If levodopa is used as a lifetime remedy, your body's intricate system for monitoring hormones will be short circuited. Sensitivity of the monitoring system is degraded and the system itself is eventually disabled.
I read this in a book, is this true? How should a PwP solve this if he/she needs levodopa/mucuna at some point in time? Or is there any alternative?
Here are the full extracts:
“Many people think of Parkinson's simplistically as a deficiency of dopamine. The "disease" is described by most health care providers as such. (…) Even if there is a deficiency of dopamine, the critical question turns on what is causing the deficiency of dopamine. There can be many reasons for this.”
“Symptoms of Parkinson's are aggravated by imbalances of over 39 different neurotransmitters. When you take Mucuna (or any dopamine supplement for that matter) you are making a decision to focus on only a tiny fraction of the problem. The body makes very fine adjustments to the production and distribution of hormones continuously, second by second, minute by minute. Your body initiates a maze of intricate adjustments to produce and distribute the other 38 neurotransmitters when you take any dopamine lookalike. Ingesting a single synthetic hormone once a day creates an instant imbalance. The body is challenged with the task of re-balancing all the other 38 hormones that must be continuously manufactured and distributed to the tissues. The "adjustment" that comes from taking a dopamine supplement is crude. Mucuna is taken once or twice a day. The body produces and distributes hormones continuously each and every second of the day. Do the math. The difference is mind-boggling. If the choice is between the body and Mucuna, I am betting on the body to do a better job at balancing hormones.”
“A second challenge you will encounter if you decide to take Mucuna - and keep in mind this may be a good choice for you - is that you are giving your body the signal it does not need to produce dopamine on its own. Think like your body and you will understand the long term consequences of what happens when you take a dopamine producing supplement like Mucuna.”
“Here is the decision sequence: Your body is busy with the work of adjusting and balancing hormones which, after all, is one of its important jobs. Mucuna mysteriously appears in the digestive system. There is suddenly and unexpectedly an external intrusion into the body. The body begins to ponder:
"Who is in charge here?"
A critical function of the body is suddenly and unexpectedly being handled by someone else. The mind then says to itself:
"If someone else is doing my job, why should I bother?"
Isn't this just what you do when someone else begins doing the job you thought was your responsibility?”
“A reason that cells in the substantia nigra wither away is because dopamine is being supplied by an external source. Cells that produce dopamine are no longer needed. You either use it or lose it. In this case your body eventually loses this capability as it surrenders its responsibility for producing dopamine.”
“(…) also observed (…) that Mucuna can induce the "same adverse effects as synthetic levodopa if consumed in large quantities over a long period.”
“To summarize, Mucuna may provide welcome relief in the short term. But, if it is used as a lifetime remedy, your body's intricate system for monitoring hormones will be short circuited. Sensitivity of the monitoring system is degraded and the system itself is eventually disabled. Your body gradually gives up its charge at birth to maintain health and wellness. You eventually begin to feel lousy as your overall health deteriorates."
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