Probiotics: research.va.gov/currents/0... - Cure Parkinson's

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Probiotics

MBAnderson profile image
49 Replies

research.va.gov/currents/06...

PWP are prone to H. pylori

research.va.gov/currents/wi...

another good link on the same page

research.va.gov/topics/gast...

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MBAnderson profile image
MBAnderson
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Syncletica profile image
Syncletica

I was recently contacted by Amazon that this item has been recalled due to contamination.

MBAnderson profile image
MBAnderson

Thanks Syncletica. I deleted the reference to prescript-assist. I skimmed that recall notice and interpreted it to mean the label was deficient, but upon reading the food and drug admin notice and the link below is clear that it is best to stay away from this product.

fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm6...

MBAnderson profile image
MBAnderson

More on prescript assist. This is the 1st time I've run across this blogger, but he seems knowledgeable.

fixyourgut.com/hso-probioti...

MBA,

Kia and Gio have both found good benefits with the butyrate producing probiotic

Advanced Orthomolecular Research AOR, Probiotic-3, in conjunction with a prebiotic. Kia used the prebiotic mannitol while Gio used mannitol to start and switched to xylitol which he found more effective for him than mannitol.

healthunlocked.com/parkinso...

healthunlocked.com/parkinso...

Art

MBAnderson profile image
MBAnderson in reply to

Thanks much Art. I thought I landed on a good product, but it just goes to show ...

I take mannitol, but will now check out these other 2 products. Kia &Gio (and yourself sometimes - (ha)) always know what they're talking about.

in reply to MBAnderson

Yes indeed, MBA, sometimes!

Research shows which bacteria are over abundant and which are deficient or missing in PWPs, now if they would just make probiotics to rebalance the gut in PWPs to find out once and for all if this is a viable approach!

I still believe that the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to find out if rebalancing the gut microbiome can reverse the disease progression is via a fecal transplant from a healthy gut donor, but it doesn't look like that will happen soon, so once again, we are left to our own devices to figure out what we can on our own!

They already know that mice that are given the fecal bacteria from PD model mice, develop PD symptoms. When they give germ free mice the fecal bacteria from PWPs, those mice get Parkinson like symptoms and when they give those same mice fecal bacteria from healthy people, the mice do not get PD symptoms! I just don't understand why it seems to be so difficult to connect the dots!

Art

MBAnderson profile image
MBAnderson in reply to

I thought they were already doing fecal transplant in humans, no?

MBAnderson profile image
MBAnderson in reply to MBAnderson

I used to think there couldn't be anything more gross, but I have since come to realize it's is a lot worse for the surgeon and the patient. If it would rid me of this meddlesome pest, I would do it.

in reply to MBAnderson

Well, yes, a bit gross, but that is mainly based on our preconceived ideas. The reality is that you used to have those bacteria in your gut in larger numbers pre-PD. The transplant should be faster and more effective than synbiotics.

Yes, I suspect there may be a few PWPs who might be willing to try it if the opportunity came along, but for now, we are left with probiotics and prebiotics.

Xylitol, as a prebiotic , has been shown in mouse models, to increase the prevotella family of bacteria, one species that is well known to be deficient in PWPs. The deficiency has shown to increase with disease progression. Cause or effect......it shouldn't take much research to figure it out!

Art

Hiawatha1 profile image
Hiawatha1 in reply to MBAnderson

I seen a television program recently where the fecal transplant was done by the patient swallowing 40 capsules that had been filled with the healthy fecal matter then frozen. I do not remember the patients health problem but the transplant resolved it.

in reply to MBAnderson

Yes, for digestive issues, but not for PD that I am aware of.....at least not in humans. There are rodent transplants, but they have not continued on to PWPs.

Art

pad10 profile image
pad10 in reply to

Here is a story of one person a FT cured and another it did not.

youtube.com/watch?v=MLAD4xp...

in reply to pad10

This video stops prematurely before you find out what happens.

