https://www.sciencealert.com/parkinsons-may-be-caused-by-a-common-aquatic-bacterium
Thank you so much.
★★★★★
CBD, which I have been associated with and studied as a medical professional for decades (and owner inceptor of 2 CBD stores) is covered in National Institutes of Heal and Pub Med studies that weakly show its effectiveness against Parkinsons and all spasmodic disorders. Why do you think that people flocked to Colorado to use CBD a dedade ago when it was only used here? Why do you think Sanjay Gupta MD cried when he saw seizures disappear in minutes with his own eyes and apologized profusely for ever maligining CBD? In our stores we have a ledger that people weigh in with to describe their personal results and it is incredible what CBD does for pain, inflammation and relaxation right down to the nervous system which is why seizures and Parkinsons commonly stop forever. Supposedly, 47% of children have stopped all seizures in one day and forever. Why in the world do people think that CBD is marijuana? It cannot get you high and has almost zero thc which is another great and innocent healer. In our stores we have people with Parkinsons with resting tremors so bad they need an attendant to function and one week later they roll into the store to get some more CBD completely functional and independent. Look, I am a combat injured Marine from Viet Nam who got the high medical degree in therapeutic science OTR at 50 years old. I do not lie. Just study a bit and you will be astonished.... try CBD vs Parkinsons....CBD vs seizures... CBD vs cancer .. CBD vs pain, inflammation, depression like that. Just study. I am only asking that people get rid of old habits and look at these realities and truths. I never prescribe anything. I only ask people to study and heal as they wish.
Melatonin
★★★★★
This new meta-analysis (10/10/2023) of randomized controlled trials (RCT's) utilizing melatonin in people with PD suggests that melatonin is useful for PD at 10 mg/day and even more so at 50 mg/day or more, and usage length of a year or more is additive to the beneficial effects of melatonin in PD.
Immediate-release melatonin was shown to be superior to prolonged release melatonin. It is also suggested that earlier application of melatonin in the disease may be even more beneficial than application in advanced disease states.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1265789/full
Some relevant quotes from the meta-analysis of RCTs :
' These findings reinforce the rationale of our study, suggesting that melatonin, when used in specific treatment regimens, may alleviate symptom severity and reduce sleep disturbances in Parkinson's disease.'
' Analysis of UPDRS total scores indicate that after at least 12 weeks of treatment, melatonin significantly impacts Parkinson's disease progression when doses of ≥10 mg/day are used. This trend of enhanced melatonin efficacy with higher doses at longer treatment durations has been consistently reported in trails comparing 50 mg/day melatonin with 0.25 mg (61,62) and 50 mg/day melatonin with 5 mg (63) for various outcomes. Furthermore, trials included in our analysis also reported significant results with 50 mg/day melatonin for 1 year (56) and non-significant results with 10 mg/day or 4 mg/day melatonin for 12 weeks (57,58). These findings, supported further by melatonin's ability to exhibit virtually no acute or chronic toxicity (64,65), strongly advocate its long-term utilization at higher doses as a safe choice. '
' Analysis of UPDRS total scores in groups receiving melatonin ≥10 mg/day revealed significant results with no heterogeneity (I2 = 0%). However, including studies with <10 mg doses increased heterogeneity substantially (I2 = 63%). Potential contributors may include dose-dependent and formulation-dependent pharmacokinetics of melatonin, as low dose studies used prolonged release formulations and high dose studies used immediate release formulations (44). Moreover, variations in treatment duration could also play a role, as longer durations with higher doses consistently demonstrated enhanced efficacy in previous studies (56–58). '
' Apart from dosage and duration, a crucial difference among these trails was the timing of melatonin intervention. In the significant study (56), melatonin was initiated in newly diagnosed patients immediately after observing a satisfactory response to anti-Parkinson's therapy. In contrast, patients in non-significant studies (57,58) had mean disease duration of 5.7 ± 1.9 and 5.0 ± 3.9 years respectively, indicating significant pre-existing damage at the time of melatonin introduction. This selection of patients with longer disease duration and introduction of melatonin at a later stage reveal an inherent flaw, as starting melatonin before neuronal loss is crucial for its free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties (18,19,31,33,42) to effectively prevent degeneration and reduce symptom severity in Parkinson's disease. In addition, a sub-analysis focusing on only immediate-release formulations, also yielded significant results, however, use of prolonged-release formulation in only one study (58) hinders appropriate comparisons. '
' Hence, melatonin can indirectly lead to an improvement in motor symptoms through sleep improvement. This effect appears to be unrelated to its antioxidant properties, indicating a multifaceted potential for melatonin in Parkinson's disease treatment. '
' As far as we know, a systematic categorization of melatonin into dose groups for motor symptoms and sleep disturbances in Parkinson's disease has not been conducted before, and is a defining feature of this meta-analysis. Furthermore, it strongly recommends the use of long-term, high-dose immediate-release melatonin in future investigations and emphasizes the significance of selecting patients with shorter disease duration and initiating melatonin early to fully explore its true therapeutic potential. '
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
My favorite quote from this meta-analysis:
' These findings, supported further by melatonin's ability to exhibit virtually no acute or chronic toxicity (64,65), strongly advocate its long-term utilization at higher doses as a safe choice. '
I'm glad to see studies confirming the potential of melatonin in PwP, whereas earlier studies only hinted at such possibilities based on the known healthful methods of action of melatonin in humans.
