It appears we are what we eat. Considering how lyme prevents normal detoxification, the following report may explain why some are more susceptible to parkinson like symptoms.
notice the sponsor of this research is Michael J. Fox, bless him.
Boston, MA -- In the first large-scale, prospective study to examine possible links between chronic, low-dose exposure to pesticides
and Parkinson's disease (PD), researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have shown that individuals reporting exposure to pesticides had a 70 percent higher incidence of
PD than those not reporting exposure. No increased risk of PD was found from reported exposure to other occupational hazards, including asbestos, coal or stone dust, chemicals, acids, or solvents. The study will
appear in the July issue of Annals of Neurology (Ann Neurol. 2006; 60:197-203) and also appears online via Wiley Interscience
Previous studies had suggested a link between PD and low-level exposure to pesticides, though the data remains inconclusive. The researchers, led by Alberto Ascherio, associate professor of
nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH, looked at data from the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, a prospective study begun in 1992 by the American Cancer Society. Some
143,325 participants who responded to a follow-up survey in 2001 were included in the HSPH study. Researchers then contacted those individuals in the 2001 survey who reported a
diagnosis of PD to ask if their medical records could be reviewed to confirm the diagnosis. Ultimately, Ascherio and his colleagues included in their study a total of 413 cases of PD with
onset of symptoms and diagnosis after 1992.
The researchers used exposure data collected in 1982 from the CPS II mortality study, a study from which the Nutrition Cohort was drawn. Exposure to pesticides was reported by 5,203 men
(8.2 percent) and 2,661 women (3.3 percent). Among those reporting exposure, after adjusting for age, sex, and other risk factors for Parkinson's disease, there was a 70 percent
higher incidence of PD than among people who reported no exposure. Those reporting exposure were more likely to be male than female to report their occupation as farmer, rancher or
fisherman and to be blue-collar workers, but none of these factors could account for the increased risk of Parkinson's disease, which was similar in men or women, and in non-farmers as
well as farmers. The significant association between pesticide exposure and Parkinson's disease among individuals who are not farmers is most likely explained by use of pesticides at
home or in gardening.
Future studies will need to examine which specific pesticides or classes of pesticides are likely to cause Parkinson's disease.
This study was supported by a grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation and Kinetic Foundation. The participation of Michael Schwarzschild, a co-author, was supported by a
grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
-------------------- Bob Posts: 2150 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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nenet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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posted
This is interesting, and I woudn't doubt that chemicals and pesticides could be playing a very large role in many illnesses, but this study wasn't very well-designed.
Those patients that had more exposure to pesticides also had more exposure to the outdoors, in places where other unwanted pests and ticks co-exist, in the plants they are trying to "protect" with pesticides.
I really dislike studies like this. They mean well, but they can really throw researchers off the trail unintentionally.
-------------------- Bob Posts: 2150 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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lymie_in_md
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posted
Nenet -- I'm kind of leading up to the idea that the toxification due to pesticides is so important to rectify for lymies.
I'm also posting this because of how many lymies have sleep disorders. Some of which may have been induced by a body burdern of pesticides and its neurological impact.
-------------------- Bob Posts: 2150 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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GiGi
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posted
This study is a bit simplistic as all solutions for Parkinsonism. They have yet to find a decent pharma drug that won't fry a person's brain. Parkinsonism is like most chronic diseases linked to inherited toxins and burdens along with everything toxic in our environment. There is no one living today who is not burdened by mercury and other heavy metals, biotoxins, xenobiotics, excitotoxins, and added to this unresolved emotional conflicts.
A wheat allergy is as bad if not worse than all the above combined when it comes to neurological damage and often not recognized because it is silent.
Yet the solution to Parkinsonism is as non-existent as to other neurological diseases. I have met many Parkinson sufferers and it is definitely a multifactorial problem as all neurological diseases, including Lyme. Closed head injuries add to the misery even if they are many years old.
And depending on the patient's constitution, it turns into an ALS, MS, or PD, MD or mixed diagnosis -- a bit of this and that.
Most sufferers are highly allergic to most of these toxins and therefore have huge problems releasing them. That is a starting point that is mostly overlooked or not recognized.
It takes a doctor with a broad mind and intuition and one who can dig out from under the cobwebs. Usually the solution is 'you've got PD, there is no cure'.
If anyone has any of these symptoms or mixed symptoms, don't give up. It is never just one toxin that brings us to a halt.
Take care.
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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lymie_in_md
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Couldn't agree more GiGi. Isn't sad we spend soooo much for research in this country and get so little for it. Instead of causes we get conditions.
I don't feel bad about what I posted, just sad there isn't more to post.
-------------------- Bob Posts: 2150 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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nenet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 13174
posted
Again, the studies do not show causation, and honestly I still do not see correlation. There is coincidental information at this point. They need to show the proof of how the pesticides are directly causing Parkinson's. As they are only looking for pesticides, they could be missing a number of other coincidental or correlative data, like infectious agents that could be contracted in the same environment as the exposure to the pesticides, for instance.
I am wholeheartedly against the use of pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, and all industrial agriculture as it is applied today. I am basically against chemicals in general. I believe they are having a terrible effect on all animals, including humans, insects, microorganisms, soil, water, and the rest of the ecosystem. This is my personal opinion. However, to prove a link to Parkinson's specifically, they need to go beyond coincidence/perceived increased risk, and move on to causative proof.
With Lyme, there is the actual organism found within the bodies of some with Parkinson's, and it has been proven that Lyme causes a myriad of neurological symptoms and damage. So in this respect, Lyme is the more likely candidate for reasearch than pesticides. Just talking straight science here.
Conjecture and opinion included, I would say that it is highly likely that our chemical and heavy metal burdens are a huge factor in our society's overall health.
However, Lyme is a very real factor, and proven to cause all kinds of horrible symptoms, and even death. And Lyme has known treatments that in some cases can work to put Parkinson's-like symptoms in remission.
I'm not quite sure what you are asking me, but my opinion is that there is much more research that needs to be done on conditions like Parkinson's, and Lyme should be at the top of the list for possible culprits.
My step-Grandpa died of Parkinson's. He was basically my Grandpa, as I grew up with him as my second Grandpa. It was a terrible several years before he passed, and put both him and my Grandma through a lot of misery. He grew up playing in the woods of upstate New York, and vacationing all along the northeast coast. He loved the outdoors, and played a ton of golf. His exposure to ticks was likely in the thousands in his lifetime.
He also liked to "garden" by over-trimming hedges and laying on the fertilizers and pesticides. An outdoors-type person just tends towards this kind of behavior. Some people have been trained to think they have to do battle with nature - he was one of them. So again, one could just as easily say Lyme was the increased risk factor here for "Parkinson's", but he was never evaulated for it. As most people with "Parkinson's" are not.
I have a lot of people in my extended family that have these types of conditions. MS, Parkinson's, ALS, etc. It haunts me every day to know that I cannot tell them what it could really be, because they won't believe me, or will think because I have Lyme, that I just believe everyone around me does. I dream of better and further research. All I want is for them to find the truth, and either cure these conditions, or treat them effectively.
As for detoxing measures, that topic gets addressed here frequently. Dr. Burrascano's guidelines cover this remarkably well. Saunas and heat-detox should only be used for those well on the road to recovery - they can be very damaging and dangerous for those still too sick, like me. Same goes for exercise (especially aerobic).
I think detoxing is important for Lyme treatment and remission, and so is changing your lifestyle to remove as many toxins as possible from your environment and diet. Too much detoxing at once can be harmful by putting too much of a strain on your liver and other organs.
In my non-medical opinion, slow and steady is the best approach. Lyme is a slow-to-replicate bacteria, so one must wait it out, while doing as little extra damage during treatment as possible.
