[lurkingforacure]

Two questions:

1. has anyone tried to eliminate refined sugar entirely from their diet and if so, what specific effect(s) did that have on your PD? I am not talking about things like bread which has minimal amounts of sugar added to it (although it converts very quickly into sugar in the body) but things like candy, ice cream, cookies, even juice and of course, sodas without a doubt. Things which are pretty much entirely sugar when they first go into our mouths, and which we love so much (just in time for the holidays!);

2. John Coleman, an Australian, claims to have recovered from stage 4 PD and early stage PSP, I think he said. I have yet to read his book, but apparently he made radical lifestyle and dietary changes. I was all into jumping on this for my husband, but then as I delved into his website(s), I realized he has a tiered system for participating in "recommending" others to become "members" at fifty bucks a month.

Now, I know people have to make a living, but the rather hidden, at least to me, way in which I stumbled upon this tiered system makes me wonder whether he is legit. He also sells these water drops that are supposed to help the cells take up the water you drink and cleanse out toxins, etc. He clearly and upfront says he cannot cure anyone, but can help one "regain their health". I can find no testimonials from peolel who have tried his method or water drops, and that casts doubt as well. Anyone have any experience with this fellow or his water drops, or know anyone who has, and what were the results? Thanks.

[Ibken]

Originally Posted by lurkingforacure

Two questions:

1. has anyone tried to eliminate refined sugar entirely from their diet and if so, what specific effect(s) did that have on your PD? I am not talking about things like bread which has minimal amounts of sugar added to it (although it converts very quickly into sugar in the body) but things . . I was all into jumping on this for my husband, but then as I delved into his website(s), I realized he has a tiered system for participating in "recommending" others to become "members" at fifty bucks a month.

Now, I know people have to make a living, but the rather hidden, at least to me, way in which I stumbled upon this tiered system makes me wonder whether he is legit. He also sells these water drops that are supposed to help the cells take up the water you drink and cleanse out toxins, etc. He clearly and upfront says he cannot cure anyone, but can help one "regain their health". I can find no testimonials from peolel who have tried his method or water drops, and that casts doubt as well. Anyone have any experience with this fellow or his water drops, or know anyone who has, and what were the results? Thanks.

Yes, I've tried the drops - twice. No change that I noticed. I suspect that J Coleman's 'cure' likely came from the Bowen Work he recommends. I hope to access it one of these days. I'm with T Edison on the care of the human frame!

Tena, could you post that quote again please. Ibby

[reverett123]

1) I have not tried to eliminate sugar but there is ample reason to. PWP have problems with controlling blood sugar. Further, they are sensitive to small fluctuations in the level as well. Someone (Rosebud?) has done a lot of work on her own relationship with sugar and may have something to add. Also, though he may not see this thread, Tom Isaacs was telling me just a couple of days ago that he was taking a sort of sugar holiday and having good results. Tom?

One interesting thing to ponder- PD was very rare both before and after James Parkinson published his pamphlet in 1817. But it gradually increased over the next 75 years or so when a Frenchman named Charcot named it after JP. What was happening in England during the pivotal period of, say, 1750 to 1850? The obvious answer is the Industrial Revolution with its stress and pollution. But there is another:

"Sugarcane quickly exhausts the soil in which it grows, and planters pressed larger islands with fresher soil into production in the nineteenth century as demand for sugar in Europe continued to increase: average consumption in Britain rose from four pounds per head in 1700 to eighteen pounds in 1800, thirty-six pounds by 1850 and over one hundred pounds by the twentieth century."

That's Wikipedia so verify, but it does give one pause.

