Natural Options to Reverse Parkinsons Symptoms

Month: March 2011

Treatment for TMJ to Relieve Parkinsons Symptoms

We tracked your interview with Cheryl (on the radio show) who had treatment for TMJ to relieve Parkinsons symptoms. How is she doing now? Has she stabilized? Is she continuing to improve? Has she regressed? I ask because there is a cranial facial specialist in Canada, relatively close to us, and we are considering following Cheryl’s path.

In our case, my husband does have a TMJ misalignment. The space between the TMJ and the eustachian tube, which should be abut 4 mm, is 1 mm. The misalignment is possibly as a result of tongue-thrusting as a young child. (Try sticking your tongue out, and you will notice your lower jaw moves backwards.) Dr. Rondeau explained that this constricts blood vessels and a branch of the trigeminal nerve that pass through this space.

Diane

Cheryl sent me an update on her situation which I posted here on the blog on March 21st. Scroll down to read her update. I am happy to report that she continues to get more and more relief from her symptoms.

In my opinion, TMJ mis-alignments are one of many causes of the neurological symptoms associated with Parkinsons Disease. If it does happen to be a factor for you in particular – as it is for Cheryl – it would seem to be a very smart move to get a treatment for TMJ to Relieve Parkinsons Symptoms with a fitted appliance.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery
Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease

Essential Tremor

I have a non-Parkinson’s essential tremor, also known as a familial tremor. Does anything you do address any of these types of symptoms? I would love to know if you address the symptoms separately or the condition itself?

Thanks so much!

Travis

Response:

My response will likely come as somewhat of a surprise to you. I approach symptoms from the perspective of a researcher. My approach is markedly different than the approach taken by medical doctors. Medical doctors are trained and qualified to diagnose symptoms which may be declared as an essential tremor or Parkinsons or …

From your question, I gather that a diagnosis has been declared. Once the diagnosis is made, medical doctors are in a position to prescribe specific treatment protocols in the form of prescription medicines and/or surgeries. Be advised that I am not qualified or trained to practice medicine in this manner.

I have a quite different perspective. I do not believe that diagnosing conditions is conducive to health and wellness. Once we fall into the trap of wondering what is wrong with our bodies by insisting on a formal diagnosis, we embrace a plethora of negative thought forms that have very low frequency. Wondering what is wrong with our bodies is not the route to health and wellness. The diagnostic approach is depressing. It also depresses our life force.

More importantly, a diagnostic approach to health assumes that the solutions falls outside of us. Someone else surely has a medicine or a surgery that will fix us. They place a label on symptoms as in your case to be an essential tremor.

This disempowers our ability to heal from the inside out. I believe that all healing comes from a place within each of us and that we all have the capacity and power to heal. The more I learn about the body, the more I honor the miracle of life. Medicine does not heal us. Our bodies perform the healing miracles.

In the second edition of my book, Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease, I do include some of the treatments for tremors that people have reported to me help them get relief. But I must say, if there is a tremor, the more important question to ask is:

What is your body telling you?

If a tremor is present, something is out of balance. You can treat a symptom such as a tremor, but why not get to the root reason the tremor? Once you identify the cause, you can address it rather than trying to mask the symptom temporarily with medicines or supplements.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery
Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease

Candida and Parkinsons Symptoms

I particularly enjoyed your interview today with Lydia Epp on the connection between Candida and Parkinsons symptoms. Finally someone of stature in the scientific community recognized the relationship. I have been of this opinion ever since my wife got Parkinson’s right after a systemic candida infection (which we are still fighting).

Keep up the good work as you seem to leave no stone unturned. I listen to every show.

We are beginning to experiment with a Rife Machine as it has been shown to stop tremors.

Marshall

Thanks for the fascinating report Marshal. Let us all know results of the Rife Machine therapy.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery

 

Neural Feedback

Jacyln Gisburne Ph.D works with Parkinson’s patients with ground breaking results. The neural feedback technology she has developed in this video is one she has been using with persons currently experiencing the symptoms of Parkinson’s with noteworthy success. It paves the way for maintaining a sustained journey on the road to recovery.

