Mar 25 2008
Ask a Question
Parkinsons Recovery is a clearinghouse of information about treatments and therapies for persons diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Ask us your questions.
Visit the Parkinsons Recovery home page.
Download Parkinsons Recovery radio programs or listen in live.
We will review your question, do the appropriate research, ask other professionals if needed, rely on our experiences in working with persons who have Parkinson’s and provide a written answer to your question which will be posted here for everyone to read. We will also send the answer to your e mail.
The good news is that this service is absolutely free. The bad news is that I am a slow thinker so you may have to give me a little time to figure out the answer to your questions.
Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery


Hello, I am so happy to have received the link to this website..VERY INSPIRIATIONAL!!
I am an Energy Practitioner and Motivational Coach. I am presently working with 2 clients who have been diagonsed with PD. My 1st client, after 3 years since diagnosed, he has been doing incredible work/ inner work on himself and is transforming and shifting to a higher level of consiousness, awarness and spirituality- which is bringing him much trust, faith and hope in his recovery. His attitude is very Positive and he is feeling GOOD more than not!!! NO DRUGS!!! HE IS RECOVERING!!
on the other hand, my second client , also has been about 3 years since diagnosed.. still very depressed and closed to any new thing that I bring to him to help his attitude to guide him in the right direction of his recovery. I have directed him to this website, the blog etc.. He refuses.. but every week I continue to see him to do energy work, massage and coaching. There are times that he gets very inspired and makes a couple of steps forward, but the majority of the time, he goes backwards. He is not getting any support or encouragement from his family- and lives in a very stressful household. I am getting frustrated as a practitioner but know only too well that everyone chooses to either heal or not.. It is in their own time and I can not force anything.. Do I continue with my therapy?? I have been working with him now for about 1 1/2 years. He said that he was going to give himself til November 2008, with doing alternative work before he chooses medication. His family wants him to go on medication, he really does not want to go on medication but does not want to do the work that will get him on the path to recovery. It is a catch 22- He does not feel good, there fore he does not have the energy or motivation to do the work- but not understanding that if he does the work (yes- will be hard at first) but by continuing, he will feel better. He eats well and takes all of the suppliments that is suggested but not moving his body and has becove VERY STIFF AND SORE- CAN NOT MOVE. Can you offer to me any words of advise or encouragment or support for me. If the only thing that I can do at this time is just to be there for support for him, than that is what I will continue to do, but it is frustating watching this 36 year old man going down hill when he does not have to be. He wants to see PROOF.. Like I said, I have directed him to this website for proof… but he is not looking…thank you so much for your time in reading my blog…
Robert Rodgers,Ph.D.
I am learning more and more from your mail which I am receiving regularly. I am working as spiritual healor at Udaipur(India) specially for the patients suffering from parkinson and knee pain. I involve the patient in total spirituality for gaining confidence and faith and use medicated oils massage on the affected portion of body with my spiritual hands. I perform my treatment in three phase. In the first phase he/she must have faith in my healing,then can ask me to start treatment by sending me the concent and a photograph. I take about 15-20 days by preying and distant healing. when he/she feel little improvement I ask him/her to visit my place or call me there for second phase of healing which requires massage with medicated oils through my spiritual hands. and in last phase I ask the patients to perform some kind of exercise with the affected portion to gain confidence and starts working as normal person. There is no fixed charge for the treatment. Its all depends on the patients how he feels what he want to pay as per his/her wish. I am Hindu,brahmin,purevegetarian,pandit belonging to highly religious family with ayurvedic background.
I shall be happy to work for the benefit of mankind in curing this disease with the blessings from God. So please ask any one suffering from such disease, if have faith can contact me through mail,phone or can write to me.
God bless to all.
Devendra Kumar Joshi
spiritual healor
09352505797, 91-294-2421419
61, Ganesh ghati, sukhwal house
Udaipur (Rajasthan state)
India
devendra_kjoshi@rediffmail.com
Could you be more specific about the best Tai Chi CD’s?
I think that Yang (or Yeng) style is the most popular and widely taught, but I am not familiar with the CD’s.
I personally like the video by Arieh Breslow who has had extensive experience working with persons who have the symptoms of Parkinson’s. You can see more information about his video by visiting: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0964473038?ie=UTF8&tag=zerpoihea-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0964473038
The video is called When Less is More.
Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parlinsons Recovery
Hello, I was wondering if you have ever heard of using Methylene Blue (MB) as a treatment for PD, Alzheimer’s and ALS? I have started dosing this and it seems to actually be working. I got the idea off earthclinic.com. Do you know of anyone who has tried this with good results? Also there are currently two research studies being done on MB….one of them is getting ready for phase III clinical trials. The drug will be called Rember for use on Alzheimer patients only.
Thanks, Kim
Hi Kim:
I heard about MB several years ago, but nothing recently. I have not received
any direct reports from people on its effectiveness or lack of effectiveness.