Art
AEP
Acupuncture, Detox Herbal Remedies
Mucuna Pruriens
You are replying to a post that is 5 years old in which case the original writer is not likely to reply. I will try and give you a little information to give you and idea about what is involved with the use of MP.
Regarding MP, in a couple of studies it has shown to have similar to slightly better effects than prescription levodopa products. It also does not cause the oxidative stress that levodopa has shown in studies to cause. It also offers other health benefits. Those are some of the positives.
On the negative side, it takes huge doses of pure MP to equate to Sinemet dosing and such huge doses have the potential to cause stomach upset and are hard to take.
Manufacturers are aware of this issue and decided to make "extract versions" of MP so that a smaller, more tolerable dose can be taken. But even with extract versions, it still requires relatively large doses. One problem with the most potent extract versions is that they are essentially levodopa with little if any of the beneficial components that pure MP contains. So you don't really get any of the beneficial effects of the MP.
What some PwP do, is combine a lesser dose of Sinemet or other levodopa based drug with an extract version of MP in order to get the added benefits associated with the use of MP in conjunction with the stability and uniformity of a drug like Sinemet or Madopar. I think this is what you will find once you have done research into MP in all of its many forms.
A common form of MP extract that some PwP find benefit with is Dopa Boost :
This is an interesting product that combines MP extract with other supplements that have shown benefit for PwP. It also uses EGCG, the active component from green tea to act similarly to the Carbidopa component of the combination drug Sinemet which is comprised of Carbidopa and Levodopa. It also contains other PD useful supplements such as N Acetyl L-Tyrosine, vitamin B6 and Quercetin.
PwP use Dopa Boost with a levodopa drug like Sinemet. Sounds simple, right? Not that simple though because, in general, neurologists and movement disorder specialist are not going to be familiar with MP or a product such as Dopa Boost, and this means they will not be able to help you determine an ideal dose combination between your prescription levodopa and your non prescription MP product.
This means you will be on your own to figure out the most effective dosing of both products for you. Even if you find someone that has already done the leg work to figure out through trial and error what their best dosing schedule is for the combination of MP extract and levodopa drug is, you will only be able to use their information as a rough guideline and you will still have to fine tune your dose to meet your specific needs through trial and error.
On this general subject of alternative PD remedies, there are several that I am aware of that have shown varying degrees of benefit in improving quality of life, but like levodopa drug products, there is usually a need for trial and error testing or a learning curve to figure out the best dosing schedule for you.
In PD, there are no cures on the horizon, only various alternatives to try and improve your quality of life. If you are interested in any of those other options, I can offer you some information regarding them if I am familiar with your choice.
Art
Mucuna Pruriens
Acupuncture, Detox Herbal Remedies
If you haven't already, you might consider looking into vitamin B1/Thiamine at high dose. It doesn't work for every PwP, but it is helpful for the majority, but it can be difficult to pinpoint the correct dose. It can be a process of trial and error.
I can make another recommendation or two, but you didn't give much info in terms of her symptoms. It would be helpful to know that information. Btw, she is quite young to be diagnosed with PD as the most predictive factor for PD is age. What method did her neurologist use to diagnose her?
At just 3 pills of levodopa per day, I am going to guess that her symptoms are very mild at this point.
Art
Acupuncture, Detox Herbal Remedies
Acupuncture, Detox Herbal Remedies
★★★★★
After 4 treatments, I can now FAST WALK a block without the walker.
