Symptoms:
Initially: mild to moderate tremor of the hand or hands while at rest, a feeling of being slow and heavy, tendency to tire more easily, muscular stiffness, loss of skill in the fingers and thumb (writing, buttoning and unbuttoning, playing the piano, etc.)

Later: depression, loss of appetite, muscular rigidity, permanent rigid stoop, shuffling gait, drooling, tremors, fixed facial expression, and impaired speech. Ability to maintain balance may be affected.

The body gradually becomes rigid as limbs stiffen. Dementia may occur.

Principle signs are tremor at rest, muscle rigidity, and slow or retarded movement. Tremors and slowness generally begin in one limb, then progress to the other limb on the same side; later still to the other side. Usually the hands are affected before the feet.

Cause:
Parkinson's disease is a gradual degeneration of the nervous system. The nerve cells in the basal ganglion of the brain are gradually destroyed.

Parkinson's disease is one of the most common debilitating diseases in the United States. But actual disability usually does not occur for 10-15 years after onset of symptoms.

Although the underlying cause is not known, symptoms appear when there is a lack of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is made by the body, and carries messages from one nerve cell to another. Normally, another neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, is made, to keep dopamine in balance. When there is not enough acetylcholine, myasthenia gravis occurs; when there is not enough dopamine, the result is Parkinson's disease.

In Parkinson's, the problem generally is destruction of the cells which make dopamine. But sometimes the cause is blockage of the dopamine receptors in the brain.

One possible cause of this disorder is that too many toxins have been released in the body for the blood to filter out through the liver. An excess of chemicals, drugs, toxins in meat eating, etc., are thought to be involved. It is known that one of the chemicals in heroine directly destroys the key brain cells preventing Parkinson's. A chronic poor diet, over many years, is also considered to be a significant factor.

Treatment:
• It is very important that the person afflicted with Parkinson's disease keep active. Muscles which are not used atrophy more quickly. The person's own determination and faithfulness in an exercise program will forestall the progress of the disease better than almost anything else. Every exercise keeps the muscles more useful. Use a wide variety of simple exercises! Buy a book on weight lifting; but, of course, use much smaller weights. Swing the arms forcefully when walking. Exercises involving joint movements (including the neck) are very important.

• Keep the feet a distance apart, when walking, and take short steps, when turning.

• Typing, writing, working with clay, etc., helps the fingers.

• Breathe deeply in and out.

• Take frequent rest periods.

• Read aloud, to keep the mouth muscles in good condition.

• Any act difficult to perform should be done daily.

• A nutritious diet, adequate rest, exercise in the open air, enough fluids, and sunlight help slow the effects of Parkinson's disease.

• Octocosanol is found in wheat germ oil. It helps the neuron membranes.

• Eat foods and take supplements containing antioxidants. The most important of these is vitamin E (3,200 IU daily!) and vitamin C (3,000 mg daily!). This can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease by 2-3 years! Theoretically, a person who takes significant dosage levels will never contract Parkinson's disease in the first place. It appears that free-radical damage may be a major cause of damage of dopamine-producing brain cells.

• Iron supplementation seems to help in some cases. The production of tyrosine, an enzyme involved in dopa production (the precursor of dopamine), is stimulated by iron supplementation in the diet.

• Here are some additional helps and dosages of worthwhile natural substances: octocosanol (300 mcg, three times a day), Neuro-Gen leucine (10 gm/day), l-methionine (5 gm/day), essential fatty acids (1tbsp., twice a day), ltyrosine (100 mg/day), dl-phenoalanine (100 mg, three times a day), B1 (200 mg, three times a day), B6 (100 mg, three times a day), betaine HCl (75-200 mg three times a day before meals).

• Overweight is a problem; take the extra weight off.

• Ingestion of aluminum is a factor in Alzheimer's disease, and it may also be involved in Parkinson's disease. Do not use aluminum cookware or use deodorants containing it (alum is aluminum). Also avoid lead. Some people with Parkinson's disease have high levels of lead in their brains.

• L-dopa (L-dihydroxyphenylalanine), in form of the drug brand, Levodopa, is a synthetic dopamine which is given to patients, to supply the missing dopamine. Intriguingly enough, actual dopamine (from animal sources) cannot be given, because there is a blood-brain barrier rejecting it. So levodopa is given, which is accepted (through conversion to dopamine in the basal ganglion).

• But two facts should be noted: (1) Vitamin B6 reverses the effects of levodopa, so efforts must be made to eliminate B6 from the diet. (Eat in moderation bananas, oatmeal, peanuts, whole grains, potatoes, meat, and fish and only eat protein foods in the evening.) (2) Levodopa usually produces side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, insomnia, mental confusion, and agitation, as well as liver and kidney damage.

• L-dopa and carbidopa can aggravate and speed up the progress of Parkinson's disease in many cases, and is said to have little beneficial effect in over half the cases.