Hello, friends! Since my super brain is all fired up today, I thought I'd give y'all a lecture.
Death and impairment of Dopaminergic Nerons in the Substantia Nigra is what causes Parkinsons Disease. How that condition comes about can be from various sources, including the following and probably more:
genetics (alpha synuclean, Lewy Body disease, mutations)
toxins (drugs, chemicals, metals, etc)
sleep deprivation
stroke
radiation
trauma
stress
microbiome imbalance
Bad Luck
mind -body syndrome (psychosomatic etiology) may be a culprit in any disease, possibly, and probably doesnt physically damage the substantia nigra, but Im not going to get into that topic today, sorry!
Once the cause or causes are discovered, in many cases, future damage can be further limited. For example, if sleep deprivation was the cause, improving sleep will slow down the rate of further damage. If toxins were the cause, elimination of exposure to those toxins will reduce the rate of further damage. If genetics was the cause, CRISPR gene editing will be helpful in the future when they make that available.
Some other things we can all do to improve some of our symptoms as well as slowing down the rate of disease progression involve improving conditions on a cellular level in the whole body, such as improving nutrition, intermittent fasting to induce autophagy, improving sleep quality, exercise, sunshine, fresh air, clean water, proper vitamin and mineral supplementation, some proper herbal supplementation as well as managing your stress.
Tuning up your microbiome should also be considered for a foundation in general health, as it could be out of balance one way or another. Dr Michael Epitropoulos DC PhD, my very good friend, says, "When we talk about the health of your gut we are talking about the most important deciding factor as to how healthy you are. The health of your gut is the health of your body. That is because 80-90% of your immune system is in your gut. The microbiome describes trillions of bacteria housed in your gut that have to outnumber bad microbes. This is your first line of defense against bad bacteria that want to multiply throughout your gut and get reabsorbed thru a very thin intestinal lining into your blood stream and wreak havoc on your health. This is called leaky gut syndrome. By establishing a strong good bacteria balance in your gut and naturally kill the bad bacteria you will regain your health. All gastrointestinal problems occur with an imbalance of bad bacteria to good bacteria. In fact I will go as far as saying that all degenerative conditions begin in the gut. Your core health is your health!"
As a PhD in clinical nutrition, Dr Epitropoulos' recommended diet includes eliminating milk and dairy products in general as well as sugar. It is also recommended you reduce starch intake which includes breads, pasta, rice, and potatoes. The diet is one that emphasizes vegetables, fruits (most dark skinned) and protein. It also is recommended that you included fermented foods such as sauerkraut, pickles, kefir, kombucha tea, kimchi and plain yogurt in your diet. I want to add that you should avoid processed food, anything that comes in a cardboard box with cartoon characters on it, and as much as possible choose organic or at least Non GMO! Anything that goes into the food, such as Roundup herbicides, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics goes into those who eat it!
Can the disease process be REVERSED if the horse is already out of the barn? Can we raise the dead? I dont think so. Neuroplasticity is often discussed, but I wonder, if we regrow neurons, how are the intricate connections going to reconnect in such a way that it matches what was lost? I do believe, however, that anything that stimulates neuroplasticity will strengthen what isnt lost yet.
A word about Autophagy: On October 3, 2016, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Yoshinori Ohsumi for “discoveries of the mechanisms for autophagy.” This is your best bet! What Autophagy involves is the cellular level of your body cleaning up the junk that is cluttering and choking your cells, such as misfolded proteins (Alpha Synuclean) that clump and form plaques as well as Lewy Bodies. Even viri and toxins are cleared out through this process. For further information, read this book.
google.com/books/edition/Au...
I got my copy at the local library in audiobook form using and app called Hoopla. Highly recommended!
To get your body to induce Autophagy, all you have to do is fast for 18 hours or more. So stop eating after dinner at 6PM and dont eat again until 12 PM. In other words, skip a meal and no snacking. Do drink water, though. For best results, you want this process to take place while you are sleeping. For further information, read the book. I am telling you, it could make a huge difference.
So we cant raise the dead when it comes to the population of the substantia nigra, but symptom relief to varying degrees is possible with the above mentioned and Im sure theres more we could add. Much more!
And lets not be stingy on the dopamine supplementation. Take your medicine and dont torture yourself! It only adds to the stress. If you have side effects, there are plenty of alternatives that your doctor can try. If you are beyond the point where medical therapy will help, you can discuss electronic neurostimulation therapy with your doctor. At this point, its beyond my knowledge.
Hope you find this useful, entertaining or at least boring enough to get you an extra hour of sleep if you need it! May your good days far outnumber your bad days!
small study, but researchers report evidence of picornavirus antigen in 7 of 9 Parkinsons postmortem samples of midbrain
Perspective on the Gut and Parkinson's Disase
Microbiome management strategies - How do you manage yours?
