Archive for the 'medications' Category

Aug 26 2010

My Old Energy Has Returned

I was diagnosed early stage PD last January and have been on Sinemet ever since. I wasn”t seeing any definitive response to the med which my doctor saw as troubling, suspecting that might mean I had Parkinson’s plus… a grimmer diagnosis that simple Parkinsons. We worked up to 7 pills per day, which is a lot to start off with.

I felt better but honestly I myself wasn”t 100% sure it was because of the meds, because by that time (now i was 6 months post dx) I had gone beyond the shock and initial depression I had experienced upon initial diagnosis and was heavily into alternative treatments… (acupuncture, Chinese herbs, massage, exercise, twice weekly yoga, rest, meditation, Reiki, etc). reading your book was extremely helpful and inspiring. Facing my own deeper negative thought patterns was critical… particularly the belief that i wasn”t really ever going to recover.

My old energy has returned. Although I am not symptom free I do feel better as I learn how to take charge of my health more and more every day. Slowly I have come to believe in my capacity to recover. what a journey!

2 months ago I started gradually reducing my daily Sinemet from the peak of 7 pills to now 3, ramping it down half a pill per week. I plan on continuing this as long as I feel well, intending to get off it altogether several more weeks from now. Obviously  I am pleased with this development,  and recognize there will likely be more hurdles to overcome as I go forward. the point is I am ready for the challenge.

Dan

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Aug 22 2010

Problems with Balance, Walking, Talking and Sweating

Question:

I have had Parkinson’s  since 2008. I am now taking amantrel-100 2 tab and pramipex-0.5 2 tab daily.

I still have a balance problem, a walking problem. Turning is also a problem – especially to the left, dryness in mouth, problem of pronunciation of some words while talking. excessive sweating at the left side of forehead is remarkable since 2005.  I also feel pain at neck below head backside of ears.

Kindly help,

Sibnarayan
India

Response:

You have a series of symptoms which is typical of people who are diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. It is likely that the cause is mutli-faceted.

First, there is an Ayurvedic doctor in India, Dr. Paneri from Gujarat, who sees people with Parkinson’s exclusively and is getting remarkable results. His website is: http://www.drpaneri.com

Second, check the side effects of the drugs you are taking. It is likely some of the problems you are experiencing may be simply the side effects of the drugs. You may want to talk with your doctor about adjusting your medications.

Third, I suggest that you focus your attention on finding doctors and health care practitioners who can help you detox the toxins in your body, I am guessing that toxins are a primary cause of your symptoms. You may well have an abundance of heavy metals and pesticides that have accumulated in your body.Once they are removed your symptoms may well subside.

There are many ways to detox – just check around and find an approach that appeals to you. I have been using
zeolite personally with great success – but there are many other excellent methods that are effective as well.

You can get a wide variety of suggestions on detoxes from my new book which is described at: http://www.parkinsonsdisease.me

Know always that the body knows how to heal itself. We just have to give it a little extra loving kindness and attention sometimes.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

Resources
Dehydration Therapy: Aquas
Parkinsons Recovery Membership
Parkinsons Eye Problems
Vibroacoustic Therapy
Jump Start to Wellness
Parkinsons Recovery Chat Room
Symptom Tracker

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

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Aug 12 2010

Parkinson’s Medication Dosage

Published by admin under medications

First of all I am very grateful to read your wonderful work on the www.parkinsonsrecovery.com website. We feel there is hope & encouragement.

I have been diagnosed with PD 2&1/2 years ago & I followed the symptomatic Rx with sinemet to be able to continue working for 2 years but 6 months ago I had quit my job for obvious PD symptoms despite the conventional drugs.

Now my reflection is that if I were financially independent & had the possibility to choose, I would not have started the medications & promptly would have taken the holistic approach, at least as long as possible. The neurologists prescribe the medicines which do mask the symptoms in the beginning. This is not a criticism but this is what they are taught to do thinking there are no other alternatives to help. There are many alternatives
out there to heal.

The drugs are ADDICTIVE with side effects & we don’t feel completely fine on medication. Now while on Meds, I am following a program : diet, meditations (5 steps to recovery + books by Dr Coleman, Road to Recovery, Natural Therapies for PD Dr L. Mischley), exercises, Bowen, cranio-sacral, Tai chi etc. Of course the road to recovery is not a quick FIX. It needs perseverance, discipline & patience. Everything is possible.

I would be very happy to reduce my meds. In this path we are on our own with no help from the neurologist. I tried a couple of times gradually with uncomfortable reactions from my body. I will try again when ready.

My questions:

1st question:

I know you are not a physician but we want to hear from patients with the same experience Or have you interviewed patients who have reduced their meds successfully to recovery.We want to learn from these experiences.

Response:

I post e mails from people here on the Parkinsons Recovery Blog who report success with reducing medications. Check in with the blog periodically to get their stories. I also document cases in Pioneers of Recovery. Many of  my guests on the radio show have also been successful in reducing their medications.

You encourage me to compile every one’s story into a book. You would see that people use different approaches to reduce their medications. As you point out, there are many excellent alternatives which can be considered. Some will succeed for you and others will not.

2nd question:

While working on the road to recovery we would be grateful TO RELIEVE the symptoms.

I am always on the look out for new suggestions in your radio program.What do you think about LOW DOSE NALTREXONE which is a drug approved & used for addiction? Sinemet is ADDICTIVE.This would be a useful adjunct for PD patients to reduce & even stop their meds. I know again you are not a physician but you worked in research as PHD you may have an opinion.

Thank you for your dedication & I wish you all the blessings & success in your mission.

Abi

Response:

As you correctly point out, I am certainly not qualified to say one way or another whether this particular drug therapy would be a good choice for you. I would proceed just as you are – ask around – get some opinions – then   use your own intution to decide whether taking this drug would be a smart decision for you or not.

Drugs have literally saved people’s lives, so we must all be thankful that they exist. The downside to taking any prescription drug is that there are always side effects. That is why the FDA is involved.

You may well achieve your goal (which in your case is to reduce the medications you are currently taking) but other unwanted side effects may emerge (or not). You never know since every one’s reactions to drugs differs.

As with any drug the list of possible side effects for the drug you are considering is extensive. Possibilities that have been reported for the drug you are considering include disturbed sleep, unsettling dreams, fatigue, spasms, pain, headache, diarrhea and an increase of liver enzymes. If you decide to pursue this as a therapy you may experience none of these possible side effects. Or, you may experience several of them.

At Jump Start to Wellness, we teach a valuable skill that you can always use to make decisions like this one. You can always evaluate whether any therapy is a good idea or not for you through muscle testing and checking in with your own intuitive sense of what is the right decision to make.

You actually know the answer to your own question. When you sort out how the option feels, you will know the right decision to make.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery
1-877-526-4646

Resources
Dehydration Therapy: Aquas
Parkinsons Recovery Membership
Parkinsons Eye Problems
Vibroacoustic Therapy
Jump Start to Wellness
Parkinsons Recovery Chat Room
Symptom Tracker

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

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May 22 2010

Recovery from Parkinson’s Disease

Hi Robert,

I have been continuing to follow your work and today I just felt compelled to write and convey my deep appreciation for you. Your work is invaluable and the information you provide is the most probative for anyone interested in recovery from Parkinson’s and other forms of chronic illness. I know that I have already indicated my appreciation in times past but I felt the need to do so again.

Robert, before I was diagnosed I was a mess, my hands, legs, head and entire body would shake. I have never been fond of doctors and always felt it would somehow subside, I finally went to see my general physician who said I had some sort of advanced PD, he recommended me to a neurologist who told me the same. Not wanting to accept this PD business I just continued to ignore it, then one day I was with my children at the mall and fell down a long flight of steps and unable to get up.

Still resistant I did agree to talk with Abraham Lieberman and he and I wrote back and forth for a long time, he agreed to treat me at no cost but I would of course have to get to Miami, instead he procured an appointment with Dr. Jankovic at Baylor University. They examined me for 4 hours and the diagnoses was the same. I started the medications that improved my condition substantially.

The long and short of it is I no longer have any symptoms of PD nor do I take any meds. This was the result of about three years of research and slowly making changes in all aspects of my life. I do have a good understanding of why and how I recovered however articulated this might not be so easy, it was not simply changing modalities but the capacity to perceive life and my existence in a way that is contrary to all I have been taught and conditioned, changing my perspective was not an easy feat but when that occurred I realized that healing and restoration was possible.

Bobby

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Apr 15 2010

Wean Off Medications

Published by admin under medications

Question:

Lately, I have been contemplating the weaning of myself from my PD medications. Presently I take 100 mg of Levodopa Carbidopa 4 times daily and I take  Requip for  restless leg syndrome, five times daily.(The Levodopa is a fairly low dosage.)  I am also on  Azilect 1 mg 1x daily. This is the highly touted drug that is supposed to slow down PD.

Motivating me first and foremost to stop my meds, is that I do not like putting chemicals into my body and I have been taking Lev/Carb  for 12 years now. Secondly I have read that if you keep supplying your body with pill form dopamine, it relies on that, and it will not try to make dopamine on its own.

In the future, I would like to try and free my body of pill form chemicals, and  put my body back to work for itself. I know that this would have to be done gradually and carefully and working with a doctor under his/her  guidance. And it would involve lots of  work on my part. And I do remind myself  too, that it could be risky–and at this moment I am fending off symptoms quite well.

My neurologist he cautions me  saying that I am doing so well, why change anything? He says that first of all PD patients like myself, whose symptoms start with a tremor, tend to fare better than others. (And I am thankful for that). But mostly he stresses that MY MEDS are the biggest contributing factor for my  ‘wellness’, and that THEY are what is making the difference for me. So, no encouragement from him whatsoever.

I just wondered if,  in your work, with PD, Roger, have you ever encountered or heard of anyone else who has set out on a similar  journey : without meds and using alternative therapies, and whether they have been successful, or  not.  If so I would be interested in hearing their stories. And do you or your colleagues have any comments?

Thanx

Ms X

Response:

Your vision is clear about what you want to see happen with your medications. You have precisely what you need to manifest your heart’s desire: a clear vision, solid focus and unwavering determination. There will always be people who question your decision. This happens with any change you have decided to initiate.

You ask if there are any other people who have pursued a similar path. I know of many people on a path of reducing meditations and/or alternating their program in one way or another. Keep listening to my radio program! You will hear stories of people who are weaning themselves off medications that are no longer serving their best and highest good.

Please listen to my radio program interview with Pharmacist Randy Mentzer who gives a play by play description of how he helps people wean off of medications. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/parkinsons-recovery. The challenge of course is that side effects of certain medications can begin to be far worse than the symptoms the medications are formulated to help.

Randy tells me if a person is taking three medications, there is a good chance there are drug interactions and drug depletions. If a person is taking five, he says there is a 100% chance of drug interactions and/or depletions.

It takes a serious commitment on your part. And as you aptly point out, you have to work very closely with a doctor who supports your decision to wean off  medications. It is also important to acknowledge the role that supplements have in whatever decisions you make and whatever approach you pursue.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

Resources
Dehydration Therapy: Aquas
Parkinsons Recovery Membership
Parkinsons Eye Problems
Vibroacoustic Therapy
Jump Start to Wellness
Parkinsons Recovery Radio CDs
Parkinsons Recovery Chat Room
Symptom Tracker
Parkinsons Recovery Radio Network
Daily News about Parkinson’s Disease

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

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Mar 10 2010

Medications for Parkinson’s Disease

Published by admin under medications

I am airing Compounding Pharmacist Randy Mentzer’s answers to questions you have submitted to me regarding Parkinson’s medications on my radio program Thursday (March 11th) at 11:00 am pacific time.  I have already heard the answers.

Everyone needs to hear this program. What you learn from his answers could save your life. Literally!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/parkinsons-recovery

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

Resources

Reverse Cataracts Naturally
Vibroacoustic Therapy
Jump Start to Wellness
Parkinsons Recovery Weekly Reader
Parkinsons Recovery Chat Room
Symptom Tracker
Parkinsons Recovery Radio Network
Aqua Hydration Formulas

Books

Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease
Pioneers of Recovery
Five Steps to Recovery
Meditations for Parkinsons

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Nov 13 2009

Recovery is Happening for Me

Published by admin under aquas,medications,recovery

I received permission from Monica to posted her e mail to me yesterday:
I, LIKE YOU, HAD NEVER BEEN ENOUGH FOR MYSELF.  MY BODY EXPRESSED THIS AT AGE 50 WITH SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS.  DEEP INSIDE I WAS SO TIRED OF BEING DRIVEN AND WHEN DIAGNOSED WAS RELIEVED TO HAVE  AN EXCUSE TO GET OFF THE MERRY-GO-ROUND. AFTER    5 YRS I AM HAPPY TO BE A MORE REAL ME.  IN MAY 09 I DECLARED MYSELF TO RECOVERY.  IN JULY 09 I BEGAN AQUAS.

IN OCT 09 I SHARED WITH JOHN COLEMAN MY PROGRESS AND TOOK EVEN MORE SERIOUSLY THE PRACTICE OF SELF-LOVE.  IM SEEING TEENY TINY IMPROVEMENTS THAT I ATTRIBUTE TO CHANGED THOUGHT FORMS.  ABOUT A MONTH AGO I MADE AN APPT TO SEE ABOUT STARTING PD MEDS IN DEC.  WHY?  BECAUSE MY RIGHT FOOT WAS STICKING TO THE GROUND A LITTLE MORE THAN  I WAS COMFORTABLE WITH.  I DECIDED TO BE IN A FEAR STATE OVER THIS INSTEAD OF THE IDEA THAT THIS TOO SHALL PASS.  IT PASSED.  IM IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY. IM STILL GOING TO SEE ABOUT MEDS….ALTHOUGH TAKING DOPAMINE CAPSULES HAS HELPED ME I THINK.

I THINK HAVING A MORE RELAXED FORGIVING OF SYMPTOM FLAREUPS IS THE KEY THOUGH.  THE OLD FEAR-BASED, DRIVEN, IM NOT ENOUGH EGO, IM REALIZING MAKES SYMPTOMS WORSE THAN THEY WOULD BE OTHERWISE.  OLD HABITS DONT SERVE ME AT ALL…
YOUR SELF INTERVIEW HAD A PROFOUND EFFECT ON MY WAY OF THINKING AND  I THANK YOU DEEPLY.

MONICA
When Monica sent me an e mail today giving permission to post her e mail, she added the following exciting news:
TODAY IS ANOTHER GREAT DAY AND IM SSOO HAPPY……IM ON A HIGH..RECOVERY IS HAPPENING FOR ME
Monica

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

Resources

Jump Start to Wellness
Parkinsons Recovery Weekly Reader
Parkinsons Recovery Chat RoomSymptom Tracker
Parkinsons Recovery Radio Network
Aqua Hydration Formulas

Books

Pioneers of Recovery
Five Steps to Recovery
Meditations for Parkinsons
Stop Parkin’ and Start Livin’

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Oct 29 2009

Dad in the Hospital with Low Blood Pressure and Parkinson’s

The following questions were sent by Nancy:

Question:

Saw your interesting article on the internet last night. My Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about 10 years ago. He has been on the required medication, such as Levadopa and Requip, maybe some others. My most concern is the Requip.

He has been the hospital all week because of his low blood pressure. For some reason they don’t know what to do about it. I have been  told that the requip  causes low blood pressure. Can he safely get off of the stuff? And how?

Response:

Once a person starts taking medication, it is very tricky to stop. The body goes into a type of withdrawal. It is important to work closely with the doctors if the intent is to stop taking any Parkinson’s meditations (or reduce the dosage). It is not a smart idea to go cold turkey on the medications.

Question:

How can you tell if someone has been misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s?

Response:

Parkinson’s is a garbage can type diagnosis which means it covers a wide range of symptoms. Research estimates show that about one third of the people who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s were misdiagnosed. This happens because there is no definitive test for it. Most doctors eliminate other possibilities – and if nothing is left – it is diagnosed as “Parkinson’s”.

Question:

Has all this medication put him in the condition he is in?

Response:

You can partially answer your own question by asking your pharmacist for the list of side effects from the medications he takes. If the symptoms he is experiencing are on the list, there is certainly a good possibility interactions of the medications might be the culprit.

There is also another problem that emerges when more than one medication is taken: drug interactions and depletions. Additional problems are caused sometimes when certain medications are combined. I refer people to Randy Mentzer who is a nutritional counselor and compounding pharmacist.

Randy does a full analysis of everything a person puts into their body, consults with the patients and writes up a detailed report of recommendations. He can sometimes make a natural medications that can substitute for the medication the person may be taking that is causing the problem.

Most medication doctors are not trained to do such an analysis. I might add it takes someone like Randy years and years to learn what these medications do and how they interact, It is a specialty in itself.

Question:

I see Parkinson’s patients and say to myself,

“My Dad does not act like that.”

Response:

How interesting, I always encourage people to trust their own intuition. It may be that it is time to entertain other possibilities.

Question:

Can a person safely get off of the medication to see if he really needs it at all?

Response:

As I mentioned above, weaning off of medications is a tricky business. You have to work very closely with your doctors and reduce the dosages very slowly and cautiously.

Question:

Just would like your opinion be and what can I do for him?

Response:

I am not a medical doctor, so I can only offer my “opinion” if this were my Dad. To be clear, I am not suggesting you do these things! This is only what I would do if this were my Dad.

First, I would do everything in my power to get my Dad out of the hospital with the doctors’ blessings. There are many bacteria floating around hospitals these days, so people can get sicker sometimes because of exposure to new infections.

Second, I would get a consultation with Nutritional Counselor and Compounding Pharmacist Randy Mentzer for my Dad.

Third, I would order a bioenergetic assessment from Dr. Ivy Faber (which would likely point to possible causes of the symptoms).  There is more information about bioenergetic assessments on the Parkinsons Recovery website (www.parkinsonsrecovery.com).

Fourth, I would get a consultation with a naturopathic doctor.

Fifth, I would do everything possible to make sure my Dad was eating live foods.

Sixth, I would do something for my self as his son, so I could have some distance from the urgency of the problem at hand. If I am in fear as his son, it will do him no good whatsoever.

All of the above steps make it possible to approach the crisis in different ways, to step outside the box so to say. I am confident your current doctors are doing everything possible to help your Dad out, but specialists look at problems from the perspective of their own specialty. That is what they are trained to do!

If I were in your shoes,

  • I would begin thinking about the problem from different perspectives.
  • I would involve other health care practitioners in addition to the neurologists.
  • I would remind myself that the body always knows how to heal itself.

