Loose rivets
7th Jun 2006, 21:08
I subjected my friend to a stint of aerobatics a couple of years back. His Cessna Aerobat would only just fit us two sizable grand-dads, but we had a blast. He had worked hard for his company and his toys. However, I just wondered why he seemed to walk so slowly to the hanger. This was a man that used to cycle miles before starting work in the early hours, and the weights in his office, I couldn't have lifted had my life depended on it.
The friend was in the early stages of a serious illness, and shortly after handed in his medical when the denial phase had passed and seeking alternative reasons for the tremor in his left hand had drawn a blank.
Some of the best professional opinions concurred, it was Parkinson's.
He had got to the stage of one hand being useless, and having trouble now using the right hand.
The drugs left him depleted by halfway through the day, despite taking the very minimum that his specialist would accept. He is able to interpret the science and knew that the more substitute dopamine that he took, the more the natural production would decline.
He was at the stage of putting his affairs in order and handing over the running of his company. But then came the miracle. Perhaps it was one of those spontaneous remissions that happen in some illnesses, but not often I'm told, in well established Parkinson's. I don't have the data on this BTW
The previous conversation mentioned one drug was down to 50% and he was hoping to dispense with it altogether. Regaining his medical was mentioned.
This all came about because he had read that there was a very low incidence rate of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in countries like India, and the use of spices like Curcumin was thought to, in simplistic terms, "reduce the ‘plaque' that bound the affected brain cells." It was even supposed to have a remedial effect on existing affected areas. I assume that the degeneration of midbrain dopamine neurons could be caused by the same process as Alzheimer's, but I don't know. However in these eastern countries, it is still a rare occurrence. All because they eat curries? It seemed impossible that this would have gone un noticed for so long.
Here is his long awaited text, it was written to a forum or magazine. Surprisingly, it received very little response.
"After delaying four months, mostly out of expectation that my
experience was transitory, reading Dr. Howell's message to Kathyrnne in Tuesday's
forum has encouraged me to write.
I was diagnosed with tremor dominant Parkinson's four years ago and had
the diagnosis confirmed by several noted specialists, including Dr.
Jankovic at Baylor Medical Center and Dr. Manyam at Scott and White. I
have been under the care of an Austin, Texas MDS for approximately the
past year. My prescription medications: Mirapex, 1mg x 4 daily,
provigil,
and amantadine. I take several supplements daily, including 2400 mg
CoQ10.
My disease progressed and my tremor became much worse; after
approximately two years I began to experience a slight tremor in my right hand, much
as the one in my left hand had begun. I gave up trying to play the piano
because my left hand was sluggish and unresponsive. Riding my bicycle
became a frustration because my left leg could not keep up with my
right leg. I experienced other symptoms, especially the phenomenal 'panic
attack,' which really does not quite describe the feeling. Like most
of us, I have known panic and though this is similar, it is not the same.
I degenerated to the point that turning over in bed seemed to cause me to
shudder throughout, and I developed mild gait and stability symptoms.
I was aware of epidemiological studies of populations correlating
dietary curry and the incidence per capita of Alzheimer's and I read Dr.
Howell's narration describing the effect he believed curcumin had on his
condition.
I decided to augment my supplement regimen with 500 mg three times
daily. Within three days, my tremor, for all practical purposes ceased. I say
for all practical purposes because there are still days when I feel a
slight quivering in my left hand, a finger twitches a little, or I
simply feel jittery. I can sign my name again-not with a flourish, but do a
passable facsimile; my right hand no longer tremors and I can work with
my tools again. After taking curcumin for several weeks, I visited my
internist, who was well acquainted with my symptoms; when he asked how
I was doing and I responded "fine, my tremor is much better" he was
dumfounded. In the past four months, I have eliminated 75% of the
Mirapex from my regimen and I am in the process of eliminating that last
milligram.
Like Dr. Howell, I do not know what to say about my apparent
improvement. Maybe I don't have Parkinson's and my symptoms are psychogenic. Or,
perhaps curcumin is a cogent placebo, though I don't think so because
I've tried many things with expectations of improvement and been
disappointed.
Until my left hand began to tremor, I lived sixty years without any
significant health issues, exercised regularly and nourished and
nurtured my body carefully, only used prescriptions when absolutely necessary
and never spent a day in a hospital with an illness. Mirapex, amantadine
and curcumin are the only drugs/supplement I can say with a degree of
certainty have had an effect on my symptoms, and the curcumin, for
whatever reason, is the only one that coincides with the most dramatic
change in my condition. Incidentally, I have increased the dosage to
500 mg 5 times daily as I reduced my Mirapex. I am not saying I am cured,
I am not, but I am, for whatever reason, much, much better than I ever
expected to be again. That's it, for whatever it's worth, and to Dr.