I also added Calcium Edonite Clay to detox from a plant-sourced Vit C which contains "ESSENTIAL TRACE ELEMENTS"--unlike my usual fastidiousness in Research, I 'paid no mind' to what the TRACE ELEMENTS are! I progressed rapidly with ~ 4 months use: TRACE MINERAL ELEMENTS, aka: UDOMS ARE DEADLY FOR P.D. PATIENTS!! ANCIENT HEAVY METALS washed up from the sea!!! Just what P.D. does NOT WANT! Within 3 days of detox (metals, pollutants, herbicides & Pesticides, fluoride from tap water treatment, etc).
Note: I called the Nat'l Parkinsons Foundation: rep said she had never heard of any detox!!
The dosing for Mucuna Pruriens(MP), like Levodopa, is very individualized and will vary considerably from person to person. People wonder what is the attraction of MP over prescription Levodopa/Carbidopa since MP has as one of its main components, Levodopa and the truth is that some people just prefer what they consider a more natural approach of using a natural plant over a prescription drug. While it is true that they both contain Levodopa, but Levodopa on its own can increase oxidative stress in the brain which can then increase neuroinflammation and in the long run this is likely to be counterproductive for people with Parkinson's (PwP) as they are already suffering with elevated oxidative stress levels and elevated neuroinflammation which have been shown to increase disease progression.
What MP has that makes it possibly more effective than Levodopa is other useful components which have shown the ability to lower oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. These other components include quercetin, Betulinic Acid, Ursolic Acid, CoQ-10, NADH and more which have shown the ability to lower oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. This is very important for PwP and Levodopa alone has none of these other attributes that MP has.
You may be wondering what MP can do compared to levodopa in PwP that is different. In PwP studies, MP can significantly reduce onset of action significantly which is important because many PwP complain that it can take an hour or more to take effect while MP takes effect significantly faster probably due to the other active components in it as mentioned above. That effect alone may make it worth it for some PwP to consider MP. Another benefit of MP over levodopa alone is increased "on time" of 21.9%! Levodopa is a single component prescription drug and can not offer these other benefits of MP! Increased "on time", equates to decreased "off time and what PwP wouldn't want that?
One study went so far as to suggest that MP, "protects or prevents the progression of the disease".
On a related note, I will be posting about this in more detail soon, here on EC! I am of the opinion that a combination of levodopa and MP maybe the best of both worlds as multiple Levodopa products also contain Carbidopa or Benserazide to control levodopa breakdown before it reaches the brain and I believe it also helps prevent conversion of levodopa to dopamine outside of the brain and this is very important because dopamine can not cross the blood brain barrier.
Art
Mucuna Pruriens
Melatonin
AEP
Found this for you: AEP is Calcium AEP (Cal 2-AEP), a unique type of calcium that helps nourish nerves and cell membranes.*
Here's one product on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Calcium-Nerves-Membranes-Capsule-Capsules/dp/B003VLENHQ
AEP
Benserazide for Medication Rashes
After many efforts to find solutions, my sister solved the allergy by having her take Benserazide / Levodopa a.k.a. Madopar [sold in Europe], which cleared up the rashes while preserving the long-term benefits of a parkinson's medication.
Sometimes a slightly different take on a conventional approach can make a huge difference.
Melatonin
Melatonin is lowered by high dose vitamin D, but raising the melatonin level in conjunction with the vitamin D level is synergistic in terms of fighting certain virus and disease such as Covid-19 and PD. Vitamin D has shown benefit for PD in multiple studies and can act as an antioxidant also, though not nearly as potently as melatonin which can neutralize up to 10 oxygen radicals compared to other antioxidants that can reduce only one oxygen radical.
In PD, melatonin is elevated in the blood as the body's attempt to raise its total antioxidant capacity which is depleted by PD and melatonin is capable of doing that if there is enough of it, but the body is only able to raise melatonin so high and consequently the bodies own antioxidant system is not able to completely come back into the normal range as reflected in studies which show that glutathione is lower or insufficient in PD patients.
The study link in the original post shows that just 10 mg of melatonin every night is able to raise glutathione levels up as well as the total antioxidant capacity. This is a very important activity in PD as oxygen radicals and peroxynitrite are at elevated levels and both destroy dopaminergic neurons and other brain cells in the substantia nigra specifically and the brain in general.
