On Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Diseases

The blogger’s note: Two interesting short emails in respect of Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease were recently received and reproduced herewith to share with readers of this blog for knowledge.

On Mon, Feb 24, 2014 at 7:57 PM, david chen wrote:

Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement.

It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in one hand.

.

Parkinson’s disease symptoms include muscle rigidity, tremors, and changes in speech and gait.

.

Although Parkinson's disease cannot be cured, there are a number of treatments available to manage the symptoms.

One of the procedures is Deep Brain Stimulation surgery.

Andrew Johnson of Auckland, New Zealand was diagnosed with Early Onset Parkinson's Disease in 2009 when he was 35 years old. In November 2012 and February 2013 he underwent Deep Brain Stimulation surgery, to help control his motor symptoms. This has been hugely beneficial to his quality of life. He is the author of a blog

youngandshaky.com which he created to raise awareness of the effects of Parkinson's Disease. The following link is a video which shows his experience of how Deep Brain Stimulation has helped him.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBh2LxTW0s0

The blogger’s most-learned e-buddy Dr. JB Lim comments as follows:

Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2014 19:02:30 +0800

From: limjuboo

Thanks.

According to my Singapore nephew, Professor Dr Ong Wei Yi who is a Professor of Neuro-Science at the National University Hospital of the National University of Singapore, he told me on the 1st January 2014 when I was in Singapore to play my violin at our Musical Evening of Family Concert, the best way to treat Alzheimer Disease (not Parkinson's Disease) is to give the patient fish oil containing omega-3 fatty acids called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). But I am not clear the dosage to be given. You need to consult my nephew on this.

But as a nutritionist, I would also add

nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils to the diet, because nuts are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). This will be converted to DHA and EPA in the body but at a slower pace of turnover. A diet rich in these dramatically reduces the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's.

.

I would also add Gingko biloba 40 mg tds (3 times a day), Centella asiatica (pegaga or Indian Pennywort), and Korean ginseng (take care with ginseng if you are hypertensive) to augment the management of Alzheimer's Disease. Take care also with Gingko if you have bleeding disorders, on anti-coagulants, or a week before surgery including tooth extraction. 

.

Pakinson's is an entirely different disease due to dopamine deficiency, and we shall not talk about this lengthy subject here.

None of these two degenerative diseases of the brain can be cured by conventional medicine. Many approaches have been studied and tried, but none offered a permanent solution.

jb lim