“Mucuna pruriens” is a bean that grows in the tropics. It is very rich in natural levodopa that is better tolerated and more potent than the synthetic levodopa in Sinemet or Stalevo. Two prestigious neurologists have patented extracts of mucuna seeds as a treatment for Parkinson's. Meanwhile, patients have recorded their positive experiences with mucuna; they buy it online (no prescription needed) and use it in secrecy without consulting their neurologist. Neither the patients nor the doctors (most of them) have clear ideas about this plant, its ingredients (not only levodopa), the proportions in which it is absorbed, or how to manage it. "Mucuna versus Parkinson: Natural Levodopa Treatment" is so far the most complete and up-to-date monograph on the subject, it describes the theoretical and practical approaches to the use of this plant as a treatment option for Parkinson's disease. Also included are more than one hundred of references.
This comprehensive reference provides a detailed overview of current concepts regarding the cause of Parkinson's disease-emphasizing the issues involved in the design, implementation, and analysis of epidemiological studies of parkinsonism.
Get instant, easy access to the natural medicine expertise you need with The Clinician's Handbook of Natural Medicine, 3rd Edition. Written by leading authorities in complementary and integrative medicine, this portable handbook offers clear and rational directives on diagnosing and treating 80 diseases and disorders with natural medicine. Inside the pages you'll find concise summaries of diagnostic procedures, general considerations, therapeutic considerations, and therapeutic approaches for each condition, as well as naturopathic treatment methods like dietary changes, physical therapy advice, exercise modifications, and recommended supplements and botanical medicines. Based on Pizzorno's trusted Textbook of Natural Medicine, 4th Edition and the most current evidence available, it's your key to accessing reliable, natural diagnosis and treatment options in any setting. More than 80 algorithms throughout text synthesize therapeutic content and provide support for clinical judgment with a conceptual overview of case management. Combination of expert author team and scientifically verified content assures this handbook contains the most reliable coverage of diagnostic and natural treatment methods. Well-organized format utilizing consistent headings helps you make fast and accurate diagnoses. Light, portable size enables you to easily carry the handbook along with you in practice. NEW! Updated content reflects the latest research, data, and trends - including the most current recommendations related to specific diseases and newly emerging treatments. NEW! Four new chapters cover female infertility, maldigestion, bronchitis and pneumonia, and pregnancy health and primary prevention of adult disease.
Two naturopaths introduce us to the world of brain biochemistry, translating the science into laymen's terms, so that the reader can understand the potential power of herbs and nutrients to enhance health, prevent disorders, and affect existing health disorders. These alternatives, or supplements, to medication are being used across the country to help treat health conditions with a psychological component—from ADHD and anorexia to insomnia, menopause, and Parkinson's Disease. Authors Meletis and Barker explain 18 of these conditions, and review the most current research into how—or whether—the use of herbs and supplements has been proven to prevent, affect or remove these health conditions, or at least some of their symptoms. Can the Chinese herb Salvia curb cravings in alcoholics? Can niacin help treat anxiety? Other herbs, nutrients, and conditions addressed include the use of zinc to reduce symptoms of anorexia and bulimia, ginkgo biloba for Alzheimer's, and 5-HTP for depression. One appendix to this volume lists the top 20 brain-enhancing herbs and supplements. Another lists nutrient deficiencies and their links to health and brain function. It is not the intent of this book to advocate for the replacement of standard drug therapy, but for the integration of these natural medicines with traditional medical treatments. Consumers are urged to discuss these herbs and nutrients with their physician before beginning use, as some allergic reactions or interactions with traditional medicines can occur. The central argument of this book is that when properly nourished people can operate at maximum physical and mental capacity, with maximum ability to fend off or recover from disease and disorder.
Natural ways to preserve and maintain healthy vision, covering over 40 eye conditions, over 2,000 peer review research citations, self help recommendations such as diet, eye exercise, home remedies, other modalities including acupuncture, essential oils, craniosacral and more.
Focuses on the effects of natural products and their active components on brain function and neurodegenerative disease prevention. Phytochemicals such as alkaloids, terpenes, flavanoids, isoflavones, saponins etc are known to possess protective activity against many neurological diseases. The molecular mechanisms behind the curative effects rely mainly on the action of phytonutrients on distinct signaling pathways associated with protein folding and neuro-inflammation. The diverse array of bioactive nutrients present in these natural products plays a pivotal role in prevention and cure of various neurodegenerative diseases, disorders, or insults, such as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Disease, traumatic brain injury, and other neuronal dysfunctions. However, the use of these antioxidants in the management of neurodegenerative conditions has so far been not well understood. This is a comprehensive collection addressing the effects on the brain of natural products and edible items such as reservatrol, curcumin, gingerol, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and marine products.
