Category Archives: sugar cravings

Cause of Parkinson’s Symptoms

The cause of Parkinson’s symptoms seems to be varied. As you say, what works for one doesn’t always work for everyone.

There is an American site www.23andme.com Their focus is on DNA of PD suffers and I have given them my DNA. They have all sorts of questionnaires, the only common denominator they have found so far is not based on DNA of the people they have sampled. What they have found so far is that PD people don’t like sky diving and they like sweet things. To my mind sky diving = stress (stress hormone) and sweet things = sugar.

My PD symptoms came after I had a car accident. I wasn’t physically injured but was badly shaken. I had been working 12 hour day and night shifts for 5.5 years prior to the accident. Frankly, I was physically exhausted at that time. I have a sweet tooth as well. So there are the two components “stress” and “sugar”. For me, the other one could be “protein” as it blocks my PD medication.

So the stress hormone, sugar and protein are factors in my case. The answer may be in there somewhere.

Ross

Connection of Sugar Addictions to Parkinson’s

Hello again Robert. I recently visited a friend for a few days for a change of scenery. Part of the enjoyment we had together was my consumption of a majority of a large bag of blue corn chips, two glasses of red wine, and some chocolate. The common denominator of the three foods is they are derived from, or have sugar as an ingredient. The symptoms I exhibit most are tremors which seem to be exacerbated by sugar consumption. The tremors peak after sugar has been in my digestive tract for around two days calming down some days after. The experience is quite disturbing. All of the other symptoms  I show (brain fog, slow movement/range of motion, balance) are not heightened much if at all by a sugar binge.

My question is whether the sugar all by itself is just too stimulating to the nervous system, or is there a negative compliment sugar has with toxins, or is there possibly a sugar connection with the nourishment of already existing candida? I can see how the first two examples could play out within a short span of time. Can the candida scenario play out as quick as in a few days? Please comment, if you would, on all three scenarios adding any additional knowledge I may not be aware of about sugar consumption and tremor overload.

Thanks Robert,

Kevin

Response:

I received your question several weeks ago Kevin and have to confess that I put it aside. Most questions I attempt to answer within a day or two. I must confess that an addiction to sugar has been a challenge for me my entire life. I seem unconsciously to prefer avoiding the topic.

Now since I am sick and tired of thinking I really should respond to your question – here – finally – is my response. Hooray!

There is no doubt that sugar in itself is toxic. It ranks right up there with all of the horrendous toxins that have invaded every ones body over the past few decades. I do not think you have to pontificate over interactions with other toxins. Sugar has a potent toxic punch all by itself.

After years of struggling with my own addiction to sugar, I began to carefully notice what happens when I ingest sugar, to become more mindful so to speak. Before I started tracking what happens after I ate sugar (as you have done yourself now) I simply said to myself – oh wow. I am really tired right now. Caffeine should fix this little energy slump.

When I became more conscious of the connection between eating sugar and how I felt, I realized that I always had a horrible sugar crash one hour after eating anything with sugar. I wanted to fall asleep. I had zero energy. I felt lethargic. These feelings would last for about two hours when I would suddenly rebound.

It has helped me tremendously to connect with the horrible depression I feel after eating sugar. I now am getting quite good at avoiding sugar – not perfect believe me – but much better than in years past. I simply acknowledge the feeling that I know will be moving in and remember how horrible it is.

In my case and I suspect your case (and for many other people), the addiction to sugar is caused by the overload of candida in the tissues and organs of our body. Candida critters are fierce warriors. They have a Napoleon type consciousness and will stop at nothing to get their way (which is the sugar they need to survive).

I suppose many people might be thinking – Right. Sure. That sounds pretty weird to me.
Well – you may well be correct, but there is some insatiable drive inside my body that
urges me to indulge in eating sugar when I know that it makes me feel horrible. What is that anyway?

The candida critters are alive beings. Small yes, but alive. They do have a consciousness. All living beings have a consciousness! If you were about to die because you were not being fed – my guess is that you would do anything to survive as would I.