Melatonin is a potent scavenger of peroxynitrite and oxygen radicals and an inhibitor of NADPH Oxidase which is a promoter of peroxynitrite. What this all shows is that oxidative stress, peroxynitrite and other oxidants including H202are doing a considerable amount of cellular damage and melatonin is able to ameliorate some of this damage with just 10 mg/night. At a minimum the available literature suggests that melatonin may slow disease progression as well as ameliorate some of the many symptoms of PD through its multitude of protective actions in the body including acting in a potent antiinflammatory capacity and again this is important because the excessive oxidant activity which raises inflammatory markers and levels in patients with PD.
Melatonin has also shown synergy with other antioxidants such as vitamin C, D and E and supplements such as NAC, ALA and Quercetin to name a few.
Melatonin is a unique and amazing molecule that is the most potent antioxidant in the human body!
Art
Melatonin
A bit off topic ... but are you aware of melatonin increasing the bodies need for other nutrients such as vitamin D, etc? Thank you!
Melatonin
★★★★★
Now I would like to talk about one of my favorite supplements, melatonin, that a recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed was beneficial for PD patients after just 12 weeks of supplementing only 10 milligrams per night! Yes, finally, a quality human study confirming that melatonin is beneficial for people with PD.
This study showed multiple benefits in patients that include the following. Using standard testing, melatonin showed improvement in anxiety, depression, total antioxidant capacity, increased glutathione, and improved UPDRS Part 1 test results! Melatonin also significantly lowered the inflammatory marker, hs-CRP, or high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein and inflammatory TNF-a while lowering LDL cholesterol and improving insulin resistance! Some of these improvements are suggestive of the idea that a more extensive study and or higher dosing may produce even better results because many of these improvements imply a reduction in total oxidative stress and oxidative stress is one of the most damaging factors in PD that destroys dopaminergic neurons and other cells in the substantia nigra of the brain.
To say I am excited that this study would be an understatement! Studies showing benefits like these in humans with PD from a single supplement are almost non-existent. Hopefully, they will follow through on this study with similar studies using pharmacological dosing of melatonin and more extended length studies.
While this study is very good and confirmed that melatonin can be beneficial in people with PD, it leaves many unanswered questions such as what would have happened if the study had been 24 weeks long instead of 12 as 12 weeks is very short for a study like this? Would the benefits range increase, would the benefits stay the same or increase the level of improvement seen? What would have happened at higher dosing?
Remember that Dr. Shallenberger is using dosing that is as much as 36 times higher than what was used in this study in some of his patients, and he gives all of his patients 180 mg of melatonin per night in the form of three 60 mg capsules in the evening. He considers this a preventative dose.
Overall, I feel this study has opened a door that has been closed for too long, and hopefully, there will be follow up studies to answer these questions! Here is a link to that very recent study abstract :
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32417629/
Art
Vitamin D
★★★★★
https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/vitamin-d-for-parkinsons.html
Mucuna Pruriens
That is great that the MP is working for you! Can you give details on your entire protocol (dose & timing) and what benefits you are getting? Thank you!
Art
Mucuna Pruriens
★★★★★
Methylene Blue and Vitamin C
Can you please respond to the long term effect on patients taking Methylene Blue, H202 and Vit C. Whats the optimal dosage . My mom has PD and she got depressed last yr after my uncle died and also had a bad fall which affected her C2. She is completely bed bound ad the biggest issue we have is daytime sleepiness.
Just started giving her good vit. Starting on a vit formula with calcium /vit D for nite - hoping it will improve the quality of sleep.
Also giving her NAC- she is still on part tube feed.
PLEASE HELP with the dosage. I remember I gave this to my mom years ago, during the intial years. Then they moved away from here and somehow it go stopped completely.
CoQ10
AEP
★★★★★
Source: http://www.alzforum.org/news/research-news/copper-rescue-als-mice
"As reported in the January 27 Neurobiology of Disease online, the researchers treated the mice with CuATSM, a reddish copper chelator that can carry the metal into the brain and spinal cord. There, the theory goes, the chelator releases Cu ions to the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1, an enzyme that causes a rare familial form of ALS when mutated and tends to aggregate when it's missing its copper. .."
"Beckman's group was studying why those mSOD1xCCS mice fell so ill when researchers from the University of Melbourne who worked with CuATSM visited his lab. The scientists decided to try the compound in one double transgenic mouse, which was unable to stand and near the end of its short lifespan.
