PARKINSON'S DISEASE - A PREVENTABLE ILLNESS (Curable)

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Glutathione (GSH) in the etiology and treatment of Parkinson's Diseasehttp://www.1whey2health.com/parkinsons_glutathione.htm► What is Parkinson's Disease?► What is the role of Dopamine?► Why are Antioxidants important?► How does Glutathione therapy help in Parkinson's Disease?► How is Glutathione being used in Parkinson's disease treatments?► Research Abstracts on Glutathione and Parkinson's DiseaseWhat is Parkinson's Disease?Parkinson's Disease (PD) is named after Dr. James Parkinson, a London physician who is credited with being the first to describe this disease in 1817. According to the National Parkinson Foundation (www.parkinson.org), PD is a slowly progressing disease of the nervous system. Occurring in one out of every 100 individuals over 65 years of age, PD results in progressive neurodegeneration that ends in death, due primarily to secondary complications such as infection. PD involves a selective loss of neurons in an area of the midbrain called the substantia nigra. One of the mechanisms contributing to neuron loss in the substantia nigra is damage by reactive oxygen species - a destructive class of molecules, including free radicals - produced by oxidation of the neurotransmitter dopamine. What is the role of Dopamine?Dopamine is called a neurotransmitter, as it is a chemical messenger between brain or nerve cells. A gradual degeneration or reduction in nigral cells results in the reduction of nigral dopamine. The cells of the substantia nigra use dopamine to communicate with the cells in another region of the brain called the striatum. Thus, the reduction in nigral dopamine also results in a decrease in striatal dopamine. PD symptoms - motor function deficiencies characterized by muscle rigidity, jerky movements, rhythmic resting tremors and the inability to initiate or complete voluntary movement - are the result of inadequate striatal dopamine. Since striatal dopamine is believed to cause the PD symptoms, most drugs used to treat PD are aimed at temporarily replenishing or mimicking dopamine. Such drugs are called dopaminergic drugs. They improve some symptoms, but do not restore normal brain function nor halt brain cell deterioration. Dopaminergic drugs can overstimulate nerve cells elsewhere in the body and cause confusion, hallucinations, nausea and fluctuations in the movement of limbs. Dopaminergic drugs are generally effective at first in reducing many PD symptoms, but lose their effect over time and cause severe side effects.Why are Antioxidants important?The loss of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease results in enhanced metabolism of dopamine, augmenting the formation of H2O2, thus leading to generation of highly neurotoxic hydroxyl radicals (OH').The generation of free radicals can also be produced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) or 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) which destroys striatal dopaminergic neurons causing Parkinsonism.The most important free radical scavenger in the cells of the substantia nigra is the powerful brain antioxidant, glutathione. Glutathione levels in PD patients are low. Studies have shown that age-related loss of glutathione in the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra can bring about various changes in the cells. These changes, in combination with dopamine oxidation, appear to hasten cell death and advance the progression of PD. At least 80% of the Substantia Nigra cells must be lost before symptoms of Parkinson's disease are observed. Therefore protection or maintenance of these cells under oxidant stress is essential. Certain injuries, illnesses such as encephalitis, medicines, illicit drugs and possibly other chemicals that increase free radical production, have been shown to cause nigral damage and result in Parkinson-like symptoms. Dr. Jimmy Gutman: "The brain is particularly susceptible to free radical attack because it generates more oxidative-by-products per gram of tissue than any other organ. The brain's main antioxidant is glutathione - it's importance cannot be overstated. Oxidative stress and glutathione are important factors in such various disorders as brain injury, neurodegenerative disease, schizophrenia, Down syndrome and other pathologies.Many neurological and psychiatric disease processes are characterized by high levels of oxidative stress and free radical formation, as well as abnormalities in glutathione metabolism and antioxidant defenses.Free radicals and oxyradicals have been recognized by psychoneurobiologist as playing an important role in the development and progression of many of these disorders."How does Glutathione help in Parkinson's Disease?There are several factors that explain why glutathione is so beneficial in Parkinson’s disease. First, glutathione has the unique ability to make certain areas of the brain more sensitive to dopamine, so that even though dopamine is decreased, it nevertheless becomes more effective. In addition glutathione has profound antioxidant activity - protecting the brain from free radical damage. But an even more intriguing benefit of glutathione lies in its powerful detoxification ability. It has long been recognized that most Parkinson’s patient’s manifest