[reverett123]

Had a frightening experience yesterday. Had lunch at a local buffet where I had encountered what I suspected as MSG problems before. Hadn't been there in months but thought I would risk it. BIIIG mistake! Within 30 minutes I was having trouble and soon it was almost impossible to walk. That way all afternoon and into evening. Had eased by about 50% by bedtime but that is still eight hours of life lost. They must have really dumped a bunch in something. I still have a headache (it constricts capillaries in the brain).

Constricted cappillaries would lower the oxygen available and induce hypoxia I am sure. I wonder what happens to the BBB while that is going on? Then there is the glutamate receptor issue. Regardless, I spent a very miserable evening. Caveat dinor!

From the thread on sodas:

E621 - monosodium glutamate

A flavour enhancer often associated with Chinese food, it's also found in canned and frozen foods, and snacks like crisps. A study by Hirosaki University in Japan in 2002 discovered eating a diet high in MSG could damage the retina, leading to loss of vision. Researchers said small amounts in the diet were OK but those with existing retina problems should be careful. The Migraine Trusts also lists MSG as a common migraine trigger and says many sufferers eliminate it from their diets. Last year, Professor Howard and a team of researchers from the University of Liverpool found MSG combined with other additives, such as brilliant blue food colouring, stopped nerve cells growing and disrupted brain-signalling systems.


You wonder how many studies have been done on MSG and PD? Go to Medline and type the terms in. You can read BOTH abstracts. That's right, a food additive that is everywhere and messes with us big time has exactly TWO hits.

[Curious]

that's awful. i hope it clears out of your system soon.

i am not sure if it is a law...city or state ordinance, but i have seen notices on restaurant windows and menu's if they use msg.

i stay clear of it. triggers migraines for me.

i found this site:

http://www.msgmyth.com/

check out the page on Hidden Names for MSG.

[annefrobert]

Rick,

As you wonder about a food additive having only two shots with PD, what about Aspartame...having only one shot..

Isn't that great?

Anne

Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

[Chemar]

I sure can sympathize on this one Rick, as my son (the one with Tourette) has severe tics and OCD resulting if he eats any MSG containing foods and sadly those "hidden" MSG words are creeping in everywhere!

It makes me feel rather yuck, but what it does to my son is serious enough for me to be mega vigilant for him to avoid it. When it sneaks in somehow, we have found that a cup of boiled water with juice from half a large lemon really helps.

Hoping it clears out of your system quickly

[lou_lou]

I am in total agreement -MSG is very bad for anyone -especially with
neurological illness...
feel better/ have peace...

[Yam1]

MSG is a migraine trigger for me too. Until I read your post I didn't connect it to causing problems with my PD symptoms also. One day last week I went out for Chinese food at a place that claims 'No MSG' on the menu. Later that day the migraine aura hit, followed by a nasty headache, and my PD symptoms were wreaking havoc with me. And more medication didn't help. I thought it was just a coincidence that I had a killer migraine and a bad PD day. Thanks for sharing this info. I greatly appreciate the help.

[reverett123]

...and I can't remember the last time I even had one. Nasty stuff. MSG and aspartame are doing a lot of damage. Somebody needs to smack that sugar-free cola out of MJ Fox's hand!

I posted a great article by the doctor who literally "wrote the book" on this over in thr "Resources" sticky both because it was too long for here and because it is a resource for future PWPs as well. Some highlights:

"There are a growing number of clinicians and basic scientists who are convinced that a group of compounds called excitotoxins play a critical role in the development of several neurological disorders including migraines, seizures, infections, abnormal neural development, certain endocrine disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders, learning disorders in children, AIDS dementia, episodic violence, lyme borreliosis, hepatic encephalopathy, specific types of obesity, and especially the neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, and olivopontocerebellar degeneration.1" <Don't you hate it when they just won't get to the point? >

"...the FDA still refuses to recognize the immediate and long term danger to the public caused by the practice of allowing various excitotoxins to be added to the food supply, such as MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and aspartame. The amount of these neurotoxins added to our food has increased enormously since their first introduction. For example, since 1948 the amount of MSG added to foods has doubled every decade. By 1972 262,000 metric tons were being added to foods. Over 800 million pounds of aspartame have been consumed in various products since it was first approved. Ironically, these food additives have nothing to do with preserving food or protecting its integrity. They are all used to alter the taste of food. MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and natural flavoring are used to enhance the taste of food so that it taste better. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener."