"The researchers dissolved CuATSM in dimethyl sulfoxide and dribbled in onto the pup's neck, where it was quickly absorbed by the skin. A few hours later, the mouse was up and moving."
Research Articles
Do we need more copper, ie. chelated copper?, or less copper, ie copper chelation? Or maybe a combination of the two? It sounds like there is a deficiency but I fear that if we get it wrong it could make it worse.
“We have pinpointed a protein abnormality known as the ‘SOD1 fingerprint' in regions of neuronal loss in the Parkinson's disease brain, ” said Associate Professor Kay Double who led the research published in Acta Neuropathologica.
“We believe this loss of neurons results from a combination of oxidative stress and a regional deficiency in copper, both of which occur specifically in vulnerable regions of the Parkinson's disease brain.”
Source: http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2017/05/22/discovery-may-offer-hope-to-parkinsons-disease-patients.html
Methylene Blue and Vitamin C
Have you had to change your protocol over time? Have your symptoms of DP been continually diminished?
Updates appreciated. Thanks.
Magnesium, Sea Minerals
★★★★★
May we suggest you read two articles https://betweentwopines.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/magnesium-chloride/ If the URL does not transmit, please look up"Father Jose Chorr magnesium chloride two pines". Also http://www.naturesapproved.com/PDFDocs/k/KXKLL0RMMTL59MR3VAJ033PEXR47DKP6.PDF If the URL does not transmit, please look up "Health from the Ocean Deep Acres USA". We recommend your mother use liquid sea minerals, such as Aussie Trace Minerals http://seamineral.com/ (order in your state, Colo.; also available from other web sites); rather than the powder that Father Chorr used. The powder in the U.S. at least, appears to be sourced from the Great Salt Lake, which apparently may contain heavy metals.
Let your mother drink 1 teaspoon liquid sea minerals in a glass of water twice a day, beginning with once a day, as Father Chorr suggested, and increasing after a few days. If the stools are too loose, decrease to 1/2 tsp. once a day and increase more gradually.
Let your mother avoid eating meat; the most success with Parkinson's is with the vegetarian (no eggs) or vegan diet. Just be sure to include at least 2 tablespoons freshly ground flax seed every day in the diet for Omega 3 essential fatty acids, and drink extra water. We wish you and mother all success.
Methylene Blue and Vitamin C
Coconut Oil
Methylene Blue and Vitamin C
Fungal Infection Link
I hope my post added a bit of information to the other posts on this page; several people have said Parkinson's can have a fungal etiology, so I just chased down studies to support that.
I don't know what you are doing already to try to relieve your medical conditions (Parkinson's and candida infection). But, if you haven't already, you could eliminate wheat and processed sugar from your diet. Regarding your hair loss, regular use of a dandruff shampoo with vigorous scalp massage may help; those shampoos eliminate dandruff through their antifungal action, and massage promotes circulation to the scalp so that the hair follicles are better nourished and oxygenated. Gentle hair-pulling once a day works similar to massage; just wrap a bunch of hair around your fingers and gentle pull it for a few seconds, and work your way around your scalp until all hair has been pulled. My husband's late father renewed his hair growth in his 70s through hair-pulling. A simple, cheap sulfur supplement like MSM (an anti-inflammatory champ! ) can thicken your hair (and nails) and is antifungal as well. Eggs are another source of sulfur and protein to feed the hair.
Thanks for your reply! Best wishes.
Fungal Infection Link
Fungal Infection Link
★★★★★
I recently submitted a link to a new research paper suggesting that Alzheimer's disease might be associated with fungus. Existing research and other writings already support the association of Parkinson's disease with fungus, see below.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17051898
Acetaldehyde is a toxin produced by fungus. The abstract for the above-linked study from 2006 states that, "In the presence of acetaldehyde, dopamine is converted into salsolinol, a neurotoxin involved in apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons."
