Dear Doctor,
I was diagnosed as a Parkinson's patient in the year of 2005.
Besides medications I do exercises in the gym daily. I spend two hours in the gym and I have two personnel trainers who help me to strenghten my physical mobility and body flexibilities.
I do yoga,body combat,pump, Box and kick exercise and cardio training.
I am normal and don't look like anything is wrong actually had been told by my doctor, physical trainers and members of my family. Though it is expensive to battle.
Is Parkinson's not a bad disease and is so easy to control?
TeoKimHoe
http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068879/
PeterMidJoined: 20 Jun 2008Posts: 12
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 6:30 am Post subject:
Teokimhoe
You are joking, aren't you? I excercise as much as my PD allows, and that isn't very far, I'm afraid. A walk of 150 metres is about my limit, and even then, my legs are on fire and the Oedeema is bursting eruptions through my skin. Dbviously, you work hard on your personnal fitness and I admire you for that, but to suggest PD is not a bad pox is a little extreme. What about my Diabetes? Is that not a bad disease too? Pokermid
PeterMidJoined: 20 Jun 2008Posts: 13
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 7:32 am Post subject:
Oh, and by the way Teokimhoe. In the UK, personnal fitness trainers charge £50 per hour 2 x trainers for 2 hours = £200 GBP or $400 USD 7 Days = £1400 GBP or $2800 USD 1 Year = £72,800 or $145,600 USD pokermid
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teokimhoeJoined: 03 Mar 2007Posts: 106Location: Malaysia
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 7:59 am Post subject:
Dear Pokermid Am I joking? Certainly not. It's obvious that you did not get the gist of my message, do you? The point is that for people suffering from PD, you could at least have the option of adjusting your lifestyle to control the advancement of the disease. Working out regularly and correctly is a way of slowing down the effect of the disease. As compared to other diseases, whose advancement are somewhat beyond your control, eg. cancer whereby save and except for very few, you will die pretty soon. In such a sense, definitely PD is a "better" disease to have. Of course given the choice, nobody would want to be suffering from any disease right? If 150 metres is your limit, I pity you. Obviously you have not been taking care of yourself well enough. Diabetes is again a result of your lifestyle. That is your own choice!!! It obvious that your lifestyle has been downright unhealthy. Too much sugar intake eh?? Working out in the gym is again an option. If you can't afford it, you can always work out elsewhere. Nobody says that working out must be limited to the gym or expensive!! My advice to you is grab a hold of your life and turn it around, rather than displaying such negative attitude. Embark on a healthier lifestyle and you will see the results._________________
CatsPajamasJoined: 06 Aug 2008Posts: 1
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 5:43 pm Post subject: geez...
Perhaps this forum should be monitored. I can see why so few post here. The tone is confrontive, to say the very, very least.
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From my experience, I have learnt that all Parkinson's patient is different from each other, in many aspects such as symptomatology, rate of disease progression and response to treatment. Managing my Parkinson's patients has been made easier by respecting the differences between each Parkinson's patients - there are no "two Parkinson's patients who are identical". One day, a man came to my clinic and asked me why his 62-year-old wife, who suffered from Parkinson's, could hardly walk despite having the illness for only four years. "I read an article in the newspaper which described how an elderly Parkinson's patient, who had been having the illness for twelve years, was doing some rather strenous exercises in a gym. How come my wife can't do even 5% of this exercise?" he commented. As I have treated his wife for about six years, I could easily understand why she behaved so differently from the other "super-fit" Parkinson's patient. His wife suffered from severe anxiety and depression, while her Parkinson's was actually quite mild. In other words, what "crippled" her was her mood disorder, and not the Parkinson's. Almost all the time, she would just lie on the bed or sit on a chair. Whenever her husband tried to help her to stand up, she would complain of dizziness and feeling like falling down. In addition, she had numerous other symptoms such as blurring of vision, numbness of hands, palpitation, etc (which were the symptoms of anxiety). Her social life was almost zero - she stayed at home all the time and even refused to follow her children to the restaurant. Thus, an important factor that contributes to the varying response to treatment is co-existing psychiatric disorders. Most Parkinson's patients have anxiety or depression or both, in varying degrees, which I think are partly due to difficulty in accepting their illness (i.e. Parkinson's). Some Parkinson's patients are devastated by Parkinson's while others are crippled by the psychiatric disorders (anxiety / depression). Unfortunately, psychiatric disorders in PD are very often neglected by both the patients and doctors. Mr Teo is fortunate that he does not have any psychiatric disorder. In fact, he has a very unusually "outgoing" personality, which most Parkinson's patients do not have. Mr. Teo is an optimistic person who has accepted his Parkinson's, and he always tries his best to cope with his illness. It is this "optimistic" personality that has made him so different from other Parkinson's patients. Dr Chew Nee Kong, Kuala Lumpur.
