Papaya and passion flower
 

There was a flurry of interest in a papaya extract that seemed to benefit the Previous Pope. That was eight years ago and little has been heard of it since. It was being promoted by a French doctor named Luc Montaigner who went on to win the Nobel in 2008 for his work in isolating the HIV virus.

I had not paid much attention to it, I admit. But last night I noticed that I was doing unusually well and began casting about for reasons. The only thing that stood out was a fruit salad that I had made. One of the main ingredients was a can of Dole "Tropical Mixed Fruit" with the two main ingredients being pineapple and papaya packed in passion fruit juice. Passion fruit is often said to help PD but little research is available.

Naturally I am going out and buy a 55-gallon drumof the stuff today but I thought I would see if anyone has any experience here.

Mexican vacation
 

Hmmm. I was in Cancun last year and thought I was feeling better just cause of the vacation. However, every morning there was a wonderful breakfast buffet where I pigged out on fresh papaya. OK... off to the grocery store. Oh, I should add that after Pope John Paul's papaya experience, I bought the little packages of papaya powder and also several bottles of fermented papaya juice but can't say that I noticed a big difference. But, my meds were in huge flux at the time so maybe now is a good time to revisit. Film at 11.

pineapple
 

pineapple has bromelain in it which is very good for the gut. can't say anything about papaya, but any fruit is best when eaten fresh, I would think.

If you don't like a fruit that has beneficial properties in it, try blending it into a smoothie, or perhaps even better, mixing it in with some gut-healthy yogurt.

Let us know what the shipping is on that 55 gallon drum of papaya, Rick!

Save you a trip to the archives
 

I found this online for those who are curious; I am sure this is here in the archives, but posting again for newbies. Looks like fresh is not quite the key to the concoction; maybe the canning process helps somehow explaining Rick's improvement. I haven't noticed any difference in eating the fresh fruit.

-Laura


Behind the Scenes

What Dr. Montagnier gave the Pope is a product called Immun'Age FPP (Fermented Papaya Preparation), which is manufactured by a Japanese company called Osato. Immun'Age is produced from non-genetically modified papayas that are grown in Hawaii. The papayas undergo a fermentation process and are then dried and ground into a fine powder. The final product is packed in 3-gram foil packs. Immun'Age was first developed in 1969 and has been on the Japanese market for about the last 10 years. It is sold primarily as an immune booster.

Dr. Montagnier feels that the product's ability to scavenge free radicals is what makes it effective in helping Parkinson's disease. .

Dr. Montagnier recommended that the Pope take two sachets, or packets, of the powder daily-one in the morning and another in the evening. For best results, the powder should be dumped under the tongue and taken on an empty stomach. Dr. Montagnier says that whenever he first feels a cold coming on he immediately takes two sachets, which stops the cold before it gets started. This seems to work only if it is taken at the very first sign of a cold.

Source: Altmedangel

Blimey! It seems to work!
 

I swear it stopped my dyskinesias tonight! I had half the salad from last night and was twisting around to the inner drummer so I thought what the hey and ate it. Within ten minutes they were gone! This is kind of weird....

Tomorrow I will lay in some supplies and start keeping notes.
It may be the papaya or the passionfruit or both. Inquiring minds want to know!

From the London Times, March 2003
 

VATICAN sources have attributed a recent recovery in the Pope’s health in part to an “alternative medicine” cure made from papaya extract.

The Pope, who will be 83 in May, has been transformed from a hunched figure, able to speak only with difficulty, to a more upright, relaxed and coherent man who “looks at least five years younger”, Vatican insiders say. The change is the talk of Rome.

The Pope suffers from Parkinson’s disease, which has increasingly forced him to move around on a mobile platform and hand his speeches to others to read. His left hand trembled uncontrollably and his speech was badly slurred.

But he has started to show what some describe as a “miraculous recovery”. The improvement was noticeable when he spoke to the Italian parliament for nearly an hour last November, but has accelerated in recent weeks to the point where aides and those who meet him in private audiences have been astonished by his new-found vigour. “He is a different man,” one said.

The Pope is speaking clearly and coherently, his breathing is much less laboured, he often walks unaided and his posture has straightened. His gestures are decisive and the tremor in his left hand has all but disappeared.

More at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle1119108.ece

Might want to add Coconut Oil to your Papaya!
 

Rick,

I found several links to Coconut Oil and it has some interesting properties.

Have to wait to post the links.......have not been here long enough.

I had actually bought some for cooking purposes at my local grocery and it is Certified Organic. Starting by taking a teaspoon at bedtime. If it can't hurt me, I am more than anxious to try it.

Keep us posted on your results please.

Mike

Well, it's 6:00 PM and about an hour ago I ate a can of the fruit mix. I was a little frazzled (it's a long story) with the last pill at 3:00 and the next at 6:00. My wife came back fromher supply run and the time was right for a test of sorts. I was a little tense in my muscles. About ten minutes later there was no denying that my upper body in particular was unusually relaxed. Things kind of hung looser than usual. It has been an hour and a half and the bliss has passed, but there is something there.

My next step will be to try when first out of bed.

Welcome to the group. My wife uses coconut oil and there have been some interesting discussion of it here. (Use the search function on the first page.) It is on my to-try list.

Too funny Rick. I can't say I'm surprised. :D

I've actually been trying grapefruit juice sometimes with my doses. A fresh grapefruit seems to speed up the lag time a little in a dose, but nothing spectacular.