Below is a video showing a Neural Feedback treatment Dr. Gisburne gave to a participate at the Vancouver Parkinsons Recovery

Is recovery as simple as having her connect the electrodes to your head for 20 minutes and challenge your neural networks for forge new connections? No. But it is a rich initiation to the journey which must be taken by anyone who has dedicated themselves to healing the underlying conditions that have been creating neurological disturbances associated with a diagnosis of Parkinsons.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery
Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease

 

Clarification on TMJ and Parkinson’s

What follows is a brief clarification on TMJ and Parkinsons as a follow-up to my interview with her on Parkinsons Recovery Radio.

Robert Rodgers PhD
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery 

For the record, I never had a TMJ issue. Henry(my appliance) is prescribed by a TMJ dentist, but it’s for Parkinson’s patients. If you have TMJ that’s a separate issue. The two don’t necessarily need to be together.  I don’t mean to be picky. I just want people to be aware one isn’t an off shoot of the other.

Thank you again for the work you do Robert, and the difference you are making in so many people’s lives.

Respectfully,

Cheryl

TMJ and Parkinsons Disease

Cheryl was a guest on my radio show several months ago who addressed a connection between TMJ and Parkinsons disease. She reported experiencing remarkable improvement in her Parkinson’s symptoms after getting a TMJ appliance that corrects jaw misalignments over time. She named her appliance Henry. Below is an update on her progress which she gave me permission to post.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

I have some great news today. I went to my neurologist at UCLA. He’s been monitoring me since 2006. He was genuinely amazed and started asking me questions about Henry.Everything during my neurological exam rated NORMAL for the first time. And, I’ve lowered my medications. Can you believe it? He couldn’t. I could. I’m going in the right direction. Yahoo!

I’m not perfect. I don’t want to come off like that. But it was a huge step in the right direction to get the medical community to look seriously at what the powers of Henry can offer…pretty cool, uh?

Respectfully,

Cheryl

Natural Therapies for Parkinsons

What natural therapies for Parkinsons do you recommend aside from the food aspect?
Gino

The thrust of my research has been to cast a wide net to identify any and all therapies that help persons who currently experience the symptoms of Parkinsons. After five years of a focused search, I am happy to report that I have succeeded in identifying dozens and dozens of natural, safe and nonintrusive therapies that people with Parkinson’s symptoms tell me help them immensely. To my surprise, I have not found very many therapies that do not have a positive impact to some degree.

The nature of your question is tied to several underlying assumptions. First, you assume that Parkinsons disease is caused by one and only one imbalance in the body. I disagree. There are a multitude of factors that create neurological symptoms associated with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. For many people, more than one factor is present. The particular therapies that can help will be driven by the conditions that are causing the neurological symptoms. There are no easy solutions of fixes.

You are likely thinking that I have a list of therapies that people should pursue if they expect to get well. That is, you assume that I promote a program of recovery. I am well aware that some medical professionals offer a very specific protocol to treat the symptoms and that some of these programs are successful.

I am not a medical care professional. I am a researcher. As such, my job is to find the people who are figuring out solutions that are working for them and let others know about it.

I document dozens of therapies that have proven successful for persons confronting neurological challenges. Each of these addresses a specific cause. The best approach is to identify the cause of your symptoms working in close consultation with your doctor. Once you know the cause you can get the therapy that best addresses it . My book

My book  Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease. The book offers a detailed description of the many factors that cause the symptoms and the natural therapies for Parkinsons that address them.

There are many opportunities to get well. Seize the opportunities and you will begin to feel better day by day.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery

Recovery from Parkinsons Disease

I recall you mentioned that one of your relative had Parkinsons, were they able to fully recover based on your methods?

Gino

My mother was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. She died in 1998 from a stroke caused by the side effects and interactions of taking a dozen prescription medications for a variety of symptoms – some related to Parkinsons and many unrelated.

I founded Parkinsons Recovery in 2005, seven years after my mother died. A huge motivation for my work has been driven by her sad fate. She became confused and disoriented from the medications she took. A stroke resulted.

While medications can be very helpful to a person’s recovery, I decided there had to be other therapies that could have helped her which were safe, natural and had no side effects. My research over the past five years proves this hunch to be right.

