Natural Options to Reverse Parkinsons Symptoms

Month: January 2010

Dynamic Energetic Healing

My radio show interview with Dr. Steve Fenwick on dynamic energetic healing was indeed fascinating. Are you aware of ways that you sabotage your own recovery from the symptoms of Parkinson’s?

We all sabotage ourselves, but sabotage is serious when it impedes our ability to recover from symptoms that are debilitating. As a psychologist, Dr. Fenwick helps people heal from the inside out.

Listen to a replay of my interview with Dr. Fenwick below.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery

 

 

Do Doctors Prescribe Fava Beans for Parkinsons

The following are questions I asked Sandra who grows her own fava beans for Parkinsons and harvests them herself to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

Can fava beans be used in conjunction with other medications?

They do not appear to conflict with sinemet, but there is a fine balance between not enough l-dopa and too much. If my friend eats too many beans with her Sinemet dose..she appears to be drunk and tends to fall.

It would be great if each person’s body metabolism were the same and a clear dose could be established, but it doesn’t work that way. It has been our experience that most doctors are not familiar with fava beans and other natural remedies, and will likely advise Sinemet or other PD meds. I have chosen to stay away from synthetic l-dopa & stick with what I know and consider natural, so that my body can stay at it’s optimal health.

Do doctors prescribe fava beans??

In Europe, people have used favas for PD therapy for a long time. Favas are also a very popular food in Europe. In the United States, most people have never heard of favas. However, there is a product called Balance D that is available in the US, a supplement containing fava, by Neuroscience. It was recommended to my friend by her doctor.

Do you have a website that would help people understand the use of fava beans and how to grow them?

There is a man in Canada, Ken Allan, who has been so much support to me in this adventure with the favas. He also has PD and has grown and used them to supplement his sinemet for several years now.

Parkinsons Recovery has also set up a website specifically for fava beans: https://www.favabeans.parkinsonsrecovery.com

Is there a fava bean support group where people can get answers to their questions about growing and using the beans?

No, not that I am aware of, but it is a great idea. Could Parkinsons Recovery start an online support group where people could share valuable information about fava beans and their uses and how to grow them?

I am happy to share the little bit of information that we have gleaned over the past 12 months. I pray that many of your listeners will be encouraged to grow their own favas and that we will find people interested in doing valuable research on these amazing fava beans. May God Bless You. Sandra

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery

 

Are Fava Beans Hard to Grow?

The following are answers to the question: Are fava beans hard to grow – by Sandra who grows her own fava beans as a remedy for the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

Robert Rodgers PhD
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery

About Fava Beans

They were a pleasure to grow for me, but some people would consider them difficult. Some of the plants become tall, depending on the variety of fava and on the composition of the soil. Ours had to be staked to prevent them from falling over when they reach about 4 foot. (Falling over can break the plant/ or they sometimes start getting discolored leaves and beans because of close contact to the ground..neither of which I wanted). So, I hammered stakes in each row with about 6 plants in between, and did what is called a Florida weave to secure them in upright position.

I learned to do this when growing a field of tomatoes one year. When done properly, a whole field can be tied in a very short time. A couple of weeks later. A second level of string is used to envelope the plants as they grow taller.

The biggest time consumer is hammering stakes if you grow a large crop. The plants are very hardy and ours survived temperatures down to 26 degrees here in Tennessee. When it dropped lower, they were hit hard……though it looks like they may come back from the roots possibly if the weather ever warms up again.

This is the coldest winter I have seen here. Favas like cool weather. They are actually in the pea family/ and not a bean. They do not tolerate very hot weather. I plan to plant my spring crop, Lord willing, in the end of February or first of March. Once you look at the beautiful, and prolific flowers on the plants, you will see why the bees and other insects migrate to your favas…they are amazing.

