Known causes of PD if any?: What are the... - Cure Parkinson's

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Known causes of PD if any?

Moorhen2002 profile image
58 Replies

What are the probable known causes of Parkinson's disease please

thanks?

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Moorhen2002 profile image
Moorhen2002
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58 Replies
Stazina profile image
Stazina

Parkinsons is caused by Nerve Cells in the brain breaking down; they're called Neurons and they produce Dopamine. The more the Neurons break down, the less Dopamine is made. When there's less Dopamine, there's more abnormal brain activity which causes Tremors, balance problems and so on. Parkinsons is usually not hereditary, but if you have a close relative with it, it increases your chances. some environmental factors can play a part like exposure to certain toxins like Pesticides.

I believe the cause of my husband's diagnosis to be caused by Alcoholism which has been chronic since his early 30's and now is 58.

Moorhen2002 profile image
Moorhen2002 in reply to Stazina

Thank you Stazina, very helpful.

Stazina profile image
Stazina in reply to Moorhen2002

😊

Enidah profile image
Enidah

I think there is pretty conclusive evidence that pesticides and insecticides can cause PD. I grew up on a farm and I think I got sprayed about as much as the fruit trees in the orchard plus we had of our well right next to the orchard. My sister has Addison’s and I have PD.

Moorhen2002 profile image
Moorhen2002 in reply to Enidah

Yes Enida I'm sure that the sprays on our food and what we breathe in has a lot to do with many illnesses. I was only talking about insecticides to my husband this morning, how are we supposed to wash vegetables like Brocoli it's pretty much impossible, I must wash it umpteen times but still cannot believe it's going to do us any good probably more harm than good!

Even organic farmers as I understand it are allowed to use a certain amount of some sprays.

Enidah profile image
Enidah in reply to Moorhen2002

Don’t forget, I’m talking about a very intensive exposure to these chemicals when growing up. Don’t be spooked out of eating a well balanced healthy diet. If a fruit has a thick skin such as an orange or bananas I don’t worry about buying organic but if it is spinach or apple or berries, things with direct contact with chemicals I buy organic.

Moorhen2002 profile image
Moorhen2002 in reply to Enidah

Trouble is Enidah when spraying eg. Oranges / peas etc there is an amount of overspray which gets into the soil which in turn is absorbed into the veg/ fruit. The trouble is we can't win so peeling /shelling makes little difference either we eat it or go without.

SilentEchoes profile image
SilentEchoes in reply to Moorhen2002

You can deactivate pesticides on the surface of fruits and vegetables by soaking them in water with baking soda to raise the ph of the water.

Unfortunately you can't do anything about the systemic chemicals. Eating organic food is demonstrated to lower pesticides in the body. It's an imperfect system but it is the best choice at the moment.

Certified non-GMO is a marketing gimmick, it means nothing. Products that state "all natural" are also just a marketing tool.

We switched to eating organic food 10 years ago, when there wasn't much available. We stopped eating out, this made buying organic food more affordable. It just tastes better.

Cleaning up your diet is the best thing you can do for your health. Nutrition is the cure for disease. You cannot recover if you keep poisoning yourself through ingestion of environmental toxins.

I agree with what Stazina said about the cause of PD, and it's not just PD, it's a whole host of neurodegenerative diseases. Even the genetic disorders can be helped with nutrition.

There isn't a silver bullet, multiple factors lead to us becoming ill and the protocol should be tailored to the individual. I believe this is where functional medicine will shine.

The nutritional protocol I am interested in is the Plant based Ketogenic Diet. The primary benefit is reduction of inflammation and brain support from healthy fats. You undo all the benefits if you eat food contaminated with chemicals.

I have also decided to treat my Parkinsonism/ALS as though it is cancer. We know cancer can be healed. So can neurological disorders; Terry Wahls, MD recovered from her MS using functional nutrition. She has a book and TEDx video. I'm intrigued by the Budwig protocol that uses protein and fats in a specific combination for cancer therapy.

My reasoning is that cancer and neurological disorders exist on a spectrum, cancer is on one end and neurodegeneration is on the other. Both are triggered by oxidative stress and production of reactive oxygen species in response to injury(s) that can be chronic or acute. This is where our genes come in to play. This was made clear to me when I learned that ALS is linked to non-hodgkin's lymphoma, and there is discussion that ALS is a paraneoplastic syndrome, ie cancer. There is hope for recovery. Causation is not acknowledged by the medical system, therefore we have to support each other. That's what makes this site and the people here so awesome!