Art

pad10 profile image
pad10 in reply to

i watched a longer version of this video months ago and basically what was shared was that the pd patient shown in the video heard about a man who was cured of PD from a FT (inadvertently...he was taking the FT treatment for something else but it cured his pd...lucky guy) .. so he wanted to try the same "soup" that cured the other man. he contacted the dr who cured this other man and he tried the same protocol but unfortunately the same "soup" didn't cure him. i don't know what happened to the version with all of the details. maybe i saw it on someones website.

in reply to pad10

pad10,

Thank you for the information!

Something I am now just realizing is that gut bacteria content can vary by location! That seems to make sense considering that standard diet can differ by the area in which you live, so someone living in Italy will likely have a different gut microbiome makeup than someone living in Australia. The Australian fecal transplant find may have just been serendipitous as a result of treating the other health issue, but it shows it is possible to treat PD through manipulation of the gut biome and that would be the most important point of this video to me. I suspect the fecal transplant donor was likely Australian, suggesting that their healthy microbiome may have been similar enough to the recipients microbiome when they were still healthy. So in the failed case, the donor may have been incompatible with the recipients gut biome, especially if the donor was from a different area, but the video portion I was able to see did not cover this aspect of the process.

The imbalance of gut bacteria is well established in PWPs. The deficient bacteria is known and the over abundant bacteria is also known, so it does not seem that testing for the deficiencies as well as the over abundant bacteria would be too hard to do.

If this line of research continues on a positive course, I can see where one day, it may be standard operating procedure for your doctor to take stool samples when you are in a healthy state in order to have a basis of comparison for when you are sick in order to bring your gut biome back into alignment with what is your norm.

Perhaps one day in the future, when we go to the pharmacy , instead of picking up a prescription of some type, we will instead pickup a computer designed fecal enema! Hmm, sounds a bit gross, but if it works..........

Art

in reply to

At first I got a little excited when I saw this:

clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show...

But then I saw the date and the fact that they have not even recruited the participants yet and now the thrill is gone!

Art

in reply to

Even Consumer Reports is writing about it :

consumerreports.org/parkins...

Art

pad10 profile image
pad10 in reply to

I agree with you and it could also have to do with your ethnicity. I just read about a Dr. who is reversing Alzheimer's through diet among other things. I just ordered the book so i dont have details yet...i think exercise is also part of his protocol.

amazon.com/gp/product/07352...

but i am thinking that if he does this through diet and exercise (and other things) then these things must be changing the gut biome. so im thinking diet and exercise can change the gut biome. im assuming the gut plays a big role in Alzheimer's also. i wish we could find someone who reversed pd through diet and exercise.

MBAnderson profile image
MBAnderson in reply to pad10

youtube.com/watch?v=QqQ_X3m...

I have read numerous accounts on various Parkinson's forums of PWP who have greatly diminished their symptoms and some who are symptom free from diet and exercise.

pad10 profile image
pad10 in reply to MBAnderson

MBA, thank you for the video. i tried the walls diet (as best i could) for several years but it didn't reverse my symptoms. having my gall bladder removed didn't help...i have trouble digesting large quantities of veggies and fat. plus cant eat raw veggies now. but i eliminated processed food .. that was a huge change...so for me i need to find the other missing pieces to heal.

MBAnderson profile image
MBAnderson in reply to pad10

Your path is even more complex than what is already a complex path.

in reply to pad10

pad10,

Yes, the gut is definitely thought to play a role in AD as well as PD. The following rare probiotic study in AD patients showed benefit in just 12 weeks! That is pretty unheard of in AD/dementia! A few important points or at least I thought they were, are the relatively short length of the study, the fact that it was a human study as opposed to an animal study and the probiotic dose that was used(very high)! This study really makes me wonder what would have happened had they continued the study for 6, 9 or 12 months. Would the benefits have increased?

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

The dose used to good effect was higher than what I have previously seen in other probiotic studies and this may be a clue about probiotics in general.......is more, better? Clearly, in this study it was!

