Category Archives: Parkinsons

Mucuna as Treatment for Parkinsons

Question: What are your thoughts about using the mucuna to
treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s?

Answer:

There is an upside and a downside to taking Mucuna to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

The Upside

Macuna bean (or Mucuna Puriens) is derived from a plant
that grows
in tropical climates. The Mucuna herb has been used
for generations in India and other eastern countries
to treat
Parkinson’s with varying success. Mucuna is by no means
a new revelation.

People use Mucuna in part because it does not have the side effects of prescription medications.A number of people in my global audience who take prescription
medications for Parkinson’s have been pleased with the results they
get from taking Mucuna.  Others  have succeeded
in reducing the dose of their prescribed medications or
even weaning themselves off prescription medications altogether. 

No changes in the dosage of prescription medications should of course be made without consulting with your doctor first. Even though it is not a prescription medication, it is also just as important to consult with your doctor before taking any natural herb supplement like Mucuna to boost dopamine.

The Downside

It is clear from talking with other health professionals that
Mucuna is not a cure nor does it provide relief
for everyone. After all, if Mucuna were a panacea
everyone with Parkinson’s would be taking it and no one
today would be suffering from its symptoms.

Many people think of Parkinson’s simplistically as a
deficiency of dopamine. In fact, the “disease” is
described by most health care providers as such.
The truth of the matter is that
reasons for
the symptoms of Parkinson’s are far, far more
complicated than this simple explanation. 

Symptoms of Parkinson’s are affected by an imbalance
of over
39 different neurotransmitters. When you take
Mucuna or any dopamine supplement for that matter
you are making a decision to
focus on a tiny fraction
of the problem. 

The body is making fine adjustments to the production
and distribution of hormones continuously, second by
second, minute by minute.
Consider the maze of
complicated adjustments your body makes to produce
and distribute the other 38 neurotransmitters when you take
any dopamine lookalike.

Ingesting a single synthetic hormone once a day creates an instant
adjustment the body must make to the delicate balance of hormones
in the body.
The “adjustment” that comes from taking a dopamine
supplement (whether prescription or a supplement like Mucuna)
is crude.The body produces and distributes hormones continuously each and every second of the day.

Do the math.

If the choice is between relying on the  body or any dopamine supplement I
am betting on the body any day of the week.

A second challenge you will encounter if you decide to
take Mucuna – and keep in mind this
may be a good
choice for you – is that you are giving your body the
signal it does not
need to expend the energy produce dopamine
on its own.
Think like your body and you will understand
the long term consequences of what happens when
you take a dopamine producing supplements.

Here is the decision sequence:

1. Your body is busy with the work of adjusting and balancing hormones
which, after all, is one of its functions.

2. An external source of domaine mysteriously
appears in the digestive system.
There is suddenly and
unexpectedly an
external intrusion into the body.

3. The body begins to ponder: “Who is in charge here?” A critical function of the body is suddenly and unexpectedly being handled by an external intervention.

4. The body then concludes:  “If someone else is doing my job, why should I bother?”
Isn’t this just anyone of us do  when someone else takes on the burden of  doing
a job you thought was our responsibility? I mean, if someone else wants to do the work, why not let them?

A reason cells in the substantia nigra die is because
dopamine is being supplied by an external source.
Cells
that produce dopamine are no
longer needed since the supply is provided by an external source.  You either use it or lose it. In this case you lose it.
The body eventually surrenders responsibility for producing dopamine.

Prescription medications and Mucuna  are different delivery systems for
dopamine. For most people higher doses have to be take to experience symptom
relief.

John Coleman ND points out that most of the Macuna bean
that is packaged and sold in the marketplace is not actually
“natural.” It is a processed. The Mucuna pill capsules
are manufactured and refined, purified and converted to
powder. John Coleman ND has also observed in his clinic that
some forms of Macuna  induce the “same adverse effects as synthetic
levodopa if consumed in large quantities over a long period.

Coleman offers a different recommendation for his clients.
He suggests you hydrate your body by taking a
natural homeopathic remedy. The body has an easier
time producing and balancing hormones when the cells
are adequately hydrated.

Mucuna may provide welcome relief in the short term.
But if it is used as a lifetime remedy your body’s
incredibly intricate
system for monitoring
hormones will be short circuited. Sensitivity of
the monitoring system is degraded and the system
itself is eventually disabled.

Your body gradually gives up its mandate at birth to maintain
health and wellness. You eventually begin to feel lousy.
Health
deteriorates.

Why not give your body a chance to do its work whenever
possible? Wait. Be patient. Ask the most important question of all:
What is causing your symptoms?

Once you identify and address the cause, you will not necessarily
begin feeling  good every day. Some days you will may feel lousy.

Helping  the body re-remember how to balance hormones is not an
easy task but the rewards are worth it.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery
Aquas

Are Parkinsons Symptoms Degenerative?

Results of the 2019 Holiday Parkinsons Recovery Survey

Results of the 2019 Parkinsons Recovery Survey that asked about Parkinsons symptoms  replicated results from previous annual surveys.

Bottom Line Result: Parkinson’s is not degenerative.

I asked members of the global Parkinsons Recovery audience who currently experience the symptoms of Parkinson’s to report how they were doing relative to one year ago. Here is the question:

Since last holiday season in 2018 have you been feeling better, the same or worse overall?

One hundred and five (105) individuals responded to the survey. If you happen to buy  into the false belief that Parkinson’s is “degenerative” people should report feeling worse with each passing year.  They will not report that they felt better or have been feeling about the same as last year.

More explicitly, if Parkinson’s is in fact “degenerative” the following results would be reported:

  • Number feeling better – 0
  • Number feeling the same 0
  • Number feeling worse-    105

Only such a result would confirm the false belief that Parkinson’s is “degenerative.”  This false belief is never qualified: Everyone is “expected” to be worse off. Isn’t this what you have been told?

