Tag: Parkinson’s

Can Constipation Make You Crazy?

November 20, 2019November 22, 2019

“Many neurologic and psychiatric disorders are associated with constipation,” noticed a neurology department in Copenhagen, Denmark, in a paper published in the Journal of Neurology and Neuropsychiatry.

Funnily enough, I have noticed the same thing in my own clinic.

In fact, in my experience, dysfunctional bowels seem to accompany almost every neurologic and psychiatric issue as well as most-if-not-all autoimmune disorders.

But I have to disagree when the authors of the study conclude: “The physiology of the gut and the pathophysiology of constipation is very complex, and as the bowel function is mostly autonomic, the possibilities of specific treatment are limited.”

The secret to treating constipation is to look at is as a sign of inflammation rather than a deficiency in water, fiber, exercise, or laxatives.

Constipation or diarrhea, or both alternating… These are the signs of inflammation in the gut.

Non-injury-related inflammation can be correlated with white blood cell activity. White blood cells carry the inflammatory response through the bloodstream, making inflammation a system-wide condition. This means that inflammation levels in the gut correlate to inflammation levels in the brain.

Inflammation in the brain can alter moods, emotions, or behaviors. It can damage the myelin sheaths surrounding the nerves in the brain, as in Multiple Sclerosis. It can interfere with senses such as vision (optic neuritis), or thought processes (psychosis), or motor functions (Parkinson’s Disease). Constipation is a symptom of inflammation.

In fact, the connection to Parkinson’s Disease was seen from the beginning. “James Parkinson recognised gastrointestinal features in his original monograph published in 1817.”

It’s inflammation.

That’s why my Inflammation Influence protocols work not only to right a wayward bowel, but also improve neurologic and psychiatric issues as a welcome side effect.

Interested in seeing if you are a good candidate for finally taking control over your chronic constipation and/or diarrhea? Grab a complimentary naturopathic health assessment today and get ready to start enjoying more regular bowels!

New Discovery: Every Neurological Disease Has an Immune Component

October 11, 2019

Newly discovered vessels in the brain connect directly to the immune system, says a research study by the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine.

This pathway was previously not thought to exist and could have a major impact on how to address neurological dysfunction. Numerous neurological disorders present with signs of inflammation and accumulated waste in the brain.

“They’ll have to change the textbooks. There has never been a lymphatic system for the central nervous system…,” says lead researcher Jonathan Kipnis, PhD, professor of the UVA Department of Neuroscience and director of UVA’s Center for Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG). “It will fundamentally change the way people look at the central nervous system’s relationship with the immune system.”

The immune system is responsible for creating inflammation in the body. I have long believed that neurologic issues are related to inflammation, including Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s, autoimmune issues like M.S., and even depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.

In my clinic we work to reduce inflammation naturally in order to allow the body to heal and function effectively. We see dramatic improvements in neurologic function simply by identifying and removing personal inflammatory triggers.

Do you wonder if your condition might improve by reducing inflammation in your brain? Book a complimentary, risk-free, no-commitment Natural Health Assessment here and find out if you can free yourself of inflammation and feel better quickly!

How to Treat Dementia? Fix the Gut.

June 8, 2019June 8, 2019

It may not seem logical to use dietary therapies to treat Parkinson’s Disease, but it should be our first course of action when a loved one begins to exhibit signs of dementia. The key is to realize that inflammation is behind most if not all symptoms.

New research into treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia are focused on addressing the immune system in a departure from the current theories of targeting amyloid plaque build-up. The immune system controls the amount of inflammation in our bodies.

Brain function is intrinsically connected to gut function. Heal the gut to heal the brain.

“The immune system is an important component of Alzheimer’s disease, as we’re beginning to appreciate,” says Philip L. De Jager, chief of neuroimmunology at Columbia University in New York. “We’re still very early in understanding it [in] this context.”

Researchers are finally acknowledging that every aspect of our health is rooted in our immune systems. Naturopaths like myself understand that the body is a holistic entity and disease symptoms are indications of deeper issues affecting the immune system. Therefore, it’s not the symptoms themselves that we should address, but instead we should look at how we can support and strengthen the immune system by removing inflammatory triggers and waste products while delivering nourishment to the cells.

How does this connect to the gut? At least 80% of our immune system is based in the gut and the vagus nerve transmits signals from the gut to the brain in a one-way stream. An overworked immune system is weakened from maintaining chronic inflammation, and that inflammation occurs everywhere the bloodstream runs. Inflammation in the brain impairs brain activities such as memory, logic, clarity, and cognition.