Originally Posted by lurkingforacure

Two questions:

1. has anyone tried to eliminate refined sugar entirely from their diet and if so, what specific effect(s) did that have on your PD? I am not talking about things like bread which has minimal amounts of sugar added to it (although it converts very quickly into sugar in the body) but things like candy, ice cream, cookies, even juice and of course, sodas without a doubt. Things which are pretty much entirely sugar when they first go into our mouths, and which we love so much (just in time for the holidays!);

2. John Coleman, an Australian, claims to have recovered from stage 4 PD and early stage PSP, I think he said. I have yet to read his book, but apparently he made radical lifestyle and dietary changes. I was all into jumping on this for my husband, but then as I delved into his website(s), I realized he has a tiered system for participating in "recommending" others to become "members" at fifty bucks a month.

Now, I know people have to make a living, but the rather hidden, at least to me, way in which I stumbled upon this tiered system makes me wonder whether he is legit. He also sells these water drops that are supposed to help the cells take up the water you drink and cleanse out toxins, etc. He clearly and upfront says he cannot cure anyone, but can help one "regain their health". I can find no testimonials from peolel who have tried his method or water drops, and that casts doubt as well. Anyone have any experience with this fellow or his water drops, or know anyone who has, and what were the results? Thanks.

[rosebud]

I could write a few pages on the subject. The object of concern is actualy "glucose" which is the fuel your body burns, and apart from protien, which is used to maintain your muscle mass, your body is a glucose burning machine.
Usually when we use the word "sugar" we are talking about the white table variety. White table sugar generaly comes from two sources: sugar cane, and sugar beets. Brown sugar is just white sugar with some molasses added back in.

If you want a good education on sugar, start by reading The Glucose Revolution by Dr.s Brand-Miller & Wolever.

It is my experience that the easiest way to start managing your sugar is to follow a diabetic diet, or a heart diet. They are remarkably similar. Diabetics still count calories as the primary way of controlling blood sugar levels. I find that when I eat a balanced diet...which can accomodate small amounts of sugar, my dyskinesia drops out of sight. I can go two or three days with no sign of dyskinesia. Then of course my brain says lets test the limits, and sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, I'm back having trouble with my meds and dyskinesia. Radical changes in your "american" diet can help you manage your PD. But knowing is not doing, and it is tough to live in the sugar free zone. Another book that is a classic on Sugar is "Sugar Blues" written in the 70's. Amazing! But probably no longer in print. Check a used book store, or possibly a library. Don't remember the author.

[Jomar]

I just looked for it and found this info-

[Sugar Blues is a book by William Dufty that was released in 1975-]

it's still on Amazon.com and other sites - probably in libraries too.

[made it up]

Originally Posted by lurkingforacure

Two questions:

1. has anyone tried to eliminate refined sugar entirely from their diet and if so, what specific effect(s) did that have on your PD? I am not talking about things like bread which has minimal amounts of sugar added to it (although it converts very quickly into sugar in the body) but things like candy, ice cream, cookies, even juice and of course, sodas without a doubt. Things which are pretty much entirely sugar when they first go into our mouths, and which we love so much (just in time for the holidays!);

2. John Coleman, an Australian, claims to have recovered from stage 4 PD and early stage PSP, I think he said. I have yet to read his book, but apparently he made radical lifestyle and dietary changes. I was all into jumping on this for my husband, but then as I delved into his website(s), I realized he has a tiered system for participating in "recommending" others to become "members" at fifty bucks a month.

Now, I know people have to make a living, but the rather hidden, at least to me, way in which I stumbled upon this tiered system makes me wonder whether he is legit. He also sells these water drops that are supposed to help the cells take up the water you drink and cleanse out toxins, etc. He clearly and upfront says he cannot cure anyone, but can help one "regain their health". I can find no testimonials from peolel who have tried his method or water drops, and that casts doubt as well. Anyone have any experience with this fellow or his water drops, or know anyone who has, and what were the results? Thanks.

He's been in my corner of the world for a while now and unfortunately within our parkinson community nobody I know of has gotten rid of their P.D. let alone a Parkinson Plus syndrome like Mr Coleman claims he has!
How he's gotten away till now with these rorts of his is beyond me.
It'd be interesting to know how much money he's pocketed preying on parkinsonians.
His name has come up on BT2 before and I wrote my thoughts on him.

