Is there a Cure for Parkinson’s?

Question:

The problem is that no one has been ‘cured’ of Parkinsons…I mean no one. Everyone talks about John Coleman but he is a Bowen therapist and uses his ‘cure’ to promote his practice and generate income and clients. You might be surprised to know that there are people who are angry with his promotions and advertising…a charlatan they say. Parkinsons happens in the brain…and no amount of therapy is going to fix that…perhaps stem cell therapy in time. But not the remedies that merely address and help control the symptoms. It’s best to be honest and upfront about this I think. Otherwise Robert, please compile a list of people who have been ‘cured’ of Parkinsons…apart from John Coleman…and distribute it and say what cured them.

Thanks

John

Response:

Thanks so much for sending in your question. John Coleman himself  is very clear about not being “cured” himself. He is only symptom free.  I personally do not find value in hanging my own thinking on “curing” anything.  This is an idea which I discuss much more extensively in my forthcoming book, Road to Recovery.

I personally know John from attending a workshop that he gave four years ago. It was an excellent workshop with tons of information that was very helpful and useful. John works hard every day at being symptom free. As a naturopath doctor he has helped many people feel better. You can listen to my interview with him on my radio program which aired July 16, 2009 and judge for yourself.

I have encouraged John Coleman to document stories of people who have had “full” recoveries. I will continue to  encourage him again to document the stories for his clients who give permission.

As for your suggestion that I document stories of recovery – I totally agree with you. That is precisely what I have set my intention to do. At present I air interviews on the radio program with people who are feeling better to document what they are doing. I post e mails about recovery here on the blog. As an example, you can see a posting of an email here today who has a fascinating story about his recovery. All of my radio programs are archived, so you can listen to any program at any time. All of the blog entries here are also archived.

There are so many stories  out there and so many different programs and approaches that people adopt to get relief. The people I interview are not people who are “cured” to be sure. They are people who are leading full and complete lives. Most still have symptoms of one type of another but have found incredible ways to address them in one way or another.

I have been receiving reports from people who are doing a great deal better – with several days or a week or longer of being symptom free. I always ask if I can interview them, but sometimes the answer is no, not now, People want to wait and see if the good news holds.

As the news unfolds and I get more and more stories from people who are feeling a lot better I will compile them for my Pioneers of Recovery series.

Again, thanks for the suggestion. Your e mail encourages me to compile the next Pioneers of Recovery series that documents what people are doing to get relief from their symptoms. My work is to figure out what helps people feel better and document it all through the blogs, books and the radio program.

I sent John Coleman your questions and comments  above. He forwarded for posting the following thoughtful and informative response and has given me permission to post his response below.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

Posted below is John Coleman’s response to John’s questions and comments which address questions about a  cure for Parkinson’s:

Dear John:

Thank you for initiating this discussion on what it means to become free from symptoms of a diagnosed incurable disorder. Whenever I enter into a discussion on any subject, I find that it is best to make sure that the information I am using is accurate and clearly stated. Therefore, I would like to correct several misapprehensions on your part.

1.    I have never claimed to be cured from any disease. I have never claimed to cure anybody. I have never claimed to have found a cure for Parkinson’s disease. So when you state that I “uses his ‘cure’ to promote his practice and generate income and clients” , and claimed to have cured others, you are deliberately misquoting all my published literature, my newspaper and radio interviews, and my websites.

2.    My professional qualifications are rather more extensive than you have claimed. I am a qualified naturopath (known as a Naturopathic Doctor in USA and  Naturopathic Physician in many European countries), having studied at two prominent Melbourne College’s – The Southern School of Natural Therapies and the Australian College of Naturopathic Medcine. I am accredited by all appropriate professional bodies, approved by the Australian government, accepted by professional insurance companies and many health insurance funds. I am also a qualified Bowen therapist, having qualified in basic Bowen therapy and Neurostructural Integration Technique. I also hold a certificate of massage.

3.    My charitable work within society is well documented. I received a Tattersall’s award for my work in founding Very Special Kids (a support group for families whose children face life-threatening disorders), a professional excellence award from the Australian Naturopathic Practitioners Association for community education (most offered without charge and/or at my expense), and was a finalist in the Pride Of Australia Medal Courage Awards in 2007 for my work with Very Special Kids and my recovery from Parkinson’s disease. All those in charge of presenting these awards are intelligent, professional people, and investigated my history and claims thoroughly before offering the awards.

4.    I have lectured to a number of conferences, including an international conference on Parkinson’s disease, and have conducted workshops for health professionals in several countries instructing them on my research into recovery from “incurable” disorders. Offering this information around the world has cost me many thousands of dollars of my own money.

5.    While there are many medical practitioners who find my ideas unacceptable, there are also a number of prominent neurologists who encourage their patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis to work with me

Now that we have brought some accuracy to the discussion, let me say that I agree totally with you that day is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, in fact there is no cure for any disease. We can, however, create an environment in which our body can become free from symptoms. That is the story of my recovery. I created an environment in and around my nerve cells that allows me to live a life with no symptoms of Parkinson’s disease or multi-system atrophy, providing I continue to be conscientious in taking care of my health.

You are correct that the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease originate in the brain. If you wish to educate your self more about this, you will do well to read “The Biology of Belief” (Prof. Bruce Lipton), “Saving Your Brain” (Dr. Jeff Victoroff), “When The Body Says No” (Dr. Gabor Maté), “The Brain That Changes Itself” (Dr. Norman Doidge). These books will give you a thorough grounding in the fairly basic science you need to understand this process. Once you have read these books, I am sure that you will understand that Western medicine can currently only offer temporary control of Parkinson’s symptoms, while my work is focused on addressing the cause of the symptoms. If you look into the process of stem cell research and development, you will also understand that the only change required to change a stem cell from its immature state into a cell producing dopamine is a change of environment (this is what they do in the laboratory at vast expense). This change is possible within our brain, and you will understand that this is the prime focus of all my work.

If you choose to read all my work with an open mind, you will see that Bowen therapy, while a useful and important therapy, constitutes only about 3% of the recovery process. There are some homeopathic remedies that support another 13%, but more than 80% of the recovery process comes from within the individual, the changes they are prepared to make to their life and attitude, and these changes cost little or nothing.

I am very grateful that you have given me this opportunity to clarify my position with regard to cure and recovery. You may also be interested to know that this work does not provide me with sufficient income to support a basic lifestyle. More than half my income is from the aged pension in Australia, with some money coming from my general naturopathic practice, and a little from helping people improve their life after diagnosis with Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis.

If I can ever gain a little funding, I will be glad to publish the stories of those who have fully recovered, those who have significantly improved their lives, and those who have cared for them. I am sure you understand that this will take time that I can ill afford while I am struggling to make a basic living.

I wish you all the best in finding ways to improve your health, and trust that you will be surrounded with love and joy in the days to come.

Best wishes

John Coleman ND
www.returntostillness.com.au
www.parkinsonsrecoveryprogram.com

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