I have something that I would like the help of a few WRs on if possible. If it affects others as it has myself and one other Parkie then it is a big deal. ("Hallelujha! Saved again! )

But seriously, it has turned my butt around big time. It has led my other PWP to email me that she went shopping in her neighborhood for the first time in two months! And it has even made my non-PD wife drop a load of anxiety and depression.

I will explain why it may work in a moment, but cutting to the chase, I am talking about our old friend turmeric from which Ron Hutton's curcumin is derived. As many of you know, Ron has held up well and attributes it in large part to longtime use of curcumin. I am suggesting the whole spice turmeric because 1) there may be cofactors; 2) safety studies are more based on the spice rather than the extract; and 3) i have doubts about the absorbability of some tablets.

Six weeks ago I was in bad shape. Freezing. Legs weak. Difficulty walking. And it was getting worse. I made two changes about a month ago and turned around almost overnight. One was to change my diet to include a lot of protein and small meals ala a diabetic. The other was to change from a turmeric tablet to using the spice itself because of #3 above. I didn't expect anything dramatic from the latter. Even if the form was a factor, I was taking it as an anti-inflammatory and expected longterm results not short,

So when things turned around for me I attributed it to the dietary change improving my blood sugar. And that may still pertain but not as I would have expected. But to explain I have to first introduce the HPA and its role in PD. The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis lies at the heart of our endocrine system and, through its control of hormones, pretty much controls or influences everything. Among the things it controls is the insulin-glucose interaction - thus the thought that both my explanations might be right.

PWP have problems with stress and the HPA is stress-central. Cortisol. Adrenaline. Here's where it is ordered up and shipped out. Fight or flight. Anxiety. Depression. All right here in the HPA. When the HPA ain't happy then nobody's happy.

I had learned all that recently but it didn't really click until I came across two Chinese studies published just this year. Using mice whose HPA axis had been stressed to the point of imbalance, they tested turmeric (a Chinese traditional med) and found a suddenly cool, calm, and collected mouse.

In humans, safety studies of toxicity had found zero. So it seemed like a good bet for both my wife and myself. So we began taking two teaspoons of turmeric each day split between morning and evening. Mixed with a little yogurt and honey it goes down easily.

The effects were dramatic for my wife. Usually she would wake up already worried about the current daily crisis and occasionally would slip into depression. Also, her nerves were "frayed" and little things might trigger big reactions. Three days after she started turmeric we could no longer think it was our imagination - she was a new woman. Actually, she was definitely the same but without the stress element nor any druggo drowsiness. It was miraculous!

My own experience was that I soon regained control of my symptoms, altough I still thought it was solely the result of my diet. It has been four weeks now and I fear that dietary discipline has slipped a time or two. But without effect. That combined with my wife's case and that of my fellow Parkie have been leading me to question my original assumption.

Today clinched it. I had skipped turmeric for thirty-six hours today when my symptoms returned with a vengence, just like they were two months ago. I switched off around 1:00 PM for no apparent reason and it is only now (5:00 PM) that I am coming back on. During the last four hours I have experienced my familiar combinations: visual disturbance, brain fog, bloating, weakness in legs, freezing, tremor, etc.

I'm hoping that someone will test this and let us know if it works for them. Those of you who read my postings on the blood sugar angle know that I experienced a major turnaround of symptoms. I am now near certain that it was the turmeric not simply the diet.

If there are any takers, I suggest one teaspoon per day (within the safety zone) mixed as you wish. You can buy it at any supermarket.