This was not – I repeat not – the result of the 2019 Parkinsons Recovery survey. Sixty four percent (64%) of the respondents reported that they were either feeling about the same or better than a year ago.

  • Number feeling Better – 19
  • Number feeling the same – 49
  • Number feeling worse-    37

Isn’t this result exciting news?

I also asked respondents to list any and all therapies that helped them feel better. Dozens of natural therapies were reported to help reverse symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. I want you to know about several in particular that were reported to have been helpful so I shot videos about a few of them.

To access these video presentations click on the secure link below. Then, enter your first name and email address in the fields provided. I will email you links to the videos
I have prepared for you to watch.

So, click on the secure link below then enter your first name and email address to receive links to the videos:

https://www.parkinsonsrecovery.org/opt-in

It is high time to get excited about the prospects for recovery! Others are making it happen. So can you.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
What Really Matters?
https://www.parkinsonsrecovery.org
O
lympia Washington
877-526-3636
robert@parkinsonsrecovery.com

 

 

Experience of Parkinson’s

Michael Day recounts his remarkable experience of Parkinson’s in the email below which he has given me permission to post. There is not doubt about it. The experiences of Parkinson’s is unique for each person as can be honored by the variety of presentations at the Parkinsons Recovery Summit in Santa Fe, New Mexico in February.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

Experience of Parkinson’s : A Magnificent Adventure

Robert…partly thanks to you…I have not experienced any shame the entire time I’ve had Parkinson’s. And my diagnosis day? For me, it was more of an initiation into a magnificent adventure than a day of heartbreak and devastating news.In fact, I would say that my overall experience of Parkinson’s symptoms has been the complete opposite of shame. It has been a profound gift. But this doesn’t mean it’s been easy!

Currently,

  • I can only type with my left index finger…
  • Walking is incredibly weird and difficult…
  • Fatigue is sometimes overwhelming…
  • Talking is often not possible…
  • The tremor is relentless.

However… even though the phenomenon of Parkinson’s is absolutely the most challenging thing that Life has ever invited me to face…every single day I feel so grateful to have been given such powerful support to accelerate my evolution. For me, shame has always been more a verb than a noun and when experienced from this perspective, shame becomes a choice. So, instead of shaming myself for having attracted a neurological imbalance, I choose to embrace these symptoms with love and compassion and let the shaking and the limitations lead me deeper and deeper into the discovery of who I really am.

Impact that Parkinson’s has had on My Life

Until 2006, I practiced for 30 years as a spiritually oriented psychotherapist with a 25 year professional background in natural medicine consulting that included many years of study in energetic healing and psychoneuroimmunology. At one time, I also ran an oriental medicine clinic for 3 years. My original training as a therapist had its foundations in Primal Therapy (Janov, Rubin), Bioenergetics (Lowen), and The Option Method (DeMarsico, Kaufman, Johnstone, Evans), with internship positions that included assisting with the process of conscious dying, managing a suicide hotline, and counseling runaway kids on the streets of San Francisco. Thankfully, my work as a counselor was transformed early on in my career as a result of receiving countless of hours of intimate guidance from remarkable beings from India and Tibet, western mystics, and elders of indigenous communities.

In the mid eighties, an incident very close to a near death experience, caused me to see that to offer myself as a therapist was really a sacred privilege. This made it “impossible” for me to continue looking at counseling as a business, and in my attempt to live in integrity with this experience, all my work with people has been on donation ever since. Due to the fact that there are periods of time when donations do not cover expenses, my wife Dovida and I entered the world of home based self employment. After struggling on many levels with network marketing and various business opportunities, we started an independent long distance phone service agency in 1996, which enabled us to sell national and international long distance service for the next 10 years. Since 2007, we have been exploring online marketing and blogging but as of 2012, we have yet to experience any significant monetary success from our efforts.

Back in 1992, I started and facilitated for the next 14 years, a residential inner work community dedicated to world peace through ending the war within. This community was partly modeled on Gandhi’s phrase: “Become the world you want to see”. Also in 1992, I received one of the only two honorary PhDs ever offered by one of the oldest colleges of natural healing in the U.S. and shortly thereafter, I was ordained as a nondenominational minister.

In 2006, partly as a result of my background in trauma counseling, I was invited to come and do service in a community in Venezuela. However, in 2010, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s which caused me to realize that the challenges Life was offering me through the kind of counseling work I had been doing were more than I could effectively embrace right now. So, while my focus is primarily on personal healing at this time, I continue to participate whenever I can in what is known in South America as the Bolivarian Revolution: a remarkable movement that has transformed the quality of life of over 15 million Venezuelans who had previously only known the multi-generational hell of abject poverty.

I suspect that a 40 year dedication to natural medicine, spiritual practice, and psycho-spiritual study, are partly what led me to connect up through the internet with a tiny community of brave souls who have committed to fully recovering from the symptoms of Parkinson’s. Inspired by their courage to clear what the medical community solely regards as a progressive incurable illness, I have committed myself to evolving beyond the need for the symptoms of Parkinson’s and while I’m at it…I have committed myself to evolving beyond the need for any other concept of illness or physical imperfection as well.

Parkinson’s and the attempt to recover from it can be a wild and fierce gift of grace. Fully embracing the experience of these particular symptoms, can bring a raw, visceral, physicality to the process of awakening to who we really are which is actually a profound gift if we also desire full integration of body, mind, and spirit. This process has shown me that to truly evolve beyond the need for these particular symptoms, or the need for any illness or physical imperfection, requires no less than an absolute reconsideration…in fact a total “reinvention” and “re-imagining” of all that we have previously known ourselves to be.

