[GerryW]

I have taken 1200 mg of Ceylon cinnamon daily for 120 days. I don't now if it helped stop progression but it did nothing for symptoms. On to the next experiment, Kudzu.

I am also going to try d-limonene from orange peels. It stops GERD probably by enhancing peristalsis. This might empty the stomach sooner and help with constipation.

[johnt]

Thanks for doing this Gerry.

How did you measure progression and symptoms?

John

[lurkingforacure]

Originally Posted by GerryW

I have taken 1200 mg of Ceylon cinnamon daily for 120 days. I don't now if it helped stop progression but it did nothing for symptoms. On to the next experiment, Kudzu.

I am also going to try d-limonene from orange peels. It stops GERD probably by enhancing peristalsis. This might empty the stomach sooner and help with constipation.

Gerry, thank you so much for your efforts and for letting us all know. I saw the list of supplements you take at the bottom of your post, and can't help but wonder: what do you actually eat?

I ask because I understand Dr. Wahls to attribute the bulk of her recovery from MS to a diet extremely rich in nutrients/micronutrients/phytochemicals from vegetables and bone broth (food) and of that food, a very low glycemic load (low sugar content). I think she did some supplementing but she emphasized food in her book.

So, given all those pills you are taking, and it's a lot, do you mind sharing with us what you eat? (I find the Ceylon cinnamon to be delicious, by the way)

[GerryW]

Originally Posted by johnt

Thanks for doing this Gerry.

How did you measure progression and symptoms?

John

Alas John, I know of no way to measure progression against what you would have experienced without the substance. This is especially true in a disease that progresses slowly over the years and whose rate of progression may change over time.

As far as symptoms go, new symptoms may be a sign of progression or they may be side effects. While on the cinnamon there was little change in symptoms except for increased orthostatic hypotension which resulted in fainting in the kitchen and bouncing my hard head off the floor. I also got intense stomach acid. Neither of these has been a problem, so far, since I stopped cinnamon. We shall see.

I know you are a scientist who favors objective measures of change but I am relying on subjective observation.

[GerryW]

Originally Posted by lurkingforacure

Gerry, thank you so much for your efforts and for letting us all know. I saw the list of supplements you take at the bottom of your post, and can't help but wonder: what do you actually eat?

I ask because I understand Dr. Wahls to attribute the bulk of her recovery from MS to a diet extremely rich in nutrients/micronutrients/phytochemicals from vegetables and bone broth (food) and of that food, a very low glycemic load (low sugar content). I think she did some supplementing but she emphasized food in her book.

So, given all those pills you are taking, and it's a lot, do you mind sharing with us what you eat? (I find the Ceylon cinnamon to be delicious, by the way)

I think that healing requires balanced nutrients in the right amounts as well as detoxification. As I am not much of a cook I eat the Standard American Diet (SAD.) I try to antidote it with the products I listed as well as NanoGreens or similar nutrient-dense product. I have tried eating a ketogenic diet with MCT oil but found that it was hard to sustain, especially since I didn't notice any benefits. Maybe I need to do it longer or maybe MS and PD have a different etiology.

I do eat less. In the last 5 years I've lost 65 pounds.

Yeah, cinnamon is tasty, Lurking. I could live on cinnamon buns.

[Betsy859]

Originally Posted by GerryW

I think that healing requires balanced nutrients in the right amounts as well as detoxification. As I am not much of a cook I eat the Standard American Diet (SAD.) I try to antidote it with the products I listed as well as NanoGreens or similar nutrient-dense product. I have tried eating a ketogenic diet with MCT oil but found that it was hard to sustain, especially since I didn't notice any benefits. Maybe I need to do it longer or maybe MS and PD have a different etiology.

I do eat less. In the last 5 years I've lost 65 pounds.

Yeah, cinnamon is tasty, Lurking. I could live on cinnamon buns.