"These toxins (excitotoxins) are not present in just a few foods, but rather in almost all processed foods. In many cases they are being added in disguised forms, such as natural flavoring, spices, yeast extract, textured protein, soy protein extract, etc. Experimentally, we know that when subtoxic levels of excitotoxins are given to animals in divided doses, they experience full toxicity, i.e. they are synergistic. Also, liquid forms of excitotoxins, as occurs in soups, gravies and diet soft drinks are more toxic than that added to solid foods. This is because they are more rapidly absorbed and reach higher blood levels."

"
So, what is an excitotoxin? These are substances, usually acidic amino acids, that react with specialized receptors in the brain in such a way as to lead to destruction of certain types of neurons. Glutamate is one of the more commonly known excitotoxins. MSG is the sodium salt of glutamate. This amino acid is a normal neurotransmitter in the brain. In fact, it is the most commonly used neurotransmitter by the brain. Defenders of MSG and aspartame use, usually say: How could a substance that is used normally by the brain cause harm? This is because, glutamate, as a neurotransmitter, exists in the extracellular fluid only in very, very small concentrations - no more than 8 to 12uM. When the concentration of this transmitter rises above this level the neurons begin to fire abnormally. At higher concentrations, the cells undergo a specialized process of delayed cell death known as excitotoxicity, that is, they are excited to death.

It should also be appreciated that the effects of excitotoxin food additives generally are not dramatic. Some individuals may be especially sensitive and develop severe symptoms and even sudden death from cardiac irritability, but in most instances the effects are subtle and develop over a long period of time. While the food additives, MSG and aspartame, are probably not direct causes of the neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's dementia, Parkinson's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, they may well precipitate these disorders and certainly worsen their pathology as we shall see. It may be that many people with a propensity for developing one of these diseases would never develop a full blown disorder had it not been for their exposure to high levels of food borne excitotoxin additives. "

Check it out. Also, an interesting piece on how aspartame was moved from banned neurotoxin to omnipresent artificial sweetner with the help of then-CEO of G.D. Searle, one Donald Rumsfeld (yes, THAT Donald Rumsfeld) at http://www.rense.com/general67/rum.htm.

[lou_lou]

that book is entitled:
Excitotoxins the Taste that Kills, by Dr. Russell L. Blaylock
I wholeheartedly agree...
ps -their is aspertame in parcopa...I found that out after a few months
of severe headaches...

[lou_lou]

Parcopa will be the new - Sinemet -
as the old Sinemet lost it's patent...
______________

here is from the old parcopa site in 2006
http://www.cyclingforums.com/archive.../t-312914.html

A Proven Drug in a New Delivery System

Welcome to http://PARCOPA.com, a website designed to provide patients and
their healthcare professionals with information about Parkinson's disease
and PARCOPATM (carbidopa-levodopa orally disintegrating tablets).

PARCOPA benefits from the innovative RapiTabTM technology.
These orally disintegrating tablets dissolve rapidly on the tongue.
They can be taken any time, anywhere with or without water.

PARCOPA has all the benefits of carbidopa-levodopa in an orally dissolving
formulation.

If you are currently taking Sinemet® (carbidopa-levodopa) Tablets, you
should know that PARCOPA is a therapeutic alternative to Sinemet® Tablets.
It is available in the same strengths as Sinemet® Tablets. Your doctor can
prescribe PARCOPA using the same dosing and
administration schedules as Sinemet® Tablets.

This site is not intended to take the place of your healthcare professional.
He or she is always your best source of information. Ask your doctor if
PARCOPA is right for you.

Each 10/100 mg and 25/100 mg tablet contains phenylalanine 3.4 mg;
each 25/250 mg tablet contains phenylalanine 8.4 mg.
[ That's 6.8 and 16.8 mg aspartame, about 20 % and 50% of a pack of Equal,
37 mg aspartame. ]

Most common side effects with PARCOPA include involuntary
movements and nausea.

Additional Information:

> Important safety information

> Complete Prescribing Information on PARCOPA (PDF)

> Important patient information

RapiTabTM is a trademark of SRZ Properties, Inc.

Sinemet® is a registered trademark of Merck & Co., Inc.

I wish I had been much better informed.

A letter to Schwarz Pharma
http://www.wnho.net/schwarz_pharma_letter.htm

[oyster]

is there a list of excitotoxins? i got the aspartane, msg, and hdrolived veg protien. what about various drugs? although it sounds like this group of substances are types of food stuff and not drugs, like speed.
i could follow, pretty well, how the neurons get excited but i dont get how some is good of something but more is bad. for something as common as glutamate our metabolism should be able to regulate it.