I have exclusively used Apple computers since 1989, and I feel utterly certain that if it were not for the genius of Steve Jobs, pen and paper would still be the primary tools of my creative expression. Besides relentlessly exploring Life through my beloved portal to infinity (my iMac), my core interests are meditation, natural medicine, Qi gong, yoga, conscious diet, uncovering the connections between personal healing/awakening and the transformation of global issues, all forms of music, independent film, and the process of hopefully becoming a better and better writer.

Warmest regards, namaste, and ubuntu,

From a little pig who’s trying
to become the world he wants to see…

Michael

Experience of Parkinson's

Options that Reverse Parkinson’s

The phone has been ringing off the hook these past few weeks. Everyone wants to know the dates and location of the 2014 Parkinsons Recovery Summit where presenters will discuss what options reverse Parkinson’s symptoms. The answer is that I have not decided at this point. Several options are being reviewed. You will be the first to hear once the 2014 Summit has been set. We are just finishing work from the Santa Fe Summit.

Many of you have asked that presentations from the Santa Fe Summit be video taped taped so that you could see what was presented at an amazing Summit you may have been unable to attend. Although it has taken a mountain of effort and tons of money since the February Summit, videos of 19 presentations have at long last been edited and mastered.

In celebration of the release of Santa Fe videos this week – they will be available at a 25% discount for the next 24 hours. To claim you discount enter the code 2013options on the shopping cart when you check out and the price of any online videos or DVDs that you order will be automatically discounted by 25%. Any and all videos can be ordered from the Parkinsons Recovery Summit website:

http://www.summit.parkinsonsrecovery.com

Acquisitions of videos help to cover expenses of the Summit presenters and
reduce the tuition of future Summits.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery
www.parkinsonsrecovery.com
877-526-4646

Perepheral Neuropathy and Parkinson’s Disease

Robert:

I will try to help you stop scratching your head and losing hair.  This will be an easy question for you with your broad base of experience.

I was diagnosed first as having perepheral neuropathy (non diabetic) in my toes and feet.  Next I was found to also have PD.

This is my first introduction to a web site of this kind and hopefully some of my questions and searching for answers can be better directed thru your website. This will be good.

Do many of those who have PD also have a rather contemporaneous onset of neuropathy affecting walking, standing, gait, balance, etc.?  Are there places to read on the interrelationship of these two diseases and ways to recover from both at the same time since they both seem to contribute to the loss of mobility?

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

Sincerely,

Jerry

Response:

The timing of your question is certainly uncanny. Last week I aired a radio show with Randy Eady who has a clinic in Delray Beach, Florida, Randy Eady. Randy is known throughout Florida as the Foot Whisperer. I suggest you listen to this show for obvious reasons. You can find the Parkinsons Recovery radio show by visiting:

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

Download the show for free and play it on an MP3 player if you do not want to listen at your computer.

Yes – the symptoms you describe can be associated with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s. My research reveals large differences in the symptoms of individuals who have been diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease. Each person’s situation is typically unique. The symptoms you experience are very likely to be vastly different from the symptoms of another with the same diagnosis.

You are also interested in exploring the two diagnoses (perepheral neuropathy and Parkinson’s) with a focus on allopathic treatment options. I am sorry to report you will not get any insights from the resources and information I provide at Parkinsons Recovery. That is clearly in the domain of medical doctors, Since I am a researcher type (Ph.D.) not a medical doctor, this is clearly not my area of expertise. I gladly refer all such questions to medical doctors.

I also prefer to research the answer to questions that do not focus on the implications of a specific diagnosis. The thinking involves asking what is wrong with your body that needs to be fixed by someone else. I hold the belief that while you are obviously experiencing bothersome symptoms, your body is giving you valuable information about what is out of balance.

I believe your body is working perfectly (though I fully acknowledge this reality is hard to stomach right now). Your body is asking for some adjustments that are necessary to bring your neurological system back into balance. Adjustments may involve some combination of diet, exercise, supplements, body work, detoxes or a whole host of other therapeutic interventions.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease
http://www.parkinsonsdisease.me

Power Within to Get Relief from the Symptoms of Parkinson’s

I received the e mail below last night from Danny. It makes my heart sing to know that my new book, Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease [http://www.parkinsonsdisease.me]  is having a positive impact on people who are on the Road to Recovery.

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

Your book, Road to Recovery is absolutely phenomenal.  I’ve only read the first 50 pages and I can’t put it down.  I had to force myself to take a break and write you this email.  During my 10+ years with Parkinson’s, I have had doctors, family members, support group friends and personal friends insisting that with Parkinson’s I will get progressively worse as time goes by until I am eventually completely disabled.
.

How refreshing to finally find someone who tells me that that is not necessarily the case, that I have the power within me to relieve my symptoms and to heal myself. I have always felt deep down that it is possible to get better and as you know I have made much progress in that direction through the use of tai chi.

In your book, you provide proof that it is indeed possible through a myriad of alternative approaches, with the research and stories of people who have been successful.You provide the information in such a positive and optimistic light, allowing the reader to experiment, discover, and develop his own Road to Recovery that is suitable for his own individual journey.

You encourage us to live life to the fullest, using our creative powers to experience the wonderful things that life has to offer us.  These are indeed the best years of our lives.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Danny

Parkinson’s Treatments: Macro Food and Amethyst Biomats?

Question:

I am a woman on a mission (to recover) and
just found out about something called amethyst
biomats. They are infrared and considered a
medical device, also expensive.

Do you know anything about them for Parkinson’s?
 
I spoke to a friend of my sisters who cured
herself from scleroderma with meditation, macro
food, and she told about this mat and she uses it.

Taube

Response.

I have a long list of therapies people with Parkinson’s
have told me helps, but this is the first I have heard
about amethyst biomats. Anyone else out there have any
experience with amethyst bio mats (or macro food
for that matter)? If so, please comment below!

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

In Search for a Cure: Is there a Holly Grail?

Question:

Are you familiar with the approach to
treating Parkinson’s used by the
Australian natural therapist
Noel Batten, detailed on his website
http://www.parkinsonsdiseasecure.com
and what is your opinion of that method?