flaws in their ability to detoxify various chemicals to which they are exposed.While not every person exposed to pesticides or other toxins develops Parkinson’s disease, those unfortunate few who harbor an inherited flaw in their detoxification pathways are at far greater risk to the brain damaging effects of a wide variety of toxins. Glutathione is one of the most important components of the liver’s detoxification system. Glutathione therapy is one of the most effective techniques for enhancing liver and brain detoxification. Glutathione treatments considerably improve some of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease including difficulties with rigidity, walking, movement, coordination and speech. A marked reduction of tremor has been observed as well as a decrease in depression. "Glutathione and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (both antioxidants) were very effective in protecting the nerves in the substantia nigra from being destroyed by oxidative stress." - Ray Strand, M.D.How is Glutathione being used in Parkinson's disease treatments?The practical problem in increasing glutathione levels is that taking glutathione itself as a supplement does not boost cellular glutathione levels, since glutathione breaks down in the digestive tract before it reaches the cells. However, intravenous glutathione therapy and taking glutathione precursors are both effective in boosting intracellular levels of glutathione.Intravenous Glutathione Therapy: Intravenous glutathione injections are described in Life Extension magazine's February 2001 issue as having amazing results, amazingly quickly: "Within less than an hour of the injection, Parkinson's patients experienced an almost complete restoration of the ability to walk, turn around and move their arms." Following even a single dosage of intravenous glutathione, many of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are rapidly improved, often, in as little as 15 minutes.Dr. David Perlmutter, a pioneer in this therapy, has developed a protocol utilized at the Perlmutter Health Center for administering intravenous glutathione to Parkinson's patients.Dr. Perlmutter: "Eighty to ninety percent improve dramatically. It's felt that the mechanism that allows it to work is in increasing the sensitivity to certain receptors to dopamine. Glutathione doesn't raise dopamine levels, but it allows the dopamine in the brain to be more effective. Glutathione not only increases sensitivity to dopamine, but also to serotonin, which may explain why many of our depressed PD patients have a remarkable improvement."More information on Dr. PerlmutterInjectable glutathione is available from:Wellness Health and Pharmaceuticals2800 South 18th StreetBirmingham, Alabama 35209 Telephone: (800) 227-2627 Fax: (800) 369-0302 Glutathione Precursors: Dietary antioxidants and supplements that increase cellular glutathione, such as alpha lipoic acid, NAC, pycnogenol, the herb silymarin (milk thistle), and un-denatured, whey protein are effective in restoring normal function. N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) enhances the body’s production of glutathione and aids the detoxification process. Other nutritional supplements which aid the detoxification process include selenium, vitamins E and C. Undenatured whey protein is also a good source of glutathione precursors.Research Abstracts on Glutathione and Parkinson's DiseaseGlutathione, oxidative stress and neurodegeneration. Schulz JB, Lindenau J, Seyfried J, Dichgans [J.Eur J Biochem 2000 Aug;267(16):4904-11] Idiopathic Parkinson's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy and glutathione metabolism in the substantia nigra of patients. Perry TL, Yong VW. [Neurosci Lett 1986 Jun 30;67(3):269-74] Alterations in glutathione levels in Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders affecting basal ganglia Sian J, Dexter DT, Lees AJ, Daniel S, Agid Y, Javoy-Agid F, Jenner P, Marsden CD [Ann Neurol, 36(3):348-55 1994 Sep] Oxidative stress as a cause of nigral cell death in Parkinson's disease and incidental Lewy body diseaseJenner P, Dexter DT, Sian J, Schapira AH, Marsden CD [Ann Neurol 1992;32 Suppl:S82-7]. Mitochondrial impairment as an early event in the process of apoptosis induced by glutathione depletion in neuronal cells: relevance to Parkinson's disease. Merad-Boudia M, Nicole A, Santiard-Baron D, Saille C, Ceballos-Picot I. [biochem Pharmacol 1998 Sep 1;56(5):645-55] Does oxidative stress participate in nerve cell death in Parkinson's disease? Hirsch EC. [Eur Neurol 1993;33 Suppl 1:52-9] Altered mitochondrial function, iron metabolism and glutathione levels in Parkinson's diseaseJenner P. [Acta Neurol Scand Suppl 1993;146:6-13] Depletion of brain glutathione potentiates the effect of 6-hydroxydopamine in a rat model of Parkinson's diseaseGarcia JC, Remires D, Leiva A, Gonzalez R.[ J Mol Neurosci 2000 Jun;14(3):147-53] Decreased glutathione results in calcium-mediated cell death in PC12Jurma OP, Hom DG, Andersen JK. [Free Radic Biol Med 1997;23(7):1055-66] Glutathione depletion switches nitric oxide neurotrophic effects to cell death in midbrain cultures: implications for Parkinson's diseaseCanals S, Casarejos MJ, de Bernardo S, Rodriguez-Martin E, Mena MA. [J Neurochem. 