Cheers to your health and healing. Happy Mother's Day!

Moorhen2002 profile image
Moorhen2002 in reply to SilentEchoes

Thank you SilentEchoes,

A lot of very good help & advice and you are so right this site and the people on it are second to none , I am so glad I joined I wish you all the very best.

Moorhen

Doohat profile image
Doohat in reply to Enidah

When I worked on a golf course I use to spray paraquat around the ponds to kill the cattails. Didn't wear any PPE and the stuff would be running down my arms usually whenever I sprayed it. Always wondered if that might have caused my Parkinson's. My father had Parkinson's, so there might be a genetic link too.

Moorhen2002 profile image
Moorhen2002 in reply to Doohat

Quite likely Doohat, I bet there was not much life left in the ponds either!!

Erictcole profile image
Erictcole in reply to Doohat

There's a lawsuit against that company for people with Parkinson's..

Doohat profile image
Doohat in reply to Doohat

The stuff was pretty potent. Within 48 hours the cattails would be brown and dead looking. Supposedly, according to the manufacturer, it doesn't harm the fish. I seriously doubt that now. I only came in contact with paraquat two or three times while working on the golf course, but I bet it had some effect on my health. It would be hard to prove though.

drgeri profile image
drgeri in reply to Doohat

If the fish survived, they would be poisonous to eat. That is what has happened in the southeast waterways. All the pesticide run off into the waterways killed many fish and the fish that survived are poisoning the people!

LAJ12345 profile image
LAJ12345

Some people have a gene for it but that’s not very common. Inflammation caused by diet may be a cause, possibly food sensitivities like gluten, dairy. Faults in some genes that stop vitamins being processed properly, some pharmaceuticals, heavy metals. Too much iron probably. Not enough vegetables in the diet, and too much animal products. Not enough exercise.

Moorhen2002 profile image
Moorhen2002 in reply to LAJ12345

Yes LAJ12345 I agree with you, there are so many things too in our past that we have long since forgotten that we have exposed ourselves to and which have crept up on us with one illness or another.

Casey953 profile image
Casey953

Letra de música

PDGal4 profile image
PDGal4

In my case, I believe partly attributable to overexposure to toluene and other chemicals in childhood. My father worked out of our basement making furniture. The toluene is a glue for Formica, a bright turquoise color as I remember it, with a very strong smell. It's on the list. But I was also exposed to lacquer thinner, lacquer, stains, etc. My father had Parkinson's, my mother a form of dementia. I've had 23 and Me test and don't have any of the genes they look for.

I have friends with PD who, like Enidah, grew up on farms and were overexposed to pesticides.

Moorhen2002 profile image
Moorhen2002 in reply to PDGal4

Yes PDGa14 there is some nasty stuff out there and we all fail to protect ourselves properly when using them, even household cleaning products which we do not need a license to buy can cause a lot of illness and do we really need much of it. I think not!

LAJ12345 profile image
LAJ12345 in reply to PDGal4

Do you have mthfr gene? It means you can’t process b vitamins properly and might need to supplement.

PDGal4 profile image
PDGal4 in reply to LAJ12345

Per 23andMe I have the CC genotype at rs6812193 near the SCARB2 gene associated with about 1.2 times higher odds of Parkinson's disease compared to individuals with the CT genotype, and those with the TT genotype had about 1.2 times lower odds of Parkinson's disease.

I have GG at rs10513789 where each copy of a G at rs10513789 in the MCCC1 gene was

associated with 0.8 times the odds of Parkinson's disease.

I don’t fully understand the whole report. How do you find out if you have the mthfr gene?

Patman60 profile image
Patman60

I think the important question Is to look at your body currently and determine what health conditions may be contributing to the progression of the disease. Here is a list I can think of.

Heavy metals, general toxins like pesticides, leaky gut syndrome, mycotoxin Stress, drug use and alcohol, bad diet marcons And I’m sure is a long list of other diseases That can stress the brain gut and the body that will contribute to the progression of disease

Moorhen2002 profile image
Moorhen2002 in reply to Patman60

Hi Patman60,

My body has had its fair share of stress, two neck operations, being a cervical discectomy and a cervical Corpectomy with fusion in 2008, recently I had Auto immune haemolytic anaemia which is ok at the moment but can return at any time only to be diagnosed with PD 17 months ago which I think was possibly brewing up to 3-4 years ago, so plenty of stress which is still ongoing especially from my neck.