Response:

Out of the many people I have talked
with or interviewed, I have not run
across one person who has had any
experience with this particular treatment
modality.

I am familiar with the web site and can
offer my reactions based on my impression
of his website.

It appears to me this man implicitly
offers a “cure” in five days. This is
quite ridiculous. No “cure” exists.

People certainly have recovered and are
symptom free today, but the minimum time
I have heard it takes to recover is two
years. The average time appears to be
3-4 years.

The sales pitch on the web site involves
before and after videos of people who
received his treatment. What you observe
are marked improvements. This is the norm
for many forms of body therapies.

People often do show marked improvement
after receiving a variety of different
treatments. They often look like
different people.

I have interviewed a number of people who
report seeing a therapists of one type of
another (craniosacral, Bowen, energy healing,
drumming, healing touch, reiki, etc.),
who tell me that for a period of time after
the treatment (4 hours, one day, two days –
the time varies) they were totally symptom
free. After the the brief honeymoon however,
symptoms returned.

The videos on this web site do show the
physical manifestation of trauma to the
physical body. The body becomes contorted
and twisted. Various body therapies
are helpful in releasing the tension that
is held in the body tissues.

The theme of this web site is:

Come to me. I will fix you.

This is not how people recover. The people
who recover wind up figuring out ways to
heal themselves.

No one can fix them or cure them. The tone
of the sales pitch on this web site feels
manipulative to me.

My research shows only a combination of
approaches will work. There is no single
answer. There is no holly grail.

There are however two benefits to a search
for the holly grail if you choose to go on
such a journey.

First, you exercise your mind. This
creates new neural pathways and is a good
thing. (Of course there are many other ways
to accomplish the same benefit).

Second, if you physically have to move or
travel to find the people who claim they
will fix you, you will receive the benefits
of physical exercise. This also is a good thing.

Does this man’s therapy help? I certainly can not
say.

I am very impressed in general with the
research on alternative therapies. Study
after study shows that one therapy after
another helps relieve symptoms.

I have stacks of studies for one therapy or
another that report positive findings. Many
studies use small samples, so the results
will never show statistical significance
because of the small sample sizes.

The actual effect sizes reported in
many studies are impressive. In some studies
effects are not large but they nonetheless
reflect improvements. Effects in many of
these studies are also larger than
any effects reported in the drug studies.

My point is that there a many modalities that
provide ways to get symptom relief. The challenge
is to do a little experimentation for yourself
and figure out which ways are most useful
for you.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

Can You Archive the Articles?

Question:

I have been subscribed to your newsletter since the end of July this year, and find the articles highly inspiring and helpful. I have not found a newsletter archive on www.parkinsonsrecovery.com, and wonder if you are planning to create one.

Thank you for the wonderful work you are doing.

Response:

My confession is that I have written material that is
scattered all over the place. Some of it appears
here. Much of it is posted on the Parkinsons Recovery
Newsletter.  Other material is posted on other
websites.

I do not have plans to archive the material I have
written for the newsletter. The material posted on
this blog (www.blog.parkinsonsrecovery.com) 
is  automatically archived. I am currently 
assembling all of the material into a book which
I will release soon. 

Thanks for asking. I am so happy to learn the
informaton is helpful. Stay tuned for exciting
news to come!

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

Support for Healing Parkinson’s

Question:

Hello, I am so happy to have received the link to this website..VERY INSPIRATIONAL!!
I am an Energy Practitioner and Motivational Coach. I am presently working with 2 clients who have been diagnosed 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 consciousness, awareness 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 supplements that is suggested but not moving his body and has become VERY STIFF AND SORE- CAN NOT MOVE.

Can you offer to me any words of advise or encouragement 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 frustrating 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…

Response

Warm congratulations to the one client of yours who is feeling so much better. He is clearly on the path of recovery. It is a bumpy ride, so having you there will make all the difference in the world. 

Your deep concern of course lies with your second client who is getting worse. Your question is : how do I help him? Your experience is very similar to my experience. Some people are deeply committed to heal and are willing to experiment until they find what approaches work for them. They do get better. I can assure you and your clients that there are many people on the path to recovery.

The second person would prefer to have someone fix them, to make the symptoms magically vanish.  I don’t blame them one bit.  When I have an ache – I feel the same way.  Of course – no such “cure” exists with Parkinson’s, yet many people prefer to believe it will happen to them.

There are many very deep, unconscious reasons why your second client will not do anything to help himself.  On the most basic level he does not have the energy to do anything but see you. A nutritional IV can help persons in such situations. A nutritional IV is a direct infusion of essential vitamins and minerals directly into the body. It is not a chelation. It is mainstreaming food the body is not getting. Some naturopaths and  some medical doctors specialize in nutritional IV’s. It helps people get back on their feet and  give a much needed burst of energy. 

Second, I would recommend you suggest to him that the reasons for his symptoms may in part lie in the area of toxins. There are many gentle ways to detox the body. It sounds like to me he is not ready to address any of the stress or trauma which sounds like is a key reason for the symptoms from your description. He may be open to doing a little detox work. 

Third, some people – and he may be one of them – take on a condition from another family member out of love. Sometimes it is a parent or a grandparent. Sometimes it is a brother  or sister. It depends. This is an unconscious entrapment into disease (his happens  to be Parkinson’s). This is a larger  family system issue that keeps people sick until they address the issue. He is unlikely to go there now, but maybe later. 

Fourth, when people are stuck like him, there is a very conterintuitive suggestion to make. Give him a mantra to say three times a day for a week. The mantra is

I refuse to get better.  I like my life just the way it is.
                                The answer is no. 

If he can connect that that place within himself  that refuses to heal, he may be able to move out of his stuckness. We all get stuck sometimes.

