Bump Up Your Fiber Intake
A high-fiber diet is a proven way to avoid constipation, a common problem for people with PD.
Parkinsons can slow down the intestines and cause constipation, Dr. Gostkowski says. Fiber helps keep things moving. There are plenty of high-fiber foods out there, so choose your favorites. Women should aim for 25 grams of fiber per day, and men should get 38 grams.
Eat Wisely And Choose Whole Foods
A diet based on whole, nutrient-dense foods is an excellent first step for reducing your risk of Parkinsons disease. A high intake of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, fish, olive oil, coconut oil, fresh herbs, and spices is associated with a reduced risk of PD development and slower disease progression. Eating plenty of vegetables and fiber boosts levels of an anti-inflammatory group of gut bacteria that are inversely associated with Parkinsons disease and may play a protective role against neurodegenerative processes in the brain.
Choose organic foods over conventionally grown foods as much as possible. Eating organic reduces your exposure to neurotoxic pesticides and herbicides. If you cant buy all organic food, refer to the Environmental Working Groups Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists to determine which types of conventional produce are lowest in pesticide residues and are safe to buy non-organic.
Could You Possibly Do The Same And Reverse Your Parkinsons Disease
I am not a doctor, nor have I ever had any medical training!I am merely a Parkinsons Patient, who has had the good fortune to have been able to reverse many of his movement symptoms!
YES! You possibly can and I urge you to follow this path!
- The unique lifestyle modification protocol I use.
- The unique Brain exercises I use.
- The exact physical exercises I use, to reverse my Parkinsons.
- How you will see life, when you start to feel better, and why it is important to exercise.
- The special dietary advice I follow .
- The knowledge of the silent killer, that you might not even be aware of.
- How to improve your sleep, and in the process, have more energy.
- How to focus your mind, and take back control of your movements.
- What type of Parkinsons medication is capable of slowing down the progression of your PD, and what types arent.
I am going to urge you again. These are the exact steps that I, John Pepper, and countless others, have followed to successfully reverse Parkinsons disease.In all my research, which spans well over the last 20 years, and hundreds of hours of my own time not even mentioning the countless hours other experts have put in I have found this to be the only way I know of to successfully reverse Parkinsons disease.
I offer every one of you the exact Blueprint, that I have followed, for Reversing my Parkinsons disease.
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Nutrition The Genome And The Epigenome
A poor diet will have a negative impact on an individual’s health. With regards to neurodegeneration, nutrition affects multiple aspects of neurodevelopment, neurogenesis and the functions of neurons and neural networks . Nutrition-gene interactions play a critical role in dysfunction and disease . Individual differences in genes such as single nucleotide polymorphisms, mutations and copy number variants significantly modify the effects of nutrition on gene expression .
What Is The Mediterranean Diet
A Mediterranean diet focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, and olive oil. Some people also eat fish and chicken or turkey on occasion. A plant-based eating plan, however, can be completely vegetarian or vegan. It can be lower in carbohydrates than standard diets are, or it can put a higher emphasis on healthy, complex carbs. Eating the Mediterranean way is not only healthy but completely customizable, affordable, varied, and convenient.
Recommendations based on Mediterranean diets include:
- High in fruits and vegetables: 8-10 servings daily
- High in fish: 2-3 times per week
- Low in meat : 1-2 times a week
- High in plant protein: nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils
- Olive oil as the primary oil
- High in whole grains
- Low in processed, refined sugar
- Foods in their whole state
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Foods Containing Saturated Fat And Cholesterol
Some studies suggest that dietary fat intake may increase the risk of Parkinsons.
Although having a higher intake of cholesterol can elevate a persons Parkinsons risk, having a higher intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids may reduce the risk.
Therefore, a person with Parkinsons may wish to reduce their intake of cholesterol to help control the symptoms of the condition. They may also wish to reduce the amount of saturated fat in their diet.
However, further studies are required to explore the link between dietary fat and Parkinsons.
Finding May Renew Interest In Parkinsons Drug
Parkinsons disease is a progressive degenerative brain disorder. The disease attacks the cells that make the chemical dopamine. This leads to loss of muscle movement control and disability, as well as tremors that are associated with the disease. Other symptoms include slow movement, stiff muscles, aches, and problems with balance and coordination.
There is no cure for the disease. But medications, which boost dopamine levels, can help manage symptoms.
An improvement in symptoms was seen in a small study of people with Parkinsons disease who received an injection of the drug into the affected brain region. There is a strong association between the level of disability from the disease and the severity of dopamine loss in the brain.
But a second study was halted after the drugs maker Amgen withdrew GDNF in part due to safety reasons.
After a 62-year-old man who had participated in the first trial of GDNF died of an unrelated heart attack three months after the treatment stopped, researchers analyzed his brain and reported their findings in the current issue of Nature Medicine.
Because GDNF had been infused into only one side of the brain, researchers say they were able to assess the impact of treatment by comparing the two sides.