2001 Dec;79(6):1183-95.]Glutathione depletion in PC12 results in selective inhibition of mitochondrial complex I activity. Implications for Parkinson's disease Jha N, Jurma O, Lalli G, Liu Y, Pettus EH, Greenamyre JT, Liu RM, Forman HJ, Andersen JK. [J Biol Chem. 2000 Aug 25;275(34):26096-101.][Case-control study of markers of oxidative stress and metabolism of blood iron in Parkinson's disease] [Article in Spanish] Larumbe Ilundain R, Ferrer Valls JV, Vines Rueda JJ, Guerrero D, Fraile P. [Rev Esp Salud Publica 2001 Jan-Feb;75(1):43-53] An open trial of high-dosage antioxidants in early Parkinson's diseaseStanley Fahn. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 53 (1991): 380S-382S. Prevention of dipamine-induced cell death by thiol antioxidants: Possible implication for treatment of Parkinson's diseaseD. Offen, et al. Experimental Neurology 141, no. 1 (September 1996): 32-39.Oxidative stress and antioxidant therapy in Parkinson's diseaseM. Ebadi, et al. Progress in Neurobiology 48, no. 1 (January 1996): 1-19. Effects of tocopherol and deprenyl on the progression of disability in early Parkinson's diseaseThe Parkinson Study Group. New England Journal of Medicine 328, no. 3 (January 21, 1993): 176-183. More scientific research abstracts on Glutathione and Parkinson's DiseaseParkinson's Disease Resources"James", a site about Parkinson's DiseaseThis web site is about Parkinson's Disease; what it is, where you can get support, what you can do to fight its effects, and how the Internet can help. It is a project of the Adrienne Coles Memorial Trust. Subscribe to the Glutathione Report newsletter to learn more about safe, natural ways to optimize glutathione levels _____-___________ By David Perlmutter, M.D.http://www.kombuchapower.com/parkinsons_disease_.htmPARKINSON'S DISEASE - A PREVENTABLE ILLNESS?It has been estimated in the United States alone, more than one million people have Parkinson's disease, with more than 50,000 new cases being diagnosed each year. The prevalence in the over 55 population approaches 1 in 100.Typically, Parkinson's disease is considered "idiopathic", which is to say no clear-cut cause is readily identifiable. That being said, the idea of preventing Parkinson's disease certainly does not fit with our general understanding of this illness.New research, however, is revealing that certain lifestyle factors may considerably increase the risk of Parkinson's disease. In two fascinating reports in the January 1999 issue of Movement Disorders, the relationship of increased risk of Parkinson's disease to both occupational exposure to pesticides as well as intake of animal fats, was described. In the first report, dietary data from 103 patients with the disease were compared to a similar number of controls. Those individuals having the highest consumption of animal fat were at a 300% increased risk for developing Parkinson's disease. Interestingly, there was a lower risk of Parkinson's disease in those individuals eating foods high in niacin.There was also confirmation of the long-held belief that occupational exposure to agricultural work and pesticide exposure, significantly increases the risk of Parkinson's disease.Why high-fat diets may increase the risk of Parkinson's disease is not clear. Nevertheless, there may be a relationship between these two studies in that consuming foods high on the food chain (animals) does increase an individual's consumption of fat soluble pesticides which are now ubiquitous in our environment. In the mid-1980's research demonstrated that a particular toxin could immediately cause Parkinson's disease. This has formed the foundation for a school of research exploring how a toxic insult can damage a particular part of the brain and create a disease like Parkinson's.The take-home message from these two reports is simply that Parkinson's should not be considered to be a disease that develops "out of the blue". There are very important modifiable factors, which can significantly increase the risk of this debilitating problem.To learn more about the health risks of pesticides I recommend reading Our Stolen Future by Theo Coburn, Dianne Dumanowski, and John Peterson Myers, with a foreword by Vice President Al Gore (ISBN 0-452-27414-1). The health benefits of a vegetarian diet are eloquently described in Dr. Neal Barnard's book, The Power of Your Plate (ISBN 0-913990-69-8).Glutathione Therapy An interview with Dr. David Perlmutter by Jill Selby Here Glutathione therapy is explained by the doctor who pioneered the treatment.Glutathione therapy is inexpensive, safe and can dramatically improve functioning for patients with Parkinson's Disease. It is a treatment that sounds too good to be true, but there is no questioning the impressive results. Doctors all over the world are becoming believers in the benefits of glutathione thanks to the work of our special guest, Dr. DavidPerlmutter. Jill: Thanks for taking the time to visit with me about glutathione therapy,Dr. Perlmutter. Your work is generating a lot of excitement in the PD community. How does glutathione work? Dr. Perlmutter: A better question might be, "Why is it useful?" It's now recognized that the main pathologic event in Parkinson's Disease or anyother neurologic disorder is the destruction of neurons by free radicals, so anything that limits free radicals is important. The primary role of glutathione is not