wheelersceJoined: 02 Mar 2007Posts: 503Location: MI
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 6:11 am Post subject:
Hi, CatsPajamas, Its true that this exchange seems confrontive. But like any group of people, we on this forum have a range of personalities and styles. Please add to the discussion, the way you would like to see it. I'd like to know you better--haven't seen you post before. Sue W.
cfinlaysonJoined: 29 Jun 2007Posts: 125
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:16 am Post subject:
Hi CatsPajamas, It is nice to see your name on this forum. Like Sue said, this forum has a range of personalities, but we have all agreed to disagree at times. When it comes down to it, we do lean on each other to help us through the hard times. Some of us lean on the Lord and some of us have other ways of dealing with this disease, but we are all in it together. I know that I keep us all in my prayers every night. So please, post and let us know more about you. Candy
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wheelersceJoined: 02 Mar 2007Posts: 513Location: MI
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 6:57 am Post subject:
Gautam, I was very disturbed by this response to Peter. Whether Teokimhoe or Dr. Chew wrote it, pouring out guilt on us PWPs is hardly the best encouragement. Good to see you. Sue W.
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PeterMidJoined: 20 Jun 2008Posts: 17
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 7:46 pm Post subject:
No more Heroes No need to worry about Pokermid, Teo’s a hero right out of the ID. Could he be Batman, crusader of right Maybe Darth Vader whose just seen the light. Silver with surfboard? Or is he the Thing? Mr Fantastic with his rubber ding!!! What of the Lantern with green in his eyes, Or is he Clark Kent without his disguise? Could he be Hulkster who bounds through the air, Is he the Devil in red and can Dare. No-one can see the invisible man, Only Sue Richards who probably can. Is he the X-man we know as Cyclops, Is he Dick Fosbury with his famous flops. What about Spidey who likes spinning webs, Or is he James Bond who romances Debs. Could he be Torchy who “flames on” in 4, Could be a Viking that we know as Thor. OR IS HE Homer, the Simpson not Greek, Eating a donut like a little geek What is the matter with Teokimhoe, Or is he really American Joe. Chip on his shoulder? It sounds like to me, Who is this Hero? Oh who could it be? Pokerman
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PeterMidJoined: 20 Jun 2008Posts: 17
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 8:06 pm Post subject:
he's probably just a "Family guy"
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teokimhoeJoined: 03 Mar 2007Posts: 108Location: Malaysia
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 3:50 am Post subject:
The main purpose of my entries is to share my experience with sufferers of PD, and to get across the message that you alone can make a difference to your life by turning it around, as in my case, exercising correctly. Everybody has their own ways of expression, some confrontational and some more diplomatic. But the intention still remains the same, that is to share my experience with the hope that it may help others. If you think this is a laughing matter by throwing scorn around and making fun of others, so be it. As far as I am concerned, this matter is closed._________________to help the PD patients aware the diseases and encourage to set up support groups to educate the patients and their immediate families
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GautamJoined: 01 Mar 2007Posts: 84Location: Goa, India
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:26 am Post subject:
Teo, Sorry if I sounded rude in my post. While we all appreciate your contribution, you do have to keep in mind that PD symptoms and progression differs from person to person. While on one hand we have John Ball who participates in marathon runs despite having PD for almost 3 decades, we also have Peter and several others, including me, who have difficulty in exercising and walking. I used to walk 5 kms daily, today after walking less than half a Kilometre my ankles start twisting and gives away and I am unable to even return back home! What Peter was trying to point out was that PD is also an expensive disease, and not everybody can afford personal fitness trainers. Imagine my plight, we do not have Social security in India and the cost of medication, DBS, etc. has to be borne by the individual patients.If my MDS advices me to go in for a DBS surgery, I just cannot afford to have one as it costs almost Rs.500,000 in India! So lets appreciate and understand each other on this forum. kind regards Gautam quote="teokimhoe"]The main purpose of my entries is to share my experience with sufferers of PD, and to get across the message that you alone can make a difference to your life by turning it around, as in my case, exercising correctly. Everybody has their own ways of expression, some confrontational and some more diplomatic. But the intention still remains the same, that is to share my experience with the hope that it may help others. If you think this is a laughing matter by throwing scorn around and making fun of others, so be it. As far as I am concerned, this matter is closed.[/quote]
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PatientsLikeMe Forum
http://www.patientslikeme.com/forum/show/20095?view=last#229639
Thursday, July 31, 2008
High Cholesterol can increase risk of Parkinson's
High Cholesterol Can Increase Risk of Parkinson's Disease
by Camilla HodgePrevention