The brain is the most complex organ in our body. Indeed, it is perhaps the most complex structure we have ever encountered in nature. Both structurally and functionally, there are many peculiarities that differentiate the brain from all other organs. The brain is our connection to the world around us and by governing nervous system and higher function, any disturbance induces severe neurological and psychiatric disorders that can have a devastating effect on quality of life. Our understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of the brain has improved dramatically in the last two decades. In particular, the critical role of cations, including magnesium, has become evident, even if incompletely understood at a mechanistic level. The exact role and regulation of magnesium, in particular, remains elusive, largely because intracellular levels are so difficult to routinely quantify. Nonetheless, the importance of magnesium to normal central nervous system activity is self-evident given the complicated homeostatic mechanisms that maintain the concentration of this cation within strict limits essential for normal physiology and metabolism. There is also considerable accumulating evidence to suggest alterations to some brain functions in both normal and pathological conditions may be linked to alterations in local magnesium concentration. This book, containing chapters written by some of the foremost experts in the field of magnesium research, brings together the latest in experimental and clinical magnesium research as it relates to the central nervous system. It offers a complete and updated view of magnesiums involvement in central nervous system function and in so doing, brings together two main pillars of contemporary neuroscience research, namely providing an explanation for the molecular mechanisms involved in brain function, and emphasizing the connections between the molecular changes and behavior. It is the untiring efforts of those magnesium researchers who have dedicated their lives to unraveling the mysteries of magnesiums role in biological systems that has inspired the collation of this volume of work.
Using the latest research, a leading neurologist and renowned nutritional scientist show readers how the foods they eat, combined with over-the-counter nutritional supplements, not only successfully address both the symptoms and root causes of neurological diseases, but also enhance health.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders and it is caused by a loss of dopamine (DA) producing neurons in the basal ganglia in the brain. The PD patient suffers from motor symptoms such as tremor, bradykinesia and rigidity and treatment with levodopa (LD), the precursor of DA, has positive effects on these symptoms. Several factors affect the availability of orally given LD. Gastric emptying (GE) is one factor and it has been shown to be delayed in PD patients resulting in impaired levodopa uptake. Different enzymes metabolize LD on its way from the gut to the brain resulting in less LD available in the brain and more side effects from the metabolites. By adding dopa decarboxylase inhibitors (carbidopa or benserazide) or COMT-inhibitors (e.g. entacapone) the bioavailability of LD increases significantly and more LD can pass the blood-brain-barrier and be converted to DA in the brain. It has been considered of importance to avoid high levodopa peaks in the brain because this seems to induce changes in postsynaptic dopaminergic neurons causing disabling motor complications in PD patients. More continuously given LD, e.g. duodenal or intravenous (IV) infusions, has been shown to improve these motor complications. Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN DBS) has also been proven to improve motor complications and to make it possible to reduce the LD dosage in PD patients. In this doctoral thesis the main purpose is to study the pharmacokinetics of LD in patients with PD and motor complications; in blood and subcutaneous tissue and study the effect of GE and PD stage on LD uptake and the effect of continuously given LD (CDS) on LD uptake and GE; in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) when adding the peripheral enzyme inhibitors entacapone and carbidopa to LD infusion IV; in brain during STN DBSand during oral or IV LD treatment. To conclude, LD uptake is more favorable in PD patients with less severe disease and GE is delayed in PD patients. No obvious relation between LD uptake and GE or between GE and PD stage is seen and CDS decreases the LD levels. Entacapone increases the maximal concentration of LD in blood and CSF. This is more evident with additional carbidopa and important to consider in avoiding high LD peaks in brain during PD treatment. LD in brain increases during both oral and IV LD treatment and the DA levels follows LD well indicating that PD patients still have capacity to metabolize LD to DA despite probable pronounced nigral degeneration. STN DBS seems to increase putaminal DA levels and together with IV LD treatment also increases LD in brain possibly explaining why it is possible to decrease LD medication after STN DBS surgery. Parkinsons sjukdom (PS) är en av de vanligaste s.k. neurodegenerativasjukdomarna och orsakas av förlust av dopamin(DA)producerande nervceller i hjärnan. Detta orsakar motoriska symptom såsom skakningar, stelhet och förlångsammade rörelser. Levodopa (LD) är ett ämne, som kan omvandlas till DA i hjärnan och ge symptomlindring och det är oftast förstahandsval vid behandling av patienter med PS. Flera faktorer påverkar tillgängligheten av LD, bl.a. den hastighet som magsäcken tömmer sig med och denna verkar förlångsammad hos personer med PS vilket ger sämre tillgänglighet av LD i blodet och därmed i hjärnan. LD bryts även ner i hög grad av olika enzym ute i kroppen