[lou_lou]

Parkinsons Patients - integrative medicine...

Phosphatidylserine (PS), a phospholipid, is made by the body and is important to brain function. People with Parkinson's often have low levels of PS. One study showed that taking 100 mg of PS three times per day improved mood and brain function in people with Parkinson's.

also in same article-

Brahmi ( Bacopa monniera ) is an Ayurvedic herb that is often used to treat people with Parkinson’s. Studies have pointed to its effectiveness as an antioxidant for the brain and suggest that it improves circulation to the brain, as well as improving mood, cognitive function, and general neurological function. Dosage guidelines vary among practitioners, but 100 - 200 mg twice daily is often recommended.

my 10 cents - a tiny /small even - op/ed on exercise~
do not set unrealistic goals if you are considering a stationary bike in airconditioning... okay -ask your doc what he feels is safe...

I like to walk, or lift hand waits - there are other ways of detoxification - other than sweating -loosing electrolytes are not a good idea, unless you have not had the PD beast long - less is more, you do not need to hurt yourselves ! okie dokie!
because
if I would have ever been able to ride a bike -
I wouldnt have to worry about PD~ the reason being - is death!
I was almost hit by a car AND - I crashed on a bicycle not built for 2!
when I was 10 and my sister was 9!
and she broke her arm... if you can do this after 10 to 15 years of PD
you are a miracle waiting to happen...

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/p...ase-000123.htm

[lou_lou]

PS - is Phosphatidylserine

what is it?
a phospholipid, which are the principal components of all cell membranes.

what does it do?
PS provides for five special benefits:

It activates cell-to-cell communication;
It stabilizes the inner environment of the cell;
It helps regulate cell growth;
It improves the functioning of the special recepters found on cells, and it prepares cells for activity.
PS is most concentrated in the cells of the brain. PS promotes the stability and integrity of the cellular membrane and promotes the ability of cells to maintain the internal balance known as homeostasis.

I googled it for you all.
and tiny url'd it as well -
link for study

http://tinyurl.com/28jchw

also mamma search engine is great - goes into the deep web...

http://www.jcb.org/cgi/reprint/155/4/649

Phosphatidylserine (PS) induces
PS receptor–mediated macropinocytosis
and promotes clearance of apoptotic cells
Peter R. Hoffmann,
1
Aimee M. deCathelineau,
1
Carol Anne Ogden,
1
Yann Leverrier,
2
Donna L. Bratton,
1
David L. Daleke,
3
Anne J. Ridley,
2
Valerie A. Fadok,
1
and Peter M. Henson
1
1
Program in Cell Biology, Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, CO 80206
2
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, London W1P 8BT, UK
3
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/Medical Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405
fficient phagocytosis of apoptotic cells is important for
normal tissue development, homeostasis, and the
resolution of inflammation. Although many receptors
have been implicated in the clearance of apoptotic cells,
the roles of these receptors in the engulfment process have
not been well defined. We developed a novel system to
distinguish between receptors involved in tethering of
apoptotic cells versus those inducing their uptake. Our
results suggest that regardless of the receptors engaged on

[lou_lou]

we have the same type of cellular destruction as does Cancer...
it is called apoptosis -


Harnessing the Power of Programmed Cell Suicide

By Erica Heilman


Human genes act as the body's blueprint, with coded instructions that tell each and every cell how to behave. But just as certain genes determine the trajectory of a cell's life, others carry instructions that determine its death. These 'suicide genes' create proteins that actually command cells to die. This natural process of cellular hari-kari, called apoptosis, actually helps to maintain the right balance of cellular function in the body, and suppression or acceleration of programmed cell death can be a recipe for disaster. For instance, cancer is the result of reckless growth and replication among certain cells, and it has been suggested that premature cell death may play a role in some neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Understanding the secrets of programmed cell death could enable scientists to develop drugs to fight these diseases. Below, Dr. Dalton Dietrich, Scientific Director of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami, offers a brief introduction to the intricacies of apoptosis, and the potential power of controlling it in neurodegenerative disease.

How do cells die?
We used to think that cells just died as the direct result of injury. Now we know that cells actually carry genes that encode proteins that bring about their own death, like suicide genes, suicide proteins. This self-programmed cell death is called 'apoptosis.'

How does this happen?
In normal development of the central nervous system, we have too many cells. So there needs to be a mechanism to do away with the cells that are not needed. Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, during development of the spinal cord and the brain, ensures that there are not too many cells in the central nervous system.

Scientists now believe that these same suicide processes are reactivated in the adult brain and spinal cord after injury. So we're going back to normal neuronal development and targeting these processes that once were important in normal development of the central nervous system, and now appear to be important in cell death mechanisms in adult tissues.

How could this information be used to fight neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease?
Well it's important because we can develop new therapies to target that cell death mechanism. If we can get evidence of very early neurological problems in patients, we can treat them with agents that actually target and stop this programmed cell death. If we can block these processes, hopefully we can save the cell and protect the patient from chronic neurological disorder.

How much progress have we made already?
We are pretty far along in terms of the progress targeting suicide proteins and programmed cell death. In our experimental models, we have a good idea of what enzymes are activated. We understand the biochemistry of the pathways. And we are now developing new drugs that can be given to patients with these types of problems.

Clinical trials are now being introduced in the United States to use some of these new inhibitors of apoptosis. For example, in patients with acute stroke, scientists are thinking about combining thrombolytic treatments that improve perfusion in the brain with these anti-apoptotic agents to salvage the brain tissue.

What role might apoptosis play in Parkinson's disease?
In Parkinson's patients, we believe there's a slow death of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain. One hypothesis is that these neurons are dying by apoptosis, or are undergoing a kind of 'death by suicide.' Now, if that's the case, when the patient has early signs of neurological problems, it is possible that one day we could give that patient a type of drug that targets apoptotic cell death and could stop the progression of the disease.

This type of therapy has not been tried on patients because we're still trying to understand how to target patients in the very early stages of Parkinson's disease. And more basic research needs to be conducted before the drugs are powerful enough to actually stop this cell death process.

How far are we from making this hypothesis a reality?
We need to continue to study neurodegenerative diseases, and determine what is the window in which these drugs could be given. When a cell starts to die, it may take a period of time. And we have to understand how early we have to give the drug in order to stop the cell death permanently.

Are you excited by the potential of this treatment idea?
This is going to be a very exciting development in the treatment of acute neurodegenerative diseases, as well as diseases associated with acute trauma.

Already there are various approaches that we're using in patients with acute spinal cord injury, for example to delay cell death or prevent cell death. We're utilizing drugs that are already available that target various mechanisms of cell death including apoptosis. But more work needs to be done to define the mechanisms that need to be targeted. And therefore, more development with pharmaceutical companies and biotech companies is currently being carried out to produce new-generation drugs that can limit this cell death.

Published on: January 24, 2003

http://www.advancesinneurology.com/