Adults younger than 55 years old may run an elevated risk of developing Parkinson’s disease if they have been diagnosed with high cholesterol. This trend was found in both men and women who were part of the recent Finnish study published in the May 20 issue of Neurology. Researchers gathered information on nearly 25,000 men and women. Participants had no history of Parkinson’s disease or stroke at the beginning of the study. After an average follow-up of just more than 18 years, 321 men and 304 women developed Parkinson’s disease. These men and women were found to have higher cholesterol than the rest of the participants. Patients with the highest cholesterol were 86 percent more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than the participants with the lowest cholesterol. Interestingly, this risk applied only to participants between the ages of 24 and 54. Cholesterol levels were tested and adjusted for factors such as age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, education, leisure-time physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, coffee and tea consumption, and history of diabetes. High cholesterol can have serious negative affects on health, including increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Medical professionals are careful to monitor and treat high cholesterol in their patients. While many cases of high cholesterol can be controlled with careful diet management and regular exercise, there are several medications available to help lower cholesterol levels.Statins are one such medication. In light of this new study, some experts are concerned that these results will incorrectly associate statin use (a common treatment for high cholesterol) with preventing Parkinson’s disease. In a response published in the June 4 issue of Neurology, one doctor explained that while statins are an effective treatment for high cholesterol, they may actually trigger a reaction in the brain that causes an increase in a certain cell that can “suppress the beneficial immune effector mechanism in PD.” In other words, it unclear whether using statins to treat high cholesterol will decrease the incidence of neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease. The role of cholesterol in Parkinson’s disease has been a subject of debate in the medical community. Other studies have indicated that low cholesterol can be related to an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease. Such findings may be related to the affects of statins. The decision to treat high cholesterol with statins is one that should be discussed thoroughly with your doctor. However, statins may be contraindicated for patients with Parkinson’s disease. Sources:Neurology May 20, 2008 Neurology June 4, 2008
by Camilla HodgePrevention
Adults younger than 55 years old may run an elevated risk of developing Parkinson’s disease if they have been diagnosed with high cholesterol. This trend was found in both men and women who were part of the recent Finnish study published in the May 20 issue of Neurology. Researchers gathered information on nearly 25,000 men and women. Participants had no history of Parkinson’s disease or stroke at the beginning of the study. After an average follow-up of just more than 18 years, 321 men and 304 women developed Parkinson’s disease. These men and women were found to have higher cholesterol than the rest of the participants. Patients with the highest cholesterol were 86 percent more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than the participants with the lowest cholesterol. Interestingly, this risk applied only to participants between the ages of 24 and 54. Cholesterol levels were tested and adjusted for factors such as age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, education, leisure-time physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, coffee and tea consumption, and history of diabetes. High cholesterol can have serious negative affects on health, including increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Medical professionals are careful to monitor and treat high cholesterol in their patients. While many cases of high cholesterol can be controlled with careful diet management and regular exercise, there are several medications available to help lower cholesterol levels.Statins are one such medication. In light of this new study, some experts are concerned that these results will incorrectly associate statin use (a common treatment for high cholesterol) with preventing Parkinson’s disease. In a response published in the June 4 issue of Neurology, one doctor explained that while statins are an effective treatment for high cholesterol, they may actually trigger a reaction in the brain that causes an increase in a certain cell that can “suppress the beneficial immune effector mechanism in PD.” In other words, it unclear whether using statins to treat high cholesterol will decrease the incidence of neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease. The role of cholesterol in Parkinson’s disease has been a subject of debate in the medical community. Other studies have indicated that low cholesterol can be related to an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease. Such findings may be related to the affects of statins. The decision to treat high cholesterol with statins is one that should be discussed thoroughly with your doctor. However, statins may be contraindicated for patients with Parkinson’s disease. Sources:Neurology May 20, 2008 Neurology June 4, 2008
Late stages of Parkinson's Disease
Late Stages of Parkinson's Disease
by Matt NilsenUnknown Category
Parkinson's disease progresses into its late stages after an average of seven years. Advanced Parkinson's disease is not pleasant to think about because of the limitations associated with it. However, a strategy for the later stages of Parkinson's disease can help you have less "off" time and less discomfort. We hope this article helps you shift some of the discomfort time to satisfactory "on" time. We also want your caretakers to be able to handle their responsibilities, as well as get enough rest and relaxation.
When Am I in the Advanced Stage of Parkinson's Disease?Late stage or advanced Parkinson's disease includes these noticeable signs:
Complete reliance on others for food, bathing, dressing, and other basic activities.
Difficulty speaking or communicating
Severely compromised hand-eye coordination
Severe memory loss
Only being able to swallow soft food
Falling daily
Freezing frequently
Walking only with assistance
Experiencing unexplained pain
Strategies for late-stage Parkinson's diseaseYou will rely on your neurologist more than ever during this stage of Parkinson's disease. The expertise of a movement disorders specialist will be valuable for matching your needs with the treatments most likely to reduce your symptoms. Medications wearing off, deep depression and frustration, freezing, tremors, disorientation, dementia, and dystonia are all problems that can crop up in this stage. To address these issues your physician will likely adjust your medications. This is a time when you must be willing to test different medications at different doses and in different combinations.
COMT inhibitors are often effective in late-stage Parkinson's disease, and the new dopamine agonist patch, Neupro, has also shown some encouraging results in recent clinical trials. Apokyn (injectable apomorphine) can be effective at arresting severe Parkinson's symptoms, especially if you find your medications suddenly wearing off in a public place like a grocery store or restaurant.
Managing LifeThis is a challenging time in life. You have to rely more on other people than you can on yourself. You may get discouraged that your family time, yard work, hobbies, work, travels, and other activities diminish. Your caretaker and your physician can help you come up with strategies that help you. We also encourage you to create a relationship with a social worker experienced with Parkinson's disease.
A social worker can help you bridge some of the emotional gaps and address many of the practical issues of living. Your social worker will be able to suggest apparatuses for your home to help you and your caretaker. They can coach your caretaker in the challenges of being responsible for a person with Parkinson's disease. You may be surprised to find that your social worker can address many of the financial challenges of living with Parkinson's disease, too.
From This Newsletter
by Matt NilsenUnknown Category
Parkinson's disease progresses into its late stages after an average of seven years. Advanced Parkinson's disease is not pleasant to think about because of the limitations associated with it. However, a strategy for the later stages of Parkinson's disease can help you have less "off" time and less discomfort. We hope this article helps you shift some of the discomfort time to satisfactory "on" time. We also want your caretakers to be able to handle their responsibilities, as well as get enough rest and relaxation.
When Am I in the Advanced Stage of Parkinson's Disease?Late stage or advanced Parkinson's disease includes these noticeable signs:
Complete reliance on others for food, bathing, dressing, and other basic activities.
Difficulty speaking or communicating
Severely compromised hand-eye coordination
Severe memory loss
Only being able to swallow soft food
Falling daily
Freezing frequently
Walking only with assistance
Experiencing unexplained pain
Strategies for late-stage Parkinson's diseaseYou will rely on your neurologist more than ever during this stage of Parkinson's disease. The expertise of a movement disorders specialist will be valuable for matching your needs with the treatments most likely to reduce your symptoms. Medications wearing off, deep depression and frustration, freezing, tremors, disorientation, dementia, and dystonia are all problems that can crop up in this stage. To address these issues your physician will likely adjust your medications. This is a time when you must be willing to test different medications at different doses and in different combinations.
COMT inhibitors are often effective in late-stage Parkinson's disease, and the new dopamine agonist patch, Neupro, has also shown some encouraging results in recent clinical trials. Apokyn (injectable apomorphine) can be effective at arresting severe Parkinson's symptoms, especially if you find your medications suddenly wearing off in a public place like a grocery store or restaurant.
Managing LifeThis is a challenging time in life. You have to rely more on other people than you can on yourself. You may get discouraged that your family time, yard work, hobbies, work, travels, and other activities diminish. Your caretaker and your physician can help you come up with strategies that help you. We also encourage you to create a relationship with a social worker experienced with Parkinson's disease.