May be a grapefruit/passion fruit cocktail (not the corn syrup kind) would be good. I don't know how good it would taste though.

Robert

Robert-
You just made me realize that I need to revisit my original post. In addition to the papaya which I locked onto, the salad contained mandarin oranges and grapefruit sections. The latter can interact with some meds and increase the amount absorbed. Could I have simply absorbed more?

Rick you are amazing! I love Papaya...in Florida it was cheap and I indulged myself with one once a week. I've checked out several sight on them and it looks promising..would like to try some of the fermented for my friend. Will report back! She has low white blood count and it appears to help that. God Bless You

my experience with eating a whole grapefruit/sinemet has not been pleasant.

Was this an aesthetic opinion?:D Just kidding, but I would like to hear more.

can't remember the exact symptoms but i made a note not to try it again. try it. :)

if it's good enough for the pope, it's good enough for me...
 

Interesting... I've just come back from a yoga retreat in the Canary Islands (Spanish islands off the Morrocan coast) where I ate fresh organic papaya and passion fruit every day for breakfast. Can't say if it helped as being in a sunny climate with lots of loving, supportive people and having lots of bodywork helped - a big contrast to my life at home.

Rick - I would eat fresh fruit rather than packaged as by the time it is processed it has lost most of its nutrients. Same goes for any other food. I never hear much talk about diet here - coming from the MS world where there are several diets that help - I find that quite odd.

i just read this:
http://www.cittadinocanadese.com/dec...MMUN%27AGE.htm

I'm desperate enough to give it a try - the only thing it'll hurt is my bank balance. just ordered some, I'll report back...

Trixiedee

I agree trixiedee...fresh food whenever possible! Especially JUST PICKED ...things start loosing nutritional value right away!

Adding Coconut Oil with Papaya?
 

Here is the LINK that I wanted to post earlier. Please read to see if it will help.

http://www.coconutoil.com/research.htm

Thanks for all who contribute to the MIX.

Mike

great humor
 

ST, I do enjoy your comments. I hope you meant this to be funny (in perhaps a sardonic way...?) but I laughed out loud nonetheless, scaring our two dogs.

wimpy dogs :)
ok, looked up my notes - keep a daily diary of meds,supps,how i'm doing, etc. and my exact note was "
ate grapefruit prior to taking CR, sick to my stomach"

it was a whole grapefruit (minus peel :) ) and i have eaten many a grapefruit prior to going on sinemet. of course it could have been something else but had no desire to try it again. might have been a false alarm and everyone is different.

grapefruit is not good with sinemet
 

I have read many places that PWP should not eat grapefruit if they are taking sinemet, why, I don't know. I've also read you should not take B vitamin supplements because it interferes with ldopa absorption, but ldopa depletes B6, I think it is, so what does one do? Perhaps supplement with B6 at night?

OT, I was logging in tonight and mis-typed my name, and it came out, I loved this: lurkingforaCURD, that D and E are so close on the keyboard, you know. I sure would hate to be lurking for curds, that's just plain nasty-sounding. Or even worse, OMG, lurkingforaTURD, the T is not that much farther away!

If one must lurk, I guess lurking for cures is way better than the alternatives out there.

**************
Just a quick note for those of us with High Blood Pressure who might be taking the older Beta Blocker, Atenolol (80 year-old dad has been on this over 20 yrs.) that has a note: Do NOT eat grapefruit while taking this medication. There is some particular property in it that reacts with certain medications.

PLEASE DO THIS FOR SAFETY'S SAKE: INFORM YOUR DRUGGIST TO GIVE THE LATEST DATED SAFETY DATA SHEET FOR ALL THE MEDS TAKEN; IT COULD VERY WELL SAVE YOUR LIFE.

Mike

grapefruit and CYP 450
 

grapefruit interferes with action of CYP 450 (cannot remember if CYP enzyme system involved in sinemet metabolism. This system is involved in many drug metabolism)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytochrome_P450

from wikipedia: The cytochrome P450 superfamily (officially abbreviated as CYP) is a large and diverse group of enzymes. The function of most CYP enzymes is to catalyze the oxidation of organic substances. The substrates of CYP enzymes include metabolic intermediates such as lipids and steroidal hormones, as well as xenobiotic substances such as drugs and other toxic chemicals. CYPs are the major enzymes involved in drug metabolism and bioactivation, accounting for ∼75% of the total metabolism.
..
Naturally occurring compounds may also induce or inhibit CYP activity. For example, bioactive compounds found in grapefruit juice and some other fruit juices, including bergamottin, dihydroxybergamottin, and paradisin-A, have been found to inhibit CYP3A4-mediated metabolism of certain medications, leading to increased bioavailability and, thus, the strong possibility of overdosing.[13] Because of this risk, avoiding grapefruit juice and fresh grapefruits entirely while on drugs is usually advised.[14

Immun'Age Follow-up
 

Trixiedee,

I read the same article in August, and have been in contact with the US representative for the manufacturer, Osata International, about this product. I was told that for PD, the recommended starting dosage is 2 to 3 packets of the powdered product two – three times per day until benefit is noted, then quantities can be reduced.

I am very interested in learning your experience from using this product as it seems from the article you cited above, as well as from other sources available on the Internet, to have the potential for a lot of benefits for PD sufferers.

So, if you tried it, I want to encourage you to share your experience.