You seem like a glass half empty person ..... Oh...ignored

To answer your questions in order:

I spend about $300 a month. The tests are about $100 each but after 8 tests they are free. This is probably more than most people but I require high doses.

There is no special diet and you can eat with the mucuna if you want. I mix mine up in a smoothie.

I haven't submitted anything to my insurance so I don't know about that. I don't think they pay for amino acids.

The purported advantages of this protocol is that by balancing the neurotransmitters you can take as much L-dopa as needed to stop the symptoms without experiencing side effects. They also say it stops or drastically slows the progression. I don't know if that is true but so far so good. I was diagnosed in June 2011 after the usual long series of doctor visits. My regular doctor treated me for a long time as having adrenal insufficiency.

After the diagnosis I tried many healing modalities such as frequency specific microcurrents, cranial-sacral therapy, LDN, acupuncture, and many others. I didn't notice much improvement. My symptoms initially were gait disturbance such as shuffling, festinations, poor balance, no arm swing, and inability to get out of a chair. Plus I had dystonias, micrographia and a discomfort being in my body. Later, tremors started. After the Hinz protocol I have none of those except still a slight quiver in my thumb once in awhile for a couple of minutes. I am functioning normally.

I could have gone the prescription route but as a pharmacist I know what that leads to so yes, I consider it worth it. It is expensive and inconvenient to mix all the time. I take powders and suspending agents to mix and shake in a small jar when I go out past my dosing time. It would be more convenient to take a pill but if Hinz is right I will never have to change my dose. It seems a small price to pay to get my life back.

I don't know if it works as well for everyone but this has been my experience. As time has gone on I notice improvements, not progression. Good luck whatever you choose to do.

if you were 5 years into your diagnosis and had less than avg progression i might say there was something worth investigating. my sinemet "honeymoon" lasted about 5 years. how much l-dopa/mucana do you think you are taking? no side affects? i have taken a teaspoonful of raw mucana and i had to lay down from the nausea.
i got my life back after my first sinemet, taken years after my initial diagnosis.
and if hinz is right? he's been peddling this AA treatment long enough to provide unequivacle proof that it works better than conventional meds. just needs to present notarized medical records from a few patients, eh? i'd get that done in an eyeblink if something i had done had significantly slowed progression and/or improved symptoms, and my neuro would fully cooperate - he's written me rx's for ldn, i.v. glutathione, b-12 injections, there are some open minded neuros out there.