How to Live with Parkinson's Disease
I recently learned that a long-time friend has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. That elicited my response to research and try to find ways to help her live with the disorder.
Parkinson’s Disease has become the world’s fastest growing neurological disorder. There is no cure, but diet, exercise and medication can help a person live a more normal life.
I first encountered this disease over thirty years ago, before there was any lifestyle research.
My father-in-law, Jack, retired when he was sixty-five, and promptly purchased a small cattle ranch. He loved going out there to work in the garden and to help the ranch manager with the cows.
After ranching for a couple of years, he developed some strange symptoms - tremors, stiffness, weakness, slow movements, trouble walking and constipation. A doctor’s visit and some tests confirmed he had Parkinson’s Disease.
He was able to continue his active ranching life for a couple of years before his symptoms became overwhelming.
WHAT IS PARKINSON’S DISEASE?
Parkinson’s disease results from damage to an area of the brain called the substantia nigra, which produces large amounts of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control movement and coordination. Therefore, insufficient production of dopamine results in the major symptoms characteristic of Parkinson’s disease.
WHAT ARE SOME RISK FACTORS FOR PARKINSON’S DISEASE?
There are now more than one hundred studies linking pesticides to an increased risk for Parkinson’s disease. Approximately one billion pounds of pesticides are applied annually in the United States, and simply living or working in high-spray areas may increase your risk.
Even common household pesticides, like bug spray, are associated with significantly increased risk. Most pesticides work by interfering with the nervous system of insects, so findings of brain damage in people exposed to pesticides and other environmental chemicals should be no surprise.
A history of head-trauma can also be an increased risk factor, as can a history of melanoma.
The strongest contact we have with our environment is through our food. In a study done by the American Cancer Society it was found that men who consumed more than two glasses of milk on a daily basis had twice the incidence of Parkinson’s disease as men who did not drink cow’s milk.
A meta-analysis of studies involving over three hundred thousand participants found those people who consumed the most dairy products had a significantly increased risk in the development of Parkinson’s Disease.
A Harvard study of about 130,000 people found that people who eat more berries appear to have a lower risk of developing the disease.
Chronic constipation is a characteristic feature of Parkinson’s Disease. It has been found that men who don’t have a daily bowel movement are four times more likely to develop Parkinson’s Disease years later. The longer feces remain in the bowel, the more neurotoxic chemicals from the diet are absorbed into the body.
The highest levels of pesticides are found in foods high on the food chain—meaning animal foods such as: meat, poultry, eggs, fish, and dairy products. Estimates are that 89% to 99% of the chemical intake into our body is from our food, and most of this is from foods high on the food chain.
Fish and other marine life are especially important sources of brain-damaging chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and methylmercury.
A vegetarian lifestyle can lower the body burden of pollutants, but those benefits can be undermined if a person adds milk and egg products back into his diet.
WHAT IS THE TREATMENT FOR PARKINSON’S DISEASE?
The most effective therapy (levodopa) for Parkinson’s disease is now fifty years old. It is a very effective medication, but tends to lose it’s effectiveness after four to five years of usage. In 1913 it was discovered that levodopa was found in fava beans. In fact, the amount of levodopa in fava beans is enough to be pharmacologically active in Parkinson’s disease.
Dopamine deficiency is the hallmark feature in Parkinson’s disease and L-dopa crosses the blood-brain barrier and is converted into dopamine.
The medication is so specific that a “levodopa challenge test” can confirm a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. If a patient's symptoms improve, then they are likely to have Parkinson's, ruling out other neurological diseases.
In a 1992 issue of the Journal of Neurology, an experiment of five healthy volunteers and six patients with Parkinson’s disease ate 250 g of cooked broad beans after 12 hours without treatment. During the next four hours a substantial clinical improvement was noted, three patients showed the plasma levodopa concentrations rose.
The consumption of fava beans can increase the levels of L-dopa and C-dopa in the blood, with a marked improvement in the motor performance of the patients with Parkinson’s disease, without any side effects.
However, they mirror the drug so well, that an abrupt withdrawal of the beans, just like the drug, can cause drastic withdrawal symptoms, called MNLS.
Some people have a genetic mutation which can also cause problems with fava beans. Testing for G6PD would be a good idea before using fava beans as a treatment.
Until more information is available, Parkinson’s combo drugs like Sinemet should remain the first line therapy, but adding beans to one’s diet may only help.
SOME CONTRAINDICATIONS TO TREATMENT WITH ANIMAL PROTEIN
Because L-dopa and proteins in the diet use the same transportation system in the intestine and the blood-brain barrier, a high protein diet, based on meats, dairy products, eggs, and fish results in a competition that can reduce the effectiveness of the drug.