Art

ConnieD profile image
ConnieD in reply to

Hi Art! First so grateful you are on HU! I do take mannitol and just started AOR probiotic that Gio takes. Is it important to take them at the same time in order for them to work together ? Some days I’ll also drink some Kombucha. Can there be too much of a good thing? One last one I read somewhere on here a brief mention of b3. Should one be taking that with B1? I don’t take bcomplex because I have mthfr and can’t have folic acid . Thanks Art for any info!

in reply to ConnieD

Hi Connie,

It is not critical that they be taken together, but my preference would be to have the mannitol already in my system by the time I took the probiotic. I imagine that you can take too much, but I don't think I have done that yet.

Regarding the B-3, generally when people say B-3 they are referring to niacin, niacinamide or nicotinamide, but I think the B-3 you are referring to is actually another more expensive form that is discussed on this forum, called Niagen.

Since you are already taking thiamine and Marco says he is currently available, you might want to ask him about your current protocol and what he would suggest in terms of any adjustments you might want to make. That will be your best bet in terms of getting the most out of the thiamine you are taking! Once you have maximized and stabilized your thiamine benefit, then you can consider adding to it!

Art

ConnieD profile image
ConnieD in reply to

Thank you very much Art!!

Oceanflow profile image
Oceanflow

Are there any foods that you know of that are good sources of prebiotics and probiotics? I can’t get xylitol or mannitol where I live (your prebiotics) and I’m finding the probiotic supps are VERY expensive!

in reply to Oceanflow

There are many other prebiotics and many probiotics already have prebiotics in them (synbiotics). I mention mannitol because several here on HU are already taking it as part of their daily regimens. I mention xylitol because that is what Gio and I use.

If probiotics are too costly, you can consider things like kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut, pobiotic yogurt, kefir and the like.

Art

glenandgerry profile image
glenandgerry in reply to

Been giving my husband mannitol for several months but not noticing any symptom improvement. Thinking of changing to xylitol. May I ask, what was your thinking behind using xylitol instead of mannitol? Any tips with regard to dosage? Does it cause the same amount of gas as mannitol?

Thanks.

Gerry

in reply to glenandgerry

Gerry,

I think I should make it clear that I do not have PD and am taking the xylitol for another health issue and am specifically looking for its butyrate and hydrogen sulfide enhancing effects.

GioCas is taking it to help feed the very specific probiotic that he is taking and according to him , he feels the combination definitely helps him. Xylitol, like mannitol is a known butyrate enhancer and that is the main reason I take it among other reasons. There are no studies that I am aware of that show that xylitol can have the same effect on the brain as mannitol so xylitol may not be exactly what you are looking for.

Art

glenandgerry profile image
glenandgerry in reply to

Oh my goodness Art, how wonderful of you to put in so much time and effort on HU when you do not have PD!

My husband is taking the AOR probiotic so I think it's definitely worth trying xylitol. 😊

in reply to glenandgerry

Hi Gerry,

No, I don't have PD, but I have several friends who do and that is why I gravitated to this forum.

Please let us know how the xylitol works for your husband. Like mannitol, resistant starch and many other prebiotics, the xylitol can cause gas initially, but the body seems to adjust with time and that goes away. What I have found to be helpful is to drink about two ounces of water out of a 500 ml bottle of water, add in my 12 to 15 grams of xylitol and top the bottle off with a sports drink like gatorade. To this mix I also add my borax that keeps my arthritis in remission and then I shake vigorously. I sip this throughout the day to give " a slow release effect" that helps to reduce any potential gas while the body adjusts to the increased prebiotic intake. The sports drink effectively masks the taste of the borax and adds a little flavor without being too sweet tasting. The xylitol seems to bring the flavor of the gatorade back up closer to its original taste, but not quite as sweet.