[Fiona]

sugar - well, I think the problem is more than sugar alone. There is sugar and then there is sugar. I think the problem with much of the stuff you're going to eat with sugar is that it also contains a number of other things, which especially combined, are going to be problematic - like margarine or other unhealthy fats, white processed flour made from grain made with pesticides, all kinds of additives, adulterants and preservatives - or what's that stuff they put in "juice" drinks - high fructose corn syrup or some such thing - totally deadly stuff....If I eat a piece of cheesecake from the deli, yeah, I'm going to have an off period reliably. If I have some organic raw honey in my tea, that is generally not a problem. I find the more I strive to eat whole, unprocessed food - not an easy thing to access or to do - it definitely cuts down on my problems and make me feel more vital.

I do think there are many things that you can do that improve your general, overall health, and that while they don't lead to replacing sinemet overnight, a more vital overall function can use the medication with fewer problems, is less likely to have other health issues arise that can complicate PD, or even can improve symptomology - but over a period of time, not even by next month, let's say. After all, the body's overall resilience and functioning is the background against which the foreground of our symptoms enact themselves, so in my view it's only logical.

[reverett123]

Keeping in mind the wide variety of PD, I think Fiona is right. Over the course of our lives certain vital systems in our bodies have worn out for a number of reasons. One of the things that has worn out is some important control circuitry that is needed to keep things in balance (aka "homeostasis"). So sugar, or stress, or a bad night's sleep, or a thousand other things, throw us into a tailspin. Anything we can do to improve that underlying chronic problem increases our ability to weather those overt acute problems. That's why I think it is so important to change one's life in ways that break that cycle beneath the surface before we can hope to heal. If we don't, then DBS fails, stem cells die, etc. because the causes have been ignored.

Originally Posted by Fiona

I do think there are many things that you can do that improve your general, overall health, and that while they don't lead to replacing sinemet overnight, a more vital overall function can use the medication with fewer problems, is less likely to have other health issues arise that can complicate PD, or even can improve symptomology - but over a period of time, not even by next month, let's say. After all, the body's overall resilience and functioning is the background against which the foreground of our symptoms enact themselves, so in my view it's only logical.

[Ibken]

Originally Posted by reverett123

1) I have not tried to eliminate sugar but there is ample reason to. PWP have problems with controlling blood sugar. Further, they are sensitive to small fluctuations in the level as well. Someone (Rosebud?) has done a lot of work on her own relationship with sugar and may have something to add. Also, though he may not see this thread, Tom Isaacs was telling me just a couple of days ago that he was taking a sort of sugar holiday and having good results. Tom?

One interesting thing to ponder- PD was very rare both before and after James Parkinson published his pamphlet in 1817. But it gradually increased over the next 75 years or so when a Frenchman named Charcot named it after JP. What was happening in England during the pivotal period of, say, 1750 to 1850? The obvious answer is the Industrial Revolution with its stress and pollution. But there is another:

"Sugarcane quickly exhausts the soil in which it grows, and planters pressed larger islands with fresher soil into production in the nineteenth century as demand for sugar in Europe continued to increase: average consumption in Britain rose from four pounds per head in 1700 to eighteen pounds in 1800, thirty-six pounds by 1850 and over one hundred pounds by the twentieth century."

That's Wikipedia so verify, but it does give one pause.

wouldntt the appearance of leisure time, sports activitiess - along with actual increasing alienatioin from our bodies - and with that a growing lack of common sense toward our bodies. cars, bikes trampolineshorseeesfootballhockey gyymnasticsthe list is endless. i think the injuries sustained fromkm these activities over time in certain indiividuals can present w/ pd syymptoms. essentially a relentlesslsy torqued biomechanical mess.!!!!

and the brain and nerves are a 2 way street...something to ponder. excuse typos ibby