When there is a candida overload in the body the critters do not just hang around out gut (in the intestines). Nope. They leak out into all the tissues, organs and I might add neurons of our body. And yes, candida can cause certain symptoms that are associated with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s.

Lidia Epps made this discovery, reversed her own Parkinson’s symptoms and tells her own story of recovery as one of the 11 contributors to Pioneers of Recovery 2012.

What has also helped immensely to tame my sugar addition is to write quantum statements about my sugar addiction. I have developed some instructional material on how to do quantum healings but have not had a chance to edit the material and publish it. (The Parkinsons Recovery Summit is occupying my attention these days). In essence, quantum healings release  the addiction and replace it with what I truly want to manifest (which is clearly not “spells of depression” from sugar indulgences).

So I say to you as one who is addicted – it is a horrible affliction. I have at long last declared that I want to have high energy and feel good throughout each and every day. There is too much important work to be done which will be wasted by the bouts of depression caused my 5 minute indulgence in pleasure which serves only the best interest of the candida that are hiding out in every nook and cranny of my organs.

The hot news of the past several months (in addition to announcing the Parkinsons Recovery Summit this summer in Cincinnati) is now that I have stopped eating sugar, those little critters have been dying off like flies in the summer time. Candida do not eat healthy food!

Good luck. It has been a challenge for me throughout my entire life. I am not going to let those little candida devils out smart me.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D
Pioneers of Recovery
http://www.pioneersofrecovery.com

Sugar Cravings

So, you thought Part II of my holiday
sugar series would be posted the
next day? Afraid not my friend.

Since I decided to indulge in my
favorite sweet for the holidays –
pumpkin pie – I went into a spot of
low energy and depression.

I am back up and running, though
it always takes a few days. Sound
familiar?

How in the world do you (and I) reduce
sugar cravings that have haunted
us our entire life? We can address
nutritional deficiencies, remove
barriers to healing and strengthen
our immune systems. I will briefly
discuss each strategy.

Address Nutritional Deficiencies

First it is important to acknowledge
that sugar cravings mean that you
are not giving your body the nutrition
that is necessary for it to function
optimally. We are certified body
abusers. The abused victim in this case
just happens to be our own body.  

You can approach this challenge in
two ways. First, you can set about
to determine what nutritional deficiencies
are contributing to the imbalance. Is it
too little of Vitamin D3, or B6, or B12 or
magnesium or …?

You can ask your doctor to order an
exhaustive series of tests that evaluate
nutritional deficiencies in the body.
Specific prescriptions of vitamin and
mineral supplements will remedy the
deficiencies in time and reduce the
cravings.

This approach works well for some
people. The downside it is expensive,
time consuming and time limited. The tests
have to be repeated again and again to
maintain the balance that is needed.

Second, you can focus your intent and
energy on giving your body all the
nutrition it needs to heal. This means
eating fresh foods that are free of
pesticides and additives.

With this strategy, what does it matter
today whether you are deficient in one
vitamin or mineral or another? If you eat
nutritious, fresh food every day, you
will eventually give your body all the
nutrition it needs to come back into balance.

Assess Barriers to Healing

What are barriers to healing? Certainly,
food allergies are at the top of the
list for most people. One of my most favorite
foods is whipped cream. I love eating whipped
cream. It makes me happy.

Whipped cream makes my intestines bloat.
My entire digestive system screams out
in pain. My spleen is not a happy camper.
I pay the price for my few minutes of
pleasure for the next 48 hours. And no, I
am not out of the woods yet from eating
pumpkin pie and whipped cream several days
ago. 

My body has a strong allergic reaction to dairy.
End of story. If I eat dairy, I pay the price. 

Toxins also pose fundamental obstacles to healing.
Many people do all the right things to heal the symptoms
of Parkinsons but see little result from their efforts.
This is because their bodies are swamped with too
many heavy metals, poisons, pesticides, cleaning
chemicals or other chemicals that rip up the integrity
of their body’s organs.

The solution is to identify the toxins. Then, 
adopt a program of cleansing to get rid of them. 
The cleansing program should work at a gentle
pace that you body can tolerate. Too much
scrubbing too quickly can create other worrisome
problems.