Art

glenandgerry profile image
glenandgerry in reply to

Thanks for this info Art. Had not heard of borax before. Previously I have given my hubby a boron supplement which didn't seem to help his arthritis. Just did a quick search on google for borax and it would seem that it's not approved for use internally in Europe. Will have to do some more research but unfortunately that will not be possible for me until next week. Do you have any info on borax which you could share? Thanks.

in reply to glenandgerry

Gerry,

I had a very long reply typed out to you about borax/boron and was almost done when I accidentally closed the window and lost it all! I will retype it later and send it as soon as I can.

Art

glenandgerry profile image
glenandgerry in reply to

Oh isn't that just so very annoying?!

in reply to glenandgerry

ABSOLUTELY!!!

in reply to glenandgerry

Hi Gerry,

I'll try again! This is a condensed version, but it should give you a very good idea of what borax/boron can do!

I have been taking borax for about a decade and it has kept my moderate to severe arthritis in remission during that time. My arthritis was such that I could no longer go for daily walks as it was just too painful. The arthritis affected my neck, shoulders, arms, elbows, hands& fingers, wrists, upper back, lower back, hips, right knee, ankles and feet. I can now walk as far as I like as often as I like. All joint pain is gone except my left thumb joint where it meets the wrist, but I don't think this is arthritis as I had a severe injury at that area many years ago and I think it is related to that injury. The effect of borax is fairly long lasting as if I stop taking it, it will take three or more weeks for the pain to start coming back, so I never feel bad about missing a dose.

Unfortunately, like many things we take for health, some people are not able to tolerate borax. Borax is a laundry booster typically sold in the laundry isle at most markets here in the US. I take a level 1/4 measuring teaspoon (approximately one gram/ 950 ~ 1,000 mg) of it during each weekday with Saturday and Sunday off to get rid of any excess as borax passes through the system fairly quickly.

It is important to note that My 1/4th teaspoon dose is based on using a baker's measuring spoon set from the USA since this forum has members from other countries and spoon measurements vary from country to country. The 1/4th teaspoon I use delivers approximately 970 mg of Borax and the 1/8th teaspoon delivers approximately 485 mg of Borax. To be exact, Borax is 11.36% boron so the 1/4th teaspoon delivers approximately 110 mg of boron while the 1/8th teaspoon delivers approximately 55 mg of boron.

Borax is mined from the ground in California and Turkey with these two as the main mining areas in the world. It is washed and then boxed for sale as a laundry booster to get your laundry cleaner, whiter and brighter. I first read about it many years ago as an arthritis supplement and there is a ton of information about arthritis and borax/boron on the internet. Borax has a fairly good safety profile at the dosing used for the purpose. Borax is slightly less toxic than table salt at equal dosing. Here are a couple of abstracts on the toxicity of borax. Borax is very inexpensive at about $5 for a box that will last many years at the dose I am taking. As you can see, at this price it is unlikely that there will be an over abundance of studies involving borax and arthritis as there is little potential to make big money off of it, however one supplement company has created a supplement that extracts boron/borax from plants. Where borax costs a few pennies per dose/day this supplement comes in around 92 cents/dose/day. Not a killing by any means at thirty times+ the price per dose, but a much more expensive way to obtain boron/borax than borax itself, but for those who can not get past the idea of taking a laundry booster as a supplement, it may be a viable option. It should also be noted that it would take more than the recommended dose of the plant based product to be equivalent to what I take in borax and that would easily push the per dose price to over a dollar.

Here is what I use:

target.com/p/mule-team-bora...

Here is the plant based product :

amazon.com/Joint-Advanced-R...

Here is a study on the plant based product along side a weaker solution of borax. When you brake down the percentages the patients got a lot more boron from the plant based supplement because the borax supplement had signifcantly less boron per dose, so the plant based version is not only more expensive, it is less effective simply because it takes much more to deliver an equivalent dose of boron! It would have been nice to see how patients not on the biologic would have done with the borax based products by themselves, but it was determined that to use no biologic would have been unethical. In other words, they did not want you to see that borax or the plant based borax may have been as or more effective than the biologic which costs approximately $20,000 per year.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Borax is said to be effective against multiple forms of arthritis and anecdotal evidence would tend to confirm this.