I'm on Sinemet which causes thumping headaches, 2 x 3 times a day but in the last week or so I have reduced slightly by 1/2 twice a day which seems to be helping until today as I woke up with a headache this morning. I have also started on Vitamin B1 hcl 2x 500mg Thiamine . But my tremor, Left leg and left /h fingers have got worse could be reduction in Sinemet or introduction of the Thiamine. It's all trial and error so just have to ride out the storm !! What will win Headaches or Tremor I'm thinking the lessor of the two evils is the tremor!

Patman60 profile image
Patman60 in reply to Moorhen2002

With your neck issues you may want to research the glymphatic system which removes waste from the brain to better understand how to maintain its optimum performance -,sleep hydration chiropractic care Good luck

Moorhen2002 profile image
Moorhen2002 in reply to Patman60

Hi Patman60

Thank you for your advice and good wishes.

Yes I should drink more water and I am not getting enough sleep but Chiropractic care, no good for me as I have 3 vertebrae fused together c5-6 & c6-7 the result of a bone graft taken from my hip on my second operation plus a titanium plate to hold it all together, the third fusion happened when the bone graft having found a good blood supply continued to grow and tracked down between my spinal column and the titanium plate and has now fused the T1 so you can imagine that a chiropractor is not a good idea.

It has caused me many years of pain and discomfort. I just hope that it stops and that it does not decide to interfere with my spinal column. Every time my neck or head aches I can't help thinking that something nasty is going on in there.

On my last visit to my surgeon I asked ( after being shown the x-ray of what was happening)

'' does that mean that my neck would become more rigid''

He looked at me and said brusquely ''Iive with it''

I think he was having a bad day!

LAJ12345 profile image
LAJ12345 in reply to Patman60

Yes I agree.

Here is a post I made from a wee while ago. I wonder how many people have issues with their sinuses not effectively working so the brains waste disposal is not working properly. It does seem a likely contributor.

healthunlocked.com/parkinso...

sandmarg profile image
sandmarg

I have Parkinsons. I've never lived on a farm. None of my family members have pd. I left home n worked n lived with most of my best friends I've known for 33 yrs none have pd. I hate gardening n avoid it. I don't know how I got this disease. I just want a cure

Intrepid200 profile image
Intrepid200 in reply to sandmarg

Likewise

Scorpio1944 profile image
Scorpio1944 in reply to sandmarg

Gardening gets you out in the sun at least. Or you could just sit in the sun which provides multiple benefits like brain derived neurotrophic factor, melanin, melatonin and serotonin. The circadian rhythm is central to PD and that can be partly managed with sun exposure. See the book "Embrace the Sun". There is a gradient of incidence going north to south geographically so what does that tell us?

rngrav profile image
rngrav in reply to Scorpio1944

And I forgot to mention the vitamin D benefit from sun exposure but it is so much more than that.

LAJ12345 profile image
LAJ12345 in reply to sandmarg

Possibly diet then? You may be exposed to pesticides in food.

Or sensitive to gluten or dairy or processed food with additives? You may have gene defects that mean you can’t process toxic additives, pharmaceuticals etc , or can’t utilise vitamins properly. If youhave had antibiotics or steroids as a child you may not have good gut bacteria?

Intrepid200 profile image
Intrepid200

Parkinson's disease is Hereditary my father died from complications from the disease .At age 50 I was diagnosed with it although I have worked in the beauxite mining industry as Security officers in my native Jamaica. I am convinced that its hereditary

Other than the food source I was never exposed to chemical's, too much speculation about this darn disease hence there is no cure even the medical community after over 100 yrs still speculating omg.

LAJ12345 profile image
LAJ12345 in reply to Intrepid200

The genes involved might not be the Parkinson’s gene, but the ones that allow you to process vitamins, or allow your liber to detox effectively.

2Farmboys profile image
2Farmboys

Lyme and coinfections, mold toxicity, heavy metals, Candida/gut health, etc.

sisrro profile image
sisrro in reply to 2Farmboys

2Farmboys, my mother was diagnosed with lyme about 6 months before her PD diagnosis. Don’t know how long she had the Lyme. I’ve often thought there is a link and have tried to pursue this but without much luck. She was treated for the Lyme so most medical professionals considered her treated/cured. I suspect she’s suffering from chronic Lyme symptoms that are complicating/compounding her PD. Curious given your comment if you have any additional info about a possible link/how to talk to health care professionals about this? Thanks!

2Farmboys profile image
2Farmboys in reply to sisrro

Mainstream med is a joke when it comes down to this. Seek the help of an integrated dr or functional med dr. I have a great one that we go to. We are in western pa.

jujulini profile image
jujulini

Mercury in vaccines, and in my case a mercury amalgam filling that was removed improperly was the icing on the cake. See my profile for details.

