Apr 27

My Initial Plan

A Yogi’s Journey with Parkinson’s – Volume 5

I was going to put off the writing of this particular blog until I had more time for elaboration and my “Plan” for battling Parkinson’s Disease (“PD”) was a little more developed. But then I realized that waiting for either of those events was defeatist. There is never enough time and the plan will have to be fluid, so there is no reason not to share the process.

“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow” – General George Patton

For the sake of brevity (yes, I am conscious that I am pumping a plethora of words out my keyboard), this initial summary will be fact-heavy and feeling-light. I am early in this marathon battle and there is little to report progress wise. But that alone is significant. While my home-run is a symptom free remission, it would be a major victory to stop the progression of the disease and “hold steady” for 10, 20 or 40 years. If that intention sounds familiar, it is just like trying to slow the aging process, but with an added difficulty factor.

My plan at present involves a multi-pronged attack involving the following areas:

*  Medication (supplements)

*  Diet (probably the best way to address the cause)

*  Movement (yoga and other)

*  Meditation

*  Pranayama (breathing exercises)

*  Whatever else might help (perhaps the most compelling component)

I will start here with the Medication because that is where most people’s attention is drawn and that is where the first big decision takes place. L-DOPA or NOT L-DOPA?

Please remember, I am not a scientist nor a doctor (just an unintendedly motivated individual). The following is my attempt to paraphrase and explain this complicated process as simply and succinctly as possible. Here goes:

Parkinson’s disease results from the death of dopamine-generating cells in the brain. Levodopa (“L-DOPA”) crosses the protective blood–brain barrier, whereas dopamine itself cannot. Thus, L-DOPA is used to increase dopamine concentrations in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Synthetic L-DOPA is the FDA approved treatment for Parkinson’s disease (therefore the only treatment with even a chance of being paid for by medical insurance). Although L-DOPA has been recognized as the most effective treatment for Parkinson’s disease for over 50 years, the side effects associated with its use (confusion & abnormal thinking, unusual and uncontrolled movements of the body, dizziness, hallucinations, nausea and vomiting) have caused it to be the drug of last resort. Once the patient is placed on L-DOPA there is no conventional way to avoid the associated problems such as depleting L-tyrosine, L-tryptophan, 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), serotonin, and sulfur amino acids. These problems lead to: deterioration of function, freezing during movement, dose failure, drug resistance & Dyskinesia). Curiously, as I typed Levodopa my spell checker suggested “Leopard”, which does not bring to mind a warm, fuzzy cat you can cuddle up with to feel better.

“There is nothing so terrible as activity without insight” – Goethe

The GOOD News:

Mucuna Puriens (“Mucuna”) is a natural source of L-dopa that has shown to possess advantages over conventional L-dopa preparations in the long term management of PD.

Functional Medical Practitioners have found ways to manage the Mucuna side effects so that they do not limit access to the amount of Mucuna required to relieve symptoms. This involves balancing the amino acid precursors of L-dopa and serotonin to prevent their depletion.

Functional Medicine is a personalized, systems-oriented model that empowers patients and practitioners to collaborate in addressing the underlying causes of disease. Practitioners of functional medicine use a holistic treatment philosophy to treat the whole body (not just the symptoms).

Periodic Organic Acids Tests measure byproducts of cellular metabolism in urine samples and allow practitioners to identify bio-markers for toxins, energy production, oxidative stress, neurotransmitter turnover, intestinal bacterial overgrowth and more. This is the closest thing to “drug testing” in professional yoga.

My initial protocol was a test to see how my body reacted to modest doses of Mucuna, L-tyrosine, L-Cysteine, B6 and 5-HTP (all taken with food). This was the first step of what my doctor called a “chemistry experiment in my brain”. It was also strongly suggested that I temporarily cease all other supplements while we wait for the results of my first Organic Acids Test.

Because there was no nausea associated with the modest initial doses of Mucuna, we reintroduced fish oil to the growing supplement list and have already doubled the daily Mucuna intake (with no noticeable effect). The trick is to find an appropriate level of Mucuna that will provide symptom relief while minimizing potential future drug resistance.

Please Note: I am purposefully NOT including dosages in these Posts. While I confess to some occurrences of self-medicating in my illustrious past. When undertaking a “chemistry experiment in the brain” it seems prudent to have an experienced and qualified guide (which is why he can charge $400 per hour)

If inspired, please visit 4 Ways You Can Help or simply Donate

 

Sources for the information above include:

http://alvinsteinmd.com/parkinsons-disease-considerations/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15548480

http://www.drugs.com/sfx/levodopa-side-effects.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L-DOPA

 

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on this site are my opinions. My words should not be taken as a substitute for qualified medical expertise. This blog is designed to chronicle my journey, share what I learn in the process and connect with others on a similar path.