Naturalremedy For Parkinsons #10 Foods You Must Avoid
There are certain foods that are known to worsen thesymptoms of Parkinsons and certain foods that are known to help. Healthadvocate, Dr Joseph Mercola, says that Parkinsons disease is primarily relatedto poor lifestyle choices, particularly poor dietary habits. Increasing yourbodys natural dopamine levels is also extremely important in your fight againstPD.
The foods and liquids you should be eating and drinkingmore of to help you along include:
· Clean Filtered Water Clean filtered water helpsto flush toxins from the body and hydrate the cells .Try and aim to drink at least two liters of water every day, and under nocircumstances drink tap water! Tap water is laced with toxic fluoride and otherchemicals and heavy metals so NEVER drink it. Buy yourself a good quality waterfilter. Its worth the investment.
· Whole Foods and Raw Foods Eat plenty oforganic mixed berries, green leafy vegetables, liver , fish,eggs, nuts and seeds such as chia and flaxseeds, along with plenty of herbs andspices. When it comes to buying any of these remember fresh is alwaysbest.
· Consume Lots of Probiotics Good gutbacteria are needed for strong immunity and healthy digestive function, whichin turn produces healthy brain and nerve function. You can learn how to makeyour own probiotic rich foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha and yogurt hereCultures for Health.
The foods you should be avoiding or not eating at allinclude:
Revisiting Pain In Pdthe 50 Shades Of Pain Experienced By Parkinsons Patients
Pain is a quality of life issue for people with Parkinsons disease and can be under treated by doctors who may assume that is worsens as the disease progresses, although for some pain is an initial symptom of PD. This article helps focus your physicians attention in the right direction to accurately diagnose your pain.
How Is Parkinsons Disease Treated
There is no cure for Parkinsons disease. However, medications and other treatments can help relieve some of your symptoms. Exercise can help your Parkinsons symptoms significantly. In addition, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language therapy can help with walking and balance problems, eating and swallowing challenges and speech problems. Surgery is an option for some patients.
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Pain Pathophysiology And Classification In Pd
However, pain far more frequently presents not as ‘central’ but as musculoskeletal/nociceptive pain in PD patients, and in about half of the PD population, it is related to secondary diseases such as spine or joint arthrosis . Pain related to arthrosis of the spine or joints likely is amplified by akinesia and rigidity, but there is no clear relationship of severity of motor symptoms and pain reported . Accordingly, pain and motor impairment do not correlate well , suggesting that both symptoms do not necessarily share the identical pathogenetic mechanisms . Nevertheless, it has to be kept in mind that musculoskeletal pain preferentially of one side of the body, e.g., as shoulder-arm-syndrome, is a very typical early presentation of akinesia and rigor in PD and frequently might be missed.
Female gender, dyskinesia, postural abnormalities, motor complications, and depression have been found as predictors for pain in PD . Reports on gender differences regarding pain perception support the hypothesis that genetic variants might contribute to pain susceptibility or other pain aspects such as time of onset . Common comorbidities in PD patients known to trigger pain include diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, rheumatic diseases and arthritis .
Today, the classification of pain in PD by Ford is still the most commonly used: it differentiates pain into musculoskeletal, radicular/neuropathic, dystonia-related, akathic discomfort/pain, and central pain.
How Is Pain Treated For People With Parkinsons
No matter the cause, pain is often complex. When a person with Parkinsons experiences intense pain, especially in combination with other symptoms of Parkinsons, managing it can be challenging. There are, however, several ways you can adjust your medication regimen, exercise schedule, and lifestyle to reduce your pain and improve your quality of life.
Medications
There are various kinds of medications used to treat pain, especially for people with Parkinsons. In a recent webinar, Dr. Janis Miyasaki described how physicians approach pharmacological treatment of pain for people with Parkinsons:
The principle is to start with what is called the pain ladder. You always start with the least intensive, least side effect-giving treatment.Janis Miyasaki, MD
Step one
The first step of the pain ladder is hot and cold treatments along with stretching and flexibility exercises. People who experience rigidity and stiffness can sometimes alleviate pain using heating pads to loosen their muscles, then improve mobility by stretching, then address any residual pain with ice packs.
Step two
Step three
Step four
Step five
Other medical interventions
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What Lifestyle Changes Can I Make To Ease Parkinsons Symptoms
Exercise: Exercise helps improve muscle strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, and tremor. It is also strongly believed to improve memory, thinking and reduce the risk of falls and decrease anxiety and depression. One study in persons with Parkinsons disease showed that 2.5 hours of exercise per week resulted in improved ability to move and a slower decline in quality of life compared to those who didnt exercise or didnt start until later in the course of their disease. Some exercises to consider include strengthening or resistance training, stretching exercises or aerobics . All types of exercise are helpful.
Eat a healthy, balanced diet: This is not only good for your general health but can ease some of the non-movement related symptoms of Parkinsons, such as constipation. Eating foods high in fiber in particular can relieve constipation. The Mediterranean diet is one example of a healthy diet.
