Trauma and Parkinson’s Disease

This brief post explores the connection between trauma and Parkinson’s disease. An idea that has been floating around for decades is that we are stuck with the genes we are born with. Some people are lucky and some unlucky. If we have a gene that predicts cancer – it is likely we will get cancer. If we have the genes that are disposed to Parkinson’s disease, we are likely to develop the symptoms of Parkinson’s. Some of us are dealt a lousy hand in life.

What circumstance switches a gene on or off? The answer will fascinate you. It is trauma! Research shows that the tendency toward post traumatic stress (which exhibits symptoms similar to those of Parkinsons) are passed down to the next generation. Children of holocaust survivors pass down a predisposition of stress and anxiety to their offspring.

You may have always thought that there have been no significant traumatic events in your life that could account for the degree of stress and anxiety that you currently experience. When you have heard me talk about the critical role of stress and trauma in affecting Parkinson’s symptoms, you may well have dismissed my argument. Recent research clearly shows that the origins of stress can reside in the experiences of ancestors.

How could traumatic events influence whether genes are turned on or off? Simple. When something cataclysmic happens to people they will say that they are not the same person. You may well have heard yourself or friends say the same thing. There it is my friend.