A social worker can help you bridge some of the emotional gaps and address many of the practical issues of living. Your social worker will be able to suggest apparatuses for your home to help you and your caretaker. They can coach your caretaker in the challenges of being responsible for a person with Parkinson's disease. You may be surprised to find that your social worker can address many of the financial challenges of living with Parkinson's disease, too.
From This Newsletter
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Coffee and Parkinson's
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 1:58 pm Post subject: coffee and PD
Here is an article from a local paper relating to coffee and PD. http://healthzone.ca/health/article/460119 * 4 cups (32 ounces) of java a day can cut your diabetes risk by a third, possibly by improving insulin's effects. * 3 cups (24 ounces) a day drops protects your brain, dropping your risk of Parkinson's disease by 40 per cent and Alzheimer's disease by 20 per cent. * 2 cups (16 ounces) a day keeps your liver healthy, as it filters out pollutants, makes protein, warehouses extra carbs and vitamins, and helps produce bile needed to digest fat. Comments? Jim
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Kathrynne Holden, MS, RDJoined: 22 Jan 2007Posts: 94Location: www.nutritionucanlivewith.com
Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 7:33 am Post subject:
Dear Jim, Generalizations are useful, but not law by any means. Coffee is fine, and indeed there are studies associating it with lowered risk for PD and other diseases; however, there are many thousands of lifelong coffee drinkers with PD. One could make as good a case for drinking tea, or for caffeine alone (see below). If you will search “Dietitian” archives, you will find many studies on turmeric/curcumin, as well as tea, neither of which will prevent PD, but both of which I believe are preferable to coffee. 1) Study Examines Effects of Tea Intake on Parkinson's Disease Development Tan LC, Koh W-P, Yuan J-M, et al. Differential effects of black versus green tea on risk of Parkinson's disease in the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Am J Epidemiol. March 1, 2008;167(5):553-560. Studies have shown that caffeine in coffee may improve motor deficits in patients with Parkinson's disease by blocking adenosine A2 receptors. Small case-studies have shown that tea may reduce the risk of late-onset Parkinson's disease. It is not known what ingredient in tea mediates this effect. The high prevalence of black and green tea consumption among the Chinese population makes this population ideal for evaluating the effect of tea on Parkinson's disease. This report is based on data from the Singapore Chinese Health Study, which is a population based cohort established between April 1993 and December 1998. The cohort includes 63,257 ethnic Chinese aged 45-75 years who reside in government-built housing estates. The participants completed a food frequency questionnaire that listed 165 food items or groups of commonly consumed Chinese foods. The authors developed a food-nutrient database that provided the nutrient levels of 96 components per 100 grams of cooked food and beverages. The mean daily intake of caffeine and other nutrients for each subject was computed. Cigarette smoking was also assessed. Subjects reported new cases of Parkinson's disease. Cigarette smoking was strongly associated with a reduced risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Never smokers had a higher risk, former smokers had an intermediate risk, and current smokers had a low risk. Among ever smokers, beginning smoking at an earlier age and smoking a higher number of cigarettes per day were associated with a lower risk. Approximately 50% of the subjects drank tea at least once a week, with approximately one-third drinking only green tea, one-third drinking only black tea, and one-third drinking both types of tea. However, in this cohort coffee was the main source of caffeine exposure, with 70% of the population drinking coffee on a daily basis. Total caffeine intake exhibited a significant (P = 0.002), dose-dependent inverse association with Parkinson's disease risk—the greater the caffeine intake, the lower the risk of Parkinson's disease. The caffeine content in coffee was responsible for its effect. In contrast, black tea consumption was associated with a reduced risk, irrespective of the total caffeine intake or cigarette smoking. There was no association between green tea consumption and Parkinson's disease risk. Subjects with high intake of both caffeine and black tea had the lowest risk of developing Parkinson's disease. None of the other macro- and micronutrients in any of the consumed foods or beverages had a strong dietary influence on development of Parkinson's disease. The authors conclude that ingredients in black tea, other than caffeine, reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease. The authors speculate that the protective effect of black tea may be mediated by an estrogen-related pathway. Parkinson's disease rates are lower among women (women have higher levels of circulating estrogens then men) and in the cohort circulating estrogens were highest among regular black tea drinkers and lowest in regular green tea drinkers. A limitation of the study was that it did not have any data on duration of coffee or tea intake. These results are consistent with findings in Western populations. —Heather S. Oliff, PhD 2) Green tea antioxidant may help prevent Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s An antioxidant found in green tea appears to prevent the development of amyloid fibrils, a toxic protein associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, a new study finds. Amyloid plaque is commonly seen in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and appears to disrupt the function of cells. Strategies to prevent