Please consider volunteering as a resource. If you decide to pursue this treatment, let
me know how it goes for you and I will let others know.
All the best –
Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease
http://www.parkinsonsdisease.me
dear sir,
please tell me how is continuing of parkinsons?
thanks
Hi:
Kindly clarify your question, I am not sure what you are asking,
Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease
http://www.parkinsonsdisease.me
Dr. Rodgers:
We’ve added your Blog to our Bloglist at http://bit.ly/bloglist-theracycle
Visit http://blog.theracycle.com and
Follow us on Twitter: @theracycle
Have a great day
–Patrick from Theracycle
Dr. Rodgers,
My mother was diagnosed of PD early 2009. Since then she has been on medication, and her health has worsened. We also tried Ayurveda, and she underwent Panchakarma Treatment, but that was not of much help. At present she can’t stand on her own, has slurred speech, drags her feet while walking, has fixed gaze, mask-like face, stiffness in limbs and has doesn’t have proper sleep.
While most of these symptoms are of PD, but she never had tremors, in no part of her body. Sometimes I doubt whether she really had PD, or was it a wrong diagnosis, and what she suffers from right now are just the side-effects of the medication.
I have not been able to stay with her since last few years because of my job. But she’ll be coming next month, and I plan to take care of her.
I curse myself for not taking care of her, as my uncle (my Mom’s brother) is a doctor himself, and I was dependent on him. But I haven’t found any treatment worth trusting. I know PD can’t be cured, but at least if the symptoms could be arrested, it would be great. Some Ayurvedic doctors claim that the progression of this disease can be ceased, but I’m yet to come across people who have been successful in doing so.
It was just today that I also came across John Coleman’s website http://www.parkinsonsrecovery.com, and although I want to try it, but I’m not very sure whether it’d be of much help, as we’re in two different countries, and I’m not sure how helpful would his videos be.
As of now what I’ve planned for is one, I’m gonna get a physiotherapist working with her. Two, I’ll be trying to find some Ayurveda practitioner who can perform the Panchakarma Therapy at my home itself.
Could you please suggest what else should I do?
Sounds like your mother’s situation is about to turn around with your help. Hooray!
I have found from my extensive research that no one therapy can help everyone.
While Ayurveda helps some people – it does not address the problems for everyone.
Congratulations for pursuing Ayurveda. It is clearly time to pursue other
options. There are many viable options to consider.
It sounds like the medications are not helping at this point, so it is time
to begin searching for other options. I can assure you there are many
to consider, so the real challenge turns on figuring out which options
should be considered next.
My first suggestion is to visit the Pioneers of Recovery website:
http://www.pioneersofrecovery.com
Here you can hear clips from 11 persons who reversed their own
Parkinson’s symptoms. Each person has a different story about what
they did to make recovery happen for them.
Better yet – I list the names of the contributors to Pioneers of Recovery
on this website and the table of contents for the book which gives a preview of
their approach to recovery. You can listen to a full interview with
each contributor to this 2012 book on the Parkinsons Recovery
Radio Show network. You can listen to all the radio shows and see which ones
call out to you for action. All of my radio shows are archived and
can be downloaded for free anytime.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/parkinsons-recovery
I do detect that you hold near and dear a thought form that Parkinsons is degenerative.
I do not believe this to be true, nor do the many people I have interviewed
who have reversed their symptoms. That is to say, my research shows this
belief to be false.
The most exciting suggestion I have for you and your Mom is to
attend the Parkinsons Recovery Summit June 22 and June 23 in Cincinnati.
I can assure you that this is the place to be if you are seriously
interested in recovery. The line up of workshop presenters
is spectacular – and will be announced in the next few days. The hotel is
almost full, so if you are interested in attending you need to make
your reservations now if you want to stay at the Summit hotel.
http://www.summit.parkinsonsrecovery.com
Finally – I note that you refer to my website – http://www.parkinsonsrecovery.com
as Dr. John Coleman’s website. It is actually my website, not John’s.
People do get confused because his website is
http://www.parkinsonsrecoveryprogram.com.
I have interviewed John Coleman on my radio show and included him
as a contributor to the first edition of Pioneers of Recovery (2009).
He offers some amazing ideas that have helped many people get
sustained relief from their symptoms. John has a 12 month recovery
program which you may be referring to. This is his wonderful work
and contribution – not mine.
May your Mom’s health be restored soon!
Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease
http://www.parkinsonsdisease.me
I’m hoping for some advice on quitting medication. I have been taking Sinemet (carbidopa/ evodopa) for almost a year; it was prescribed for me when I was diagnosed with Parkinsonism, after three-plus years of seeking a diagnosis for a suite of PD-like symptoms. The doctor did not want to give me a “PD” diagnosis because I do not exhibit tremors; he felt that diagnosis was jusitified after I was on the medication, since I only improved slightly (despite a couple of increases in dosage). I have decided to quit the medication because of its limited positive contribution to my health and the potential for serious negative contribution if I continue. I sent my doctor an email asking for his advice; he told me that I could stop at any time. He said that I might experience increasing stiffness and difficulty moving (freezing), and that resuming sinemet will relieve these symptoms.”
