More on PD-gut connection

[felixned]

I don't believe this was posted here before and I thought it was very interesting:

parkinson.org/blog/science-...

Personally I see such strong connection between what I eat and my PD that I wonder at times if I have some sort of digestive system disorder with neurological symptoms. A while back someone posted some information about a gastroenterologist in Australia who greatly improved his patients' PD by treating their intestinal problems. I believe he even applied for some patents. if anybody here tried this rout please share your thoughts.

[GymBag]

I had occasion a few years ago to take a massive amount of anti-bacterial medications of every type the doctors could get their hands on. I was taking them by mouth and by intravenous pump for about 6 weeks to fight an infection in my leg. They saved my leg (and maybe my life) and I clearly noticed that my PD symptoms were almost completely eliminated . We reduced the amount of PD medication that I was taking a little amount but after a few months the PD was back as before and med levels resumed .

My doctor suggested that there is a bacteria in our gut that retards the uptake of the PD meds and that we had temporarily eliminated it , allowing the medication free access to the brain . I am not so sure what happened.

[Hidden in reply to GymBag]

Interesting. I returned from my trip abroad in August with a foot injury and infection. I went straight to the hospital. I was immediately put on IV antibiotics.

I am on Rytary and the doctors and nurses here had no idea what that medication was. So, for two days they did not give me my medicine for Parkinson’s on time till they figured it out. Essentially, I got the medicine every 8 hours instead of 4. I was amazed that I had no tremor and no discomfort. I ate normally(I don’t usually eat during the day when I am on Rytary for better absorption). I had a foot MRI done as well as an ultrasound and X-ray. I was able to be absolutely still during the imaging with no tremors. I was just on bare minimum meds.

I chalked this experience up to jet lag. Now, after your experience, I am not so sure. BTW, I have been told that Parkinson’s patients who undergo colonoscopy under propofol anesthesia reported incredible improvement in symptoms for a long time after the procedure.

There is much that we don’t know about the condition.

[GymBag in reply to Hidden]

I would estimate that we are not much higher on the PD information level than 1960 when the Austrian biochemist Oleh Hornykiewicz, suggested that the disease was associated with, or caused by, a reduction in the levels of dopamine in the basal ganglia of the brain.

A lot of effort , a lot of money and a lot more people with it and not much advance from that. I have low expectations from DBS , maybe Ultra Sound or Genetics but I feel its along way off . Dont wait for it. hahahahaahaha

[felixned in reply to GymBag]

Unfortunately I have to agree with you. It is clear that there's no good animal model for this disease. Without it it's very unlikely there will be pharmaceutical break through. To have good animal model you need to understand the etiology of the disease.