Road to Recovery
Below is an email from Janet that I received permission to post. She would love to hear  about experiences from others who are not on medication who are also on the road to recovery.
Robert Rodgers PhD
Road to Recovery from Parkinsons Disease
Parkinsons Recovery
“I was diagnosed with PD 8 years ago, just after my 44th birthday, and have been on the road to recovery ever since. I’ve taken various approaches over these years including various supplements, stress reduction, acupuncture and various bodywork, Tai Chi, Qigong, yoga, positive attitude, forgiveness, visualization, curiosity, meditation, read many books on healing, trained in (as well as received) Reiki, reflexology, cranio-sacral therapy, shiatsu and shiatsu shin tai.  I attended your Summit in Santa Fe.  I currently receive Shiatsu Shin Tai or therapeutic massage every week.  I still exercise daily—bicycling, yoga, qigong and walking. I’m 2 months into a candida overgrowth diet and just learned I have fibrin monomers in my blood (thick blood) so have added nattokinase enzyme. I still believe I will recover during this lifetime and believe there is purpose to what I’m experiencing.
I have never taken PD meds and continue to intuit that I should not start. I’ve done very well, although there has been progression of symptoms since May.  I still walk and function without aids—except for family members helping with some fine motor household tasks I can no  longer do without great effort. I currently do not have the energy, strength, and coordination to practice as a body worker but continue bookkeeping at home for our family businesses.
I would like to know if there are others diagnosed but not taking meds. I can’t find any through Patients Like Me site or other searches. I’m curious how others are managing without meds. I’ve read and heard various recovery stories, but think most, if not all, recover within two years of diagnosis. I’m curious what you have found in your research.”
Janet
Hi Janet:
I have heard from many people who have elected not to take medications to suppress symptoms. Rest assured you are not alone. The choice everyone gets to make is whether to suppress symptoms through medications and supplements or search for the cause (or causes). Some people elect to pursue both strategies. Sounds like you are focusing on digestive issues as a factor which is a smart strategy to pursue. Research shows digestive issues can clearly contribute to symptoms.
You suggest a maximum time frame of two years can be expected for a person to experience positive results. My research reveals that the time can extend far beyond this. Recovery can also take much less than 2 years. The variation in outcomes
is huge.
The difference in experiences rests between people who wait for something or someone out there to fix them and those who take full and complete control over their recovery program. Only the latter strategy seems to result in favorable outcomes. Healing from inside-out works miracles. Healing from outside-in helps us feel better temporarily, but symptoms will persist.
I do note that you use the word “progression” in your note. That word jumped off the page when I saw it. Its use gives energy to the belief that it is inevitable symptoms will get worse. Evidence that recent flares in symptoms are the body’s way of communicating an imbalance that calls out to be addressed. It does not mean, in my opinion, that there is evidence of “progression” that cannot be reversed. The body is always changing. It is always communicating information to us. All we need to do is listen and respond accordingly to get better.
Robert Rodgers PhD
Jump Start to Recovery