Why might he not want to heal? There may be negative pleasure in having the debilitating symptoms. This too is unconscious. He is not doing anything about his situation  because having the disease gives him something. The condition defines his role in his family and the roles of all the other family members.   If he gets better, it puts all of that delicate balance out of whack.

The point here is to make explicit his moment to moment choice to feel worse and worse.   You can talk about all the things that will happen like nursing homes and wheel chairs so the truth is spoken out loud. We all make choices in our lives. Maybe the truth of the matter is that his true (though unconscious) choice is to check out of living and die.   

Having said all of this, I think in the end your job is to honor whatever choice he makes. Who is to judge that his choices are not the best for him, whatever they may be? When you ask what you can do for him, I would suggest you now put this back on him.

Ask him what he needs from you. Then give it to him in a loving way – honoring whatever choices he makes.  You can facilitate his journey on whatever path he choices to take. Somethimes the most loving thing to do for a client is to honor their choice to get worse.

Keep up the wonderful work. Know in your heart that you are the perfect healer for him at this time in his life. 

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

Parkinson’s Symptoms and Medications

Question: 

My Parkinsonian symptoms are going on with me now for
4 months and the strongest is my slowness of movements,
speech and the way my face looks so sad.  Today I just felt
fatigued and some feeling in my brain like a flush or a wave of slowness.
 
I am seeing a neurologist for the second time on 9/l6 for
further evaluation.  I have yet to be formally diagnosed
with parkinsonism.  In a small corner in my mind I carry
he thought that these symptoms are temporary and it is
not Parkinson’s.  Do others that you may know of have
similar symptoms like my self that turn out not to be Parkinson’s
and they are well again?
 
Thank you for letting me update you on what is going on
with my health.  I am reaching out as far as I can for help
and guidance on all I can do.  My life has changed l00%
this past 4 months.
 
I was taking SAMe for three months for depression. 
It elevated my mood and I was feeling 80 percent better
so I stopped taking it one week ago.  I weaned myself off
in a week.  Now I am wondering if stopping SAMe is
the reason I do not feel so good now.
Are you familiar with SAMe?
 

Response:

Well – you have been on a roller coaster these past few months. 

The question you ask is: Do I know of people who have symptoms like
yours who have been able to recover or feel better? 

The encouraging answer is yes!  I interview people all the time with symptoms
like yours – give them any name you wish – who have figured out ways to feel
better. I just finished an interview with John Coleman, a naturopath doctor
from Australia who had Parkinson’s in 1995 but who has fully recovered today.

You can hear his interview by clicking on the link below:

http://www.instantteleseminar.com/Default.asp?eventid=4116702

I will soon have a member web site available for
access where I will be
posting interviews and doing
teleseminars with people like John. Many
are not health
care professionals like John – just people who have figured out
what to do for themselves to feel better.

I personally believe there are two basic ways to
approach problems like yours.
First, many people
spend a great deal of energy and time trying to figure
out what
is wrong. From my experience, this approach 
tends to sustain a great deal of 
fear and makes sure that
you will experience the symptoms of Parkinson’s because
fear triggers hormonal imbalances in the body.

The second approach is to say – OK – my body is giving
me some information. It is working perfectly – as it always does.
It must be the case that my body needs something I am not
giving it – perhaps good food, exercise, mind challenges,
levity, relaxation, detoxing, etc., etc.). With this approach 
a person can begin to
make some changes in their life and 
eventually turn their health around.  It does take
time and trust.  

As for tests revealing problems with lesions and tumors and
cancers and – you name
it – my personal feeling is (and remember
this is only my personal feeling) – everyone has
things like this
in their bodies. Everyone has cancers in their body at one time or 
another. Most people have lesions of one type or another. Etc. 

Clearly it is a good idea to get things checked out by doctors
and consider  their
recommendations. Medicine sometimes
works miracles for people.

The challenge for anyone in a situation like yours is that
if you spend most of your time focusing your 
attention on
what is wrong with your body  – if those thought
forms
dominate your thinking – you will be guaranteed to manifest
something wrong.
Our thoughts create our reality.  

As for the drug you asked about – I stay away from making
any comments about
drugs since I am not a medical doctor
and I am not qualified to do so. However,  I have an
appointment this week with Randy Mentzer who is a certified
nutritional counselor and a pharmacist.

Randy is amazing. I hope to do a teleseminar with Randy
in the next several weeks. Be sure to
listen. You can ask
questions. I can ask him your question and he will answer it! 

Teleseminars are so cool. So, stay tuned. I hope to have the
announcement out this week about the teleseminar with Randy. 

I am hoping for good news from the doctors for you…

All the best,

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

Live Interview with Dr. John Coleman, ND

I have a confession to make.
I have been very selfish.
How so you ask?

I have genuinely enjoyed
interviewing people who have
Parkinson’s who have found
ways to get relief from their
symptoms. I have also truly
enjoyed asking experts in
various modalities about their
experiences in working with
people with Parkinson’s

My confession is that I have
always asked the questions I
want to ask, so you never 
have the opportunity to ask
the questions you want to ask.
I admit it. I have been selfish
and self serving.

The good news is that I am ready
to make amends. I am doing a
teleseminar this coming
Thursday, September 4, 2008 at
4:00 pm Pacific time (7:00 pm
Eastern time) where you will have
the opportunity to ask questions
of my surprise guest, Dr. John
Coleman, a naturopath doctor from
Melbourne Australia.

John is a friend and a naturopath
doctor from Melbourne, Australia
who had an advanced stage of
Parkinson’s in 1995 but who is
symptom free today.

Click on the link below to get the
details on the interview with John
Coleman. You can listen to the
interview over the phone or connect
through the web on your computer.
Ask any questions you wish today
and I will put them on the list to
ask John Thursday. Or, you can always
ask questions during the interview.

TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW…

Interview with Dr. John Coleman, ND

I hope you are able to join us.

