A neurodegenerative disease primarily affecting dopamine production in the substantia nigra region of the brain.
Complimentary and alternative treatments for Parkinson's disease that are considered below include:
Please see conventional, complimentary and alternative medical treatments for important background information regarding the different types of medical treatments discussed on this page. Naturopathic, Complimentary and Alternative treatments that may be considered include:
According to
Parkinson's Foundation
the most common symptoms of Parkinson's disease are:
Some practitioners have noted an association with inflammatory process mediated by homocysteine [Rogers2008, pg 9]. Note that the common diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) increases homocysteine levels [Westphal2003].
See
Wikipedia - Causes of Parkinson's.
Other possible environmental or genetic factors include lead, iron, aluminum toxicity, pesticides, dairy, dry cleaning chemicals, malnutrition (overconsumption or deficiency), dairy, mitochondrial insufficiency, reactive oxygen species, Helicobacter pylori, elevated homocysteine.
According to [Mischlev2010], "elevated homocysteine levels [may be] associated with worsening [Parkinson's disease] motor symptoms, dyskinesias, and ... cognitive symptoms." [Qureshi2008], [Kuhn1998], [Muller1999 67 Muller T, Werne B, Fowler B, Kuhn W. Nigral endothelial dysfunction, homocysteine, and Parkinson's disease. Lancet Jul 10 1999;354(9173)]
See [Stacy1992 Stacy, M. and J. Jankovic. Differential diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and the parkinsonism plus syndromes. Neurol Clin 1992;10(2)]
See [Olanow2009].
Parkinson's disease is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease that is caused by a combination of various factors, including environment and the individual's genetic propensities. As such, different treatments will most benefit different individual patients. Often a judicious combination of several of the following interventions will give maximum benefit to an individual suffering from Parkinson's disease. However, there is no clear algorithm for choosing the interventions that are most likely to benefit any individual patient, and trial and error "therapeutic trials" are necessary.
According to the Low Dose Naltrexone home page [LDN], Parkinson's Disease is a neurodegenerative disease that is associated with autoimmune processes. LDN has been seen to benefit Parkinson's Disease. [LDN_Autoimmune] presents a case review of seven patients with Parkinson's Disease who were treated with LDN by the late Dr. Bihari [Bihari2003], [Bihari2013]. The result was that "all [seven] have shown no progression since beginning LDN. Indeed, two of them have shown clear evidence of improvement in signs and symptoms."
Dr. Weyrich has been trained in the use of Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN). However, Dr. Weyrich has not treated any cases of Parkinson's Disease with LDN.
Please see What is Low Dose Naltrexone? for more information.
Neurofeedback may be useful for treating Parkinson's disease. Dr. Weyrich has been certified in neurofeedback since 2008, and more recently completed an additional residency training program at ADD Clinic of Scottsdale, AZ. However, Dr. Weyrich has not treated any cases of Parkinson's disease with this technique.
Please see What is Neurofeedback? for more information.
Neuro Research [Hinz2015] reports that Parkinson's Disease can be benefited by balancing neurotransmitter levels in the body.
Dr. Weyrich has been trained in neurotransmitter balancing protocols, but has not treated Parkinson's Disease using this technique.
Please see What is Neurotransmitter Balancing? for more information.
In one study, patients taking CDP-choline showed mainly improvements in bradykinesia and rigidity (23 and 33% improvement, respectively) [Agnoli1982].
By identifying genetic propensities in an individual patient that are associated with Parkinson's disease, the most appropriate interventions for each individual patient may be more precisely identified, thereby reducing the amount of trial and error in designing the most effective treatment protocol.
Genes associated with Parkinson's disease include the following:
healthline : Is Parkinson's Hereditary?.
MedicalXpress : Team to study new gene associated with Parkinson's disease.
Please see What are Genomics, Epigenetics, and Nutrigenomics? for more information.
There appears to be a significant association between Parkinson's disease and peptic ulcer disease. Peptic ulcer disease, in turn is most commonly associated with Helicobacter pylori infections [Strang1965], [Szabo1979], [Dobbs2005], [Dobbs2008], [de-la-Fuente-Fernandez2002], [Bjarnason2005].
According to [Mischlev2010], "Researchers have demonstrated that gait can improve dramatically following eradication of H. pylori."
Please see [Mischlev2010].
Lewy bodies are found at autopsy in the cytoplasm of neurons in the substantia nigra, and are associated with Parkinson's disease, as well as certain dementias and Down syndrome. Many elderly patients have Lewy bodies without neurological symptoms [Jellinger2004].
Lewy bodies are composed of two proteins, the abnormal protein α-synuclein and the normal protein ubiquitin [Olanow2004].
It is unclear whether Lewy bodies cause death of dopaminergic neurons, or whether they are a side effect of some other process.