I hope I answered your question(s) somewhat. I know I rambled on for far too long. Sorry about that!
posted
There are many causes of Parkinsons in my opinion. And mercury toxicity probably needs to be right up there with pesticides. Although hubby has a Parkinsons type presentation I honestly feel that without the prior mercury problem he would have probably had a different presentation of Lyme symptoms. I really don't feel that Lyme is at the top of the list for Parkinsons.
As to the pesticides and chemicals -- many of those have been proven to work to kill insects simply because of their method of action -- they work on the cholinergic system. Parkinsons in simple terms is an imbalance between dopamine and acetylcholine. Usually dopamine is assumed to be underproduced.
Basically the insects shake themselves to death. Seriously though sustained severe muscle contractions overwork the heart and other body systems. A cholinergic response also interferes with sweating -- too much or too little.
Mercury toxicity blocks the receptor sites and the dopamine can't be used correctly in the body -- a person could still be producing normal amounts of dopamine but it is just unavailable. Kind of like people with type 2 diabetes who are still producing insulin just not using it correctly.
CoQ10 has actually been proven by scientific studies to slow down the progression of Parkinsons -- unlike l-dopa and other Parkinsons meds which only control symptoms and do nothing to slow the underlying disease progression.
Also IV glutathione is undergoing FDA trials as a treatment for Parkinsons. In theory the glutathione removes toxins -- possibly mercury and pesticides -- and allows the dopamine to be better utilized by the body.
The P.K. protocol may also help some Parkinsons patients. The mix of IV glutathione and IV phosphatidylcholine (a "good fat") is supposed to help by 2 methods. Choline is required for proper liver function and also in theory the fat may get into the brain and build new receptor sites so that the dopamine available is better utilized.
As for Lyme and Parkinsons -- 2 theories here. Either the Lyme bacteria or associated neurotoxins actually destroy the basal ganglia so the brain slows down production of dopamine -- I honestly think this is very rare.
Or more likely the borrelia and also babesia specifically rob the body of choline and slow liver detox allowing more toxins to eventually get to the brain and also interfering with the balance of dopamine and acetylcholine.
Many people probably are not aware that the symptoms of too much or too little acetylcholine are basically the same. In theory choline is the gas and dopamine is the brakes in regard to muscle movement. But in reality either too much or too little acetylcholine can cause tremors. Not sure of the exact mechanism involved.
Anyway, those are my thoughts after 8 years of dealing with hubby's illness. About 4 months ago his tremors were almost non-existant for the first time in over 8 years. But in the last couple of weeks we are back to dealing with tremors, myoclonus and dystonia (muscles freezing up) on a daily basis again. Still not exactly sure what triggered the crash, but we are not giving up.
For hubby Parkinsons meds actually made his symptoms worse. tried that briefly when he first got sick. I feel that Babesia treatment and possibly Bartonella treatment have been the real keys to getting his tremors etc under control.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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GiGi
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posted
Most Lymies who have taken the Allergie Immun test are allergic to Wheat, Corn and Soy (and to most of the toxic metals) at the DNA level. Errors in the electromagnetic programming.
Phospholipids are soy-based. The very expensive PK protocol brought little, if any, to us and many we share info with. My husband was allergic to wheat, soy and corn, as well as several very toxic heavy metals.
Recently, at a seminar Dr. K. remarked that he had never seen any of his Parkinson patients improve on frequent glutathione (Perlmutter type protocol).
There are many puzzles to Parkinsonism - allergies to heavy metals (dysregulations at DNA level) play a role and make detoxing heavy metals very difficult until the errors in the system are corrected. AI (www.allergy-immun.de) is doing that. The leaky gut caused by wheat allergy (known or unknown)is a major problem with neurotoxins reaching the brain. We are in the middle of this therapy and seeing some good changes.
Dr. K. is of the opinion that MS, ALS, Parkinsons, Lyme, need to address KPU. www.hputest.nl
Patience is needed!
Take care.
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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Bea - I formed a great interest in reading your thoughts. Please fill in a gap for me here:
In the beginning, you suggested that you do not feel that "Lyme is at the top of the list for Parkinsons."
