See
http://www.cureparkinsons.org.uk/cli...%20in%20PD.pdf

for an easily understandable description of how PD develops in the gut, 10 years before the brain.
Ron

"These studies were just the top of the pile, but they point out that insulin problems are part of PD for many or, even, all of us and that the gold standard that medicine offers us contributes to the problem.

The bigger issue, however, is that we, both patients and docs andscientists, have to get past the narrow focus of dopamine, substantia nigra, and neurology and look at PD for what it is - a system wide breakdown of homeostatic control. In normal language, we are dealing with the increasing loss of our ability to maintain our balance in every sense of the phrase.

Insulin is just one example. Think about it for a moment. One of the most powerful and dangerous chemicals in the body. It is a constant factor but its level is always in flux. It impacts every system in the body, including the brain, and not necessarily in a gentle manner. Among its roles is the control of glucose - too little or too much is deadly as well.

Yet, to consider what role it might have in PD is "thinking outside the box"! The box is too damn small! "

We just need to connect the dots!
Imad

That is a great, simple explanation. Thanks for shareing it. Now, why isn't more research directed toward pososible toxicity from a malfunctioning gut?
Peg

Thanks for posting this Ron, a useful paper, clear and straightforward. I missed some of it at the seminar presentation - had a sleepy spell

Amazing how so many of these neurological and immune problems from schizophrenia to parkinson's have connections to the gut.

I have what may be a really dumb question about this hypothetical situation. I lived with my grandmother for about 2 years in Tennessee while my parents and younger brother went to Miami, FL to get settled. My dad was a welder and had to make several moves within the school year, prompting my parents to want me to not have to jump around in schools.

Granny (who BTW had scarlet fever as a child and lived to be 98) had a solution for every ailment known to mankind - she used castor oil. For those of you who might have missed this generation of thinking, castor oil was this clear, thick, slimy stuff (ugh! getting nauseated already!) that worked as a fast-acting laxative. To help disguise the taste (and to keep me from vomiting!) she would give me a big tablespoon of castor oil in one hand and a small chunk of brown sugar in the other. The sugar acted as a "chaser" and made this one-size-fits-all remedy tolerable.

My question is this: was her theory that keeping the colon cleansed made one healthier too far off the mark? (no pun intended imark)

After my question is answered, I will discuss my specific situation more in depth.

Peggy

Hi Peg,
Apparently, a laxative is not the best solution to avoid constipation. It is better to take fibre to naturally provide bulk. I take a sachet of fibre called Fybogel every day. Also a lubricant called Movicol, which is a polyethylene glycol. I don't know if they are available in the USA. This combination was recommended by a doctor.
Ron

(related article concerning MS)

Of Bugs and Brains: Gut Bacteria Affect Multiple Sclerosis
ScienceDaily (July 20, 2010) — Biologists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have demonstrated a connection between multiple sclerosis (MS) -- an autoimmune disorder that affects the brain and spinal cord -- and gut bacteria

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0719162643.htm

..."As we gained an appreciation for how profoundly the gut microbiota can affect the immune system, we decided to ask if symbiotic bacteria are the missing variable in these mice with MS," he says.

To find out, Mazmanian and his colleagues tried to induce MS in animals that were completely devoid of the microbes that normally inhabit the digestive system. "Lo and behold, these sterile animals did not get sick," he says.

Then the researchers decided to see what would happen if bacteria were reintroduced to the germ-free mice... They inoculated mice with one specific organism... In prior studies, these bacteria had been shown to lead to intestinal inflammation and, more intriguingly, to induce in the gut the appearance of a particular immune-system cell known as Th17. Th17 cells are a type of T helper cell -- cells that help activate and direct other immune system cells. Furthermore, Th17 cells induce the inflammatory cascade that leads to multiple sclerosis in animals.

"The question was, if this organism is inducing Th17 cells in the gut, will it be able to do so in the brain and central nervous system?" Mazmanian says. "Furthermore, with that one organism, can we restore to sterile animals the entire inflammatory response normally seen in animals with hundreds of species of gut bacteria?"

The answer? Yes on all counts. Giving the formerly germ-free mice a dose of one species of segmented filamentous bacteria induced Th17 not only in the gut but in the central nervous system and brain -- and caused the formerly healthy mice to become ill with MS-like symptoms.