Hi Gerry,

Just saw this discussion thought I'd add my two cents. During my recent neurology visit my MD looked up the study in the July 2014 Nature Journal and calculated the human dosing based on what they gave the mice. She found the mouse "model" interesting in that they were programmed to lose dopamine rapidly. She said it didn't take that much cinnamon to stop the loss and proceeded to calculate, in her head, our dosage. Basically take 500mg for every 50 lbs. I weigh 115lbs and I'm taking a gram of cinnamon a day plus putting in tea and a lot on roasted vegetables. She also looked up cinnamon toxicity and found we would have to eat our body weight daily for it to be toxic . She also added that I should be adding tumeric to the spices I cook with. She said " go for it" as far as us experimenting with cinnamon. I have an appointment with another neuro on Monday this time a movement specialist. I'll ask him if he has an opinion. Anyway cinnamon is supposed to be good for our blood sugar.
So as far as any changes in symptoms I haven't had any good or bad just sort of stayed the same. I think we started this experiment about the same time. I plan to continue on because now I know the dosing and I've ordered a lot of the Ceylon cinnamon. I'll report any news worth mentioning. Please let us know how the kudzu works out.
Thank you and good luck to us all.
Betsy

[Aunt Bean]

Just a quick reminder on cinnamon. There are 2 kinds Ceylon and Cassia. The Ceylon is the one you want to take medicinally. The Cassia can be toxic to the liver in medicinal doses. Penseys Spices have them both . What you normally find in the grocery stores I have been told is the cassia.

[BreezyRacer]

I'm not sure what the policy is around here for reviving a thread vs creating a new one, so I hope I'm not upsetting anyone BUT ..

I have taken cinnamon for over a decade. I read long ago that it helped with blood sugar and though I'm not, not have ever been diabetic, I just started making a conscious effort to sprinkle it into my coffee etc .. at first. I've been taking about a gram of it a day for the last few years. Since this whole PD thing came up recently I've bumped it to 1.5 grams, but of the cheap stuff .. not ceylon.

I'm gonna give this ceylon cinnamon thing a try though, and will likely adapt it as something I cannot really evaluate .. I'll be doing things at the same time and don't have the luxury of stepping through every possible aid, one a time just to analyze them, as I do for my other supplements.

Now for my question .. the study claims that cinnamon works like this _____________________
“Understanding how the disease works is important to developing effective drugs that protect the brain and stop the progression of PD,” said Pahan. “It is known that some important proteins like Parkin and DJ-1 decrease in the brain of PD patients.”

The study found that after oral feeding, ground cinnamon is metabolized into sodium benzoate, which then enters into the brain, stops the loss of Parkin and DJ-1, protects neurons, normalizes neurotransmitter levels, and improves motor functions in mice with PD.

This research was supported by grants from National Institutes of Health.
___________________________

Does anyone follow the logic of this and does it sound logical?

Is it possible that cinnamon is really compensating for a digestive/absorption problem that we have? There are numerous metabolic disorders (78 according to Wikipedia) and if cinnamon does really work to "freeze" PD what do you think the odds are that some PD patients really are fighting a digestive illness? Has anyone ever been screened for this possibility?

Hyperammonemia is one (excess ammonia in the blood) for instance, which cinnamon would help. I wonder if there's a single workup you get tested for that would cover a range of metabolic issues. Keep in mind the common urinary issues with PD.

[Aunt Bean]

I use large amounts of ceylon cinnamon in anything I bake. Constantly eating sweet potato or pumpkin pie (homegrown) or combination a of two. Likewise oatmeal sweet potato cookies. I have not progressed for quite a while and actually feel like I am getting better the last couple of months. Diet is so much of "the cure" for any of our ailments The fermented papaya/ fava beans and other beans/ green vegies , fruit...you owe it to your body, yourself and your loved ones to give food as medicine a chance in this crazy age of pills, pills, pills, and more pills! Taking one to counteract the side effects of another is what amazes me the most!