I don’t expect much support from him during my process. I wonder if anyone at PD Recovery has quit from a fairly short-term [10 months], relatively low dose [2 tabs of 25/100, 3 X/day] and can share their experience. I definitely plan to wean myself, rather than quitting cold, but I have no idea how much withdrawal I should anticipate. The hardest part, I think, will be the point of decision—if things are tough, do I go back to the meds? Nobody’s call but my own, but I would appreciate any personal thoughts.
My main therapy now includes exercise, including yoga, supplements, and fairly good diet, and — most important in the last month– cranio-sacral therapy, which is helping.
Thank you, Robert. I have your Pioneers of Recovery book and can’t tell you how much I appreciate it and this website.
All the best to all of you,
Suzanne
May I add a word or two about my current condition? I have all the symptoms I’ve had for years—blank face, rigidity, dragging foot, difficulty swalllowing, tiny handwriting, slowed voice, poor coordination, and more. Since taking sinemet, I have added on a severe facial tension that varies daily, but almost always increases through the day. By late afternoon my face usually twists up with almost any effort, especially speaking.
Thanks for listening—I thought this might help in responding to my request.
I have interviewed a number of people who have decided to work on weaning themselves off of the medications. Here is a summary of what I have learned from these interviews.
1. The worst possible approach is to go cold turkey – to stop taking the medications one day. Most people find that the side effects from quitting are so horrendous that they decide to begin taking the medication again. This usually results in having to take much higher doses than before so you are now four steps behind rather than two.
2. Most doctors are not trained in helping people wean off of medications. The best people to help are compounding pharmacists. Some work long distance.
3. Randy Mentzer is my consultant on medications and how to deal with reducing dosages. He is a compounding pharmacist who specializes in medications, supplements and nutrition. Randy has been a guest on my radio show several times. I strongly suggest that you scroll back to my radio shows with him. He gives a wonderful answer to the question you have just ask. The Parkinsons Recovery radio show page is:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/parkinsons-recovery.
Keep scrolling back. There are three years of shows there which are all archived and free to hear.
4. Randy will be one of the presenters at the Parkinsons Recovery Summit and could be a potential resource for you. Information about the Summit is here:
http://www.summit.parkinsonsrecovery.com
5. Compounding pharmacists can reduce the dosage of your medications very, very gradually as they work very closely in consultation with your doctor. They may begin, for example, with a dose of 95% of what you have been taking and have you take that for several weeks. If there are no side effects, they may reduce the dose down to 90% and, again, see if there are any side effects. If there are side effects, they might increase the dose back to 95% – keep it there for several weeks, and if no side effects, reduce it down to 94% – and so forth. It is a delicate dance which depends on your body’s reactions to the reduction in dosage. And of course, you are dealing with someone who has considerable experience working through these issues if they are a compounding pharmacist.
6. This is a slow, gradual process. It may take 1-2 years (or of course may unfold more quickly). You do not want to experience debiliating side effects or else you will give up. It will happen if you give it time, focus and a little patience.
Robert Rodgers, Ph,D.
Piuoneers of Recovery
http://www.pioneersofrecovery.com
Sounds like it certainly would be a good idea to look for other options with regard to treatment possibilities. Medications certainly do help some people but for others, the side effects can be terribly troubling as you have apparently experienced.
Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease
http://http://www.parkinsonsdisease.me
Hi, I am a research student. I have been trying to locate studies that suggest a connection between dietary sugar/sucrose consumption and Parkinson’s disease in humans but have been fairly unsuccessful. Can anyone direct me to the important studies.
Thank you.
I just spent some time on earthclinic.com reading about virgin coconut oil as a treatment for parkinson’s and other brain-related conditions. I was surprised to see that no one has commented on this site, as there’s a huge response there.
http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/parkinsons_questions.html#Question_3291
I’d like to know if any folks from the Recovery site have experience with this remedy.
Thank you,
Suzanne
Hi Suzanne:
We have been covering this topic for several years now. Dr. Terry Wahls, MD, answered a question about virgin coconut oil as a therapy for Parkinson’s symptoms during my Parkinsons Recovery Radio Show last week. Visit the radio show page and you can hear the archive of the show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/parkinsons-recovery
I have scheduled a show with Dr. Mary Newport, MD, who discovered coconut oil was very helpful for reducing her husbands Alzheimer’s. I hope to air that show in the next several weeks.
I will be updating the information on coconut oil in my book after hearing from Dr. Newport.
Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease
http://www.parkinsonsdisease.me
Hello,
This are two studies I wanted to share them with you and I want to put your thought in them please. Thank you for sharing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QiEVR8Tfso
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJoTYLrm1Ak