This site is so interesting there is always something new and a lot of people have commented on situations that may have contributed to their PD.
Was just interested, and nosy, to see if there could be a common link. I believe, I have to, that a cure WILL be found and that a lead will come from people with PD. We have the knowledge somewhere.
stress bad posture exposure to chemicals all spring to mind and would be relevant to me
I'm with you on the stress part. I know everyone's body reacts differently to stress. It sure does mess with my body.
I experienced a role-reversal recently when my wife and care-taker fell and broke her shoulder. Stress level, and symptoms, went off the charts. Now that she is on the mend, symptoms are returning to the slow, downhill slide which is "normal".
I agree mary,all relevant to me also.
Interesting. Maybe the first two, but as far as I know exposure to chemicals does not apply to me.
i used to live near fields where pesticides were used - also stress to a lesser degree though ...
I also believe that pesticides were used on the farm I lived on until a teenager.Also the boy next door I have found out has parkinsons -also stress
i was brought up on a farm ddt now banned was used a lot
I sincerely believe that PD, as a compilation of diverse symptoms that are unique to as the individual, is caused by any number of factors. The problem then becomes what started the cascade that led to the disintegration of the Substania Nigra and surrounding Brain tissue? For me, TOXICITY in it's many forms, eg heavy metals, lead and mercury, pesticides, stress, head trauma, essential nutritional depletion, or many other stress factors, is the prime suspect.
Reading what you said about the prime suspects, ALL of them relevant to me getting PD!
We all are exposed to pesticides, heavy metals, etc, just some not at near the levels of others. This is such a complicated area. Just like in smoking. It was not until the addition of artificial ingredients in tobacco that people began to get cancer. We know this to be scientifically true but because of the huge money involved, have they made nicotine and other additives illegal, no. And they are known cancer causers. It is also known that smoking affects women differently than men, they don't know exactly why but it does. In the last 1800's early 1900's, people didn't get Parkinson and Alzheimer's. As pollution and the introduction of pesticides and other man made carcinogens have come about have these and other illnesses come to light.
Wayne
PD GOES BACK TO EAGYPT.
I think that Parkinsons has always been around but diagnosis is better now and people live longer so we see it more. I read this on line today:
Parkinson's disease, which was first described in "An Essay on the Shaking Palsy" in 1817 by a London physician James Parkinson, has probably existed for thousands of years. Its symptoms and treatment methods find mention in the texts of Ayurveda, the system of ancient Indian medicine, and in the first Chinese medical text, Nei Jing, some 2,500 years old.
As to cause, I think genetics pays a big part, guess I would having been diagnosed the same year as my youngest brother.
EXPOSED AT SAME TIME
Yes possible though cant think what in the 10 years we lived together. Research currently suggests 27 % PD has a genetic link.
My guess is genetic + pesticides = PD. The PD gene could be dormant, but triggered by the pesticide. In my case it was chlordane in the 1950's when I was 5,6,7,8,9 years old. I lived in the countryside, surrounded by farms, and my father was spraying it everywhere. Plus I have reason to suspect I have the "Norwegian" gene that may be associated with PD.
Sun spots combined with my mother dropping a concrete block on my head by mistake of course, (14 times) and some how divine punishment for my devilishly good looks!
I think you did not think before you wrote this comment! If you cannot say something positive, keep away.
extreme STRESS !!!!!!!!!!!
PD is only one problem I have because of STRESS...........
Jayne - what other stress-related problems? As I've had a life filled with stress, I wonder if we share some of the same worries.\
JennyR
Hi Jenny, I will try and answer this with out dragging on and on
at 17 1/2 I was "date raped" did not know the term back then but it happened and I got pregnant. gave birth to a gorgeous baby boy that I was made to give up for adoption.