necessarily in preventing symptoms, but in slowing thedisease by limiting free radicals. Glutathione is a free radical scavenger, so regardless of whether it helps patients symptomatically, day-to-day, it is still something that should be considered. Jill: But is it true that people who try the therapy are seeing significant improvement in their symptoms? Dr. Perlmutter: Eighty to ninety percent improve dramatically. It's felt that the mechanism that allows it to work is in increasing the sensitivity to certain receptors to dopamine. Glutathione doesn't raise dopamine levels, but it allows the dopamine in the brain to be more effective. That's not a new idea in medicine. Diabetic drugs work not by increasing insulin, but byincreasing the receptors to insulin. Glutathione not only increases sensitivity to dopamine, but also to serotonin, which may explain why many of our depressed PD patients have a remarkable improvement.Jill: Describe the standard glutathione treatment regimen. Dr. Perlmutter: We've been using glutathione for three years and have steadily increased our dosage. Now our standard dosage is 1400 milligrams mixed with saline and given intraveneously for ten minutes three times a week. We were recently visited by the National Parkinson Foundation and they're very excited -- to the extent they are going to comission a large double-blind study evaluation short- and long-term effectiveness. Jill: Can patients take glutathione in pill form instead of through an IV? Dr. Perlmutter: Glutathione must be given via IV. It's digested very rapidly when given orally. Intramuscular injections are somewhat effective, but it's minimal. Also included in our treatment is the amino acid N-Aceytl Cysteine (NAC). The use of milk thistle has been shown to cause retention of glutathione, so it is part of our program. Jill: Does gluathione replace a patient's current PD medications?Dr. Perlmutter: Often times the patient's symptoms improve so significantly, we are able to decrease, sometimes significantly, the amount of medicationthey require. This is important because there are some side effects with those medications. Levodopa increases the level of homocysteine in the bodyand increases the risk of stroke and heart attack.Jill: So many treatments seem only to benefit recently-diagnosed patients. Is that true with glutathione therapy? Dr. Perlmutter: Everybody gets some benefit. We have treated some patients at end-stage who are wheelchair-bound and unable to speak and they haveshown some very obvious and notable improvement. Their degree of improvement will obviously be less than someone in an earlier stage of the disease. Jill: Are there any side effects associated with the treatment? Dr. Perlmutter: There are no significant side effects. Also, the cost is exceedingly low: $1.00 for every 100 milligrams and it's often covered by insurance. Family members can even perform the treatment once provided instruction. I do caution other doctors not to mix glutathione with anything but normal saline. Other practitioners might want to mix it with vitamin C,but vitamin C renders glutathione useless by causing it to oxidize. Since glutahione increases the ability of the liver to process chemicals, there's a possibility that glutathione administration might render chemotherapy less effective.Jill: How long can someone continue with glutathione therapy?Dr. Perlmutter: Permanently.Jill: Is glutathione gaining acceptance in the medical community?Dr. Perlmutter: I lecture nationally probably ten to twelve times a year andI always ask how many doctors are using it. Probably at least ten to twenty percent of the audience raises their hand. The others are waiting for peer review validation. Glutathione is already an FDA-approved product. Jill: What lead you to the discovery of glutathione's effectiveness as a treatment for Parkinson's? Dr. Perlmutter: There were articles appearing in our journals noting that the brain of PD patients were deficient in glutathione. We've known since 1950 they were deficient in dopamine. Once we realized they were also deficient in glutathione, we saw the potential. Jill: How many patients are receiving this treatment? Dr. Perlmutter: Probably several thousand, easily. Jill: And is the treatment uncomfortable?Dr. Perlmutter: Not at all. I've had it myself many times. Jill: Is glutathione therapy used to treat any other conditions besides PD?Dr. Perlmutter: It's been very effective in treating irritable bowel syndrome, and I don't have a clue why. We use it to treat all neurodegenerative symptoms, but it is also part of our treatment for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Jill: Do patients need to go to your health center in Florida to receive this treatment? Dr. Perlmutter: No. I have an instructional videotape available on my website and I receive six or eight phone calls every day from doctors around the country. I'm happy to work with them. It's something any physician can do in his or her office and ultimately, the patients or their families can learn to do it at homeContact Dr. Perlmutter +1 239 649-7400 http://www.perlhealth.com/ Statements about the supplements that we mention or sell on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. For additional information please email info or call 800-639-8796 or 305-251-9630 fax 786.242.8929