[GerryW]

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...ign=20131010Z1

Presumably, this applies to PD as well. At least it did in my case.

[pegleg]

Ditto! I have always been a believer of this stress theory.
Peggy

[lurkingforacure]

I believe stress causes PD as well, we just don't know the mechanism....does it cause our arteries to become stiff so our brains don't get the blood/oxygen they used to and need...or does the dumping of cortisol put us in a sympathetic nervous system dominance, where we don't/can't rest and repair...all of these or maybe even something else stress causes that we don't yet know, but it definitely figures in there, because while everyone's PD may be different in terms of symptoms, everyone's PD is significantly worsened by stress.

[pegleg]

Lurkingforacure

I believe that this exacerbation of symptoms when stress enters the picture, is one reason why we haven't found better treatments or maybe even a cure. There are no assessment tools that can help level out the playing field enough to cover for the huge variables trial participants experience when stress enters the picture. Remember that stressors can alters brain chemicals greatly, thus creating outcome measures totally off the chart or what was expected.

Now all we need to do is devise a table of different formulas that allow for statistical differences in measuring the hundreds (maybe thousands) of variables that occur in certain stressors are applied. That should be pretty simple. (Right!)
Peg

[reverett123]

Here is a very interesting report on AD but there is a lot of crossover- Pay particular attention to the links along the right hand edge of the screen-

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2905685/

Effects of Stress and Stress Hormones on Amyloid-β Protein and Plaque Deposition
Hongxin Dong* and John G. Csernansky

[Bogusia]

Stress, i believe in my case, was a big factor in triggering my PD. But, there is another thing which I wonder if any one else experienced. I can only call it " selection of increasing the symptoms" under stress. I started a new position in the same company in September and nobody in my work knows that I have PD as far as I can tell. But, since staring my new position I experienced significant increased in slowness and rigidity on my left side but not increase in the tremor, which was my main symptom before when I was in a stressful situation. It's almost seem like I am experiencing more of the symptoms that I can hide and less that will be visible to others, but only for limited amount of time. Can a brain do that? I am not on any medication right now, but I was taking Mirapex for 8 months before stopping in June because of side effects. I am taking very small amounts of Mucuna but can't really say if it helps or not.

[soccertese]

Originally Posted by Bogusia

Stress, i believe in my case, was a big factor in triggering my PD. But, there is another thing which I wonder if any one else experienced. I can only call it " selection of increasing the symptoms" under stress. I started a new position in the same company in September and nobody in my work knows that I have PD as far as I can tell. But, since staring my new position I experienced significant increased in slowness and rigidity on my left side but not increase in the tremor, which was my main symptom before when I was in a stressful situation. It's almost seem like I am experiencing more of the symptoms that I can hide and less that will be visible to others, but only for limited amount of time. Can a brain do that? I am not on any medication right now, but I was taking Mirapex for 8 months before stopping in June because of side effects. I am taking very small amounts of Mucuna but can't really say if it helps or not.

i have no tremor except when very tired, cold or stressed. not exactly addressing your question but my "progression" was never gradual, always seemed to be in discrete steps, i would wake up and just be "worse".

[Tupelo3]

Thoughts from Monique Giroux, MD:

http://drgiroux.com/october-2013-que...orsen-symtoms/

[reverett123]

Being tired or cold are classic triggers for the stress response. And the "stairstep" changes are the "thresholds" moving and they do not return to their original location easily if at all.

Originally Posted by soccertese

i have no tremor except when very tired, cold or stressed. not exactly addressing your question but my "progression" was never gradual, always seemed to be in discrete steps, i would wake up and just be "worse".