the development of amyloid plaque are one avenue being explored in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's. Now, a German team says the tea antioxidant, called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), has potent anti-plaque ability. ""We can use small molecules like EGCG to convert certain misfolded structures of a protein into a new type of molecule, which is less toxic or not toxic for cells,"" said lead researcher Erich Wanker, from the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin. The findings are published in the May 30 online edition of Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. The accumulation of amyloid plaque in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's, are thought to be caused by the misfolding of certain proteins, which then become toxic to cells. The way proteins fold is key to their function, the researchers explained. In experiments in the laboratory, the German team found that EGCG seems to change potentially harmful proteins into proteins that are not detrimental to brain cells. ""We are able to convert a toxic structure into a less toxic structure,"" Wanker explained. Because EGCG binds to unfolded proteins -- which are not associated with Alzheimer's -- the discovery could lead to medications that recognize the more troublesome proteins and convert them to harmless substances. ""This method could be more generally used to get rid of or remove the concentration of misfolded proteins in cells,"" Wanker said. ""This strategy should be tested with patients. If treated early on, it could prevent the formation of amyloid plaque,"" he speculated. Whether this type of treatment could reverse plaques that have already formed in the brain isn't known, Wanker said. He noted that the study remains basic science, and he was cautious about recommending green tea as a way of preventing Alzheimer's disease. ""I don't want to do a lot of speculating which could point people in the direction that could be harmful,"" Wanker said. ""We have to go step-by-step."" One expert believes the approach could yield real results, however. ""Yellow curry and green tea have suspected health benefits because of high content of antioxidants,"" said Greg M. Cole, a neuroscientist at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, and associate director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. He was not involved in the study. ""This study provides evidence that a compound called EGCG, one of the major polyphenols in green tea, may be useful for diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, because it can block the formation of the filament-forming protein aggregates implicated in causing disease,"" Cole said. One novel aspect of the study is the authors' demonstration that EGCG prevents toxic filament formation by redirecting the aggregating proteins to make non-toxic proteins, Cole said. ""This is surprising, because similar protein aggregate spheres called amyloid oligomers can be highly toxic to neurons and synapses,"" Cole said. ""It will be important for the authors to prove that the EGCG-directed proteins also lack toxicity to synapses which were not present in the systems used to test toxicity,"" he said. Assuming that the green tea compound has a stable effect and chronically blocks toxicity to real neurons and synapses, it could have genuine potential for Alzheimer's patients, Cole said. ""The major caveat is the very poor absorption and delivery of EGCG seen in some studies,"" Cole said. The fact that EGCG isn't available for patenting by pharmaceutical companies might be a problem, too, he said, since it could ""limit the investment needed for clinical trials of sufficient size to prove that it really works."" In related research, a team of American scientists said that interrupting a key signaling pathway in immune system cells allowed those cells to enter the brain and attack and remove amyloid plaque. Reporting May 30 in Nature Medicine, a team led by research scientist Terrence Town, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, conducted their study in genetically engineered mice. The group blocked a molecule that typically suppresses a portion of the immune response. Once the system was freed up, immune cells called macrophages made their way to the brains and devoured up to 90 percent of amyloid plaques, the team said. ""If these experimental animals are representative of the clinical syndrome of Alzheimer's disease, we may have a therapeutic target that we did not have before,"" study co-author Dr. Jun Tan, of the University of South Florida, said in a statement. http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=170128_________________Best regards, Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD -- For a Parkinson Tip of the Day visit: http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/
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Anonymous
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:12 pm Post subject:
Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD wrote:
Dear Jim, Generalizations are useful, but not law by any means. Coffee is fine, and indeed there are studies associating it with lowered risk for PD and other diseases; however, there are many thousands of lifelong coffee drinkers with PD.I think "statistics" are often over-rated. With a world of variables - things we eat, drink, absorb, manufacture ourselves, etc - it's hard to see how researchers can assume so much based on such things as coffee consumption. And in the end statistics offer nothing of certainty or even probability in individual cases, if a person gets a disease the "odds" of them not getting it are irrelevant. :) I love a good coffee in the morning but otherwise don't drink it much. Thanks for the info. Jim
