restriction initiated before the onset of early Parkinson's can protect against neurochemical changes in the brain caused by the disease. In 1999, researchers found that mice on restricted diets for three months prior to an early Parkinson's diagnosis lost fewer dopamine-synthesizing neurons.

"There's not as much loss of dopamine if you restrict their diets ahead of time," Meshul noted.

Meshul's lab is finding that dietary restriction isn't the only way to boost neurological function in Parkinson's disease. Early results of another study the group is conducting have shown that rats with 90 percent loss of dopamine in the brain – or full-blown Parkinson's disease – under a four-week exercise regimen can run twice as long as parkinsonian rats that didn't exercise.

"We're trying to make the correlation that exercise definitely helps in terms of the parkinsonian animal and, in fact, in human studies it's been shown that any sort of exercise helps patients," Meshul said.

###

The dietary restriction study was funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

To access all OHSU news releases, visit www.ohsu.edu/news/

Legal Drugs Kill Far More Than Illegal

2008-06-30T22:40:00.001-07:00

From “Scarface” to “Miami Vice,” Florida’s drug problem has been portrayed as the story of a single narcotic: cocaine. But for Floridians, prescription drugs are increasingly a far more lethal habit.

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Summary of Aspartame and Parkinson's Issue

2008-06-30T22:39:00.001-07:00

Whenever one sees statements implying that aspartame is "safe" in Parkinson's Disease patients, it should be understood that such statements are based solely on this single-day, poorly-designed study.

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Private Sector Called 'Crucial' to Medicine

2008-06-30T22:29:00.001-07:00

Answering critics who accuse drug companies of reaping obscene financial reward for little that is innovative, a conservative think tank investigated how the companies turned publicly funded science into therapies for cancer, hypertension and arthritis.

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Supplements containing L-DOPA

2008-06-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

The following is taken from the "Supplements containing L-DOPA" section of the Levodopa information piece from Wikipedia:

Supplements containing L-DOPA
Herbal supplements containing standardized dosages of L-DOPA are available without a prescription. These supplements have recently increased in both availability and popularity in the United States and on the internet. The most common plant source of L-DOPA marketed in this manner is a tropical legume, Mucuna pruriens, also known as "Velvet Bean" and by a number of other common names.
Two of the most popular brands of Mucuna pruriens are "DopaBean," marketed by Solaray, and "Mucuna," marketed by Physician Formulas, Inc. These preparations claim to contain standardized dosages of L-DOPA in enteric-coated capsules. The dosage claimed is usually about 50 mg per capsule, and the recommended dose is two capsules per day. A third product, "L-Dopa," marketed by Unique Nutrition, claims a higher effective dose of 250 mg. American Nutrition also carries a Mucuna pruriens standardized to 40% L-DOPA under its NutraceuticsRx label.
Some of the claims made for the use of these supplements may have validity, whereas many do not. Among the most common claims are that the supplements will increase libido and aid in body-building (presumably by increasing human growth hormone in both cases). The long-term consequences of the use of these supplements by healthy individuals remains to be seen.

Triple-Blind Study of the Effect of StemEnhance™

2008-06-21T12:46:00.001-07:00

A triple-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled study on human subjects was conducted on the effect of AFA extracts on the number of circulating stem cells.

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Breakthrough: Adult Stem Cells & Parkinson's

2008-06-21T12:31:00.001-07:00

Great - and, for anyone following the stunning medical advances being made thanks to ADULT Stem Cell Research - unsurprising news on the Parkinson’s front. Just as numerous spinal cord injuries are being successfully treated with ASC taken from nasal cavities, it looks there sufferers of Parkinson’s Disease may be helped, too.

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Creatine for Parkinson's

2008-06-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

by Amy Fleming
KIMT News 3 & MedStarSource

Chicago, IL - Parkinson's disease is a devastating disorder that, among other things, slowly robs patients of their mobility.

Now researchers are looking at whether a nutritional supplement, commonly used by body builders, can keep them moving.

Doctor Kathleen Shannon is leading part of a large national study to testy whether creatine, a food supplement athletes use to build muscles, can slow the loss of brain cells in Parkinson's patients.