Alwezonmymind profile image
Alwezonmymind

My father had PD and so does my older sister, so it can be hereditary.

PEB69 profile image
PEB69

So many variables as to what can cause PD. What contributed to my husbands PD I believe is: gallbladder removal early 20's, abnormal LFT's all adult life except for the last year, ex farmer used to spray roundup etc with no protection so constant spray drift, liberal pesticide use on farm animals, working in water treatment industry with many chemicals, working in toxic sites such as ex mines and timber mills to remediate land, was raised on a dairy farm where 'back in the day' they used chemicals on everything, liberal use of derris dust (retenone) on home garden growing up and up until 5 years ago when I found a link to PD. So I believe due to the obvious liver dysfunction early on his body has been unable to detoxify and handle all the stresses these life events have thrown at him. Also there is a melanoma PD link, his sister has had 3 melanomas removed, he has PD and 4x risk of melanomas - so genetic factor too? Havent tested for mthfr gene but functional dr says all testing points to mthfr mutation so this would have contributed too. Also emotional stress, have had a couple of very major life issues with one of our children.

condor39 profile image
condor39

The truth is, we do not know, but here you will read some interesting theories.

A fervent belief in something, however sincerely held, is not proof.

Gioc profile image
Gioc in reply to condor39

Moreover, trying to survive is not a crime, but the primary impulse of Life.

Rhyothemis profile image
Rhyothemis

Phenotype = Genotype + Environment + Genotype x Environment Interaction

Some people have genes that increase risk, some people have environmental exposures that increase risk, and some people have genes that increase risk under the influence of specific environmental factors - most probably have some combination of these factors. Disease development depends on having enough factors all together to tip the scale towards the disease state.

The basic causal chain is: something causes a large amount of ROS to be generated -> endoplasmic reticulum stress -> misfolded alpha synuclein -> aggregation of misfolded alpha synuclein -> death of neurons, activation of microglia & astrocytes ->

and around back to making more ROS, lather, rinse, repeat

Here's a link to a diagram illustrating the process:

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

Traumatic brain injury and acute kidney injury are each associated with a higher risk of developing PD. My father had Multiple System Atrophy, which is a synucleinopathy like PD. He was an amateur heavy weight boxer in the early 50's; the fight officials were not so good about making sure the boxers did not get 'punch drunk' and on one occasion he left his opponent permanently (and obviously) brain injured. Repeated brain trauma causes a lot of inflammation which generates a lot of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

As others have mentioned pesticide exposure is associated with increased risk. Paraquat and rotenone inhibit complex I of the respiratory chain in mitochondria; the mitochondrial dysfunction causes the generation of ROS. An a-hole limnology grad student put rotenone in my dinner ~25 yrs ago; I have some bad genes that aren't directly associated with PD, but are linked to inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction. I'll find out in a few years what happens, I guess...

Gioc profile image
Gioc in reply to Rhyothemis

Very interesting Ryothemis,

Something about ROS and the role of Thiamine

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

Rhyothemis profile image
Rhyothemis in reply to Gioc

Very interesting - added to my Zotero account. I was just thinking about the role of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) & that perhaps I have been too focused on ROS. That thiamine is effective in reducing ER stress is really encouraging.

~

Methylene blue reduces the formation of RNS and some people take it (sometimes the aquarium grade stuff ) for 'cognitive enhancement', but I'm too chicken to do that. Witch hazel extract is a peroxynitrite (a major form of RNS) scavenger. Thiamine's probably safer than either one of those.

~

Uric acid is also a peroxynitrite scavenger; it's good to be in the 'uric acid sweet spot':

youtu.be/mc_IrKSNnVc

~

TUDCA reduces ER stress.

LAJ12345 profile image
LAJ12345

I really recommend you listen to this. It is about fatigue, mitochondrial function, and talks about MS but I believe this could also be the key to PD too.

theenergyblueprint.com/mito...

Bcarroll profile image
Bcarroll

My Parkinson’s was caused by MOLD! check your house for mold - and chemicals “- that is the first thing I would do!

lkmisc profile image
lkmisc in reply to Bcarroll

How were you able to know that mold was the cause of PD? How did you go about getting your house tested and was it expensive? I'm wondering about our own home.