Howell, thank you; you probably shouldn't give up your curcumin.
Best Regards, XXXXXXX
The friend was in the early stages of a serious illness, and shortly after handed in his medical when the denial phase had passed and seeking alternative reasons for the tremor in his left hand had drawn a blank.
Some of the best professional opinions concurred, it was Parkinson's.
He had got to the stage of one hand being useless, and having trouble now using the right hand.
The drugs left him depleted by halfway through the day, despite taking the very minimum that his specialist would accept. He is able to interpret the science and knew that the more substitute dopamine that he took, the more the natural production would decline.
He was at the stage of putting his affairs in order and handing over the running of his company. But then came the miracle. Perhaps it was one of those spontaneous remissions that happen in some illnesses, but not often I'm told, in well established Parkinson's. I don't have the data on this BTW
The previous conversation mentioned one drug was down to 50% and he was hoping to dispense with it altogether. Regaining his medical was mentioned.
This all came about because he had read that there was a very low incidence rate of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in countries like India, and the use of spices like Curcumin was thought to, in simplistic terms, "reduce the ‘plaque' that bound the affected brain cells." It was even supposed to have a remedial effect on existing affected areas. I assume that the degeneration of midbrain dopamine neurons could be caused by the same process as Alzheimer's, but I don't know. However in these eastern countries, it is still a rare occurrence. All because they eat curries? It seemed impossible that this would have gone un noticed for so long.
Here is his long awaited text, it was written to a forum or magazine. Surprisingly, it received very little response.
"After delaying four months, mostly out of expectation that my
experience was transitory, reading Dr. Howell's message to Kathyrnne in Tuesday's
forum has encouraged me to write.
I was diagnosed with tremor dominant Parkinson's four years ago and had
the diagnosis confirmed by several noted specialists, including Dr.
Jankovic at Baylor Medical Center and Dr. Manyam at Scott and White. I
have been under the care of an Austin, Texas MDS for approximately the
past year. My prescription medications: Mirapex, 1mg x 4 daily,
provigil,
and amantadine. I take several supplements daily, including 2400 mg
CoQ10.
My disease progressed and my tremor became much worse; after
approximately two years I began to experience a slight tremor in my right hand, much
as the one in my left hand had begun. I gave up trying to play the piano
because my left hand was sluggish and unresponsive. Riding my bicycle
became a frustration because my left leg could not keep up with my
right leg. I experienced other symptoms, especially the phenomenal 'panic
attack,' which really does not quite describe the feeling. Like most
of us, I have known panic and though this is similar, it is not the same.
I degenerated to the point that turning over in bed seemed to cause me to
shudder throughout, and I developed mild gait and stability symptoms.
I was aware of epidemiological studies of populations correlating
dietary curry and the incidence per capita of Alzheimer's and I read Dr.
Howell's narration describing the effect he believed curcumin had on his
condition.
I decided to augment my supplement regimen with 500 mg three times
daily. Within three days, my tremor, for all practical purposes ceased. I say
for all practical purposes because there are still days when I feel a
slight quivering in my left hand, a finger twitches a little, or I
simply feel jittery. I can sign my name again-not with a flourish, but do a
passable facsimile; my right hand no longer tremors and I can work with
my tools again. After taking curcumin for several weeks, I visited my
internist, who was well acquainted with my symptoms; when he asked how
I was doing and I responded "fine, my tremor is much better" he was
dumfounded. In the past four months, I have eliminated 75% of the
Mirapex from my regimen and I am in the process of eliminating that last
milligram.
Like Dr. Howell, I do not know what to say about my apparent
improvement. Maybe I don't have Parkinson's and my symptoms are psychogenic. Or,
perhaps curcumin is a cogent placebo, though I don't think so because
I've tried many things with expectations of improvement and been
disappointed.
Until my left hand began to tremor, I lived sixty years without any
significant health issues, exercised regularly and nourished and
nurtured my body carefully, only used prescriptions when absolutely necessary
and never spent a day in a hospital with an illness. Mirapex, amantadine
and curcumin are the only drugs/supplement I can say with a degree of
certainty have had an effect on my symptoms, and the curcumin, for
whatever reason, is the only one that coincides with the most dramatic
change in my condition. Incidentally, I have increased the dosage to
500 mg 5 times daily as I reduced my Mirapex. I am not saying I am cured,
I am not, but I am, for whatever reason, much, much better than I ever
expected to be again. That's it, for whatever it's worth, and to Dr.
Howell, thank you; you probably shouldn't give up your curcumin.
Best Regards, XXXXXXX