Patients are often advised to avoid those proteins during the day and to just eat them at the evening meal in order to improve the effectiveness of their medication.
However, eating these animal foods at the evening meal means the patient cannot move all night long— being unable to turn over in bed, get up to use the bathroom, or adjust their bedclothes.
There is a belief that animal foods are the only reliable source of “good” protein. The truth is that a plant-based diet provides all the necessary proteins and amino acids a person needs. The plant-based proteins can be eaten day or night and will not interfere with the drug.
HOW TO LIVE WITH PARKINSON’S DISEASE
Keep away from bug sprays in your house and yard.
Someone with Parkinson’s disease needs to be as healthy as possible, and they especially need to avoid other problems, like obesity, type-2 diabetes, arthritis, and bowel dysfunctions, which are known to be caused by the Western diet. The brain tissue that has been lost, will not grow back, but the goal is to slow down or stop the progression of the disease.
To do this, people with Parkinson’s disease will want to eliminate foods high on the food chain, like meats and dairy products. Replace the animal foods with foods low on the food chain, such as: beans and legumes, potatoes and sweet potatoes, rice, whole grains, corn, and pastas. Then add vegetables and fruits—(preferably organically grown).
People with Parkinson’s disease often suffer with constipation, which is relieved by dietary fiber found in plant foods and by removal of dairy proteins, which paralyze the bowels.
Fiber alone may not solve your constipation problem, so drink several glasses of water each day, preferably in the morning and afternoon so you won’t have the urge to urinate at night.
If you want to feel your best, combine your new healthy diet with exercise. Research has shown that regular exercise can improve Parkinson’s disease symptoms.
Falls are a real danger to Parkinson’s patients so doing exercises that encourage balance and require coordination of both sides of the body have been shown to help keep patient’s upright.
Take between 350-400 mg/day of magnesium to help with fatigue, muscle cramping and constipation. Don’t overdo it as it can cause diarrhea.
Pneumonia is another risk for people with Parkinson’s, so eating a healthy plant-based diet can help keep your immune system in peak condition. Research has also shown that high levels of bacteria in your mouth (by not brushing your teeth or cleaning your dentures) is another risk factor for pneumonia.
Take 1,000 mcg/day of vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin). It has been found to help your motor and cognitive symptoms. Don’t take it as part of a multivitamin.
Drink two cups of coffee a day or four cups of black tea or eight cups of green tea (in the morning or afternoon). It has been shown to significantly improve movement symptoms of Parkinson’s patients within three weeks.
Avoid taking medications as much as possible because they add toxicity of the liver.
People who eat a dairy-free, plant-based diet were found to have much lower blood levels of PCBs which are implicated in the development of Parkinson’s Disease.
FOODS THAT CONTRIBUTE HEAVY METALS TO YOUR BODY
Chicken is the number one food source of arsenic in children. Tuna is the number one food source of arsenic in adults.
A single serving of fish each week contains more mercury than a dozen mercury-containing vaccines.
Most DDT comes from meat, particularly fish.
The highest PCB contamination is found in fish and fish oil. Other sources of PCB are eggs, dairy and meat.
Hexachlorobenzene is found mainly in dairy and meat, including fish.
PFCs are overwhelmingly found in fish and other meats.
Tetrahydroisoquinoline, a compound that is used to induce Parkinson’s disease in laboratory animals is found predominately in cheese.
The top source for lead is dairy.
The top source for mercury is seafood.
Most DDT and PCB comes from meat, particularly fish.
Hexachlorobenzene, a pesticide banned nearly fifty years ago is found today in dairy and meat, including fish.
The most concentrated source of dioxins, in the United States, is in butter, followed by eggs, processed meats and farm-raised catfish.
BEST DIET PLAN
People who eat a dairy-free, plant-based diet were found to have much lower blood levels of PCBs which are implicated in the development of Parkinson’s Disease.
If you are on conventional drug therapy, will beans help?
In a 1994 issue of Clinical Neuropharmacology, researchers described a study where they gave a salad made of carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, and 1/2 cup of freshly chopped fava sprouts to the participants. The researchers were able to observe substantial clinical improvement in Parkinson’s patients. Other beans also have small amounts of levadopa, so you might want to add some to your meals.
In the Journal of the Neurological Sciences (2016), researchers described adding 11 g (about one and a half tablespoons) of roasted soy beans to the diet of Parkinson’s patients who were on therapeutic levadopa. They saw a decrease in involuntary movements later in the day.
Until more information is available, Parkinson’s combo drugs like Sinemet should remain the first line therapy, but adding beans to one’s diet may only help.
Best of luck as you strive to get your immune system as healthy as possible!