I found that soaking the seeds for about 2 days, until they begin to sprout, is best and then setting them directly out into the soil about 10 inches apart and 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep. Once they have developed their first 2 leaves, the root is close to a foot long. They are a good soil builder and bring a lot of nutrients up to the surface from deep in the ground. They are used as “cover crops” in some places plowed under to fertilize the soil, and then the area is replanted.

Where can a person get fava beans if they cannot grow their own?

We have not yet located a source for young/ green/ immature pods. I have come across dried beans in several markets, and even full sized bean pods in Earth Fare…but neither of these will give the l-dopa we need for PD.

You may find a local farmer who would be willing to raise a crop for you. You would have to specify the length you want the beans / or go pick them yourself & come home & process them immediately… so as not to loose the medicinal qualities of the beans. It is best to grow/ harvest & process your own and this will be a priority for me as long as I am able.

The beans (seeds) themselves , whether green or dry, contain very little levadopa….it is the leaves, stems, and the pods surrounding the bean seeds that contain the levadopa.

Fava Bean Tincture Q&A

What follows is Sandra’s answer to my question about how she goes about preparing her fava bean tincture.

I have found that picking the immature pods at about 2 1/2 inches is the best for us. They have a great buttery taste and no strings. We steam them for about 6 minutes, then freeze them on cookie sheets for about 15 minutes, then place them in freezer bags and return them to the freezer. My friend enjoys them the right from the freezer…2-4 pods with her sinemet dose .. Bean chips & cookies were made by putting large favas (past the stage of eating the pod) through a Champion Juicer, which takes out all the indigestible fiber, etc. ..and using that juice to make tasty l-dopa treats. We keep our “treats” frozen and use them to ward off symptoms. They are great also for car trips, just to carry along if needed. The possibilities are endless.

You prepare a tincture from the fava beans you grow in your grow. Tell us more about how you make your tincture

I wanted something that would capture the essence and l-dopa of the plant, and preserve it. Mainly, because there is the problem of having to grow a year’s supply of pods and freeze them. There is always a possibility of a power outage and a years supply would be lost. Since I have been making Echinacea tincture for years from my garden I wondered,

Could I formulate a fava bean tincture from the fava bean plant?

A specific part of the plant captured my attention, so I went through-out the garden harvesting these little “tops”…a little hidden, protected part of the plant. They were placed in a dehydrator to dry and then into a jar with brandy. This was shaken for a month, several times a day. Then, it was strained.

It looked good, and I played the part of a white experimental rat and took several drops to see what would happen. I didn’t see any change right away, but later, went outside and was coming up the steps and noticed that I didn’t halt on my right hip/leg like I always did. I went back down & climbed up the steps again. It wasn’t my imagination. Started trying other things that I usually couldn’t do…and kept noticing other improvements…..it was easy to drive the car, my reaction time was much improved. The list went on on.

I decided to take another drop at bedtime…and actually got a good night’s sleep. I have been using the tincture now since October 9th. Still no side effects, besides lack of Parkinson’s disease symptoms. If I feel symptoms starting…I just take a couple of drops and in about 15 minutes I don’t notice them anymore.

Ken Alan…a fellow PD patient has been growing favas for a few years. I sent him some of my fava bean tincture and he “kitchen tested it”. He wrote back that there was approximately 1 mg levadopa in 2 drops tincture. I have been taking this small dose 3 to 4 times a day to alleviate my symptoms.

Can you provide your fava bean tincture to other people?

No. I feel that much research needs to be done on the tincture, and perhaps a better base can be found to draw out even more of the levadopa than brandy. I plan to experiment in the spring with wine vinegar for tincture. But, I cannot test for levadopa and each batch will be slightly different, because of the soil area in which the favas are grown / the time of year the top is harvested/and the chosen liquid base for the tincture.

I want to make a plea for someone, or perhaps a medical school to take on the fava project that I started. I will help in any way I can to make this valuable way of using favas available to other people with Parkinson’s disease who would benefit from it, as I have.

A free download of Aunt Beans Fava Bean recipe is available at: https://www.favabeans.parkinsonsrecovery.com

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery