Natural Options to Reverse Parkinsons Symptoms

Category: medications (Page 2 of 2)

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 for my recovery from Parkinson’s disease. 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.I celebrate a full recovery from Parkinson’s disease. 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

Robert Rodgers PhD
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery
Five Steps to Recovery

Recovery is Happening for Me

I received permission from Monica to posted her e mail to me yesterday with the title recovery is happening for me.
Robert Rodgers PhD
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery

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 DO Not SERVE ME AT ALL…

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

Low Blood Pressure and Parkinsons

The following questions were sent by Nancy whose Dad has low blood pressure and Parkinsons.

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 medical 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.”

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 who has low blood pressure and Parkinsons.

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 a Nutritional Counselor or Compounding Pharmacist. 

Third, I would order a bioenergetic assessment from Dr. Ivy Faber (which would likely point to possible causes of the symptoms).

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.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery

 

Exciting News about Recovery Progress

What follows is a letter which reports exciting progress of recovery that I have permission to post. This letter was a most wonderful and very unexpected birthday present that I received several days ago.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery

I just wanted to share with you that my neurologist was completely impressed with your website. We went online during my appt.

He is awesome- absolutely the most open M.D. I have ever met. I said you weren’t saying that this was a cure for Parkinson’s, but that you were saying a person could become symptom free and he said,

“Yes you can!”

He mentioned that many of his patients ask him what they can do to reduce symptoms and he tells them good nutrition, exercise, meditate, etc. That is the beauty of your site. You have done all the work and a wonderful job organizing everything — all we have to do is turn the computer on! The first thing he said to me is,

“Have you been working out a lot? You look great!”

That felt really good. I have made vast improvements in such a short time. However, I need to keep working hard and reduce my meds more as I am having a lot of very restricting dyskinesia again – that is my signal to reduce.

My doctor was also impressed with my med reduction. I have totally eliminated 3 drugs and reduced one, I have cut my l-dopa (mucuna) dose by 50% 1st than another 25% of that and now it’s time again. I just want to thank you for all that you have done and are doing- remember to take a break sometime!

Sincerely,

Turtle

Medical Specialities for Parkinsons

There are many alternatives to consider when searching for therapies and treatments that provide relief from the symptoms of Parkinson’s. I will preview both Western and Eastern medical specialties for Parkinsons several by way of opening up ideas for where you can search to find relief.

Western Medical Specialities for Parkinsons

Western medical specialties for ParkinsonsOne of the places that is familiar to most people today is western medicine, a specialty among many other possible specialties that can be considered. Western medicine treats symptoms with prescription drugs and surgery. This approach for treating illness has become a commonly accepted method of treating disease for about 100 years now.

It is losing some of its popularity because of the side effects of the medicines and the consequences of surgeries. It is important to remember, however, that the mainstream medication specialty is precisely what some people need to jump start their recovery program.

Thank goodness the western medicine specialty is stringently regulated. Prescription medicines make molecular changes to the cellular structure of the body. Most prescription medicines have side effects. This is why Federal Drug Administration (or a similar agency in other countries) legally regulates the prescription and sale of all prescription drugs. Stringent certifications are required for the medical doctors who prescribe the meditations and for the pharmacists who sell them.

The standard treatment approach in western medicine is to perform diagnostic tests to determine the cause of the symptom. Unfortunately administration of the tests can of course take months and require considerable expense. Unfortunately, the diagnostic tests sometimes cause illnesses in their own right.

After determining a diagnosis, the standard approach is to prescribe medications or surgery. If the medications and/or surgery succeed in alleviating the symptoms, the treatment is declared a success. If unsuccessful, the treatment is suspended in search of an alternative drugs or surgeries that are hoped will provide relief. Sometimes medical doctors have to go back to the drawing board to consider other diagnoses. Some people have a long list of diagnoses for a variety of symptom sets.

The western approach to medicine works beautifully for some people and some symptoms. For other people and other symptoms, such treatments can be disappointing. Many people prefer this specialty over other alternatives. Others use both.

Eastern Medical Specialties for Parkinsons

There are also a wide variety of other specialties that offer the potential to provide reliefEastern Medical specialties for Parkinsons which rely on natural methods to heal the body. An advantage of such specialties is that they have been practiced for many thousands of years with great success. The worst side effect you are likely to experience when using natural therapies is improved health on some level.

The number of specialties other than western medicine is extensive: homeopathy, acupuncture, herbs, meditation, energy healing, physical therapy, tai chi, qigong, naturopathy, exercise, hypnosis, counseling therapy, nutrition, body work – you name it. This is the short list.

Most of these specialties have been practiced for thousands and thousands of years. The standard approach to illness in the United States was to use homeopathic remedies until the beginning of the 20th century, a time when most of us today were not living.

Many people get a huge advantage when they use a combination of specialties. Why? When used in combination, the benefits from using the treatments from more than one specialty are usually synergistic.

In the countless interviews I do with individuals who have the symptoms of Parkinson’s I am overwhelmed with what people do that helps – not just a little – but a lot.

May you open the door to consider what all specialties have to offer. That is what I have been doing with my own research strategy and I am unearthing unbelievable discoveries which you can read about in the Parkinsons Recovery blog.

Join me with investigating other specialties that have the potential to help you feel a lot better. The people who are getting great relief from their symptoms are willing to experiment with many different specialties. The sky is the limit. The potential for healing is limitless.

Robert Rodgers PhD
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery

Pain and Parkinsons Disease

Although the topic of pain and Parkinsons disease may have come up before, we haven’t gotten yet a satisfactory answer. The question is whether you have found pain to be a significant symptom in people with other symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, and if so, what they do to find relief.

The second question is whether in people who take L-dopa, it is common for them to feel worse 20-45 min after taking the medication before finding relief.  Any suggestions or information you have on these two related questions would be very much appreciated.

Pain and Parkinsons Disease

Yes, I have received many reports from people who report pain is a very troubling symptom for them among others. First, from what I have learned, people get relief from pain by meditating. Meditation allows them to override all of the thinking that surrounds the “meaning” of the pain. We all put a head on top of our head, which makes the experience worse. That is one reason I have been motivated to record the weekly series of meditations for Parkinsons Recovery members.

Second, my observation is that there is typically a thought form that is buried beneath the pain. Once that is cleared and released, the pain resolves.

Third, a source of the pain is often unreleased trauma. Using one body therapy or another (we use craniosacral) helps with releasing trauma. Other therapies are helpful as well. Once the trauma is released, the pain resolves (if trauma is the primary causal factor)

Timing of Medications

As for the timing of the medications – this is a tough one. Your doctor of course is the go to resource when it comes to questions about medications.  Most people tell me that when they work closely with their doctor, they can adjust their medications so that the down time is minimized. People I have interviewed tell me they experience symptom relief after taking medications, not pain.

I wonder about the reason for the emergence of pain before the meditations kick in. Perhaps the body is in a suspended state of withdrawal until the new dose starts to work. Perhaps there is a temporary flare up of inflammation

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery

 

Parkinson’s Supplements

You must be most certainly aware of Dr. Mukesh Paneri,an ayurvedic doctor from Ahmedabad, India. His website is www.drpaneri.com who I understand treats patients with Parkinson’s supplements and diet. 

He claims to have cured more than 50 patients from Parkinsons Disease and 122 well on their way to recovery. I would like to know how genuine and authentic are his claims before progressing further. I am eagerly waiting for your reply.

Srinivasan

I have been trying to arrange an interview with Dr. Paneri for a year but I have thus far not succeeded. I have talked with several people who have received his treatment. Results of my investigations to date are reported in my book, Pioneers of Recovery.

This is the first I have heard that he reports specific numbers of persons who are symptom free. It would be wonderful if he is now meticulously tracking the recovery of his patients.

My own feeling about “cures” is that no one else cures us of anything. We cure ourselves. I do know from my interview with Nathan Zakheim (who reports a full recovery from Dr. Paneri’s treatments in Pioneers of Recovery) that Dr. Paneri uses an Ayurvedic approach which requires a very strict dietary intake of food. His treatment involves much more than simply taking herbs or supplements which he sends his patients from his clinic in India.

He is the fifth generation in his family of people who have worked with people using supplements for Parkinson’s and diet. You are clearly dealing with someone who has intimate knowledge of the symptoms. I understand that he does consultations with his patients by phone.

I do not know whether the claims you report above are “valid” or documented. I have talked with people who have used his services who report feeling better as a result. I suspect that like all possibilities, some people respond favorably to his therapies and some do not. I have no direct evidence to this effect. I only have results of my own investigations on many other therapies and treatments.

Everyone has to find the path of recovery that works for them. I have not found a therapy yet that has a positive impact on everyone. I do know that if you commit to working with Dr. Paneri, you have to have a strong commitment to get better and you must be willing to make significant changes in your diet and life style. I suspect a reason people do feel better is because they begin to watch the food they eat much more mindfully.

If you decide to receive his treatments, please let us all know how it turns out! We would all love to hear from you.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery
www.parkinsonsrecovery.com

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