Again, click on the link below
and get the scoop on the teleseminar
coming up this Thursday.

Interview with Dr. John Coleman, ND

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery
 
 
 

Support for Living Well With Parkinson’s

Question:

Do external interventions (supplements,
massage, cranial sacral therapy, body
work, etc.) undermine the body’s ability
to function?”  

Response

This question hinges on the very essence
of healing. What can we do to support the
body’s natural ability to heal itself and
what are we doing to undermine it? 

The answer is tied to identifying what we
need to  heal. A bare bones answer is: 
nourishment, touching, connection
with others, feeling of safety, sense of
accomplishment and belonging. 

The body needs a well established 
group of vitamins mineral and
nutrients.  Without them our cells
die and our energy depletes. If we are
deficient in any one of the essential
nutrients, our bodies let us know
they are unhappy.  

Vitamin B6. For example, the body
is not designed to manufacture Vitamin
B6 internally. If it has a vitamin B6
deficiency, the body will enthusiastically w
elcome a B6 supplement. B6 supports
the body’s natural ability to balance
hormones.  

Stress. We need to feel safe and secure in
the world. If we are spinning about
in fear all the time, our bodies pump 
out adrenaline continuously which
alters the balance of hormones. 

Any intervention that invites a release
of stress and trauma from the tissues
of the body (e.g:  medication, centered
prayer, energy healing) supports the 
body’s natural capacity to heal. 
Releasing fear and trauma re-establishes
a sense that it is safe to be here on the
earth.

Toxin Removal. Interventions that help
the body release toxins and pathogens
are always welcome. They unclog
obstructions in the neural pathways and
cleanse the waste that has been trapped at
the cellular level and that is lodged in the
digestive track, liver, kidneys and spleen.

Co Q10.The body can become confused
about interventions that override one or more
of its primary responsibilities.  Consider 
one example: Co Q10. The body manufactures
CoQ10 on its own. Research on Parkinson’s has
suggested that some people with Parkinson’s may
have Co Q10 deficiencies. The idea here is to
put Co Q10 directly into the body. 

This may very well be a wonderful and very
smart thing to do. You may feel a lot better
because of it. But a possible and logical
consequence is for the body to ever so 
gradually disassemble its ability to produce
Co q10 on its own steam.

When a manufacturing production line is
closed down, it takes a great deal of effort
to bring it back on line.  Isn’t this also
what happens with skills that we develop?
If we do not use them, we gradually
lose them.

Another way to approach a
Co q10 deficiency is to give
the body Vitamin C. If the body
has sufficient quantities of vitamin C,
it has a much better chance of
being able to produce Co Q10 on
its own – no supplement needed.

Dopamine. Let’s cut to the quick and address
dopamine. Prescription medications have saved
some people’s lives. Sometimes
it is the best choice a person can make.

I do not think the important question
is whether to begin taking prescription
medications or not. Nor is the important
choice whether to take prescription
medications or natural herbal substitutes
for dopamine.  The key question turns on
a commitment to support your body with
the nutrients it needs to heal.
 

Support for Living.

I believe the most important
choice is to do everything necessary
to bring all systems of the body back
on line. The systems need to be readied
for a marathon.  If you have symptoms
that are troublesome it is a sign that
one or more systems in your body
are limping along. 

I believe a plan that works well for the body
is to work on strengthening all of the basic
building blocks of the body by:

  • eating well (which means fresh food) 
  • eliminating toxins
  • eliminating pathogens (including bacteria and viruses)
  • releasing trauma
  • strengthening the immune system 
  • moving lymph out of the body through exercise
  • having fun
  • laughing
  • challenging your mind

It may be the case that to do justice to
everything on the list every day, certain
hormonal deficiencies will need to be
supplemented:  Perhaps dopamine,
perhaps co Q10 or whatever. This of
course is what medical doctors are trained
to help with. 

As long as you focus on bringing
all of the systems and organs in your
body back on line, your body will reach
a point when it will be able to
manufacture most – if not all – of the
essential hormones you need without
any outside intervention. Then again,
sometimes infusions of certain
hormones are needed over the long
term. 

The best intent is to support
the body so that it can do as much
work in producing the hormones
itself as possible. Set a new vision
of the future for yourself. Consider
the possibility that instead of having
to take more and more medication
or supplements in the future, you
will be able to gradually and ever 
so gently be able to maintain or
even reduce the dose of your
current medications.

Why is that? Because all of the organs
systems in your body are now healthy
so there is enough energy and resources
to manufacture the hormones your
body needs. Sure it takes time to bring
every system back on line. Who is in
a big rush here?   

Remember that any changes you
make to the dose and/or timing of
your medications should only be
taken in close consultation with
your doctor.  

I am fully aware than most people
wind up taking more medications
over time. I would like to consider
a different future.  

The body knows how to heal itself.
Give it a chance to heal and be
pleasantly surprised with the outcome.  

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

How do I figure out the Best Dose and Timing of my Medications for Parkinson’s?

Most people have problems figuring out the best
timing and dose of their Parkinson’s medications. I
am not a medical doctor, so I am not qualified or
trained to be able to help you with this problem.
Clearly, the best thing you can do is to consult with
your doctor when problems emerge.

I do want to comment on the energy behind trying
to figure out the right timing and dose of medications. 
The energy behind this effort is intentional (which is good), 
forceful (which can be good) and controlling (which is bad).
So what is so wrong with the energy behind control? After all,
control is what makes things happen in the world, right?

Most people we work with who have Parkinson’s have
been very successful in their careers and work lives
because they know how to use the energy of control
effectively and efficiently. So again you are probably
wondering why is control in this case “bad”?  

Cntrolling behavior can be bad for people with the
symptoms of Parkinson’s because controlling
behavior  pumps out adrenaline which sustains 
hormonal imbalances in the body. 
If you are trying to control the timing of your medications,
every day (and even making different decisions every
hour about what do to) there is an energy of control
which is continuously present. The hormonal imbalance
in the body is continuously present, making balance an
ever present challenge for the body.   

