Turmeric and White Rats
 

I have something that I would like the help of a few WRs on if possible. If it affects others as it has myself and one other Parkie then it is a big deal. ("Hallelujha! Saved again! :) )

But seriously, it has turned my butt around big time. It has led my other PWP to email me that she went shopping in her neighborhood for the first time in two months! And it has even made my non-PD wife drop a load of anxiety and depression.

I will explain why it may work in a moment, but cutting to the chase, I am talking about our old friend turmeric from which Ron Hutton's curcumin is derived. As many of you know, Ron has held up well and attributes it in large part to longtime use of curcumin. I am suggesting the whole spice turmeric because 1) there may be cofactors; 2) safety studies are more based on the spice rather than the extract; and 3) i have doubts about the absorbability of some tablets.

Six weeks ago I was in bad shape. Freezing. Legs weak. Difficulty walking. And it was getting worse. I made two changes about a month ago and turned around almost overnight. One was to change my diet to include a lot of protein and small meals ala a diabetic. The other was to change from a turmeric tablet to using the spice itself because of #3 above. I didn't expect anything dramatic from the latter. Even if the form was a factor, I was taking it as an anti-inflammatory and expected longterm results not short,

So when things turned around for me I attributed it to the dietary change improving my blood sugar. And that may still pertain but not as I would have expected. But to explain I have to first introduce the HPA and its role in PD. The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis lies at the heart of our endocrine system and, through its control of hormones, pretty much controls or influences everything. Among the things it controls is the insulin-glucose interaction - thus the thought that both my explanations might be right.

PWP have problems with stress and the HPA is stress-central. Cortisol. Adrenaline. Here's where it is ordered up and shipped out. Fight or flight. Anxiety. Depression. All right here in the HPA. When the HPA ain't happy then nobody's happy.

I had learned all that recently but it didn't really click until I came across two Chinese studies published just this year. Using mice whose HPA axis had been stressed to the point of imbalance, they tested turmeric (a Chinese traditional med) and found a suddenly cool, calm, and collected mouse.

In humans, safety studies of toxicity had found zero. So it seemed like a good bet for both my wife and myself. So we began taking two teaspoons of turmeric each day split between morning and evening. Mixed with a little yogurt and honey it goes down easily.

The effects were dramatic for my wife. Usually she would wake up already worried about the current daily crisis and occasionally would slip into depression. Also, her nerves were "frayed" and little things might trigger big reactions. Three days after she started turmeric we could no longer think it was our imagination - she was a new woman. Actually, she was definitely the same but without the stress element nor any druggo drowsiness. It was miraculous!

My own experience was that I soon regained control of my symptoms, altough I still thought it was solely the result of my diet. It has been four weeks now and I fear that dietary discipline has slipped a time or two. But without effect. That combined with my wife's case and that of my fellow Parkie have been leading me to question my original assumption.

Today clinched it. I had skipped turmeric for thirty-six hours today when my symptoms returned with a vengence, just like they were two months ago. I switched off around 1:00 PM for no apparent reason and it is only now (5:00 PM) that I am coming back on. During the last four hours I have experienced my familiar combinations: visual disturbance, brain fog, bloating, weakness in legs, freezing, tremor, etc.

I'm hoping that someone will test this and let us know if it works for them. Those of you who read my postings on the blood sugar angle know that I experienced a major turnaround of symptoms. I am now near certain that it was the turmeric not simply the diet.

If there are any takers, I suggest one teaspoon per day (within the safety zone) mixed as you wish. You can buy it at any supermarket.

I'm glad you posted this. I have been trying to figure out why Kevin seems better this summer than last summer. It goes against all we know about this degenerative disease, right? I have always used a lot (ok, a ton) of Tumeric in my cooking in fact I probably use more Tumeric than anything else. But this year, Kevin has included Tumeric capsuls. Now I know what you are saying but we were using a lot of natural tumeric prior but since including the capsuls, which bump up the dosage no doubt, we have seen improvement. We still intend to have DBS but there have been fewer or at least less dramatic "off" periods for us as well as some other more subtle improvements.