“What was clear from the human genetics is that insufficient activity of the immune system is allowing the disease (Alzheimer’s) to develop,”Arnon Rosenthal, a neuroscientist and co-founder and CEO of Alector says.

What Dr. Rosenthal terms “insufficient activity” I would call “overactivity”. The immune system is so distracted by addressing the constant/chronic inflammatory triggers that it doesn’t have the resources to be fully functional in normal ways.

What can distract the immune system in this way and cause chronic inflammatory conditions?

Unidentified food and chemical sensitivities.
Digestive dysfunction.
Hidden parasitic infection.
Molds or fungus.
Bacterial or viral infection.

In my clinic we use sophisticated blood and urine testing to identify hidden triggers of inflammation and help people reduce the inflammation in their bodies naturally. John L. successfully implemented targeted dietary changes after receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease and was able to regain the ability to write legibly and think clearly within weeks. Today, more than five years later, he has been so successful in avoiding inflammation that his doctors are questioning the validity of the initial diagnosis.

You can do it, too! Get started today with my free Anti-Inflammatory Kickstarter Course (coming soon)! Contact me for a free initial phone consultation to see if you could improve your health and wellbeing from removing inflammation from your body.

While I’m excited to see that the mainstream scientific and medical community is beginning to look at the immune system as a target for treating dementia, they are still focused on pharmaceutical treatments designed to alter how the immune system expresses itself. Wouldn’t you rather heal naturally simply by reducing the inflammation in your body?

After all: no inflammation = no symptoms. If you didn’t have any symptoms, would you still be sick?

Does Parkinson’s Disease Start in the Gut?

July 20, 2015July 20, 2015

A fascinating study funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research looks at the microbiome (the population of bacteria in the human gut) in people who have Parkinson’s Disease. Lo’ and behold: research is showing a link between gut function and Parkinson’s Disease.

What you eat and how you digest affects the way your brain works.

Who would’ve thought there could be a connection between your bowels and the degenerative, capricious symptoms of Parkinson’s?

Notice that the study found that gut dysfunction usually predated disease onset? “Nearly 80 percent of people with PD have constipation, and this condition often predates the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s by several years.”

In my own practice I also see that gut dysfunction (constipation, diarrhea, acid reflux, bloating, etc.) not only accompanies but usually predates almost every autoimmune disease and/or chronic condition.

Fix the gut and often disease symptoms improve or even disappear no matter what the disease.

Contact me to schedule a free initial phone consultation on how to fix your gut.

Natural Underarm Deoderant

June 29, 2009

One of the bloggers from 5280 Magazine recently posted about how her aluminum-based antiperspirant/deoderant is leaving ugly yellow stains in the armpits of her white shirts. While her biggest complaint was that these stains were ruining her clothes, my concern centers around the aluminum in her deoderant.

Aluminum is a heavy metal that is bioaccumulative, that means that once it enters your body most of it doesn’t leave (except through breast milk, scarily enough). Accumulation of aluminum builds up over a lifetime and can cause neuro-degeneration, along with other problems. So far, aluminum toxicity has been linked to Parkinson‘s, Alzheimer‘s, and — particularly from antiperspirant/deoderant use — breast cancer.

For years I have been searching for a viable alternative to aluminum-based deoderants and antiperspirants to use in our sweat-phobic culture. For a while I used the Crystal Body Deodorant, which you wet and apply to your armpits, but I was never very satisfied with how it stopped sweat or managed odors.

For a few months I tried Tom’s of Maine Natural Long-Lasting Deodorant, the Lemongrass scent, but didn’t like the way it interacted with my body’s chemistry, mostly it made my sweat acrid smelling. Yuck! (I really like Tom’s of Maine Natural Care Toothpaste, though!)

Then I stumbled across this video from down under on Youtube by HighOnHealth about using “soda bicarbonate” as a deoderant. I thought I’d give it a try and spent several hours scouring several grocery stores before realizing that we call it “baking soda” in America. Since more than one grocery worker sent me to the soda pop aisle to find “bicarbonate soda,” I don’t feel all that foolish. Well, kinda.

Anyway, I’ve been using it for a couple weeks now and have to say that I really like it. I definitely seem to sweat less, and due to the anti-bacterial properties of baking soda, I seem to be odor-free. Watch the video and she’ll give you a step-by-step demonstration of how to use baking soda as a natural underarm deoderant.

I confess, I’m hooked. Let me know if you try it, or if you have other solutions/suggestions for natural sweat control!

Tag: Parkinson’s

Can Constipation Make You Crazy?

New Discovery: Every Neurological Disease Has an Immune Component

How to Treat Dementia? Fix the Gut.

Does Parkinson’s Disease Start in the Gut?

Natural Underarm Deoderant

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