My uncle also had Parkinsons due to prolonged stress. He died in 2009. Gordon was aware of Parkinsons Recovery but elected to rely solely on the medications prescribed by his doctor. There was a good reason for this choice. His medications worked beautifully for several years until rapid deterioration set in.

I need to clarify -I do not promote or offer any program or therapeutic approach. I am a researcher who is documenting what works and what does not work – what helps and what does not help.

The one approach I suggest to everyone is to empower themselves to heal. That has been the inspiration for Jump Start to Wellness.  I believe that we all have the ability to listen to our bodies and recover from any chronic condition for in the end, all healing comes from a place deep within us.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

Stem Cell Therapy in Parkinsons Disease

What follows is an article about stem cell therapy authored by Blanca Ramarez.

Robert Rodgers PhD
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery

CELL THERAPY IN PARKINSON’S DISEASE
Blanca Elena Ramírez C. Ph. D

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects movement, muscle control and balance as well as numerous other functions, which occurs for the progressive death of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra of the brain.

The main consequence of this neuronal loss is a decrease in cerebral availability of dopamine in the caudate nucleus and putamen, where dopaminergic neurons projecting from the black susbstancia, leading to a dysfunction in the regulation of key brain structures involved in motion control basal ganglia.

The origin of this disease is multifactorial and is mainly due to four mechanisms:

  • Oxidative stress
  • Genetic predisposition
  • Exposure to environmental toxins
  • Accelerated aging

Parkinson’s disease is not a single disease, but it is multifactorial, and that hereditary risk factors and modifiable factors, such as the environment, pesticides, head injuries and snuff consumption.

Its histological feature is the presence of Lewy bodies in the substantia nigra along with a loss of dopaminergic neurons in excess of 80%, however the first symptoms appear when there is loss of half of the neurons in the substantia nigra.

The most effective medical treatment is oral administration of levodopa (L-3, 4 dihydroxyphenylalanine), a precursor that is converted into the catecholamine dopamine in the brain due to the dopaminergic nueronas Nitrergic that still survive in the substantia nigra.

Unlike dopamine, which does not cross the blood brain barrier, levodopa enters the basal ganglia, which is taken up by cells with the carrier for the neurotransmitter and once decarboxylated to dopamine, it becomes a neurotransmitter.

The levodopa induces a dramatic improvement and is especially effective when administered with carbidopa, which enhances its effectiveness in treating akinesia (loss of movement) and rigidity in early and intermediate stages of Parkinson’s disease, but long-term complications appear such as dyskinesias (involuntary movements) and on-off episodes, and the drug is not effective in advanced stages of the disease, because there are no dopaminergic neurons that convert levodopa into dopamine.

Neurogenesis declines with age and correlates with the appearance of neurodegenerative diseases, and there is no way to recover lost neurons except the stem cell therapy.

The stem cells are undifferentiated cells capable of self-renewal and transformation into different specialized cell types. They can be obtained from various sources. The stem cells under certain conditions are able to self-renew for long periods and can remain in a pluripotent state until they receive a signal, in response to which they give rise to cells that are specialized.

The aim of cell therapy is to replace cells that have degenerated by other cells that can fill their role. The generation of new cells in the adult central nervous system is now not only one of the most important discoveries, but a path to prevention and treatment. Until just two decades ago, it was thought to be impossible to regenerate neurons. We have found that stem cells have the ability to regenerate missing neurons and repair damaged ones.

The cell lines that have successfully used adult stem cells for the treatment of Parkinsons disease are derived from an ectoderm lineage. This treatment is available in Puerto Vallarta Mexico, approved by the International Society of cell therapy with stem cells and regenerative medicine and anti-aging, and by the Medical Center of regenerative cell therapy and anti-aging medicine. This treatment is safe and effective, and because it has no side effects and does not generate rejection.

This treatment is based on the application of allogeneic stem cells in addition to other substances that induce neuronal growth. Each treatment involves the application of 5 intravenous injections at intervals of 4 to 7 days. Depending on each case, several cycles of 5 applications may be necessary, either continuous or intermittent, where you can leave a period of several months between them. Each injection is done on an outpatient basis without hospitalization.

The first treatment suggested the ectoderm lineage. The following treatments may be used from any one of three lineages: endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm.