Anyway, I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out why the improvement - I think you nailed it!
Thanks!
Gayle

In case you missed it in the other thread...
 

1: Brain Res. 2006 Oct 2; [Epub ahead of print]

Curcumin reverses the effects of chronic stress on behavior, the HPA axis, BDNF
expression and phosphorylation of CREB.

Xu Y, Ku B, Tie L, Yao H, Jiang W, Ma X, Li X.

Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Science, Peking University,
38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100083, PR China.

Curcuma longa is a major constituent of the traditional Chinese medicine
Xiaoyao-san, which has been used to effectively manage stress and
depression-related disorders in China. Curcumin is the active component of
curcuma longa, and its antidepressant effects were described in our prior
studies in mouse models of behavioral despair. We hypothesized that curcumin may
also alleviate stress-induced depressive-like behaviors and
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction. Thus in present study we
assessed whether curcumin treatment (2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg, p.o.) affects behavior
in a chronic unpredictable stress model of depression in rats and examined what
its molecular targets may be. We found that subjecting animals to the chronic
stress protocol for 20days resulted in performance deficits in the shuttle-box
task and several physiological effects, such as an abnormal adrenal gland weight
to body weight (AG/B) ratio and increased thickness of the adrenal cortex as
well as elevated serum corticosterone levels and reduced glucocorticoid receptor
(GR) mRNA expression. These changes were reversed by chronic curcumin
administration (5 or 10 mg/kg, p.o.). In addition, we also found that the
chronic stress procedure induced a down-regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic
factor (BDNF) protein levels and reduced the ratio of phosphorylated cAMP
response element-binding protein (pCREB) to CREB levels (pCREB/CREB) in the
hippocampus and frontal cortex of stressed rats. Furthermore, these
stress-induced decreases in BDNF and pCREB/CREB were also blocked by chronic
curcumin administration (5 or 10 mg/kg, p.o.). These results provide compelling
evidence that the behavioral effects of curcumin in chronically stressed
animals, and by extension humans, may be related to their modulating effects on
the HPA axis and neurotrophin factor expressions.

PMID: 17022948 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Bbb
 

Don't forget that curcumin (tumeric) closes the blood/brain barrier, whilst stress opens it. Parkies have been shown to have a defective blood/brain barrier, which allows toxins into the brain. These toxins circulate harmlesly in the blodsream of a normal person.
Ron
Blood-brain barrier dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease
KL Leenders, R Kortekaas, AL Bartels, J Oostrom, A Willemsen, J Bart
S77, P257

The blood-brain barrier is defective in PD patients, according to this study. PET imaging of verapamil was used to measure activity of the P-glycoprotein system, which transports unwanted substances out of the endothelium back into the blood. Comparing five PD patients to five controls, the authors found significant differences in the brain penetration of verapamil (18% higher for PD patients, p=0.02) only in the midbrain region. All patient values were higher than all controls. The authors suggest, “A faulty BBB function on the basis of genetic predisposition might in the course of years allow toxic compounds—or compounds normally circulating in the blood but not passing the BBB—to enter the brain in certain regions and damage vulnerable cells.”

Ron, can you give the journal reference for the abstract you posted about the defective BBB in Parkinson's patients?

Bbb
 

RLSmi,
It was in a poster session, in a conference on movement disorder. See my previous thread,
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...+brain+barrier

Try
E-MOVE reports from the 9th International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders, New Orleans 5-8 March, 2005. Pages and abstract numbers are from Movement Disorders 2005;20(suppl 10).