Here is some information on the toxicity of borax/boron:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/100...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/265...

Borax is 11.3% boron and boron is noted for a similar anti-arthritic effect as borax, but boron supplements are typically only 3 mgs, a dose to low to have the desired effect. I took supplements with low dose boron like 6 mgs and it did nothing for my arthritis. Areas of the world that have high boron soil content, generally have lower rates of arthritis while areas with low boron soil content have higher incidence of arthritis.

Here are some articles and videos on the subject:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

growyouthful.com/remedy/bor...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/164...

This link takes you to a very enlightening 10 part video series, unfortunately you will have to find them on this page link and then watch them in the correct order.

youtube.com/results?search_...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/814...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/150...

journals.sagepub.com/doi/ab...

rexresearch.com/newnham/new...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/127...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

youtube.com/watch?v=TJp7SW1...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/199...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/259...

cheflynda.com/2015/03/the-i...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/211...

health-science-spirit.com/b...

Borax and boron are also well noted for their effects on improving osteoprosis! Here is another Dr. Flechas video that discusses that important point:

youtube.com/watch?v=1-QHgRn...

That's it for now, Gerry, let me know if you have any questions!

Art

glenandgerry profile image
glenandgerry in reply to

Thanks Art, a lot to read. Will only be able to do so next week 😊

in reply to glenandgerry

Gerry,

Well I guess you should be glad the first one got erased, it was even longer!

Art

MBAnderson profile image
MBAnderson in reply to

Art, I'm somewhat surprised that you haven't yet, single-handedly, figured out a cure for PD.

in reply to MBAnderson

If only I could, MBA!

Art

pad10 profile image
pad10 in reply to Oceanflow

bananas are prebiotic - if you google prebiotic foods you'll find a list :)

Coling profile image
Coling

Hi MBA,

I got a gut chart done by the american gut project but basically cant interpret the data usefully to compare with a healthy gut - do you know anyone that can interpret these things? Thanks

MBAnderson profile image
MBAnderson in reply to Coling

I don't know. I can ask my son, he's a PhD biologists or my wife she's a PhD medical professor. I've never heard of a gut chart. Can you attach it or send it to me in a private message?

Coling profile image
Coling

I cant work out how to attach something on this post any thoughts?

MBAnderson profile image
MBAnderson in reply to Coling

I sent you my email address via private message so you can attach your chart to it.

JAS9 profile image
JAS9

A new study has come out since this topic started. The first "Main Study" reference below is only a few weeks old. The following video uses it and other references. For them, find the video on youtube then click on the "More" beneath the video.

Video: youtu.be/HTx76h5gdHE

References:

Main Study:cell.com/cell/fulltext/S009...

MBAnderson profile image
MBAnderson

Thanks for the video.

I'm interested in probiotics because our microbiome is so important, but it is so, so complex, I have no chance of understanding it.

I don't know if the study broke any new ground. 'Healthy people shouldn't expect a lot from taking a pill, but probiotics can be beneficial to unhealthy people, they can be dangerous, and fecal transplants are good.'

I put fecal transplants in the same category as wrapping a lampshade in aluminum foil, putting a red light in it and wearing it on my head.

JAS9 profile image
JAS9

Still, I don't think it's hopeless to understand some points. One major takeaway that I'm getting from this and other videos and studies is to improve my diet. For example, I've increased my fiber as much as possible. Fiber doesn't get absorbed into our bodies, but it's what the bacteria that produce butyral eat. Butyral is what keeps the intestinal barrier healthy, which in turn keeps many contaminants out of our blood. 3% of Americans get the recommended amount of fiber, so no processed food for me! That means no refined sugars, refined wheat or other grains, or refined oils. Only "real food"; not anything that's so refined that it's just chemicals devoid of all nutrients. It's a start.

MBAnderson profile image
MBAnderson in reply to JAS9

You're certainly on the right track. If it comes in a can or box, it's not good for us.

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