"It definitely shows that gut microbes have a strong role in MS, because the genetics of the animals were the same...in affecting the nervous system during MS -- and they do so from the gut, an anatomical location very, very far from the brain."

Mazmanian and his colleagues don't, however, suggest that gut bacteria are the direct cause of multiple sclerosis, which is known to be genetically linked. Rather, the bacteria may be helping to shape the immune system's inflammatory response, thus creating conditions that could allow the disease to develop. Indeed, multiple sclerosis also has a strong environmental component; identical twins, who possess the same genome and share all of their genes, only have a 25 percent chance of sharing the disease. "We would like to suggest that gut bacteria may be the missing environmental component," he says.

For their part, Th17 cells are needed for the immune system to properly combat infection. Problems only arise when the cells are activated in the absence of infection -- just as disease can arise, Mazmanian and others suspect, when the species composition of gut bacteria become imbalanced, say, by changes in diet, because of improved hygiene (which kills off the beneficial bacteria as well as the dangerous ones), or because of stress or antibiotic use...

"As we live cleaner...we may be altering the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory bacteria," leading to diseases like MS, Mazmanian says. "Perhaps treatments for diseases such as multiple sclerosis may someday include probiotic bacteria that can restore normal immune function in the gut… and the brain."


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by California Institute of Technology.



Factors from Common Human Bacteria May Trigger Multiple Sclerosis (Nov. 24, 2009) — New research suggests that a common oral bacterium may exacerbate autoimmune disease ... > read more
'Designer Estrogen' Identified As Potential MS Drug (Aug. 28, 2007) ... > read more

New Possibility of Reversing Damage Caused by Multiple Sclerosis (Dec. 6, 2010) — ...
Limit Inflammation in the Central Nervous System (Oct. 22, 2010) — Scientists have recently made discoveries about a type of cell that may limit inflammation in the central nervous system -- a finding that could have important implications in the treatment of brain ... > read more

Probiotics Affect Metabolism, Says New Study (Jan. 16, 2008) —...

Gut-Residing Bacteria Trigger Arthritis in Genetically Susceptible Individuals (June 18, 2010) — ...

My question is this: was her theory that keeping the colon cleansed made one healthier too far off the mark? (no pun intended imark)

After my question is answered, I will discuss my specific situation more in depth.

Peggy[/QUOTE]

Peggy,
My grandmother believed in Castor Oil treatment too and my sister and brother who lived with her (similar circumstances you described) had to go through that treatment. I managed to escape from caster oil, but looks like got trapped in PD.

I have one observation that says your grand mother is right
A few months ago, I was scheduled for a colonoscopy and went through the whole protocol of cleansing my digestive tract by drinking a gallon of PEG--water 16h prior to the procedure. Due to various reasons, my appointment was delayed and eventually canceled and I was with a clean and empty digestive tract for over 24h. What caught my attention was, I had very few PD symptoms that day and felt great for about a week.
It may be just a fluke but quite interesting and sort of makes sense.

I remember posts on this forum about antibiotics making folks feel better....sort of similar treatment.

Bacteria ...toxins....inflammation.............PD symptoms
Sounds familiar!!
Thanks Ron for starting this thread.

Girija

PS: Thanks Madelyn! I guess my experiment with clean gut is right on track!

Girija-
For what it is worth, I just finished a course of tetracycline for an unrelated reason but experienced none of my hoped for reduction of PD symptoms. But neither did I experience any GI disturbance.


Peggy,
My grandmother believed in Castor Oil treatment too and my sister and brother who lived with her (similar circumstances you described) had to go through that treatment. I managed to escape from caster oil, but looks like got trapped in PD.

I have one observation that says your grand mother is right
A few months ago, I was scheduled for a colonoscopy and went through the whole protocol of cleansing my digestive tract by drinking a gallon of PEG--water 16h prior to the procedure. Due to various reasons, my appointment was delayed and eventually canceled and I was with a clean and empty digestive tract for over 24h. What caught my attention was, I had very few PD symptoms that day and felt great for about a week.
It may be just a fluke but quite interesting and sort of makes sense.

I remember posts on this forum about antibiotics making folks feel better....sort of similar treatment.

Bacteria ...toxins....inflammation.............PD symptoms
Sounds familiar!!
Thanks Ron for starting this thread.

Girija

PS: Thanks Madelyn! I guess my experiment with clean gut is right on track![/QUOTE]