They say the findings may renew interest in GDNF as a potential therapy for Parkinsons disease.
Show Sources
SOURCES: Love, S. Nature Medicine, July 2005 online edition vol11: pp 703-704. Press release, University of Bristol.
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Your Diet And The Microbiome
One of the big stories in medicine is the role of the gut microbiome in health and disease.
Several studies have found that people with PD have much lower levels of Prevotella species of bacteria a type thought to be good for maintaining gut health. They also have higher levels of bacteria associated with inflammation, which can be harmful.
How does that relate to your diet? What you eat affects which bacteria can thrive in your digestive system. Studies have shown that eating a Mediterranean, or whole-food plant-based diet, creates an environment where Prevotella and other healthy bacteria can flourish. Fiber and other components of whole plant foods and sometimes referred to as prebiotics because they feed the good bacteria in the gut, which may be beneficial for people with PD.
What Are The Benefits Of Ketosis
Achieving a state of ketosis can have many benefits from treating chronic illnesses to optimizing performance. While the benefits are well documented, the underlying mechanism of action is not entirely known. The diet seems to enhance the ability of mitochondria, the power plants of our cells, to deliver our bodies energy needs in a manner that reduces inflammation and oxidative stress. Through optimizing the way our body uses energy, we fortify our bodies ability to take on the ever-growing stressors of our modern way of living.
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Types Of Ketogenic Diets
There are a variety of diets that will allow you to get into ketosis. The major differentiating factor between them all is the amount of calories that come from protein, carbs and fat, which are what we call macronutrients, or nutrients in our food that have a caloric value. The three macronutrients differ in many ways, namely, their caloric values, as well as how the body uses them. Fat is the most calorically dense macronutrient, having 9 calories per gram, compared to 4 calories per gram for both carbs and protein. In a homeostatic state, the body utilizes fat and carbs for energy production, while it uses protein to rebuild the cells of our body. While this is generally the case, an overconsumption of protein can lead the body to break down the excess protein into glucose
What Causes Parkinsons Disease
It is unknown what exactly causes Parkinsons disease. Experts speculate that genetic predisposition may be the causative factor in some cases.
Parkinsons disease could be a result of the following factors:
- Changes in the substantia nigra, a movement controlling region of the brain.
- Gradual breakdown, impairment, or death of certain nerve cells that produce a chemical messenger in the brain called dopamine, making it hard for the brain to coordinate muscle movements.
- Absence of dopamine that impairs communication between the nerve cells in the brain and the rest of the body. Dopamine plays a key role in many body functions, including memory, movement, motivation, mood, and attention. Low dopamine contributes to mood and cognitive problems.
- Early-onset Parkinsons disease is often inherited and is the result of certain gene defects.
Although not clear, some researchers have speculated that Parkinsons disease could be a result of other factors, including:
- Presence of Lewy bodies: Substances within the brain cells that seem to be microscopic markers of Parkinson’s disease.
- Presence of Alpha-synuclein: Protein found within Lewy bodies in a clumped form that cells cannot break down.
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Eat Fermented Foods For Probiotics
Our lack of gut health or any digestive disorders are usually starts from having a severely imbalanced gut flora.
Many people underestimate the importance of gut health and often disregard the care of a healthy gut, and eating foods that undermine gut health.
Fermented foods are some of the best foods for replenishing your gut with beneficial bacteria to strengthen gut health and the immune system.
Some of the fermented foods you could add to your diet include kefir, kombucha tea, sauerkraut, kimchi and tempeh .
Diet And The Pd Microbiome
The human gastrointestinal tract harbors trillions of microorganisms collectively referred to as the microbiome . We have a symbiotic relationship with the microbiota . We provide them with an environment and food and they provide us with a myriad of benefits. The microbiota helps ward off harmful microorganisms , regulate immunity, and produce substances such as vitamins, secondary bile acids, and short chain fatty acids . For example, dietary fiber is used as a food source by the intestinal microbiota. Dietary fiber is a general term for consumed plant-based complex carbohydrates that are largely not digested by mammalian enzymes in the small intestine and consequently cannot be absorbed. However, they are available to be used as a food source by the intestinal microbiota . Colonic bacterial fermentation of these dietary fibers generates metabolic byproducts and especially important are SCFA . In contrast to these beneficial commensal bacteria, there are also pathogenic bacteria that can cause GIT dysfunction and inflammation in the intestinal mucosa, systemic circulation, and even in the brain . Thus, the balance of microbiota influences not only the GIT, but also organs throughout the body including the brain .
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A Completely New Way To Replace Lost Cells
Parkinsons UK Deputy Director of Research David Dexter said:
Replacing the cells that are lost in Parkinsons is a possible way to reverse its symptoms, and could one day be a cure for the condition.
This research is hugely promising, as it offers a completely new way to replace cells that are lost in Parkinsons.
However, the location of the new cells created through this process could make it difficult to control the delivery of dopamine to the brain.
Further development of this technique is now needed, so it encourages dopamine to be produced and released in a controlled manner, like the original brain cells.