"Its effects in the brain have to do with improving the energy system within the brain cells and it's also got some kind of anti-oxidants so oxidation, rust is something that happens in brain cells as well as on your garden tools, and it helps to prevent that as well," said Neurologist, Kathleen Shannon, M.D.

Which could lead to new therapy for patients.

This trial is the first large study in a series clinical trials.

Expert links additive in soft drinks to cell damage

2008-06-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

Caution: Some soft drinks may seriously harm your health
Expert links additive to cell damage
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Published: 27 May 2007

A new health scare erupted over soft drinks last night amid evidence they may cause serious cell damage. Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.

The problem - more usually associated with ageing and alcohol abuse - can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's.

The findings could have serious consequences for the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who consume fizzy drinks. They will also intensify the controversy about food additives, which have been linked to hyperactivity in children.

Concerns centre on the safety of E211, known as sodium benzoate, a preservative used for decades by the £74bn global carbonated drinks industry. Sodium benzoate derives from benzoic acid. It occurs naturally in berries, but is used in large quantities to prevent mould in soft drinks such as Sprite, Oasis and Dr Pepper. It is also added to pickles and sauces.

Sodium benzoate has already been the subject of concern about cancer because when mixed with the additive vitamin C in soft drinks, it causes benzene, a carcinogenic substance. A Food Standards Agency survey of benzene in drinks last year found high levels in four brands which were removed from sale.

Now, an expert in ageing at Sheffield University, who has been working on sodium benzoate since publishing a research paper in 1999, has decided to speak out about another danger. Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells in his laboratory. What he found alarmed him: the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the "power station" of cells known as the mitochondria.

He told The Independent on Sunday: "These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether.

"The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number if diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of aging."

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) backs the use of sodium benzoate in the UK and it has been approved by the European Union but last night, MPs called for it to investigate urgently.

Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat chair of Parliament's all-party environment group said: "Many additives are relatively new and their long-term impact cannot be certain. This preservative clearly needs to be investigated further by the FSA."

A review of sodium benzoate by the World Health Organisation in 2000 concluded that it was safe, but it noted that the available science supporting its safety was "limited".

Professor Piper, whose work has been funded by a government research council, said tests conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration were out of date.

"The food industry will say these compounds have been tested and they are complete safe," he said. "By the criteria of modern safety testing, the safety tests were inadequate. Like all things, safety testing moves forward and you can conduct a much more rigorous safety test than you could 50 years ago."

He advised parents to think carefully about buying drinks with preservatives until the quantities in products were proved safe by new tests. "My concern is for children who are drinking large amounts," he said.

Coca-Cola and Britvic's Pepsi Max and Diet Pepsi all contain sodium benzoate. Their makers and the British Soft Drinks Association said they entrusted the safety of additives to the Government.

High levels of urate could slow Parkinson's

2008-06-18T22:29:00.001-07:00

High levels of a natural substance in the blood called urate might slow the progression of Parkinson's, a study out today suggests.

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Israeli drug is world's first proven to slow Parkinson's

2008-06-18T22:21:00.001-07:00

Teva’s Aziltec drug was proven to be effective, safe and well tolerated in one of the largest ever studies conducted on the Parkinson’s disease. The ADAGIO study covered 1,176 patients with early Parkinson's at 129 centers in 14 countries over a period of 18 months. These results could turn Aziltec into a "disease modification" labeled drug.

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Green tea may protect brain cells against Parkinson's

2008-06-18T21:42:00.001-07:00

Restricting Diet May Reverse Early-Stage Parkinson's

2008-06-18T21:35:00.001-07:00

A new Oregon Health & Science University and Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center study suggests that early-stage Parkinson's disease patients who lower their calorie intake may boost levels of an essential brain chemical lost from the neurodegenerative disorder.

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Blood test that can detect Alzheimer's and Parkinson's

2008-06-18T21:34:00.003-07:00

A blood test the makers claim can detect Alzheimer's and Parkinson's up to six years before they take hold is to be launched this summer.

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New Protein May Slow, Perhaps Reverse Parkinson's Symptom's

2008-06-18T21:34:00.001-07:00

Scientists in Finland believe they have found a protein that can prevent the degeneration of cells that produce dopamine. In a patient with Parkinson's, these nerve cells, which produce dopamine, are destroyed.

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