2. Blood-brain barrier dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease
KL Leenders, R Kortekaas, AL Bartels, J Oostrom, A Willemsen, J Bart
S77, P257

Hope this helps
Ron

BBB and PD
 

RLSmi,

See Also
http://www.michaeljfox.org/research/grants.php?id=22

The other project will use PET imaging to compare the blood brain barrier of people with Parkinson's disease to those who do not have the disease. It is hypothesized that biochemical changes that occur in the blood brain barrier of people with Parkinson's could allow greater accumulation of environmental toxins in the brain. If researchers are able to quantify these changes they may be able to identify people with the disease early and to track disease progression, as well as enable the targeted development of therapies that may restore normal blood brain barrier function.
Ron

PS Rick, sorry to Hi jack your thread on this one.

Actually not a hijack at all...
 

There at least two possible explanations for this strong turnaround from turmeric. One is the HPA effect lowering cortisol and other chemistry. I lean toward this thanks to my lovely control rat, my wife. She, too, is experiencing great benefits.

The other, however, is the strong anti-inflammatory action of the golden spice. Inflammation is endemic to PD and Plays hell with both the gut wall and the BBB, thus not only allowing toxins into the brain but also more into the blood.

Either way, it is amazing.

Some interesting facts about turmeric...
 

Just to make you appreciate what an awesome substance this is:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1030071152.htm
Turmeric Prevents Experimental Rheumatoid Arthritis, Bone Loss

An ancient spice, long used in traditional Asian medicine, may hold promise for the prevention of both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, according to a recently completed study at The University of Arizona College of Medicine.
*********
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0712232338.htm
Potent Spice Works To Block Growth Of Melanoma In Lab Test

HOUSTON - Curcumin, the pungent yellow spice found in both turmeric and curry powders, blocks a key biological pathway needed for development of melanoma and other cancers, say researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
******************

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0115153317.htm
Curry And Cauliflower Could Halt Prostate Cancer

Rutgers researchers have found that the curry spice turmeric holds real potential for the treatment and prevention of prostate cancer, particularly when combined with certain vegetables.
******************

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0422224005.htm
Scientists Correct Cystic Fibrosis Defect In Mice With Turmeric Extract

TORONTO -- Scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) and Yale University School of Medicine have found that a compound in the spice turmeric corrects the cystic fibrosis defect in mice. This research is reported in the April 23, 2004 issue of the journal Science.
******************

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0919233243.htm
A Spicy Solution For Colon Cancer?

Looking for a cancer cure? Try the spice rack.
**************

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1003143643.htm
Chemical Found In Curry May Help Immune System Clear Amyloid Plaques Found In Alzheimer's Disease

UCLA/VA researchers found that curcumin -- a chemical found in curry and turmeric -- may help the immune system clear the brain of amyloid beta, which form the plaques found in Alzheimer's disease.
*******************

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1015091008.htm
Early Study Shows Spice Stunts Deadly Spread To Lungs

HOUSTON - Curcumin, the main ingredient of turmeric and the compoundthat gives curry its mustard-yellow color, inhibits metastasis to thelungs of mice with breast cancer, report researchers at The Universityof Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
******************8

I've been reading too
 

I checked both "tumeric" and "Curcumin" in my herb books and they all say it's an anti inflammatory with lots of evidence that it is anti cancer and anti arthritic. It comes highly recommended by several sources. I tried making a tofu/tumeric filling for a sandwhich last night. The only thing that made it palatable was the dill pickles I put in it.... I won't be passing that recipe on. I read somewhere to put your tsp of tumeric in some warm milk... I'll try that tonight. Anyway...I was less anxious today I did notice. So far my most palatable way to take it is in with an egg, or salmon sandwhich. Someone tell me if I start to turn yellow please!!!:eek: Also, Eating Diabetic style is definitely a good move for me. I eat my small meals throughout the day an my dyskinesia has pretty much disappeared. Now if I can just get my enegy levels up I'll be doing much better. My blood sugar has really leveled out and I only get the occasional spike when I eat something like a chocolate bar, or other sugary or fatty food.