at 20 I married the man of my dreams, my true soul mate.....we had 14 fabulous years together. He died at 44 in 1974. After being ill for 4 years. I raised my 3 gorgeous and wonderful children I had with him by myself, and I think I did one hell of a gr8 job, if I say so myself. I also had very supportive parents who helped me as much as they could. Money was always a huge problem, and I stressed over it constantly. in 1988 I developed breast cancer, and because of the family history, I had a double Mastc. and recontruction. got a staph infection, lost the left side and had more reconstruction. then had ulcerated colitus, horrible case............had colon removed in 1997 tried a J pouch did not work, had more surgery and had a koch pouch put in..wont go into huge detail here........then I had a problem and went in for over night surgery supposed to be simple adjustment....got SEPSIS and 2 months later I got out of the hospital. The doctors phoned my children and said, come say good bye...I fooled them all...oh yes most important, was diagnosed for PD in 1998.
BUT the good thing is, in 1988 I found my first born son, and we are extremely close and all 4 of my children get along gr8.
then 3 years ago I helped one of my children financially, things did not go as he had planned, and he lost and I really lost....had to sell my beautiful home in California and i moved near my daughter and sister near Tucson.............and that is about it...
yet I am smiling and happy and doing pretty damn well.
and life goes on........... "keep on truckin" I always say
<grin> I am not bitter or angry, infact I am renting now, long term, and I don't have any worries...no mortgage, no property taxes, and what ever goes wrong in t he house, the owners take care of it....yea !!!!!!!!!!!!!
and what is your story Jenny??
Jaynie
I believe growing up on farm with heavy exposure to toxic chemicals is the culprit for me. Plus thru the years exposure to toxins everywhere. Every individual's body handles toxins differently. And to think that there is still no medical testing for assessment. I believe in humor so......"Pretending to be a normal person day after day is exhausting." !!
Pesticide in glass houses growing tomatoes ,and stress
I believe growing up on farm with heavy exposure to toxic chemicals is the culprit for me. Plus thru the years exposure to toxins everywhere. Every individual's body handles toxins differently. And to think that there is still no medical testing for assessment. I believe in humor so......"Pretending to be a normal person day after day is exhausting." !!
I think it happened with me like others through stress and pesticides..I never peeled apples and veg much. Also i have had a lot of xrays which may be res
Onsible and had mercury fillings removed.
Apart from that at meno i got high cholesterol, borderline diabetes, and underactive thyroid..then 2frozen shoulders..when second defrosted i got a nodule in my hand they thought was dupetreyns and then shaking in little finger..3 years on my right shoulder and side are a bit weaker..i am v left handed. My wrist and ankle are a bit stiff. ..so diagnosed as having pd...not totally convinced so trying natural things..yoga, homeopathy and acupuncture.so far!
I think that Parkinson's maybe caused by a virus or bacteria.
I am prior military. Back in 98 to 2000 the govt forced anthrax vaccinations (15) total to alittle over 250k soldiers as a test. This item was not approved for use yet. They jave proved and its in writing that an ingredient is known to attack parts of the motor fumctions center of the braim over years. High stress. Ding ding me. Can add to the issue causing parki to wake up. And no not getting asst from govt. They told me sucks for u others in your same boat u r on your own. Basic term. Go piss off.... Lol.
I believe it is a combo of environmental pollutants together with a genetic tendency. I was exposed to a lot of pesticides as a kid, couple of whacks to the head, and also looking back I see PD behavior as early as my 30's. But it came out full blown the year my son died, following thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer. So stress and low thyroid exacerbate pre-existing condition.
Mine, I believe, a major truma leading to extreme stressors. Also think there may be a link to the thyroid and endoctrine system. I have hashimoto's disease and parathryoid disease, vitamine D deficiency...
What I thought was a silly question has turned out to be popular. It would appear that the majority of people consider pollutants and pesticides to be the main cause and also consider stress to play an important role.
I have to admit that the response and the reason have surprised me. If all these people are right and I believe they must be, what is going to be done about reducing the pollutants? My guess would be nothing.
That will be a challenge, first have to identify what pollutants are the culprits I guess. But I still believe PD is largely genetic with an environmental trigger. We used to think cancer was caused by environmental pollutants and now we know there are genetic links. Perhaps we will find it is similar for Parkinson's.