I have invited Dr. Ivy Faber to be my guest
in a teleseminar tomorrow (Tuesday) who will discuss
approaches for identifying toxins in your body and
methods for releasing them. Click on the link
below to find out more about my interview with her.
Ask your questions at the bottom of the page.

http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?preview=1&previewbar=1&eventid=4975707

Strengthen your Immune System

Finally, it very well may be that
your immune system has crashed. You will
never be able to fight off viruses and
bacterial infections unless you can get
your immune system back on track.

There are many very effective therapies which make
use of natural herbs and medicines that can help
build your immune system back up so that your body
will have the overall strength to heal.

Your body will not begin to address neural issues
if infections or viral threats are screaming for
attention. When the body becomes overloaded with
challenges, it prioritizes what problems need to
be addressed first. Infections are at the top of
the list. Neural abnormalities are toward the bottom
of the body’s priority ranking.

In summary, pay attention to the basics and your body
will heal itself. Sugar will no longer rule your mind
or your life. The problems of fatigue, depression and
sleeplessness will become memories of the distant
past.

Write any question you have for Dr. Faber. I will be happy
to ask it tomorrow time permitting.

http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?preview=1&previewbar=1&eventid=4975707
 

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

Sugar and Fatigue

The holiday season is upon us.
Are your sugar cravings up?
The holidays are a great excuse
for indulging yourself in sweats
and other pleasurable pastimes.

I always think so anyway. But
of course, sugar is just as deadly
to your neural networks during the
holidays as it is on your birthday
(unless your birthday falls on the
holidays. Then it is deadlier).

In most cases sugar cravings are
not eating disorders but rather a signal
of hormonal imbalances. If you regularly
answer the body’s call for more sugar,
your symptoms will worsen and you will
feel increasingly lousy.

Let me be clear about the logic here.

  1. Sugar cravings are triggered by hormonal
    imbalances.
  2. The symptoms of Parkinson’s are triggered
    by hormonal imbalances.
  3. There is very likely a connection between
    the intensity of your cravings for sugar and
    the severity of your symptoms.

Sugar cravings suggest that the signaling
system in the body has been short circuited.
When we are tired or depressed — sounds
like the holidays, eh? – our blood sugar
and serotonin levels are too low.

Serotonin is the perfect quick fix for 
feeling warm and cozy again. The body
lets us know it needs an immediate
serotonin boast. Sugars and carbohydrates
are the perfect quick fix. They release a
brief burst of serotonin.

Unfortunately, the burst of euphoria is
short lived. Sugar cravings always return.
We eat more sweets to get a serotonin hit.
Remember, this is a sure bet to fix the
problem of being down in the dumps.  

Over time, larger doses of sugar are needed
to sustain a tolerable level of serotonin
in the body. It is a downward slope headed
for the valley of depression, disease and
illness.

Why does this happen? The body begins to
produce more and more insulin in response
to the artificially high level of sugar
that is mainlined into the body from the
sweet cravings. As levels of insulin
rise, the body’s resistance to the effects
of insulin increases.

A vicious cycle is born. Increased insulin
resistance causes insulin levels to rise
higher and higher which in turn trigger
stronger and more frequent cravings for
sweets.

Another cause of sweet cravings is adrenal
fatigue which is created by sustained levels
of stress and trauma. Most people with the
symptoms of Parkinson’s have adrenal fatigue.
For some it is a chronic condition. Adrenal
fatigue also signals to the body that it
needs a sugar hit. 

I suspect that anyone with the symptoms of
Parkinson’s is especially susceptible to the
seductiveness of sugar and the attraction of
sweets during the holidays.

So you say, so what? What in the world do
I do about it? I have the answer, really.

Sugar cravings are a tough addition
to break.  It is not a question of
exerting will over desire. It is a
problem rooted in hormonal imbalances
in the body The solution involves
bringing the body back into balance. 

Before I say more, I must first eat my
pumpkin pie with whipped cream.
After all, it is the holidays. Check in
tomorrow for the answer since I
already know I will be too tired
and depressed after eating my pie
to write the second part of this article.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery