Sepsis - septicemia - blood poisoning. Familiar names for a little understood process. Most people think of it as bacterial invasion of the bloodstream itself, but that isn't exactly true. Sepsis is actually a reaction of your immune system that may or may not involve the physical presence of bacteria. It is as though your defenders see the invader's tracks and don't wait to see if they are still there. This can trigger a reaction which gets out of control and leads to a massive drop in blood pressure as the barrier lining the circulatory system begins to leak and shock sets in.

These musings began with an article in today's Daily Mail

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...a-mystery.html

Consider the parallels-

Both involve an over reaction of the immune system. In PD it is the microglial activation. Both reactions can continue long after the original threat has passed. Both feature problems with leaking blood vessels. In PD it is the BBB. Multiple types of infective agents can trigger it (over 200 for sepsis, 2 and counting for PD). Cytokines factor in to both situations. So, could PD involve a sub-clinical form of sepsis?

sub-clinical sepsis, and an inflammatory response? resulting in a bit of self-destruction within the brain? sub-clinical is not testable, right? and they cannot anyway test within the brain? This theory could be tested however by looking at v large scale groups of Pd patients and taking their clinical histories to see what kind of infective agent it could be......... there is no shortage of PD patients

if they did not find an infective agent it would at least rule out one possibility
if they did......

another reason for national PD registries.......

I believe it would be highly arrogant for me not to take any idea seriously. I am beyond the point of wondering the cause or worrying about the cure. I have to die of something. I see alot of obits of people in my age category so figure I have lived a fairly normal life span anyway.

Feeling a little down, Vicky? I can empathize. We may die, but God forbid it be from PD! Our Rick, Ron, Lindy, Girija, all the orgs, and more than I can type who post right here KNOW that a cure for PD is going to have to be MORE than dopamine replaccement.

For 40+ years we have been putting a band-aid on Parkinson's. We can replace our missing neurotransmitter - dopamine- but we haven't been smart enough to figure out that whatever is killing the dopamine-producing neurons has not been fixed.

It may be sepsis - bacteria - defective blood brain barrier - inflammation - autooimmune response, or a myriad of other "defects" in our brains/bodies, but too many pharmaceutical companies, clinicians - and yes, even patients - are content with just putting a band-aid on the REAL problem.

I'm not throwing my towel into the ring just yet. As harley would say "I may have PD, but it doesn't have me!"

Good thinkin', Rick.
Peggy

I kind of know how you feel but for different reasons. I'm angry at the arrogance of those who get rich off of us. I will try to stay alive to be a watchdog for greed for as long as I can.

So if it is a blood poison, it is all pervasive. That doesn't sound good. But we already knew that.

dopamine is a neurohormone...
search this trail - it is a very good path to the cure...
in homeopathic studies - some use sepia, they are many homeopathic remedies for PDyuk!
lol