In other words, fungus produces a toxin which combines with dopamine to make a neurotoxin, which then causes the dopamine-making neurons to self-destruct (apoptosis is programmed cell death). The loss of most of the dopamine-making neurons in the brain's substantia nigra causes dopamine levels to drop drastically, causing parkinsonian symptoms.
http://www.jns-journal.com/article/S0022-510X(13)00865-4/abstract
Fungal volatile organic compounds: Biogenic toxins as etiological agents for Parkinson's disease
Parkinsonism secondary to bilateral striatal fungal abscesses
The book, Road to Recovery by Richard Rodgers, discusses the author's belief that Parkinson's is caused by a fungal infection. This topic is addressed on page 106. You can read that page by following the above Google Books link.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17051898
Chronic polysystemic candidiasis as a possible contributor to onset of idiopathic Parkinson's disease.
http://www.vrp.com/digestive-health/a-health-destroying-toxin-we-cant-avoid-and-must-detoxify
A Health-Destroying Toxin We Can't Avoid And Must Detoxify
Article is written by a Clinical Laboratory Scientist--see paragraph titled Detrimental Effects.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3689266/
Acetaldehyde and parkinsonism: role of CYP450 2E1
In the paragraph titled Acetaldehyde and Parkinson's Disease, they don't mention the fact that acetaldehyde can be produced by fungus; they relate it to alcohol consumption, which is another reason for acetaldehyde to be present in the body.
http://www.ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/2015;5(3):68-78
Fungal infection possible pathogenic role in Parkinson disease and parkinsonism
This 2015 journal article published in Poland by researchers at Odessa National Medical University in Ukraine is written in the Russian language, but the abstract is translated into English.
https://www.google.com/patents/US6652866
Method for treating diseases of fungal, yeast, and prion protein etiology
This veterinarian believes that many neurodegenerative disorders are caused by fungi. He has developed a method of treating symptoms of the disorders by administering anti-fungal fatty acids, as explained in his patent application.
★★★★★
Some ways that Malassezia or other fungi could potentially get into the brain are:
- medical procedures/treatments, such as surgery w/ anesthesia, CT scans of the head (radiation can affect the blood brain barrier temporarily), use of IV drugs (legal or illegal) esp. IV antibiotics or IV lipids;
- spinal tap: if Malassezia is present in (not just on) the skin, a tap could theoretically push yeast into the CSF;
- presence of other infections known to have the ability to cross the blood brain barrier, such as Lyme disease
Malassezia Yeast Connection
★★★★★
Consider the following points:
(a) Malassezia is an unusual yeast in that it is lipophilic (meaning it feeds on lipids rather than sugars/starches like candida). AND it seeks melanin & infects melanocytes. The dopaminergic neurons in the brain -- the area affected by PD -- contains high levels of neuromelanin. Neuromelanin in turn has an affinity for lipids and for iron, both of which favor the growth of this yeast. Note: because it feeds on lipids rather than sugars, it will NOT grow in the usual fungal cultures performed in hospitals (they use sugar/starches in the medium, no lipids). So it is "under the radar" in the sense that there seems to be little testing ever done for it.
(b) Malassezia is known to infect melanocytes in the skin... and I suspect it is involved in causing skin cancer. If so, this would explain the higher rate of skin cancer found in Parkinson's. Also, because it is in the skin (IN, not only "on"), it could hypothetically be pushed into the bloodstream or spinal fluid by medical procedures like injections or spinal taps.
(c) L-DOPA is a precursor to MELANIN, so it makes sense that Malassezia might take it up ... thereby reducing the amount available for normal brain functioning. Low L-DOPA is a key feature of PD.
(d) Acetaldehyde -- produced by yeast -- converts dopamine into a neurotoxin called salsalinol ... which may cause the eventual aptosis of dopaminergic neurons. It also promotes increased iron content and the release of iron, both of which would favor fungal growth.
(e) Malassezia is extremely common and extremely slow-growing. It may be that people have it for decades or a lifetime. I speculate that risk factors for developing PD might include: prolonged use of antibiotics (esp. intravenous) or steroids/immunosuppressants, depleted flora from any other source including packaged foods which contain additives or may be irradiated to remove flora, accumulative lifetime exposure to UV radiation, including sunlight, medical procedures like CT scans et al; eating a lot of oleic acid (vegetable oils including olive oil are the primary culprit here, but also animal fats), high cholesterol/triglycerides, PRN lipid therapy, taking Vit D or iron, use of certain psych meds like antipsychotics that increase lipids. Meds that cause photosensitivity (= less resistance to UV radiation) might be another area of concern.
If my hypothesis is correct, there are definite implications for prevention steps and maybe also treatment. Some possibilities that come to mind are increasing dietary sulfur (antifungal), increasing "good" flora, avoidance of risk factors including dietary veg. oil/animal fat, etc. Based on my reading, buckwheat also contains an antifungal compound. Whether such steps would have an effect, I don't know. More research is clearly needed.
Acupuncture
★★★★★
Drug Free
Cholesterol
Best wishes, Judy