Preventing falls and maintaining balance: Falls are a frequent complication of Parkinson’s. While you can do many things to reduce your risk of falling, the two most important are: 1) to work with your doctor to ensure that your treatments whether medicines or deep brain stimulation are optimal and 2) to consult with a physical therapist who can assess your walking and balance. The physical therapist is the expert when it comes to recommending assistive devices or exercise to improve safety and preventing falls.
Natural Treatment For Parkinsons #1 Cannabis/medicalmarijuana:
Cannabis, aka medical marijuana, is an incredibletreatment for Parkinsons disease. You can have a Parkinsons patient shakingviolently and uncontrollably, and yet within 30-40 minutes of self-administering with some cannabis, their symptoms will almost completely disappear. Watch this short 2minute video from Parkinsons sufferer, Ian Frizell, who shows you what he waslike before self-medicating with cannabis and then again after. The change is truly astonishing!
Taylor French is another Parkinsons patient thatundergoes a remarkable transformation once he ingests what he calls nutritional vegetable extract . This guy has an advanced form ofParkinsons and is normally confined to a wheelchair with limited use of hisbody due to stiff and rigid muscles . But after ingestingsome cannabis hes able to walk, and incredibly, in his video he even getsinto his car and drives off down the road!
You can view it here
Elyse Del Francia also tells the story of her Parkinsonssuffering husband, and the time she decided to smother his morning pancakes withsome canabutter. She said
Within45 minutes of eating a pancake with marijuana on it, he stopped shaking. Thatwas my lightbulb moment. Thats when I knew that I was onto something thatwould relieve his pain and suffering, because its horrible, horrible, to haveParkinsons Disease and not have any relief. I feel that this is something thathelps so many people in so many ways with pain and suffering. 5
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Shooting Pain And Paraesthesia
Radicular pain is a sharp pain that shoots down a limb and often affects fingers or toes. Paraesthesia is sometimes described as a feeling of pins and needles or perhaps numbness in a limb which has fallen asleep. Such pain is usually related to trapped nerves in the spinal cord and can feel similar to an electric shock, a tingling or a burning sensation.
Treatment: Painkillers and exercise will generally settle the pain. If not your specialist may refer you for tests such as an MRI scan to check for a trapped nerve in the spinal cord.
What Are The Symptoms Of Parkinsons Disease
Symptoms of Parkinsons disease and the rate of decline vary widely from person to person. The most common symptoms include:
Other symptoms include:
- Speech/vocal changes: Speech may be quick, become slurred or be soft in tone. You may hesitate before speaking. The pitch of your voice may become unchanged .
- Handwriting changes: You handwriting may become smaller and more difficult to read.
- Depression and anxiety.
- Sleeping disturbances including disrupted sleep, acting out your dreams, and restless leg syndrome.
- Pain, lack of interest , fatigue, change in weight, vision changes.
- Low blood pressure.
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Painful Symptoms Of Parkinsons Disease
Pain can sometimes be an early symptom of PD. For example, a person may complain of a painful shoulder and be diagnosed with an orthopedic condition such as a frozen shoulder, only to develop a rest tremor on that side at a later point. The painful shoulder was in fact not a frozen shoulder after all, but rather pain due to the rigidity of PD. Now of course, sometimes a frozen shoulder is really just a frozen shoulder, so theres no need to jump to conclusions when you are experiencing pain. Not every ache and pain is a sign of PD, but it is important for you to educate yourself, be aware of the possible connections, and be proactive about seeking medical attention for any notable pain you are experiencing.
If you have PD and develop pain, it is important to first bring this to the attention of your doctor. The pain may be related to your PD, or the pain may be due to a common problem such as arthritis which is exacerbated by your PD. However, in some cases, it may be a symptom of a more serious medical problem. So do not assume that the pain is related to your PD before getting an appropriate medical workup.
Examples Of Pain Scales In Pd
Pain-O-Meter
This is a self-administered pain assessment tool developed for the purpose of improving pain assessment and management in acute and chronic pain patients, not exclusively for PD pain. It is a hard, white, plastic tool. Two methods for assessing pain are located on the Pain-O-Meter . The first is a 10-cm VAS with a moveable marker that patients use to rate their pain. The second is a list of 15 sensory and eleven affective WDSs. Each WDS is assigned an intensity value that can be as low as 1 or as high as 5 .
| Durationa of disease, 5 years/> 5 years | Pain before/after PD diagnosis | Durationb of pain/day, 10 h/> 10 h | VAS,c5 cm/> 5 cm | Pain expressions by participants |
|---|
Notes: POM results for PD and chronic pain patients. Data from Skogar et al.
P
Abbreviations: PD, Parkinsons disease h, hours VAS, visual analog scale RLS, restless legs syndrome POM, Pain-O-Meter.
Kings PD Pain Scale
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Examples Of Pain Scales
Visual analog scale
A visual analog scale measures a continuum of a chosen present characteristic. For example, the experienced pain that a patient feels extends over a continuum from no pain to an extreme intensity of pain. This range of perceived pain appears continuous for the patient. Pain does not appear as an ordinary scale with jumps between the values, such as discrete, moderate, or severe. Word descriptors are only used in both ends of the line, which is usually 100 mm in length. This valuation is very subjective and best used within an individual and not between groups of individuals at the same time point. Most experts argue that a VAS at best can produce data of ordinal type. This is important to consider in the statistical analysis of VAS data. Rank ordering of scores rather than the exact values might be the best way to handle patient registrations on the 100 mm line.