If successful, it would turn this approach into a viable therapy that could improve the lives of people with Parkinsons and, ultimately, lead to the cure that millions are waiting for.
Nlrp3 Inflammasome Activation Mechanism
There is a substantial amount of data demonstrating the importance of the NLRP3 inflammasome in PD. Recent post mortem studies in PD patients show that the NLRP3 inflammasome is significantly upregulated in the SN of PD patients . This upregulation in NLRP3 was also observed in mouse models of PD and AD and it appears to be important in disease pathogenesis. Specifically, inhibition of NLRP3 protects against neurodegeneration in all rodent models of PD tested including injection of pre-formed -Syn fibrils , rotenone, and MPTP models . Similarly, knocking out NLRP3 in an AD animal model protects mice from developing AD-like behavior and brain pathology . Thus, activated NLRP3 inflammasome appears to be a key driver of neuroinflammation in PD . In addition, NLRP3 levels also appear to increase with other factors such as age and consumption of a Western diet, it could be that the increase in NLRP3/IL-1b reduces the resiliency of the brain to respond to a secondary insult such as gut-derived endotoxemia from microbiota dysbiosis and/or intestinal barrier dysfunction .
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Eat Plenty Of Protein But Not With Levodopa Medications
If youre taking a levodopa medication, your doctor may tell you to avoid protein when taking your meds. Both animal and plant protein can interfere with the absorption of levodopa medications.
But you should still eat plenty of protein. Just be strategic with the timing. Dont take levodopa medications with meals, Dr. Gostkowski says. Its best to take it on an empty stomach either 30 minutes before your meal or an hour after eating.
If you get nauseous from the medication, eat a small amount of starchy food with it, such as crackers. Make sure whatever you eat with your medicine doesnt have protein. Its a misunderstanding that people with Parkinsons should avoid protein, Dr. Gostkowski says. You definitely need protein in your diet. Just dont eat it when youre taking your levodopa medication.
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Mindfulness Meditation And Stress Reduction Reduce Parkinsons Symptoms And Boost Dopamine
If you read last weeks post, you learned why chronic stress is a risk factor for Parkinsons disease. Chronic stress causes neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and elevated cortisol levels, which lead to a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Chronic stress also decreases neurogenesis. Stressful life events, job-related stress, and stress-related personality traits all increase the risk of developing Parkinsons. Stress level also worsens motor symptoms and predicts worse disease progression.
The idea that chronic stress is a factor in developing Parkinsons has become mainstream fairly recently. Studies have shown how stress leads to the death of dopaminergic neurons, but not much research has been done yet to test how methods of stress reduction may improve symptoms, and those that have been done have been short-term. However, in personal reports of improvement of motor symptoms and recovery, nearly everyone cites mindfulness, mindful movement, meditation, and/or stress reduction as a critical part of their recoveryyoull read some of these stories in the next section.
In 2001, researchers demonstrated for the first time how a conscious experience is associated with the release of a neurotransmitter. During Yoga Nidra meditation, which reduces stress and is known as yogic sleep, participants experienced a 65% increase in endogenous dopamine release.
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In Summary Reduce Your Stress
The most important thing we can do for our long-term health, both physical and cognitive, is to reduce the stress in our bodies. All stress physical, emotional and chemical causes inflammation and long-term damage throughout the body.
Whether youre seeking Parkinsons prevention techniques or ways to alleviate symptoms, any of the above dietary and lifestyle practices can have long-term health benefits. Drinking green tea, eating organic, local vegetables, and regular aerobic exercise all significantly reduce the long-term cumulative damage done by stress.
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Stretching To Loosen Stiff Muscles Of Parkinsons
The following stretching and flexibility exercises can help to relieve stiff muscles, improve flexibility, and make everyday tasks easier:
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Could You Possibly Do The Same And Reverse Your Parkinson’s Disease
I am not a doctor, nor have I ever had any medical training!I am merely a Parkinson’s Patient, who has had the good fortune to have been able to reverse many of his movement symptoms!
YES! You possibly can… and I urge you to follow this path!
- The unique lifestyle modification protocol I use.
- The unique Brain exercises I use.
- The exact physical exercises I use, to reverse my Parkinson’s.
- How you will see life, when you start to feel better, and why it is important to exercise.
- The special dietary advice I follow .
- The knowledge of the silent killer, that you might not even be aware of.
- How to improve your sleep, and in the process, have more energy.
- How to focus your mind, and take back control of your movements.
- What type of Parkinson’s medication is capable of slowing down the progression of your PD, and what types aren’t.
I am going to urge you again. These are the exact steps that I, John Pepper, and countless others, have followed to successfully reverse Parkinson’s disease.In all my research, which spans well over the last 20 years, and hundreds of hours of my own time – not even mentioning the countless hours other experts have put in – I have found this to be the only way I know of to successfully reverse Parkinson’s disease.
I offer every one of you the exact Blueprint, that I have followed, for Reversing my Parkinson’s disease.
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