Give the body what it needs to come back into balance and your Dad’s body will take care of the rest.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

Resources

Jump Start to Wellness
Parkinsons Recovery Weekly Reader
Parkinsons Recovery Chat Room
Parkinsons Recovery Radio Network
Aqua Hydration Formulas
Symptom Tracker

Books

Pioneers of Recovery
Five Steps to Recovery
Meditations to Relieve Stress
Stop Parkin’ and Start Livin’

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Sep 21 2009

Parkinsons Recovery Radio Interview with John Coleman

I received a copy of the e-mail below to John Coleman from Kumar which refers to my interview with John on my radio program which aired July 16, 2009.  If you visit Parkinsons Recovery Radio you can scroll back to my interview with John in July and listen. The programs are listed in the order they were aired.

Kumar has given me permission to  post his letter which was actually sent to John Coleman, ND. I love to post such letters – whether they are addressed to me or someone else -  because it is energizing and motivating to see what other people are doing to get wonderful relief from their symptoms.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

Dear John Coleman, ND:

I just heard the interview with Dr. Rodgers and the questions and answers. It was fascinating. I was happy you gave so much importance to meditation. I have been meditating for the last two decades, praying to the Lord in the form of devotional singing and giving importance to spiritual exercises under capable Masters but yet I was diagnosed to be suffering from PD about three years back. However I have continued all these along with medications which is syndopa plus(Levodopa 100mg + carbidopa 25 mg) 1.5 tablets four times a day and the dopamine agonist Ropark 2 mg three times a day as prescribed by the neuro physician.

I am feeling quite fine. Tremors have reduced significantly. I can walk at a stretch for 30 min with both arms swinging and climb staircases without any support since this was the severe problem I suffered with last month since I was falling backwards while climbing staircases and also while moving horizontally at home and other places. Add to this hallucinations and uneasy feeling on the back of the head which are no longer there.

The present improved condition is due to two weeks of hospitalisation for drug optimisation, physiotherapy done both at home and the hospital for coordination, balancing, muscle strengthening involving cycling, rowing, weight lifting for both arms and lower limbs and exercise on the tread mill for slow walking with longer steps. Beside these I have also been doing exercises prescribed by Dr. Roberts from the Internet which are also helpful. I taught some of these exercises to the physios attending on me.

I am eagerly waiting for the Aquas hydration formula which has not arrived yet even after 24 days after ordering the same. In the mean while I am trying  my best to drink 8 glasses of water everyday.

I would like to share a simple technique here which we call evening cleaning. After the day’s work when we are relaxed, we seat ourselves in a comfortable seat erect and at a quiet place, take the thought once only in the beginning that all complexities, negativities, fears, darkness, grossness, disease and recently added toxins are leaving our body from behind in the form of smoke and sit quietly for 30 min using your will power but not meditating. You feel highly refreshed and empty after doing this.

I am in the process of writing my Life history in brief which I will send it to you after I have finished.

Once again, it was wonderful listening to you.

Kumar

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Sep 21 2009

Parkinson’s Disease Medications

Question:

Firstly, of course you are most welcome to  quote my letter as signed Robert W (London)

Secondly your book and Meditations are proving thoroughly uplifting and sustaining. Before I found your site were the Dark Ages but thanks to yourself I am on the Road to Recovery and the New Renaissance.

Thirdly I’ve been rather perturbed by reading two books by Janice Walton- Hadlock of pdrecovery.org. By virtue of the similarity of site-name I Guess you must know of her.

My worry is that by putting myself on the Road to Recovery, obviously I am going to want to wean myself off the drugs that I’m on, as indeed John Coleman said he had done. But do I risk being  one of the unlucky minority for whom the cocaine-like addiction to the meds stirs in vengeance and smashes  back at me? I realize that you can’t act as a doctor advising on medicines, and also I’m sure that you are very watchful in not antagonizing the stealthy gods of the Pharmaceutical industry.

However it is a deep undiscussed issue which worries me enormously I hope you might be able to air somehow on your Radio show. Could you even invite Janice on to discuss the issue?

Robert W (London)

Response:

I have forwarded a request for Janice to be a guest on my radio show. I know she is very busy, but I hope she accepts. She has years and years of experience with this issue at her clinic.

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

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