PARKINSON’S DISEASE AND NATURAL MEDICINE by Harry Chrissakis, Herbalist, Natural MedicineThe last paper written on Parkinson’s was about the similarities of 3 neurological diseases; Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s. The following article expands on the idea of templates and also goes into the specific nuances of Parkinson’s disease.All traditional medicines have a conceptual framework that acts as an umbrella to fit the details of health and disease into. Those models consist of integrated fluid templates that transcend an individual disease and create a window into a larger order. Finding those templates and seeking how they fit in health and disease is something that has eluded modern western medicine. Standard practice medicine has gone down the reductionist pathway so long it can no longer see its own living conceptual framework. It lacks a paradigm of cohesive expression, its’ missing its umbrella. That umbrella is right there in all the exceptional research that has been and continues to be done. It is staring at us through our physiologic model. We have not been trained to see how to put those pieces together. We have deviated from a Physiologic model of the body to a Pharmacological model.Presenting a view of how systems integrate in our body and applying natural medicine (and drugs if necessary) is not impossible. The proof is definitely in the results of application. The blood stream does not lie. Measuring before, during, and after treatment makes things pretty clear. Applying Natural Medicine’s principals to a disorder as complex as Parkinson (Or Cancer, or Alzheimer’s), has to have a global approach. Approaching the core problem and symptoms simultaneously. The constitutional profile of the patient is equally important. As an example:Part of the core problem in Parkinson’s is the dysfunction and destruction of the cellular energy factories called Mitochondria. As an expression of template, this aspect of Parkinson’s is shared with many common diseases including Cancer, Heart disease and Diabetes. We can definitely reach into the Mitochondria with Natural Medicine and help it back to normal function as well as generate new mitochondria (quantity of mitochondria in a cell is determined by cell functionality i.e. Cells of the Heart have much greater amounts of mitochondria than say spleen, because the heart functions at a much higher rate and uses much more ATP). Approach is based on understanding how the Mitochondria work and how that function fits into the whole. This would account for 1 wing of a global approach and would act as part of rebuilding a foundation to a more efficiently functioning cell; i.e the cell creates and burns fuel with less waste and energy production is increased. Way less stress on a cellular level. Part of symptomatic response to this part of the approach could be less tremors and better daily energyOther areas that are common to multiple diseases as well as Parkinson’s are the unwanted elevation of Homocysteine, Insulin, Glucose and C Reactive Protein. This part of the approach would act as another wing of the strategy and fits in just fine. A number of the things in the approach that have positive affect on the mitochondria also have positive effects on Homocysteine, Insulin, Glucose and C- Reactive Protein. Things like essential fatty acids, Folic acid, Zinc along with plants like Ginseng, Aswaganda, Amla, Reishi Mushroom. Having this kind of overlap makes the protocol writing more efficient and less burdensome to the patient. This would also be the beginning of constitutional profiling in order to find out the general health of the client and the level of systemic silent inflammation that their body is struggling under. Inflammation is foundational to all modern day killer diseases. That inflammation is both low level and systemic. It has been going on for decades and accelerates/increases with age, if left unchallenged. One of the commonalities of modern diseases is the fact that our bodies are now Iron and Copper loading. Why this is true is not really clear. In the right amounts copper and iron serve a healthful purpose. When elevated they induce oxidative damage. Parkinson’s patients can have elevated copper and or iron as a general difficulty along with specific environmental toxicity such as cadmium or benzene (common with Parkinson’s). Environmental toxins can be eliminated from our systems along with the lowering and normalizing excess copper/iron. Helping the Parkinson’s patient with their tremors moves away from the template idea and becomes a specific treatment for this disease. Strategy is based on plant anti-spasmodics, blood circulating and tissue oxygenating agents as well as supplements like CoQ10, and Alfa Lipoic Acid. Helping the Mitochondria will also help with tremors, as it helps to stop neural degeneration. Slowing and stopping nerve tissue from being damaged by oxidative stress as well as feeding the nervous system with plants like Aveena and St John’s Wort along with supplements like B vits, specific amino acids (many of which are Neuro protective) such as Carnitine and Creatine. Nerve tissue regeneration is slow and long term work. This part of the approach can be also used to prevent/reduce/treat chemo and radio induced nerve damage. Another area we want to help specifically in Parkinson’s is that part of the brain that is being most damaged. That part is the Substantia Nigra. This part of the brain produces and uses the neurotransmitter Dopamine. Dopamine is responsible for Motor Function, Sex Drive, (Yes, I would also use part of this approach in Erectile Dysfunction), Concentration and acts as the connector in nerve transmission from neuron to neuron. We need to get the precursor to the production of dopamine into the Substantia Nigra. That precursor is called L-Dopa. The Pharmaceutical drug L-Dopa is what is generally given to patients. Dosages have to be high (close to toxic levels) in order for 10% of the drug to get across the brain barrier. There is also a time limited value on the drug (5-7 years) after which time it stops working. With use, tolerance builds and increasing amounts have to be taken with less positive results and more side effect. Treatment outcomes following standard practice protocol only are pretty grim. Morbidity and mortality is high. Quality of life becomes quite low Another of Natural Medicine approach is with the use of a plant known as Macuna Pruriens. This plant is the highest known plant source of L Dopa (between 3 and 6 percent L Dopa) . It is a dried bean (legume), ground to powder. Through modern technology we can concentrate its active ingredients. This, along with the consumption (optional) of Fava beans in their diet. Fava beans are the 2nd highest plant source of L Dopa. Even though plant medicines may contain relatively high amounts of something they still do not behave like the drugs. Remembering that in natural medicine protocols many things that are given enhance each other and that each plant has dozens of ingredient synergizing. It is rare that an herb is used by itself, because they work better together and in producing a formula the amounts of individual herbs are much lower than the scientific study results using high dosages of Macuna as a singular herb (as high as 30 grams without side effect). The combination of Plant medicine, Nutritional medicine and Supplemental Medicine produces truly superb results. If you just give plants independently or just do diet or supplementation independently (or drugs for that matter) you will not achieve desired result. That result being a reduction of tremors, a reduction of oxidative damage and inflammation, a positive change in mood (many Parkinson’s patients suffer from depression and anxiety) increase muscle mass (advanced patients suffer from the breakdown of muscle mass, they become cachexic). The blood stream will show much needed increases in Testosterone (Parkinson’s is almost exclusively in men) and Cholesterol (typical Parkinson’s patient has low cholesterol , which in turn means low sex steroid production and low Vit D). Blood tests will reveal an increase in Dopamine as well as normalized Thyroid function (typical Parkinson’s patient has low Thyroid). Quality of life goes way up. Natural medicine is slow medicine; small positive changes that increase over time and that build on each other. Truth is that many of the major diseases are 20-30 years in the making. Parkinson’s is no exception. Comprehensive blood testing needs to start around 40 years old. It can be done every 2 years up to the age of 50 and from that point on done yearly. Blood testing is a crystal ball into the future direction of the body. Caught early enough, intervention is way easier, cheaper, and is a lot less hassle and pain. Many of the players used in Parkinson’s can be combined with drugs as well. There is very little scientific information showing negative drug interactions with the herbs, supplements and nutritional agents. Much is extrapolation that has never been proven true. Harry Chrissakis HerbalistandHerbs.com 530-933-8244 Consultation by Phone or Zoom
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