I believe it is genitic my husband brother also has it . and his grandfather use to have what the dfamily called HIS FUNNY TURNS )) he has 2 nephews who seem to be going down the same raod . I believe the stress is cause because of the Parkinsons which is then made worse byt the sttress . Chicken / egg syndrome .
I agree that stress aggravates the symptoms of Parkinson's, but I would disagree that it causes it.
,I agree with Jane,,,,,,stress may initiate pd,but i do not think it causes it. My fathers brother had it and its possible that my mother had it,so i think it could genetic
I like the theories indicating It begins in the gut and moves to the brain,stress has many forms but it can cause physical reactions which ultimatley have a consequence.Braak a neuropathologist of repute is worth reading and Irritable bowel syndrome reports 40% of sufferers are treated with anti depressants.lots of interest in the gut,if you just look for it.
Some kind of head, brain, spinal trauma, pollution, exposure to solvents , chemicals etc
Hello
I believe Parker's is triggered by a sequence of stressfull events, which are individual to each person.
For me personally I believe it has been such a squence as :
Traumatic stress due to a head injury aged 18 yrs
Stress of being held up by a armed escapee from prison by a shotgun having just joined 6 months previous,in my current profession.
Alongside several further stressful events which contibuted to the levels being raised and the chemical messenger got burn out with the stress hurting the brain cells and stopping them regenerating.
I don't think I'm far wrong off the mark , what does anyone think ?
You certainly seem to have experienced more than your fair share of stress. I also think that stress contributes to Parkinsons, but is probably not the full story. I wonder why only some people with stress develop PD?
I have also suffered stress and still do, but certainly not on a par with your stress levels. Some people blame pesticide levels, but many people, including myself have not been exposed to these.
I have heard that cancer is present in all of us, but not everyone develops it. Could something similar trigger PD? I have no idea what causes some people to be affected and not others but was very interested to receive your answer. I believe that people sharing their experiences will eventually discover a common factor.
Court
I did fail to add that I also think that the intestines can also be part of the trigger in some shapr or form. A bug virus or deficency or allegy to something could have been the first or final key to opening the Parkers
Yes Court i agree for the need to collate experiences and find common factors. That is the main reason i joined 23andMe. Hopefully the more people the more likely trends will show up. It is genetic research but the questionnaires could cover some environmental factors.
The gut connection is interesting, on the main site one of the researchers on the webinar talks about it. Heres hoping we dont have to wait too long for some answers!
I know that after 5 years of getting nowhere medically and with a life filled with stress of every kind imaginable, somehow the plug was pulled and I seriously went around the bend. I finally was sent to a neurologist who knew what he saw immediately, putting me through testing I thought would never quit: mental, physical exercises, nerve reactions, diet. He began meds immediately carbadopa/levadopa for 10 days and the balance issue improved drastically. As other symptoms appeared (never any tremor), meds were adjusted accordingly. My PD began at age 61, with constant falling, weakness of my left leg, dragging my left leg, constant exhaustion, problems swallowing and getting the fork to my mouth, problems with understandable speech. Now you would think any neurologist could put those symptoms together and come up with some kind of neurological disease. When I finally found the right doctor, I was sure he could walk on water! As symptoms improve, he has decreased
carbadopa-levadopa and added Azelect. Since entering this "new normal"
phase of my life and I cannot believe what I am able to once again accomplish, with patience and serenity and the love of a wonderful and helpful husband.
Sorry to hear you have had such an awful time. I am really glad you have found some one who appears to be sorting things out for you at long last.
I know Parkinsons presents itself in so many different forms - you only have to read messages on this site to realise that. My main problem is a tremor, but have other less noticeable symptoms as well.
You are really fortunate to have such a supportive husband. Take care.
Sue
No one in my family has had PD. I was exposed to pesticides, especially DDT.
Whatever the cause... I pray that some day, we will have a better treatment. I prayed for years for a cure, but I will be happy for a better treatment, than taking all of those pills.