Here is an article from a local paper relating to coffee and PD. http://healthzone.ca/health/article/460119 * 4 cups (32 ounces) of java a day can cut your diabetes risk by a third, possibly by improving insulin's effects. * 3 cups (24 ounces) a day drops protects your brain, dropping your risk of Parkinson's disease by 40 per cent and Alzheimer's disease by 20 per cent. * 2 cups (16 ounces) a day keeps your liver healthy, as it filters out pollutants, makes protein, warehouses extra carbs and vitamins, and helps produce bile needed to digest fat. Comments? Jim
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Kathrynne Holden, MS, RDJoined: 22 Jan 2007Posts: 94Location: www.nutritionucanlivewith.com
Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 7:33 am Post subject:
Dear Jim, Generalizations are useful, but not law by any means. Coffee is fine, and indeed there are studies associating it with lowered risk for PD and other diseases; however, there are many thousands of lifelong coffee drinkers with PD. One could make as good a case for drinking tea, or for caffeine alone (see below). If you will search “Dietitian” archives, you will find many studies on turmeric/curcumin, as well as tea, neither of which will prevent PD, but both of which I believe are preferable to coffee. 1) Study Examines Effects of Tea Intake on Parkinson's Disease Development Tan LC, Koh W-P, Yuan J-M, et al. Differential effects of black versus green tea on risk of Parkinson's disease in the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Am J Epidemiol. March 1, 2008;167(5):553-560. Studies have shown that caffeine in coffee may improve motor deficits in patients with Parkinson's disease by blocking adenosine A2 receptors. Small case-studies have shown that tea may reduce the risk of late-onset Parkinson's disease. It is not known what ingredient in tea mediates this effect. The high prevalence of black and green tea consumption among the Chinese population makes this population ideal for evaluating the effect of tea on Parkinson's disease. This report is based on data from the Singapore Chinese Health Study, which is a population based cohort established between April 1993 and December 1998. The cohort includes 63,257 ethnic Chinese aged 45-75 years who reside in government-built housing estates. The participants completed a food frequency questionnaire that listed 165 food items or groups of commonly consumed Chinese foods. The authors developed a food-nutrient database that provided the nutrient levels of 96 components per 100 grams of cooked food and beverages. The mean daily intake of caffeine and other nutrients for each subject was computed. Cigarette smoking was also assessed. Subjects reported new cases of Parkinson's disease. Cigarette smoking was strongly associated with a reduced risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Never smokers had a higher risk, former smokers had an intermediate risk, and current smokers had a low risk. Among ever smokers, beginning smoking at an earlier age and smoking a higher number of cigarettes per day were associated with a lower risk. Approximately 50% of the subjects drank tea at least once a week, with approximately one-third drinking only green tea, one-third drinking only black tea, and one-third drinking both types of tea. However, in this cohort coffee was the main source of caffeine exposure, with 70% of the population drinking coffee on a daily basis. Total caffeine intake exhibited a significant (P = 0.002), dose-dependent inverse association with Parkinson's disease risk—the greater the caffeine intake, the lower the risk of Parkinson's disease. The caffeine content in coffee was responsible for its effect. In contrast, black tea consumption was associated with a reduced risk, irrespective of the total caffeine intake or cigarette smoking. There was no association between green tea consumption and Parkinson's disease risk. Subjects with high intake of both caffeine and black tea had the lowest risk of developing Parkinson's disease. None of the other macro- and micronutrients in any of the consumed foods or beverages had a strong dietary influence on development of Parkinson's disease. The authors conclude that ingredients in black tea, other than caffeine, reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease. The authors speculate that the protective effect of black tea may be mediated by an estrogen-related pathway. Parkinson's disease rates are lower among women (women have higher levels of circulating estrogens then men) and in the cohort circulating estrogens were highest among regular black tea drinkers and lowest in regular green tea drinkers. A limitation of the study was that it did not have any data on duration of coffee or tea intake. These results are consistent with findings in Western populations. —Heather S. Oliff, PhD 2) Green tea antioxidant may help prevent Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s An antioxidant found in green tea appears to prevent the development of amyloid fibrils, a toxic protein associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, a new study finds. Amyloid plaque is commonly seen in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and appears to disrupt the function of cells. Strategies to prevent the development of amyloid plaque are one avenue being explored in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's. Now, a German team says the tea antioxidant, called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), has potent anti-plaque ability. ""We can use small molecules like EGCG to convert certain misfolded structures of a protein into a new type of molecule, which is less toxic or not toxic for cells,"" said lead researcher Erich Wanker, from the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin. The findings are published in the May 30 online edition of Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. The accumulation of amyloid plaque in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's, are thought to be caused by the misfolding