Next experiment

[kaypeeoh]

I read that nicotine can help PD. So I'm trying nicotine patches. I cut one patch into 4 pieces and stuck one on my arm. A couple hours later my stomach is growling loudly. Normally that doesn't happen. I assume gastroparesis is involved. Other than that no problems.

[johntPM]

How are you going to measure efficacy?

[Baca]

Do you have gastroparesis? I failed to understand how nicotine can aid PD. Please expand your thoughts for my benefit.

[kaypeeoh in reply to Baca]

Studies proved that smokers had much lower incidence of PD. Researcher have said that nicotine patches are a safe choice.

[laglag in reply to kaypeeoh]

Could it be because smokers aren't as stressed?

[SilentEchoes in reply to laglag]

The nicotine in the patch is neuroprotective, it partially blocks the nicotinic - acetylcholine receptors. Caffeine is neuroprotective too.

SE

[Hidden in reply to SilentEchoes]

? I have read in multiple places that nicotine is an acetylcholine agonist. I think nicotine is Neuroprotective via a similar / related means as acetylcholine. If no, please explain.

[SilentEchoes in reply to Hidden]

Nicotine and Parkinson’s disease; implications for therapy

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/a...

My understanding is that nicotine triggers the brain to make less acetylcholine.

Nicotine also affects plasma levels of glutamate by reducing them and results in an increase of serotonin and epinephrine.

Acetylcholine is one of many neurotransmitters in the autonomic nervous system and the only neurotransmitter used in the motor division of the somatic nervous system, sensory neurons use glutamate and various peptides at their synapses. Acetylcholine is also the principal neurotransmitter in all autonomic ganglia.

Symptoms of excess acetylcholine: Subdued or depressed mood,

Anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure),

Difficulty concentrating,

Difficulty with higher-order or complex thought processes,

Mental fatigue,

Mental confusion,

Memory problems,

Decreased motivation,

Feeling overly sleepy or tired (particularly in the evening) despite adequate sleep and rest, Difficulty understanding or performing tasks, Pessimistic, negative ideation or rumination,

Feelings of helplessnes and hopelessness, Fretfulness,

Irritability or anger,

Emotional heightening and lability, Sadness, tearfulness,

Blurred vision, Headache,

Dry mouth, Altered sense of smell; heighted sensitivity to odors; olfactory delusions,

Stomach pain or discomfort,

Intestinal gas or bloating,

Diarrhea or constipation,

Nausea, dizziness, and vomiting, Muscle pain or discomfort, Joint pain, discomfort, or swelling,

Tooth or jaw pain or discomfort, Tingling or numbness in arms or legs,

Muscle weakness, Increased urinary frequency or problems with bladder control, Flu or cold-like symptoms, Weakening of immune system and increased susceptibility to illness, Cough, Nasal discharge, Chills or sensation of cold, Cold feet, hands,

Sleep disturbance, Introversion

Too much ACh relative to other brain chemicals such as SE, NE, and DA has an adverse effect on brain function. This is because in larger quantities ACh acts like an inhibitory neurotransmitter, causing increased nervous system inhibition (depression). Important to remember is that, in general, as ACh levels go up in the brain, the levels of the other brain transmitters go down.

mindrenewal.us/page13.html

[Hidden in reply to SilentEchoes]

Quote:While neurons typically release small amounts of acetylcholine in a regulated manner, nicotine activates cholinergic neurons (which would normally use acetylcholine to communicate with other neurons) in many different regions throughout your brain simultaneously.

science.howstuffworks.com/n...

Citicoline I found to be Neuroprotective in Many studies some of which I’ve previously posted. It is a Sirt 1 activator amongst other things.

[SilentEchoes in reply to Hidden]

🤷🏼‍♀️

[Hidden in reply to SilentEchoes]

Please revisit acetylcholine , for your sake

[jeeves19]

No. There’s something in the nicotine and there are vegetables that contain this. There’s some guy over your side of the pond who juices the most abundant specimen (egg plant? We call them aubergines) in large quantities and does very well on them. He wrote a book about it.

