Parkinson's Disease
Updated Aug. 14th, 2019
Parkinson’s disease is a debilitating, degenerative brain condition that results in the death of the cells responsible for the production of the neurotransmitters dopamine and acetylcholine.
Neurotransmitters are chemicals that transmit nerve signals throughout the brain and body. When they are not present in significant amounts involuntary muscle control is lost, and it can also affect cognitive ability. This condition is genetically linked, although several factors can worsen or bring on Parkinson’s symptoms. These factors are meningitis, poor nutrition, or poisoning from alcohol, carbon monoxide, manganese or heavy metals.
Signs and Symptoms
The first sign of Parkinson’s is a slight trembling of the hand that goes away with movement and during sleep. The trembling eventually affects other parts of the body over time. Symptoms of fully developed Parkinson’s disease includes rigid muscles, trembling, slow movement, shuffling gait, stooped posture, expressionless face, drooling, incoherent speech, poor memory and poor concentration. The progression to this advanced state can take many years.
Conventional Treatment
Conventional treatment of Parkinson’s disease involves a variety of medications that are aimed at decreasing symptoms. The most commonly used medication is levodopa (L-dopa), which can have side effects with long-term use. Surgery can destroy the area of the brain that is responsible for the involuntary movement. Sometimes pieces of dopamine-producing animal brain tissue can be implanted into the brain. Unfortunately, there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease.
Natural Parkinson’s Support
Nutritional support for Parkinson’s disease usually focuses on improving dopamine levels and enhancing concentration. The amino acid phenylalanine is used by the brain to manufacture dopamine, and can be supplemented to support this pathway. This process is enhanced by Vitamin B6 so supplementation with a B-complex may also be beneficial. The extract of velvet beans, known in North America as Dopabean, contains actual dopamine; it has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine in India and has been proven to relieve symptoms. It is important to avoid using any dopamine-boosting supplements while taking levodopa or other dopamine enhancing medication for Parkinson’s disease as the two may combine to create an excessive effect that can be dangerous. You can instead use Coenzyme Q10, which helps with oxygen and energy production in the brain and won’t interfere with standard Parkinson’s medications. You can also use lecithin or phosphatidyl serine, as both help to optimize acetylcholine production. For more information, please see our Lecithin and Phosphatidyl Serine articles. Interestingly, supplementing with large doses of creatine daily has been shown to also help improve Parkinson’s symptoms.
Detoxification
It's also important to detoxify your body on a regular basis. Using the amino acid NAC can help cleanse heavy metals from the body. You could also consider supporting liver function with the herb milk thistle, as it helps the liver deal with toxins effectively. For more information on how to detoxify, please see our Detoxification article.
Diet and Lifestyle
To protect against developing Parkinson’s disease be sure to decrease your exposure to heavy metals, alcohol and all other toxins. Use nutritional supplements, eat a diet high in sulphur (garlic, alfalfa, watercress) and antioxidants (fruits and vegetables).
Drink steam-distilled water to help remove toxins from the body. Be sure to take a mineral supplement if you use steam-distilled water. Avoid smoking and processed foods. Avoid artichokes and pomegranates because they contain high manganese levels.
The most important dietary change is to eat a low protein diet with most of the protein being consumed in the evening. This ensures that neurotransmitter precursors, like tyrosine and tryptophan, are available during the night when the brain replenishes its neurotransmitter stores. Most of the diet should consist of enzyme rich raw foods. The enzymes will optimize nutrient usage. Eat foods high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E to provide Antioxidants that protect cells. Fiber increases the body’s ability to absorb dopamine. Fava beans are an excellent source of fibre and they contain dopamine precursors. Use omega 6 fatty acids like those found in sunflower and sesame seeds to reduce tremors. Foods high in B6, like bananas, whole grains, fish and oatmeal raise dopamine levels in the brain. Tyrosine elevates mood and increases alertness. Try to eat foods containing tyrosine like alfalfa, carrot, lettuce and beet. Exercise and stretching will improve balance and mobility and has been shown to slow down the progression of Parkinson’s disease. Be sure to stay active and develop daily exercise habits to help keep Parkinson’s at bay.
I was suffering from Parkinson's since 2014. Life had become disastrous for me, 75 % of my body was covered by tremors. Natural remedies have helped me cope with this disease very well.
Could you please.advise as to the supplement protocol and any other routines you use to manage your tremors.
Great article and very informative. I didn't know there were so many natural remedies that support Parkinson's. Thanks again, National Nutrition, for keeping us informed.