Brief Pain Inventory
The Brief Pain Inventory was initially created for the purpose of measuring pain in cancer patients. It measures pain relief, pain quality, and patient perception of the cause of pain in terms of pain intensity and pain interference .
Standardised Testing And Powered Cohorts
Future research should control for confounding factors by standardising variables across laboratories. For example, the presence of pain should be classified according to an internationally validated scale, e.g. the KPPS. PD sub-types should be standardised according to an internationally verified method. Although there is no gold standard for sub-type classification, distinctions have been made between tremor-dominant and non-tremor-dominant sub-types, and by using UPDRS-III sub-type-based classifications. It is recommended that future studies should classify sub-types according to the German AWMF guidelines .
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Nerves And Nervous System
The vagus nerve is not the only important nerve which passes through the neck. According to the polyvagal research of Dr Stephen Porges, five of the cranial nerves form the parasympathetic ventral vagus complex, responsible for Social Engagement functions. Interestingly, this vagal complex includes the accessory nerve, that innervates the neck muscles used to turn the head. In his early paper on polyvagal theory, Dr Porges writes:
“Thus, more specialized functions such as head rotation to orient sensory receptors toward the source of stimulation, mastication to ingest food, and salivation to initiate gustatory and digestive processes are integrated into the vagal system.”
“In mammals, the part of the brain where these nerves originate controls the complex coordination of pharynx, soft palate, larynx, and esophagus. Of special note to psychophysiological processes the carotid body, containing peripheral chemosensitive receptors sensitive to oxygen and carbon dioxide levels”
“In addition, the accessory nerve provides fibers originating in the cervical spinal cord that innervate the positioning of the neck. The critical carotid arteries, internal jugular veins, and vagus nerves run deep in these muscles.”
“Thus, this complex also has the ability to orient visceral receptors via somatic muscles , to coordinate structures related to ingestion and expulsion, and to regulate facial expression and emotion.”
What Is Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the way you move. It occurs when there is a problem with the nerve cells in the brain that produce an important chemical called dopamine, which is responsible for motor function. As dopamine levels drop it leads to progressive deterioration of motor function in the person. Early signs of Parkinsons disease include tremors in the hands, rigidity or stiffness in the body, difficulty while walking. The muscles of the person suffering from Parkinsons disease gradually become weaker with time.
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What Are The Causes Of Parkinson’s Disease
The causes of Parkinsons disease include:
- Genetics and family history
- Frequent exposure to pesticides such as insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides
- Lewy bodies that are abnormal clumps of proteins found in the brain stem of people with Parkinsons disease which affect brain functions
- Loss of dopamine production in the brain when cells that produce dopamine are damaged
- Advanced age
What Type Of Pain Occurs With Parkinsons Disease
The types of pain associated with Parkinsons include: aching or burning pain from muscles or skeleton, sharp pain from a nerve or nerve root, numbness or pins and needles pain also radiating from a nerve or nerve root, pulsing or aching pain that results from tightness or ongoing twisting and writhing movements , restlessness caused from akathisia, and sudden, sharp burning pain that occurs for no known reason.
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Q What Is The Pain Experience In Pd And Does It Differ Between Genders
Dr. Fleisher: As with almost everything else in PD, the pain experience is highly individualized, and no 2 people, regardless of gender, will have the same symptoms. Female gender appears to be an independent risk factor for chronic pain in PD, even though PD is more common in men than in women.2 Pain intensity also is higher in women than in men with PD.1
There is a lot of interesting research examining the contributions of hormones to the greater prevalence of PD in men or, conversely, the lower prevalence in women.3 Once we better understand the roles of sex hormones in the pathophysiology of PD, we may better understand whether hormones also play a role in the higher incidence of chronic pain in women with PD.
Causes Of Lower Back Pain
People with PD may have the same lower back issues that affect the general population.
Here is a picture of the spine and its surrounding structures.
There are specific structural problems of the lower spine that can lead to pain. Primarily the structural problems fall into two categories:
- Narrowing of the central spinal canal through which the spinal cord travels. This can cause spinal stenosis and typically manifests as pain with standing or walking that improves with bending forward or sitting.
- Narrowing of the exit holes through which the spinal nerves travel. This can cause what is known as radiculopathy, pinched nerve, or sciatica and typically manifests as pain that travels down a leg.
There are many causes of these narrowings including:
Much less common, are infections of the spine or cancers growing around the spine. Both of these conditions can push on the spine or spinal nerves and cause pain.
Surprisingly, all of these causes together typically account for a small percentage of lower back pain. For most people with lower back pain, no specific structural cause can be identified.
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Complementary Treatments For Back Pain
Massage therapy and acupuncture are two complementary treatments that are often used for pain. There have been small studies investigating the use of massage therapy and acupuncture for motor symptoms of PD, but more studies are necessary to s determine if they specifically help with PD pain. You can also view a Q+A about complementary treatments in PD.