Bcarroll profile image
Bcarroll in reply to lkmisc

Look up dr Richard Shoemaker - he has a lot of answers to your questions . My immunologist Went to a conference and learned how to test for mold. She tested me and my test came out that I had a lot of mold and different kinds of molds in my body. She said get out of your house right away because if you have a mold in your body it’s in your house. I then tested my house for mold and sure enough there was mold I couldn’t see it I couldn’t smell it but it was there and it was the kind of mold that causes Parkinson’s. Dr. Shoemaker has a list of doctors that throughout the country that know how to treat this. Some People get healed by using different programs that work on the limbic system. If you have any other questions feel free to write. I hope this helps you

lkmisc profile image
lkmisc in reply to Bcarroll

Thanks for responding! I did find studies linking a certain mold to PD, but further studies still have to be conducted. Other than moving if a house has mold, how does one detox if the damage has already occurred, and continues to occur, from mold resulting in the PD diagnosis?

Bcarroll profile image
Bcarroll in reply to lkmisc

The truth as I see it and experienced it is I could never go back into the house after spending about 80000 to fix it. I threw everything away and started over - this is what my doctors told me to do . Move out if a moldy house and zFAST - it can kill you. First move to a clean no mold no chemicals environment and then Work on your limbic system disorder caused from the mold - ie Howard Shifke - I would look into Shifke’s program - BUY HIS BOOK ON AMAZON/ FIGHTING PARKINSONS AND WINNING / read his blog and sign up for his counseling - it s the best thing you can do for yourself / change your diet , your life \ forgive everyone / and yourself / reading the Bible and going to church helped me - stay away from doctors - Change everything learn that you don’t have the option of entertaining negative thoughts. Buy the book YOUR THOUGHTS ARE KILLING YOU by Marybeth wurnschel and know that healing takes s lot of effort and time ! Hope this is s start

Jandeb profile image
Jandeb

Most degenerative conditionsare the result of a storm composed of multiple factors laid onto a set of particular group of a number of genes. The factors could be heavy metals (which can inhibit the enzymes that detox pesticides etc), numerous chemicals that pollute our processed and sprayed foods, water and air. A vast array of pathogens (virus', bacteria, mold...) that can invade our brains via blood, the nose and the gut. Further, add to that excess sugar (a cause of inflammation and glycation (which can trigger a host of unwanted chemistries). Additionally there is that chronic stress to accelerate the harmful effects of the above. Combine that with a lack of the right stuff (lots of clean plants, wild caught fish, clean meats, sunshine, fresh air,exercise, peace, loving relationships, adequate sleep). "Cook" all this over time and we have a problem that can't be successful treated with one drug.

Moorhen2002 profile image
Moorhen2002 in reply to Jandeb

How right you are Jandeb, well said, if only we could turn back the clock knowing what we know now, maybe we would not be in the situation we now find ourselves in.

Jandeb profile image
Jandeb in reply to Moorhen2002

I believe that if we can find the offending agents And get rid of them, we can at least slow things down and it best to stop it’s progress. Then we can work on Neuro regeneration.

Gioc profile image
Gioc in reply to Jandeb

Jandeb ,

Not necessarily: the body has its defenses if it is in good condition. I mean, if you put the body or its organ like dopaminergic cells in good condition they will save themself.

Depends on how it matters or for whom it matters. When I was newly diagnosed, I was obsessing over what I may have done wrong and what went wrong. My doctor thought I was psychotic and my friends and family thought I was going nuts. Until I explained to everyone that it mattered to me because if I could change anything that contributed to the disease, I could hope to stop the progression.

I don’t think that cells keep on dying as a natural consequence of the disease. Repeated exposure to the same causative factors must have something to do with the disease progression. It doesn’t help that doctors say that they “just don’t know “

lkmisc profile image
lkmisc

I did find studies linking a certain mold to PD, but further studies still have to be conducted. Other than moving if a house has mold, how does one detox if the damage has already occurred, and continues to occur, from mold as the PD progresses?

Bcarroll profile image
Bcarroll in reply to lkmisc

Move out of that house as quickly as is possible and move into a clean environment with no mold and no chemicals. There are a lot of things that you can use for detox you can do saunas you can take IVs you can use Glutathione some doctors use other types of medications To clear the body of the mold. But as I said in my last answer the exposure to the mold and the chemicals causes a limbic system disorder which must be worked on ..

I would suggest you clean up your diet eat healthy - Change everything clean up your relationships forgive everyone for everything etc. etc. etc. as I said going to church and reading the Bible helped me a lot

andrehypnotic profile image
andrehypnotic

Stress,depression,anxiety and over training.

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