Scientific language

[Getz]

Can anyone please summarize in plain language section 8 Therapeutic strategies for PD of this scientific report. It looks really interesting both as a preventative and a treatment.

pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b2...

[WinnieThePoo]

It's quite long. I think the key point is these are speculative routes for possible interventions and not a proven formula for PD improvement. They'd be worth looking at - and might help develop a strategy for tackling the condition

In the mix are

1 Dietary supplements (why not healthier diet?) including Omega 3 fats since SCFA's do a bunch of good things

2 Probiotics. Use supplemented good bacteria either specifically as strains that target therapeutic possibilities, or just to improve the mix, and create a healthier environment, and encourage a diverse population of good guy bacteria

3) Prebiotics - feed the little fellas we were talking about in 2 for the same benefits

4) Antibiotics - approach with care, specifically with reference to tackling a condition known as SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth). This potentially risks screwing up the good work in 2 & 3 -so careful use of targetted antibiotics is important

5) TLR regulators - no, you're not going to get a simple explanation, and this is really a research field.

Watch this area for developments in PD therapies in the reasonably near future

[Getz in reply to WinnieThePoo]

Thank you. So basically up the probiotics and prebiotics to reduce the incidence of alpha-synuclein.

[Getz in reply to WinnieThePoo]

Am still trying to understand the article especially 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3

From 8.1 I understand that a diet high in saturated fatty acids and DHA will modulate the TLRs. Panax ginseng and silymarin (milk thistle) were also mentioned.

From 8.2 it seems that Lactobacillus and Bifido bacterium enhance intestinal epitherial integrity and protect gut barrier disruption, regulate mucosal immune immune system and inhibit pathogenic bacterium growth. This also reduces anxiety, depression and stress. It also talks about GABA, milk kefir and the strains L casei and L reuteri so I am assuming these are beneficial as well.

From 8.3 The prebiotics inulin, GOS, FOS SCFAs (Butyrate) increase BDNF.

I don't really have any idea but I do put olive oil and Ghee (butyrate) over my veges and am pretty keen on fermented foods. I suppose just by having a healthy gut, the alpha-synuclein will be minimized. Just really want to find something that clears out the neuron entanglement from the brain. At least the article seems to support my approach to health but I'm having just under 20 pills each morning.

[WinnieThePoo in reply to Getz]

I think it would be a mistake to get too technical and tailored in any response. I think your broad approach of good diet, with an emphasis on live probiotics from food, and real prebiotics from food is a sound base. Some supplementation of diverse probiotics probably helps, and at the least shouldn't do any harm. It's one thing to observe that there is a link between the gut and the brain (see the recent mouse study - "I told you Parkinsons was poo") and another to develop a viable therapy from it. My own approach is the healthy diet and supplementation, and watching for what I anticipate will be rapid developments in this exciting field. The PD gut brain link is fairly new, and there is an accelerating interest in it, including a faecal transplant trial in Belgium. Stay diet healthy - watch this space!

[WinnieThePoo in reply to Getz]

Also, there appears to be renewed evidence that alpha synuclein misfolding is indeed a key element (see Simon's preview of the year on the "science of Parkinsons" for the observation that there are a lot of eggs in this basket, which whilst strongly suspected, hasn't been proven as the cause. "It always rains when the pavements are wet")

For all that - I have read a lot recently which reinforces the smoking gun for A-syn, and in that context there is a lot of research showing great promise, including hopefully the SPARK trial I am participating in.

Stuff is happening - tomorrow looks promising.

[Despe in reply to WinnieThePoo]

Winnie,

Dr. Mischley and a few other colleagues concluded that long-term use of probiotics is not indicated. She wants my husband to stop taking them.

[WinnieThePoo in reply to Despe]

We all of us have to choose our paths, both in tackling Parkinson's disease and in general health. Personally I feel the microbiome to be one of the most interesting areas of potential in relation to PD, and I focus on managing mine. Right now, the SPARK trial dominates my personal plans,but next on the list once that is complete is probably to look seriously at faecal transplants, and/or more targeted microbiome management. We are talking 18 months away, so the trial in Belgium will have completed and doubtless further information from research will be available. But there is a heck of a lot emerging about the gut brain axis and alpha synuclein. This guy is interesting google.com/url?sa=t&source=...

[Getz in reply to WinnieThePoo]

Thank you. Still confused but everything seems to point to natural treatments as being the way to control/beat this crap disease.

[Getz in reply to Despe]

Maybe she means stop taking pills and eat foods containing prebiotics which will then improve the gut lining and feed the good probiotics

[AmyLindy in reply to Getz]

Yes, concur

[Despe in reply to Getz]

Thanks for your suggestion. However, if PD was just a gut problem, he wouldn't never have gotten it. Nothing but whole, homemade foods all of our lives, thanks to my country of origin.

[Getz in reply to Despe]

Despe, obviously there is no simple single cause or solution but there certainly seems to be increasing scientific research showing the importance of the gut and the gut-brain link via the vagus nerve. In my situation I believe stress to be a major cause. I got prostate cancer after a stressful episode a decade ago and I managed to get rid of it through diet, supplements, and meditation. A couple of years ago I went through another extremely stressful situation and now this PD is emerging though it seems to be held in check at this stage.

I have just discovered the importance of prebiotics so my diet is undergoing another change to include these as natural foods. Hopefully this will cause the good probiotics to flourish and reduce the bad ones including alpha-synuclein. Also hopefully fast walking for an hour 3x a week will result in the production of new glial cells which will repair the damaged neurons. I'm probably looking at this too simply as I don't really understand the scientific lingo, but I seem to be tracking reasonably well and can now drink my latte with my right hand again and my feet seem to be tingling less. My memory is still lousy though and I'm making simple errors with sudoku.

[Despe in reply to Getz]

S T R E S S, that's a killer and my husband's cause of PD, I agree with you. Working with Dr. Mischley now trying to help him. Unfortunately, I believe another reason for PD is this

"Vascular Disease

The compromise of the blood supply to the brain caused by vascular closures leads to the death of brain tissues. The mechanisms are the same as those that lead to heart attacks and common strokes. One proposed link between PD and atherosclerosis is iron, a nutrient associated with meat consumption."

His right carotid artery has a stenosis >70%. He will have the surgery to ameliorate the problem very soon.

[Rhyothemis]

Toll-like receptors (TLR) on microglia* and astrocytes can become activated by alpha synuclein aggregates (among other things), leading to inflammation in the brain.

If you block TLR signalling, you reduce brain inflammation and some of the harm caused by alpha synuclein aggregates. How much of the harm is hard to say.

* microglia:

youtube.com/watch?v=L2t7eTY...(Not working as expected?)

[aspergerian]

T-Cell-Driven Inflammation as a Mediator of the Gut-Brain Axis Involved in Parkinson's Disease.

Campos-Acuña J1, Elgueta D1, Pacheco R1,2.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/308...