Towards the end of what you wrote, you said you feel that "Babesia treatment and possibly Bartonella treatment have been the real keys to getting his tremors etc under control."
Are you saying by treating Babesia and Bartonella, one has to detox, and that detoxation is the key to control PD?
I know you have logic somewhere to link these two, but I managed to lose the link. Would you explain this to me again?
Posts: 822 | From midwest | Registered: Apr 2009
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Hubby has been to over 20 neurologists. None of them thought he had Parkinsons or M.S. He was usually told his tremors were due to anxiety/depression. However, even the psychiatrists he saw agreed that tremors that continued during sleep were probably not caused by a psychiatric issue. Parkinsons tremors go away during sleep.
I have one neurology textbook that gives a list of causes of myoclonus. Almost all the causes are due to infectious diseases such as mad cow disease etc.
Hubby's tremors and myocolonic jerks come and go in a pattern (time of day). The time of day his symptoms are most active has changed somewhat over time.
One LLMD (not even hubby's doc) saw one of these episodic attacks and labeled hubby's movement disorder as dystonia. His explanation was that hubby was not getting enough oxygen to the brain (previous SPECT scan had confirmed global hypoperfusion). The doc said that he felt hubby was specifically not getting enough oxygen to the substantia niagra part of his brain.
I think someone posted something recently on cerebral malaria. I remember the Dr B explained that in babesia infections the red blood cells get stuck in the capillaries -- 2 reasons for this -- babesia can cause the red blood cells to become larger due to the organisms inside the cells and/or as a result of anemia and
also babesia casues the cells membranes to become brittle. In a normal situation red blood cells have to fold up to get through capillaries -- they can't do that if they are infected with babesia.
In hubby's case it seems like either bartonella, BLO or mycoplasma -- whatever the mystery bacteria is -- is causing a cerebral vasculitis type reaction. This restricted bloodflow is directly causing his tremors and myoclonus.
IV heparin used to help and would sometimes stop a shaking attack. Prickly ash extract used to work sometimes also. Very low dose Benicar stopped his freezing up episodes where his muscles shook so hard they would lock up and he couldn't move or speak. But that med caused orthostatic hypotension type dizzyness and very low blood pressure. Benicar acts as a vasodilator. Hubby recently added lumbrokinase to his systemic enzymes (Vitalzym) and thinks that helps increase bloodflow to the brain.
In hubby's case there is definitely a connection between the vagus nerve and his neuro symptoms.
What I was trying to say was that in hubby's case lack of oxygen was the real cause of his Parkinsons symptoms. Detox issues may or may not be a secondary issue for him.
I think in the "normal population" of people who have Parkinsons -- ones who do not have Lyme or tickborne infections -- that detox is probably the key factor. There are probably some genetic factors involved as well.
I am hopeful that resuming treatment for bartonella or mycoplasma will once again stop hubby's tremors, myoclonus and dystonia. I'll keep everyone updated.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
I now understand. Thanks, Bea. And good luck with your hubby's treatment.
Posts: 822 | From midwest | Registered: Apr 2009
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lymie_in_md
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Bea is hubby at all dehydrated? Is hydration part of the problem as well. If we are not hydrated enough it is more difficult to detoxify as well as supply oxygen to the brain.
I can see everyones point more clearly why it isn't a single toxin like pesticides.
I started this thread because I got a flyer saying pesticides was a major issue. As if the media is broadcasting pesticides as the focus of ongoing research in parkinsons. I suspect detoxification and pathogen load are the real issue. I agree with GiGi about reestablishing missing frequencies back into the body through AI.
I think KPU helps with many conditions, because it reactivates a more normalized enzymatic process in the body. Our bodies are very integrated in how it performs, dehydration, lowered levels of zinc or b6 are sure to cause problems.
If some of the above or more are problems. How could we get researchers to look at more variables with out costing soooo much.
-------------------- Bob Posts: 2150 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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