My Parkinson’s Disease Questions

Sun-head 2
Questions are a way of knowing.  Here are Parkinson’s disease questions currently on my mind:

1.  What am I doing right with my exercise routine, and what do I need to tweak?

2.  What am I doing right with my diet, and what do I need to tweak?

3.  What is “enriched environment” as it pertains to Parkinson’s disease, and how do I accomplish this thoroughly?

4. Besides diet, exercise and medication, what more should I do to keep the disease from progressing and/or in retreat?

5.  How much control do I really have over the disease’s progression?

6.  What’s the latest on fava beans, and what’s the best/easiest/most delicious way to prepare them?

7.  What are the latest research breakthroughs in preventing, halting, or curing Parkinson’s disease?

8.  What is the truth about whether someone with PD can slow the progression of the disease via exercise and other “enriched environment” initiatives?  My Web researches reveal conflicting opinions.

  • On the one hand, the Partners in Parkinson’s website says “There is no evidence that exercise affects the progression of Parkinson’s disease, but regular exercise or physical therapy may help people with Parkinson’s with their strength, mobility, flexibility and balance.”
  • On the other hand, the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation has an article that states, “The brain has the capacity for neurogenesis—the development of new neuronal cells—neuropsychologist Paul David Nussbaum said. Exercise, nutrition, socialization, mental stimulation and meditation are all thought to contribute to neurogenesis. That’s good news for people with Parkinson’s…. This is because having plentiful neuronal connections—a ‘brain reserve’—is thought to stave off the onset and progression of brain diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, Nussbaum said.”

So:  Do I have some control over PD’s progression or not?

9.  How worthwhile are brain training programs like Lumosity – for the general public, and for people with PD?

10.  With all the recent news linking football and boxing to an increased risk for getting Parkinson’s, is anyone calling for a ban on these sports?

11.  What’s going on with stem cell research for Parkinson’s?  (For a partial answer, click here!)

12.  How do you convert skin cells into stem cells that replace or regenerate the brain’s neurons?

13.  Why are circadian rhythms “roughly” 24 hours and not “exactly”?

14.  How do neurologists view the difference between the brain and the mind?

15.  Parkinson’s best-known symptoms include the breakdown in communication between the brain and the muscles, as the brain’s ability to produce dopamine withers.  But the human body has three kinds of muscles:  the voluntary muscles (e.g., your biceps which you can contract at will), and two kinds of involuntary muscles:  your heart, and the “smooth,” involuntary muscles that work the digestive system, the sphincter muscles, the eyeball’s pupil.  It’s easy to spot PD’s interference with the voluntary muscles:  the festinating gait, the inability to button a shirt, the inability to cut into a chicken breast at the dinner table.  My question is:  Does PD also affect the other two kinds of muscle?  If so, how?  

23 thoughts on “My Parkinson’s Disease Questions”

    1. bruce.ballard2010@gmail.com

      Chris – See yesterday’s recipe + blog post on PD and Fava Beans.
      Sorry it took me so long to get to it.
      – Bruce

    1. bruce.ballard2010@gmail.com

      Leigh – Done. See yesterday’s recipe + blog post on PD and Fava Beans.
      Sorry it took me so long to get to it.
      – Bruce

    1. bruce.ballard2010@gmail.com

      Kris –
      See yesterday’s recipe + blog post on PD and Fava Beans.
      Sorry it took me so long to get to it.
      – Bruce

  1. bruce.ballard2010@gmail.com

    Dear Chis, Leigh, and Kris – Thanks for writing in about fava beans. In a week from now my school starts its spring break, and I’ll investigate fava beans then. I’ll post a recipe, too. – Bruce

  2. Re: Fava bean recipe – I definitely will try this and will shop for fava beans today!!

    Would you be offended if I eliminated the anchovies?? 🙂 My son loves them, but this is not an inherited trait!

    Happy Tuesday!

    1. bruce.ballard2010@gmail.com

      Hi Beverly – Go ahead and adjust the recipe as you wish! Let me know if you come up with improvements! – Bruce

    2. bruce.ballard2010@gmail.com

      Maybe you could substitute a high taste item for the anchovies – like minced spicy sausage, or minced kimchi, or… you decide!

      1. Hi Bruce – Sorry to let you know that I still haven’t been able to try fava beans. A kitchen remodeling project has taken MUCH longer than expected and my pots and dishes are packed away in boxes in a deep, dark corner of a spare bedroom!

  3. Hi Bruce,
    Have you visited http://www.fight-parkinsons.org ? Colin Potter wrote this book about his fight against Parkinsons. I’m not saying his ideas work because I haven’t tried them yet and the supplements are expensive (£6.00 a day if my sums are right). If I can afford it, I’m going to give it a try .

    Regards,

    Derek

  4. Have you read/heard anything about cannibidiol oil being helpful? An ARNP at my primary doctor’s office stated that it has been/may be helpful in reducing tremors. I started checking on line, but haven’t made it through all of the sites yet. It is available at some health food stores, according to the nurse.

    1. Hi Beverly – I did hear about cannibidiol at the World Parkinson Congress, but I need to do more research. Thanks for the heads up! – Bruce

  5. Sorry to ask here but can you tell me if song contest entrants receive an acknowledgement. Sent one 3rd June and nowt since!

    1. I had a wobbly right arm when lifting weights at the gym. I thought it was a muscular problem, but my regular doctor had me see a neurologist and it turned out I had Parkinson’s.

  6. Hi Bruce. Just found your website as I suffer from PD and am reviewing the options, in the belief that it is possible to make a difference. I am more than a little inspired by Colin Potter’s website fight-parkinsons.org.
    Some time ago I was directed to an ayurvedic herbal treatment from India, known as Zandopa, the active ingredient of which is Mucuna Pruriens, sold in the UK as an aid to body building. I have found this to be far more effective in suppressing my symptoms than the prescription medicines. the puzzling thing is that there is little mention of it in any of the PD literature. Have you heard of it?

  7. Hi Chris –

    Thanks for posting your question. I have never heard of an herbal treatment for PD, but if you’re seeing good results, I suggest you discuss them with your doctor.

    What symptoms is it helping with?

    Thanks for the link to Colin Potter’s website, too.

    Best wishes,

    Bruce

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