Most schools are with the Parkinson’s is a degeneration of the substantia nigra hyypothesis
There is a new fuel in the think and research tank[Braak and colleagues ]
research pathology would indicate that it advances from the peripheral nervous system [the gut] to the brain stem in a staging system first described by Braak in 2003
The focus on the substantia nigra faces challenge, most PD patients have additional, non-motor symptoms, and PD is coming to be understood as a much broader disease.
Chronic constipation, loss of smell, and REM sleep disorders often occur before the motor symptoms.
Braak’s stages the areas of the nervous system littered with Lewy bodies and at the earliest stages of disease this could account for non-motor symptoms.
The staging system, also draws attention to the damage in other transmitter systems indicating a begining outside the brain
.
Read on link posted below.
alzforum.org/new/pdf/Parkin...
When I posed this question it was purely out of interest, I had no idea that research had been done and that there could be a link between the gut and the brain.
As a number of people who replied to me had had gut problems, it makes you wonder whether there is a link. Thanks for posting this information.
Sue
Court your post has been helpful in highlighting that there has been alot of research in this area. One of the videos on the main site discusses research findings.
Interestingly The last Cure Parkinsons Trust Scientific Conference was on Parkinson's and Gut Hormones. MJ Fox organisation has funded research and
also this research Group in London are investigating this question of gut and PD.
Carba/Levadopa, sinemet, or what drug you're taking has to be absorbed in the upper intestine to effectively get to the brain where the dopamine is released. If you're constipated..nothing is moving so it is absorbed into your body causing irratic movement, dyskansia (however it's spelled}. This is a big problem so get your gut working and see if it helps. I discussed this with my neuro Dr. and she said it makes sense as to why I wasn't getting enough if my medicine absorbed correctly.
I was exposed to DDT and also have had a concussion.
When I posted this I had no idea of the positive feedback I would get. I am very surprised that research has been done into this. I have suffered for a number of years on and off with Helibactor and wondered if this could have anything to do with the hit and miss affect of my meds.
It looks as though I may be right.
i feel its all the toxins we take in.. I'm going all organic if possible, in soaps, lotions ect. prices are getting better with organics.
If by "PD" you mean "Idiopathic PD" (the particular “flavor” of PD that perhaps 90% of us suffer) the answer is – nobody knows what causes it. "Idiopathic” is doctor-speak for “arising from an unknown cause.” Personally, I side with the scientists who think that “idiopathic” PD is probably due to a combination of genetics, environment, and lifestyle - which is one reason that research is so slow.
As for the other 10% or so, the cause(s) are known (or can be determined) and generally fall into the three broad categories just mentioned (genetics, environment, and lifestyle), or combinations thereof.
Muhammad Ali presents an example of lifestyle caused PD - repeated trauma to the head can and does cause PD.
Regarding environmental causes, there is growing evidence that pesticides (in particular, rotenone, paraquat and maneb) play a major role.
Likewise with genetics. Perhaps the most common genetic risk factor for PD is a mutation of the LRRK2 gene. This mutation probably predisposes more people to developing PD than any other genetic factor. One of the mutations, G2019S, has been shown to cause Parkinson’s disease in people with and without a family history of the disease.
I hope you have found this interesting and/or useful.
I think there is a gnentic pre-disposition involved. Then that is triggered by major stress such as divorce, injury trama, chemicals...I was raised in a farming area with lots of pesticides. Planes flying over corn fields and spraying crops. I remember spraying my mother's roses with DDT. THne of course we drank the water that went into the ground. NOw I find that stress is my trigger.
I found some info on use of solvents and relation to parkinsons and related issues of neurotoxins
See link below
ANYONE IN THIS TRIAL: Prothena PASADENA Phase 2 trial? Love to hear what you think - some say most promising PD trial.
What do you think of the PBS film on PD "My father, my brother, and me"?
So you know the cause of PD or at least what should be the cause or the cure or at least the treatment. 
What are the short-term and long-term PD benefits of prolonged running or cycling?
What do MAO-b Inhibitors do for us that no other type of Pd medication can do?