Hello Maclean,
You're welcome, we're glad this article has been informative and helpful for your wife's health concerns. It's great to use natural remedies where you can in order to take care of your and your loved ones health. We also have articles on each individual supplement if you're interested in learning more about each.
Have a healthy day!
My wife was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease at age 59. She had severe calf pain, muscle pain, tremors, slurred speech, frequent falls, loss of balance, difficulty in getting up from sitting position. She was put on Sinemet for 6 months and then Sifrol was introduced and replaced the Senemet. During this time span she was also diagnosed with dementia. She started having hallucinations, lost touch with reality. This article has been really helpful at offering natural formulas that can help her with each ailment. We just want the best for her.
My husband was diagnosed of Parkinsons disease 2 years ago, when he was 59. He had a stooped posture, tremors, right arm does not move and also a pulsating feeling in his body. He was placed on medications but they weren't working well or what we wanted. This article is very informative and is a great alternative to medications if you're looking to take the natural approach. I enjoy these articles because they're very knowledgeable!
Hello Mary,
We're happy to hear you found what you were looking for with our article and have been enjoying learning with us. We work hard to provide the knowledge so you can learn how to take care of your health naturally. If you have any future inquiries, please reach out, we're always happy to help.
Stay healthy & well!
My husband was diagnosed of Parkinsons disease 2 years ago, when he was 59. He had a stooped posture, tremors, right arm does not move and also a pulsating feeling in his body. He was placed on Senemet for 8 months and then Siferol was introduced and replaced the Senemet, during this time span he was also diagnosed with dementia. He started having hallucinations, lost touch with reality. Suspecting it was the medication I took him off the Siferol (with the doctor’s knowledge) and started him on natural herbal formulas. His symptoms totally declined over 3 weeks use, he is now almost 61 and doing very well.
Hello Mary,
Thank you for sharing your husbands story. We're glad he's doing well with natural remedies.
Stay healthy & well!
Really enjoyed reading this article. My family member has been diagnosed with Parkinson's so this was very informative, thank you.
Hello Mary,
Thank you for sharing, we are glad this article was able to give you some insight and information. All the best.
My sister is 61 years old and has been suffering from PD for the past 6years. Lately her condition started hallucinating and I did not know how to handle the situation. She could not sleep and tried to find and catch the imaginary people who she thinks are real, she had tremors for several years and was gradually becoming worse before we tried natural remedies which have helped moderate her symptoms.
I have been fighting the symptoms of Parkinson's for 8 years now. I have given up on the conventional medications as they changed nothing. I found this article contained good information that is very well organized. I liked the way the article separated the support supplementation from the detoxification suggestions. The summary list at the end of the article was particularly helpful. The printable format was particularly useful. I learned a lot from this article I did not already know such as the dangers in using some supplements in addition to conventional medications.
Hello Robin,
Thank you for sharing and we're glad to hear this article helped you so much, that's what we worked so hard for when publishing these articles, and we love to see your comments. If you'd like to learn more about the specific recommendations in this article, be sure to check out our supplement articles as well:
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/supplements/
Stay healthy & well!
My husband was diagnosed of Parkinsons disease 2 years ago, when he was 59. He had a stooped posture, tremors, right arm does not move and also a pulsating feeling in his body. He was placed on Senemet for 8 months and then Siferol was introduced and replaced the Senemet, during this time span he was also diagnosed with dementia. He started having hallucinations, lost touch with. Suspecting it was the medication I took him off the Siferol (with the doctor’s knowledge) him on natural herbal formulas like those listed in this article, his symptoms totally declined over a 3 weeks use of the supplement regimen Parkinson's disease natural herbal formulas. He is now almost 61 and doing very well, the disease is totally reversed!
My Parkinson's disease symptoms started at the age of 47. The fingers on my left hand were stiff and were difficult to move. People noticed that my walk was not normal. I was often asked if I was hurt. I noticed nothing different about my walk. It was difficult getting up from a chair and getting out of a car. I was diagnosed a year later, it was the onset of tremors starting in my right hand that caused my other symptoms to be recognized as Parkinson's.. I am now 59. Thank you for this article and information, people are suffering from Parkinson's disease due to lack of information.
Hello, Derek,
Thank you for your comment and for sharing. We're sorry to hear you've suffered through the difficulties of this health concern. We hope our article helped you find new information and if you'd like to continue learning, check out our Youtube channel with videos from leading natural health experts:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UClBjYPog9j0VY0gcIt-Tq2Q
Have a healthy day!