What do you do about the energy behind control? 
Make it conscious, so that you come to a place where
evaluating your dose and timing become effortless
(as opposed to forced) as you listen to the needs of
your own body. 

In summary, there is a curious tension between
the energy of “control” (which involves doing
something every day to your body) versus being
able to relax and let go. When you try to force
relaxation, it just doesn’t work. The body just
becomes more alert and even more adrenaline
is pumped out.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

 © 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

Parkinsons Disease Natural Treatments

Question:

Are you familiar with the work being done in Santa Cruz, CA (PD Recovery Project), and do you have any information about the success (or lack thereof)?

Answer:

I personally believe they are providing a useful alternative
for people with Parkinson’s who are interested in 
finding ways to feel better. There is a large body
of information on their website that is interesting
and informative.

I also know they offer group sessions as do
we at Jump Start, though the focus, content
and delivery differs considerably. We look at
Parkinson’s as an issue involving a number of
factors (toxins, nutrition, trauma, pathogens).
They are much more focused in their approach
as I understand it. 

I have heard many reports from people who have
participated in their programs. The feedback 
jumps all over the place and reports are mixed. 
It is clear however that some people have found
relief from their symptoms or have found techniques
that are helpful.  

I hope others who are familiar with their program
will comment on their personal experience below. 

We have observed that most people are actually
not aware that they are getting relief from their
symptoms. Just because someone says a program
did not help does not mean that is true necessarily.
It is very difficult to track yourself when there are
so many symptoms that come and go. 

I created the Symptom Tracker program so that
anyone with Parkinson’s can track their
symptoms over time. You simply go to the website,
enter any name (so you can not be identified and
the information is confidential) and answer a
39 item questionnaire. 

You initially get baseline results. Then, you visit 
the website in a month or so and (using the same name
to log in)  answer the questionnaire again.
The program gives you an immediate report of
how your symptoms have shifted over time.
You can print out the results and show them
to your doctor.  

System Tracker is free. Your past data are
always stored under the user name you give
so you can track yourself over time.

Just be sure and give a user name that
can not be connected to you in any way. 
The information is known only to you.  

I suggest that if you decide try any modality, track your
symptoms using Symptom Tracker.  We invite
everyone who participates in Parkinsons
Recovery programs to use Symptom Tracker so they can
monitor their own progress for themselves. 

If you join us in the Parkinsons Recovery Chat Room Mondays
(I participate from 9:00 am – 10:30 am pacific time) you 
can ask anyone else who is present about their experience
with the Santa Cruz program. This type of feedback from
people who have actually participated would clearly be
helpful to you at this point. 

I also want to say that everyone is different.  
Responsiveness to any specific modality – I do
not care what it is - will differ. 

For example, Sally reports to you that therapy A was the
holly grail for her. Sam reports that therapy A  gave him 
no relief and was a waste of money and time.  Down the
line Sam reports that therapy B is his holly grail, 
while Sally says it is a waste of time for her. 

We encourage people at Parkinsons Recovery to collect
information about all the many alternatives that are
available as you are doing now.  I encourage you 
to experiment with those that you are called
to and see what happens. 

The recovery program that will succeed for you
in the long run will be tailored to to your
situation, fit your personal needs and
satisfy your preferences.

Have fun searching.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery 

 © 2008 Parkinsons Recovery
  
 

How Do You Triage People?

Question:

How do you triage people?

We accept anyone into our program who is eager to find ways to heal themselves. The only issue for us turns on whether a person wants us to “fix them” or whether they want to figure out ways they can heal themselves.

If someone wants to be fixed, we are not the answer and always refer them out. Our approach takes a commitment from the person and a willingness to allow the time it takes for the body to heal. 

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

 © 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

How does John Coleman, ND, Fit into your Work?

Question: 

How does John Coleman ND fit into your work here in the United States?

Response:

John Coleman is a naturopathic doctor from Australia who himself was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1995. Using a unique combination of natural approaches, John fully recovered in three and a half years. He now helps other people find relief from their symptoms. 

We collaborate closely with John Coleman. Zero Point Healers was doing work with Parkinson’s in Washington state beginning in 2004.  John had been working with Parkinson’s clients for 10 years. John came to Washington state to do a clinic on Parkinson’s which we attended. At the clinic, John talked about everything we were talking about here in the Washington state to help people find relief from the symptoms of Parkinson’s. 

So, I concluded - we must have gotten it all right. We must have figured out the answer. After all, how could the two of us working independently on opposite sides of the globe have come up with the same set of ideas? It is highly implausible unless the ideas themselves are intrinsically correct.

John’s has had a profound influence on my own work here in the United States. He currently offers a top flight 12 step Parkinsons Recovery Program for anyone interested in finding ways to get relief from the symptoms of Parkinson’s. 

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D. 
Parkinsons Recovery

 © 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

What Success Have You Had with Parkinson’s?

Question: 

What success have you had with Parkinson’s disease?

 Response:

We believe the causes of Parkinson’s are multi-faceted and
that the underlying cause for one person may differ from
another. Specifically, the underlying and primary cause for
one person may be heavy metals, another pathogens, and
still another trauma. Some people are unlucky enough to
have issues with all three.

Our research thus far has evaluated only the effects of 
energy healing that included craniosacral therapy on the 
symptoms of persons with Parkinson’s who chose not to
take medications. Findings of our study showed that 75%
of the symptoms for the 10 persons in the study either
stayed the same or improved.

We concluded that energy work clearly helps, but
that the body also needs additional support like good
nutrition and detoxing to come back into balance.
The study led us to adopt a more holistic approach. 

