This month’s Life Extension magazine came with an interesting article on a disease I hadn’t heard about called leukoaraiosis. This is an infarct of the microcirculation in the brain’s white matter. It shows up in MRI’s as white spots. Its incidence increases with age. Until recently, doctors did not know what the white spots were or their significance. Now it is recognized as a source of brain disorders.

You can read about it at http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2014/...n-Aging_01.htm .

Leukoaraiosis causes strokes, depression, and cognitive decline. What caught my attention was “gait and stance abnormalities, abnormal reflexes, and a slowing of small precise movements like finger tapping.” There is a correlation between the “amount of leukoaraiosis and deficiencies in gait, balance and walking speed.” The commonest causes of death from leukoaraiosis are falls and pneumonia.

This sounds a lot like another disease of unknown etiology, the one that afflicts us. My suspicion was confirmed by another article.:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18977043

Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2009 Sep-Oct;49(2):255-9. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2008.09.005. Epub 2008 Oct 31.
The severity of leukoaraiosis correlates with the clinical phenotype of Parkinson's disease.
Lee SJ, Kim JS, Lee KS, An JY, Kim W, Kim YI, Kim BS, Jung SL.
Author information

• Department of Neurology, The Catholic University of Korea, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, 505 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul 137-701, South Korea.

Abstract
“The impact of leukoaraiosis on Parkinson's disease (PD) has not been completely explained. We evaluated 141 patients with PD to assess the role of leukoaraiosis and determined its influence on the clinical phenotype of PD. Clinical assessments during off medication and leukoaraiosis grading were performed according to the atherosclerosis risk in communities (ARIC) study. Patients were grouped into two phenotypes, tremor or postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD)-dominant groups. Associations between the age at onset, gender, disease duration, cardiovascular risk factors, leukoaraiosis grade and the disease phenotype were analyzed. In addition, the role of the leukoaraiosis grade in relationship to the parkinsonian motor handicaps was evaluated. The leukoaraiosis correlated with the severity of the clinical symptoms of PD as measured by the United Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS) scores and the Hoehn and Yahr (H + Y) stage. There were significant correlations observed between the leukoaraiosis grade and specific motor handicaps especially those with axial symptoms. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the leukoaraiosis grade was independently associated with the PIGD motor phenotype of PD. The leukoaraiosis grade was independently associated with the PIGD motor phenotype of PD; this might be explained by the affects on nondopaminergic subcortical pathways. These results have implications for clinical management of PD with regard to the control of vascular risk factors.”

It seems possible that a percentage of PWP’s are actually suffering from leukoaraiosis, or that it is responsible for the PIGD variant. I don't have stiffness but I do have balance and walking problems.


Life Extension says that there is no therapy available for it other than lifestyle changes. This might not be true, though. A product called Vital Cell by Tango Advanced Nutrition restores microcirculation throughout the body including the brain. See http://vitalcellherbs.com/.

Note especially http://vitalcellherbs.com/observatio...-cell-rabbits/.

I intend to try this for a few months and will post my results.

Supplement Facts
Serving Size: 3 capsules
Amount Per Serving % DV
Proprietary Blend: 1,250 mg *
Common Herb Name (Latin Name) (Pin Yin Name)
Astragalus root (Radix Astragali) Huang Qi *
Atractylodes root (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae) Bai Zhu *
San-Qi Ginseng root (Radix Pseudoginseng) San Qi/Tan Qi *
Dong-Quai root (Radix Angelicae Sinensis) Dang Gui *
Safflower flower (Flos Carthami Tinctorii) Hong Hua *
Southern Tsangshu root (Rhizoma Atractylodis) Cang Zhu *
Lycium Chinense fruit (Fructus Lycii Chinensis) Gou Qi Zi *
Codonopsis root (Radix Codonopsis Pilosulae) Dang Shen *
Red-Rooted Sage root (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae) Dan Shen *
Chinese Licorice root (Radix Glycyrrhiza Uralensis) Gan Cao *
* Daily Value not established*
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Thanks Gerry,
Let us know how it makes you feel, tests, etc from time to time.

Just curious, but when you wrote that Vital Cell restores microcirculation I was wondering "according to who". I saw a lot of claims and accolades on their site. I also saw the reporting of research results. But I didn't see anything about who actually conducted this research; when and where it was conducted; and where were the results actually reported. Would you know if there is any "legitimate independent" information available to support the broad claims made by the company?

Thanks,

Gary

I spent quite some time talking to Jim English, founder of the company. He told me that the product was formulated based on TCM by a Dr. Yan in China where the studies were done. He evaluates formulas and products and distributes them to his network of doctors for testing at San Francisco general and elsewhere in the bay area. I realize that this is not the level of proof we are looking for here in the west but as he pointed out, the Chinese do just fine with their system.

Search this forum for Dr. Jannetta, who had a patient with PD wake up PD-free when he operated on her for trigeminal neuralgia and performed his microvascular decompression. He pioneered that procedure and was vilified at the time....decades went by and his procedure, called the Jannetta Procedure, is now the gold standard go-to treatment of choice for trigeminal neuralgia. Around the world.

I have spoken with Jannetta's nurse some time back and my understanding of his theory is that circulation within the brain becomes impaired as we age (often because of compression, google him and you can get more detail) which leads to all kinds of problems including, perhaps, PD. He was trying to get a trial going for PWP who had compression on one side of the brain but I have not been able to learn anything more about that trial. I remember that his nurse told me we are limited by the machines we have and that as more advanced medical machinery is developed and we can see deeper and to a higher degree in the brain, we will learn so much more because we will be able to see what is going on in more detail. Makes sense.

I personally believe lack of healthy fats lead to/contribute to brain problems, such as by brittle blood vessels that get crimped or bent and can no longer deliver adequate blood flow/oxygen to the brain. The more I read about the fuel requirements for the brain, and they are significant, the more I realize that carbs of any kind are not optimal, be they whole grain or not. There is a reason why PWP and also those with Alz. crave sweets after dx, when before dx, they never ate so much as a piece of pie! Something is off inside the brain, which has its own production source for insulin within the brain. More than a few articles are now describing Alz. as a third type of diabetes.

Good for me, because everything tastes better with butter

Thanks for this! I think we have mistreated fats for too long, especially saturated fat. Have you tried GHEE? You cannot believe how wonderful it is until...

It seems what packed in this formula are those very popular traditional Chinese herbs. Astragalus root (Radix Astragali) is an excellent immune regulator & etc. as the key ingredient which I use (in soup) myself in winter time. The others are heavily packed with herbs for blood & "qi" circulations, such as San-Qi Ginseng root (Radix Pseudoginseng, not Ginseng), Dong-Quai root (Radix Angelicae Sinensis), Codonopsis root (Radix Codonopsis Pilosulae) and Red-Rooted Sage root (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae). I think this pill will make you quite rejuvenated!

1) We are (as a species) pretty blamed stupid in so many areas that it is hard to believe that we are (at least for now) the "King of the Hill". The question of fat intake is a great example. If we want to know what sort of fats are best for us all we need to do is to take a lawn chair out into the great plains of Africa and observe. What are they eating over in the primate area? Nature seldom wastes time or energy.

2) The question of reduced circulatory flow to the brain is one that I plan to investigate at some future date by testing an extract of the common garden plant *vinca minor* or lesser periwinkle. Seems an excellent vasodilator within the brain and surprisingly safe. It is called vinpocetine and costs less than ten bucks for a month's supply.

the pigments in blueberries are supposed to improve brain circulation