vilket leder till mindre mängd LD som hamnar i hjärnan och till fler nedbrytningsprodukter som orsakar biverkningar. Tillägg av enzymhämmare leder till ökad mängd LD som kan nå hjärnan och omvandlas till DA. Det anses viktigt att undvika höga toppar av LD i hjärnan då dessa verkar bidra till utvecklandet av besvärliga motoriska komplikationer hos patienter med PS. Om LD ges mer kontinuerligt, exempelvis som en kontinuerlig infusion in i tarmen eller i blodet, så minskar dessa motoriska komplikationer. Inopererande av stimulatorer i vissa delar av hjärnan (DBS) har också visat sig minska dessa motoriska komplikationer och även resultera i att man kan minska LD-dosen. Huvudsyftet med den här avhandlingen är att studera LD hos patienter med PS; i blod och fettvävnad då LD ges i tablettform och se om det finns något samband med LD-upptag och hastigheten på magsäckstömningen (MT) och om kontinuerligt given LD påverkar LD-upptaget eller MT; i blod och i ryggmärgsvätska då enzymhämmarna entakapon och karbidopa tillsätts LD; i hjärna vid behandling med DBS och då LD ges både som tablett och som infusion i blodet. Sammanfattningsvis kan vi se att LD-upptaget är mer gynnsamt hos patienter med PS i tidigare skede av sjukdomens komplikationsfas. MT är förlångsammad hos patienter med PS och det är inget tydligt samband mellan LD-upptag och MT eller mellan MT och sjukdomsgrad. Kontinuerligt given LD minskar LDnivåerna. Enzymhämmaren entakapon ökar den maximala koncentrationen av LD i blod och ryggmärgsvätska och effekten är mer tydlig vid tillägg av karbidopa vilket är viktigt att ta i beaktande vid behandling av PS för att undvika höga toppar av LD i hjärnan. LD ökar i hjärnan då man behandlar med LD i tablettform och som infusion i blodet och DA-nivåerna i hjärnan följer LD väl vilket visar på att patienter med PS fortfarande kan omvandla LD till DA trots trolig uttalad brist av de DA-producerande nervcellerna i hjärnan. DBS verkar öka DA i vissa områden i hjärnan och tillsammans med LD-infusion i blodet verkar det även öka LD i hjärnan och det kan förklara varför man kan sänka LDdosen efter DBS-operation.
"After reading this book and following Howard's recipe for some time now, I can only say this book is worth each and every word. It is highly valuable and, by the way, I feel much better now and my symptoms have almost disappear so far. I recommend to anyone who is seeking some alternative path to his treatment on Parkinson's." - Amazon Kunde, Amazon Verified Purchaser. "Howard's Recipe For Recovery is a breath of fresh air; If you do the recipe you will be on the road to recovery, the same road the cured walked before us, six of them so far in the past seven years. How full of hope is that?! The first sign that things were turning around for me was that my sense of smell came back after twenty years. Now where before there was despair I'm so thankful to have hope and the means to make it happen...now there are tears of joy! It's a great book...Don't miss it! Hope fulfilled is priceless and it's in your hand. Buy the book!!!!" - Thomas J., Amazon Verified Purchaser. "This book is the fascinating story of his recovery, and the recovery of others over the years afterwards, using his Recipe...Although there are a few individual, poorly substantiated claims of curing Parkinson's, this is the only one I know of that has cured multiple identified individuals of this "incurable" disease. We owe Howard a great deal of gratitude for his generosity in sharing his Recipe with us here and on his extensive website. His Recipe is likely to be the best cure available over the next decade." - prestonpdx, Amazon Verified Purchaser. Howard Shifke fully recovered from Parkinson's Disease. This memoir presents Howard's story of getting Parkinson's and provides a detailed account of how he won the fight against it. The memoir tells the story of what it was like for Howard to live day-to-day with Parkinson's, getting through the daily challenges and misgivings as well as how he looked toward the future with hope. Howard suffered with internal tremors; extremely poor balance; Bradykinesia (walking -- hunched forward, shuffled feet, arms did not swing); rigidity (arms, legs and upper back were tight and extremely painful); constipation; inability to stand up straight, to get out of a chair without using arms, to go up and down stairs without holding railing; difficulty getting a utensil to his mouth when trying to eat; falling asleep in middle of the day; frozen face; inability to write or to type with two hands; extreme fatigue. In the fall of 2009, Howard Shifke was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. His mother had Parkinson's for twenty-four years before dying in 2007, just two years prior to Howard diagnosis of Parkinson's. Having watched her physically deteriorate from the disease and mentally deteriorate from the medications was difficult and frightening.Howard did not want to end up the way his mother had ended up with the disease. Fortunately, in 1999, Howard had started studying alternative healing and Traditional Chinese Medicine. In the ten years leading up to his diagnosis, he had learned the body has the ability to heal itself. As a result, Howard decided he would endeavor to recover from Parkinson's, and he developed an alternative treatment methodology called his Parkinson's Recipe for Recovery(R). Nine months later, he won the fight against Parkinson's with his full recovery. In Howard's two neurologist visits subsequent to his full recovery, his neurologist put him through all of the tests used for the original diagnosis. Both times, his neurologist documented in Howard's medical records that there were no signs or symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.Howard has been symptom free fully recovered from Parkinson's since June 12, 2010.