Some of our initial study volunteers are doing quite
well indeed. I hope to have interviews with them soon.
We are gathering stories from people across the country
and elsewhere who are feeling better and finding
relief from their symptoms so others can get a sense
of what other people are doing for themselves to feel better.
It gives hope to many people when they realize that others
with Parkinsons are finding relief from their symptoms.
Some people have fully recovered.  

Clearly, there is no cure nor is there any magic formula
that people can use to heal. But it is also clear that many
people have found ways to feel better and get relief from
their symptoms. We are documenting these stories.

I also believe that everything we try must be carefully
documented, so in our initial study I used many research
instruments to track what was happening. Our subsequent
studies will be just as rigorous. We are planning to use 
outside evaluators for the First 100 Study.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery  

 © 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

Is the Diagnosis of My Parkinson’s Disease Correct?

Question 

Before three years, I was diagnosed Parkinson with rigidity in neck, shoulders and back, less arm swing,slowness.
 
Thereafter I consulted a number of neurologists who diagnosed as stiff person syndrome or drug induced parkinsonism or due to depression.
Currently, I have following symptoms
 
1. Rigidity in arms, shoulders, neck back and whole body.
2. Within last one month intensity of muscle spasm in right shoulder increased which spread over neck, back with increase in rigidity.
3. Heavy legs, difficult to walk; body is dragged while walking
4. Spasm in right shoulder and upper back as a result the head is slightly bend over right shoulder.
5. Rigidity in right shoulder, upper back and neck create pain and very uncomfortable spasm like sensations which aggravate as day progresses.
6. Some times uncomfortable sensations in legs.
7. Anxiety with depressed mood.
8. Low energy level.
9. Restricted painful neck movement.
10 Slowness in hand writing; no much change in size of letters
11 Less arm swing
 
Things which I can not do: 

  Can not walk normally
  Can not stand for long
  Can not lift heavy luggage 
  Can not drive car
  Can not concentrate 
  Do not like to read , mix with people
  Can not sit for long 
 
Family history :
 
  I have not undergone any surgery so far.
  Congenital fusion of C6 to D1 vertebra
  My mother had breast cancer and has undergone by pass surgery.
  No PD in family.
 
Summary of health:
 
Lipid profile Normal
Renal profile Normal
Blood sugar Normal
BP Normal
Ultrasound of KUB Normal
ESR High
MRI of cervical spine Presence of Arachnoid cyst at C7- D1 level;
size appox. 11x15x13 mm
Congenital fusion of C6 to D1 vertebra 
MRI Brain Normal
Glutamic acid decarboxylase test IgG Antibody serum Positive
Neurophysiology  report Chronic partial lower motor neuron type of degeneration in the anal sphincter muscle with normal tone preserved
Thyroid profile Normal
Vitamin B 12 High
 
Facts :
  No tremor
  Near to normal gait
  All of a  sudden muscle spasm increased in last month.
  Balance near normal, never fallen
  Hand eye coordination good
  Can cut vegetables, button shirt and handle coins
  Can ride scooter
  Normal 6-7 hrs sleep
  No urination at night.
 
Current medication
1. Lelodopa + Carnidopa 2 tab a 
day
2.Premipexaxole 05 mg three times a day
3. Lioceutical glutathione 
4.Co enzyme Q 10 100 mg/ day
5. Vitamin B complex 
 
Inspite of taking these I feel continuous  feelings of rigidity in neck, shoulders, back and whole body. My legs have become heavy.

Please let me know whether my diagnosis of PD is correct and what should be the line of action..I wanted to do brain scan  and dopamine absorption test but they are not possible here.
Please advise me.

Answer

I am not a medical doctor so I am not qualified or trained to diagnose
or treat disease or even speculate on whether your diagnosis is right or
wrong.  My perspective differs from the conventional approach of
diagnosis and treatment of disease. Let me explain myself. 

Parkinson’s is what we call a garbage can diagnosis. 
Because there is no definitive test for Parkinson’s 
it is terribly difficult for even highly trained neurologists to 
diagnose Parkinson’s.  Some researchers
even speculate that one third of the people with Parkinson’s
are misdiagnosed. Sometimes a neurologist will even
tell a patient: 
   
      “I am not sure whether you have Parkinson’s or not.”

So, let’s say there is a two thirds chance your diagnosis is correct
and a one third chance it is wrong.  What does it matter whether 
the diagnosis is correct or wrong? With a “diagnose then treat”
approach the key question turns on “what is wrong with
me and how do I fix it?”  

I want to be fixed as much as anyone, but I also
know there is something inherently wrong with this
mindset. If I hold onto the thought that something is wrong
with my body then that belief will eventually become true. I will
become sick. I will become my thoughts.

How do I know this is true? Easy. Just think about what happened
when you were first conceived. There was only one cell in the beginning.
How did that one cell become two cells? Answer: the consciousness
and thought forms of the first cell created the second cell. And so forth.
These thought forms work their way up the chain as cells multiply
and we are fully materialized in human form. 

How about considering a different way to think and respond
to your symptoms?  How about acknowledging that your body is
actually working perfectly, exactly the way it was designed
to function?  

Pain is a gift that is given by the body.  Receive
the gift with open arms. Your body is simply giving you 
signals that it needs a little help in returning to a 
state of balance and health.  

After all, most of the cells in your body are functioning perfectly. 
Why not focus your attention on giving your healthy cells the
support they need to become stronger? Bodies with healthy cells
grow other healthy cells. The good news is that the body can
always rejuvenate itself. 

I believe the key is to listen to what your body is telling you. 
By the description of some of your symptoms it might be the case
that your body is very, very stressed and traumatized. 

In our newsletter I regularly offer information about many
different ways you can consider to address the stress and trauma
that is trapped inside your body (if that, in fact, is the issue at hand). 

All the best. May you find relief from your symptoms soon. 

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D. 
Parkinsons Recovery

 © 2008 Parkinsons Recovery