[Raphaekg]

A controlled clinical trial on nicotine patches for PD was conducted a while ago. Doesn't work. n.neurology.org/content/57/...

[kevowpd in reply to Raphaekg]

On a somewhat related note there was some excitement on the part of some university researchers into varenicline, marketed as Chiantix. Unsuccessful.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/349...

[CheriinMI]

This is considered so politically incorrect that I rarely ever engage in discussions on this topic, but I am absolutely convinced that my heavy use of a smokeless tobacco device (Zoom) helps me immensely. I've been diagnosed for 10 years, showed symptoms like restless legs before that. I do not have tremors, but I do have severe stiffness, slow movement, and frequent muscle spasms. I supplement with 3000 mg /vitamin A per day. I have taken four 25 mg. pramapexole per day for years. This year I started cd/ld to try to get help with incontinence and fatigue, my most worrisome symptoms, but not really helping. Most people do not know that I have Parkinson's, and my doctors think it is "mild" and "slow progressing". I would give up all of the meds before I would give up the e-cigarettes. They make me feel better than anything else.

[CheriinMI in reply to CheriinMI]

correction: Not Vitamin A, I meant B1.

[GrandmaBug in reply to CheriinMI]

So what about the role of B1 in your doing so well for so long. I'm working on finding where I need to be with B1.

[kaypeeoh in reply to GrandmaBug]

I tried sublingual B1 for months with no change.

[GrandmaBug in reply to kaypeeoh]

Just this week, after nine months of trying to figure out my "sweet spot" with B1, I finally reached that "jittery feeling with the sublingual, so I will stop taking the B1 for two weeks, and start back up, this time taking only the sublingual 6 days a week rater than daily. Daphne Bryan has written the book Parkinson's and B1 Therapy (amazon). What I found most helpful were the personal stories and how hard it was for so many to figure out their dosage. With persistence, most have figured out their dosage or are still working on it. Best.....

[PixelPaul]

I have read that smokers are less likely to get Parkinson's, but have not seen anything to suggest that people who already have Parkinson's can benefit from nicotine.

[P1800]

I’ve started experimenting with snus, even more protective than smoking. Haven’t seen any research on progression if you already have Parkinson’s though.

rstreet.org/2017/01/05/conf...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/279...

[Crosley80]

Could it be the Farnesol in cigarettes and not the nicotine?

[kaypeeoh]

Thanks for all of the responses.

I found this: "Nicotine as well as other nicotinic receptor agonists protected cortical neurons against glutamate neurotoxicity via alpha4 and alpha7 nAChRs at least partly by inhibiting the process of apoptosis in near-pure neuronal cultures obtained from the cerebral cortex of fetal rats..."

I'm already unhappy about the nicotine patches. All day I kept smelling and tasting it. The odor didn't stop til I peeled the strip off. I'll try it again today just to see whether it has the same effect. My reason for trying it is because of the neurocognitive disorder diagnosis.

[beehive23]

i was perscribed nicotine bt my mvmnt specialist years ago. it helps.

[Somic67 in reply to beehive23]

Can You Kindly provide more details?Thank you in advance

[beehive23 in reply to Somic67]

it helps with tremor and anxiety...cheers

[kaypeeoh]

One more experiment that didn't do much. Like every other experiment, I wanted to see whether nicotine might help cognitive function. I filled one booklet with puzzles labeled as "Challenging..." And am starting on the next. With practice the puzzles are easier, even though they're rife with British puns. I have Rosetta Stone Spanish in my laptop. I duct-taped a sheet of plywood to the treadmill and studied while walking and yelling into the microphone. "Donde esta la bibliotecka?" But I don't need to taste/smell the chemical scent of the nicotine patch anymore. Like I said, one more experiment that didn't do much.

puzzle