Altho it may not initiate with an autoimmune event, pd appears to be very autoimmune in nature. Would it be useful to sort out which symptoms are autoimmune and whichare not? i don't like to be manipulated into group activity but the brain power and sheer number of posters might yield something new:

ok i could say so many but would rather others think about it :
[please correct errors in any of the posts.]

protein malfunction [try to find others besides alpha synuclein]
apoptosis
aceptycholine, glutamate, ,mao, and more are toxic in large quantities
gaba and norepinephrine are low, leaving no brakes , not enough adrealin, effecting serotonin.and and cause an abundance of the toxic transmitters.

i'll stop there but are those chemical imbalances all caused from autoimmunity?

Autoimmune conditions tend to clump together - if you get one you are quite likely to have signs of or develop another. I currently have four, vitiligo; a skin thing that makes me develop discoid lesions; psoriasis; and pernicious anaemia. IS PD a fifth? PAS is a medical label for people with an auto-immune syndrome, and doctors at the University of Dundee have done some worok on it. They include PD on their list of conditions........ you mention apoptosis which is what our neurons are susceptible to, in vitiligo the pigment producing cells are also susceptible..........

I too have vitiligo [covering about 70% of my skin now] and an apparently congenital b12 deficiency. Both dopamine and melanin require l-tyrosine for their effective production. The vitiligo began during my second pregnancy. Auto-immune diseases often seem to get triggered by pregnancy.

i have a re-occuring fungus and have had it since my 20s or 30s. not one doctor has ever connected it to anything or showed concern i have a couple of them right now, they resemble ringworm but are not. one doctor just shrugged and said it's some auto-immune thing.

That would enter bacteria into the picture would it not?

forgot to mention that vitiligo is also in my family' my cousin has no pigmentation left.

Paula,

You are spot on! There is mounting evidence that many diseases and chronic health conditions are autoimmune in nature. There is a scientist Olsen just introduced me to, Paul Ewald, an evolutionary biologist who thinks that many complex conditions are result of secondar infections from common bacterial, viral, or fungal infection. What he is saying is so logical and explains away most of the "mystery". I have made connections in separate post, but will link to Olsen's articles because they are fascinating and quite plausible.

http://www.quantumbalancing.com/news...erm_theory.htm

http://bacteriality.com/2008/02/11/ewald/

He is also on TED. Dr. Ewald actually states that one reason medical science and clinical establishment are reluctant to embrace his views because they make money from keeping people sick!

One of the bacteria linked to PD (one causing toxoplasmosis) actually uses dopamine in an effort to thrive. What is really scary is that it alters the brain chemistry of its host for its survival. Usually animals who get sick from it and humans who have bacteria have a long dormancy before symptoms appear. It also explains why PD does not consistently appear in families. I get how the infection theory explains inflammation but do not quite get the connection to alpha-synuclein pathology. In Alzheimer's it is know that the Beta Amyloid protein that misfolds is in its benign form an antimicrobial peptide. Who's to say that alpha-syn doesn't play same rolel for PD? Further, scientists are not ruling out that the microbes are not altering our genes for their needs.

What I find really compelling is that there is evidence of inflammation, pathological cytokine production, as origin of mood disorders like depression and anxiety. Think of how many neurological disorders start this way! That is hinting that we may be on a big autoimmune disorder spectrum.

As for any other associations, I was treated for hypothyroidism in my 20's but TSH levels normalized just prior to diagnosis. All of you mention vitiligo and I read that is the skin showing us there is hidden or underlying disease going on. I copy and pasted this web article:

SUMMARY. There is a significant association between vitiligo and thyroid disease. Thyroglobulin antibodies are significantly associated with vitiligo, whether patients with psoriasis or a general practice population are taken as controls. Similarly complement-fixing antibodies are significantly associated with vitiligo as compared with psoriasis. There is no evidence that thyroid autoimmunity is associated positively or negatively with psoriasis. Alopecia areata, pernicious anaemia and diabetes mellitus are also significantly associated with vitiligo.

an excellent example would be those girls who are all friends and are developing tics and other neurological abnormalities - i think they are from the northeast but not sure. doctors are suggest phsychogenic.....uh oh they'll never find it that way. bacteria seems more believable.

http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.c...ets-resistance

I too have vitiligo, milld case now, hypothyroidism, very resistant toenail fungus, and a recent bout with a ring-worm type itchy rash on my back. I have blood sugar abnormalities but not diabetic yet. would it help if everyone who had these type problems in addition to Parkinson's could post? I also notice that i am not catching much in the way of common colds or flu. if i have an overactive immune response, could that be why? I try to include a dose of ibuprofen everyday to help decrease inflammation. don't know if it helps, hope so.

PS. Also allergic to msg

It is interesting how many of us now resist colds, sinus infections and flu but have a host of other immunity issues. I know that I am subclinical hypothyroid but because my THS is in the normal high end range, I am sent on my way.

I have noticed that I am prone to yeast infections and after taking Diflucan, the one day antibiotic super dose, my good gut bacteria was wiped out and I ended up with yeast over growth and am almost immediate allergic reaction that at first I thought was flu but it landed me at the doctor. I was reminded by my primary care doc that medical practice in States do not recognize intestinal yeast over growth as an actua treatable condition?! Whatever...if they can't throw a drug at it, they won't treat it. I also cannot use soy sauce; it causes same nasty digestive symptoms. Did not have these issues pre-PD. Plus these things interfere with my med absorption or increased inflammation temporarily exacerbates symptoms. Ugh

Laura

i don't get colds, i don't have sinus conditions, i get the flu shot and haven't had it for at least a decade. i don't suffer from headaches pd pr stomach aches. i thank the good Lord that i'm healthy in other ways. i don't have high blood pressure or sugar problems, i don't have high cholesterol. i could get any of these things at any time at my age. my cross to bear [not blaming God] is that every muscle and bone in my body aches at some time or another and now i have pain that is sharp where he reinforced my hip. i must have a walker available now and walk very slow,concentrating on heel/toe.

as most of you know, i believe in the judeo-christian God and i know he can heal. But it might be individual journeys just like all these individual neurological places to be. i think this illness is a challengem not from God, but allowed by God to see what i would do. it's not over yet, but i'm going to study healing and begin a journey - not without meds- i'm trying to become enlghtened ,not stupid.

If i do make progress physically i will give all credit to God as he made us in a way that our bodies will heal us or go haywire and kill us. It's not God doing this, but he is the one that can get us out of it. So credit will be given to whom it belongs. now what has turned my proteins against me/


i had a neighbor whose immune system got wiped out on the heptaclor in the cows in Hawaii. She passed away; i miss her.She developed a bad gambling problem on the internet while she was taking dopaminergics for severe restless leg. She was always sick. She fell and broke her back and died [not confirmed] from a medication.

we need to look within .