In Puerto Vallarta this treatment is offered with a custom-made approach after clinical assessment by a multidisciplinary team of professionals in the field.

Blanca Elena Ramírez C. Ph. D, General Physician, diploma in haematology, diploma in emergency medical surgical by UNAM, and especialized studies in cell therapy.

drablancae@yahoo.com.mx
Doctor Office: Street Francia #203, Colonia Versalles, Puerto Vallarta Jalisco, Mexico.
Phone office: 3222936699
Cellular phone  3221286112

Parkinsons Disease and Candida

In my book, Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease, I included a discussion of the connection between Parkinsons disease and candida which was inspired by research by Lidia Epp and B. Mravec. 

Until this week, I assumed the theoretical argument in the article was derived through meticulous logic and good guesswork. The argument is certainly convincing and is grounded in meticulous logic. Little did I know, however, the real story behind why Lidia Epp developed the argument.

What follows is an email sent by Lidia Epp that explains the reasons she was motivated to do the research and write the article.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery
www.parkinsonsrecovery.com

I’m molecular biologist, I work in a Biology Department in a small college in Virginia. At the time of writing the article I worked as a research specialist at the Molecular Lab in Medical College of Virginia. So – I do not work in the field of PD research, however I’m proficient in biochemistry and clinical  molecular diagnostics.

The reason for investigating possible causes of idiopathic PD is entirely personal. My ex-husband was diagnosed with it at an early age of 43. He was one of the patients receiving massive doses of Mirapex in the mid-late 90s, before the devastating side effects of that drug became known. His reaction to Mirapex was very severe, with all the usual OCD, gambling compulsions, etc. It ruined our marriage.

After being divorced for about 5 years I noticed some symptoms in myself that resembled my ex-husband health issues. In the meantime I remarried and my “new” husband mysteriously developed similar health problems. It became apparent to us that it is a contagious condition – mildly, as it took years to develop symptoms. So – that’s when I started investigating possible connections.

Parkinsons Disease and Candida

Long story short – I contacted Dr. OrianTruss in Birmingham, AL the main authority in chronic candidiasis research, and was his patient for about 1 year. I read all his articles and books and that was the time when I came to my conclusion about the connection between PD and Candida. I contacted my ex-husband; he has a doctorate in molecular biology and as soon as I told him my “theory” he agreed with me. He too became Dr. Truss patient and to the best of my knowledge – he is now PD symptoms free. At the time I contacted him however, his PD was very advanced. He had to retire from his professorship, had DBS and was partially paralyzed.

While working on my article I contacted Dr. Mravec in Bratislava, he is PhD, MD immunologist. He agreed to review my article, offered some suggestions and changes and then had it published at his Medical College in Slovakia.

I continued to evaluate all information pertinent to PD/Candida association ever since – it bothers me that so few in the mainstream medicine seem to notice the obvious connection. I’m convinced that although my theory is a correct one, it’s only the “tip of an iceberg”. The biochemical pathways of Candida and it’s relations to PD symptoms are much more complex that I presented in my paper. I’m now certain of at least one more – tissue transglutaminase (TTG) – it’s role in apoptosis of dopamine receptors and the fact that  TTG substrate is used by Candida in it’s life cycle. TTG is a hot topic now in the biochem research world, but – no word on that connection yet in the published data.

I contacted a professor at University of Alabama, pathologist specializing in TTG biochemistry and presented him my TTG/Candida/PD connection theory. He was very enthusiastic, agreed to corroborate with me and even do a preliminary study on a rat model in hopes to receive a grant. But as soon as I explained him my background and the fact that it all started with my ex-husband having PD – he ceased all contact with me.

A couple of years ago I approached another scientist who works in the field of ethiopathology of H. pylori (a connection to Candida – possibly) and I received very similar reaction. I’m now sure that revealing that my ex-husband is in this equation seems detrimental to the validity of my theory. I know I’m not a PhD specializing in the field, but I do know that my theory of a connection between Parkinsons disease and candida is correct, I just don’t expect everybody to believe me anymore.

Lidia Epp

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery

Books
Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease
Pioneers of Recovery
Five Steps to Recovery

Resources
Dehydration Therapy: Aquas
Parkinsons Recovery Membership
Eye Drops for Cataracts