of certain proteins, which then become toxic to cells. The way proteins fold is key to their function, the researchers explained. In experiments in the laboratory, the German team found that EGCG seems to change potentially harmful proteins into proteins that are not detrimental to brain cells. ""We are able to convert a toxic structure into a less toxic structure,"" Wanker explained. Because EGCG binds to unfolded proteins -- which are not associated with Alzheimer's -- the discovery could lead to medications that recognize the more troublesome proteins and convert them to harmless substances. ""This method could be more generally used to get rid of or remove the concentration of misfolded proteins in cells,"" Wanker said. ""This strategy should be tested with patients. If treated early on, it could prevent the formation of amyloid plaque,"" he speculated. Whether this type of treatment could reverse plaques that have already formed in the brain isn't known, Wanker said. He noted that the study remains basic science, and he was cautious about recommending green tea as a way of preventing Alzheimer's disease. ""I don't want to do a lot of speculating which could point people in the direction that could be harmful,"" Wanker said. ""We have to go step-by-step."" One expert believes the approach could yield real results, however. ""Yellow curry and green tea have suspected health benefits because of high content of antioxidants,"" said Greg M. Cole, a neuroscientist at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, and associate director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. He was not involved in the study. ""This study provides evidence that a compound called EGCG, one of the major polyphenols in green tea, may be useful for diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, because it can block the formation of the filament-forming protein aggregates implicated in causing disease,"" Cole said. One novel aspect of the study is the authors' demonstration that EGCG prevents toxic filament formation by redirecting the aggregating proteins to make non-toxic proteins, Cole said. ""This is surprising, because similar protein aggregate spheres called amyloid oligomers can be highly toxic to neurons and synapses,"" Cole said. ""It will be important for the authors to prove that the EGCG-directed proteins also lack toxicity to synapses which were not present in the systems used to test toxicity,"" he said. Assuming that the green tea compound has a stable effect and chronically blocks toxicity to real neurons and synapses, it could have genuine potential for Alzheimer's patients, Cole said. ""The major caveat is the very poor absorption and delivery of EGCG seen in some studies,"" Cole said. The fact that EGCG isn't available for patenting by pharmaceutical companies might be a problem, too, he said, since it could ""limit the investment needed for clinical trials of sufficient size to prove that it really works."" In related research, a team of American scientists said that interrupting a key signaling pathway in immune system cells allowed those cells to enter the brain and attack and remove amyloid plaque. Reporting May 30 in Nature Medicine, a team led by research scientist Terrence Town, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, conducted their study in genetically engineered mice. The group blocked a molecule that typically suppresses a portion of the immune response. Once the system was freed up, immune cells called macrophages made their way to the brains and devoured up to 90 percent of amyloid plaques, the team said. ""If these experimental animals are representative of the clinical syndrome of Alzheimer's disease, we may have a therapeutic target that we did not have before,"" study co-author Dr. Jun Tan, of the University of South Florida, said in a statement. http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=170128_________________Best regards, Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD -- For a Parkinson Tip of the Day visit: http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/
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Anonymous
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:12 pm Post subject:
Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD wrote:
Dear Jim, Generalizations are useful, but not law by any means. Coffee is fine, and indeed there are studies associating it with lowered risk for PD and other diseases; however, there are many thousands of lifelong coffee drinkers with PD.I think "statistics" are often over-rated. With a world of variables - things we eat, drink, absorb, manufacture ourselves, etc - it's hard to see how researchers can assume so much based on such things as coffee consumption. And in the end statistics offer nothing of certainty or even probability in individual cases, if a person gets a disease the "odds" of them not getting it are irrelevant. :) I love a good coffee in the morning but otherwise don't drink it much. Thanks for the info. Jim
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Different medical levels and wearing off
As PD is " not going disease' i.e. a slow progression and is different from other disease i.e a self -limited sickness or injury that temporarily impact their lives as inconvenience or comfort .
Parkinson's Patient are confused on the management of this complicated illness that bother them as PD affects their mind, mood and body movement.
Patients have different syndromes when they are on different medical levels and wearing off.
Your briefs would be helpful.
Regards
TEOKIMHOE
Parkinson's Patient are confused on the management of this complicated illness that bother them as PD affects their mind, mood and body movement.
Patients have different syndromes when they are on different medical levels and wearing off.
Your briefs would be helpful.
Regards
TEOKIMHOE
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