Parkinson's and Diet

According to one study, "vegetarian and vegan diets are effective in treating and preventing several chronic diseases." The adaptation of a low-fat vegan diet can substantially mitigate the impacts of type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and Parkinson's disease....... read more http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/the-evidence-for-a-vegan-diet/251498/

The possibility that vegan diets could be therapeutically beneficial in PD, by slowing the loss of surviving dopaminergic neurons, thus retarding progression of the syndrome, may merit examination. Vegan diets could also be helpful to PD patients by promoting vascular health and aiding bloodÐbrain barrier transport of L-dopa.....read more  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987700913215

The Western Diet Causes Parkinson’s Disease ....read more http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2010nl/nov/parkinsons.htm


"Studies have shown that people who use caffeine are less likely to develop Parkinson's disease, but this is one of the first studies in humans to show that caffeine can help with movement symptoms for people who already have the disease," said study author Ronald Postuma, MD, MSc, with McGill University in Montreal and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center. Postuma is also a member of the American Academy of Neurology.....read more http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120801165353.htm


2011 case study in the "International Journal of General Medicine" sought to reduce the negative side effects of the Parkinson's medication L-dopa, allowing patients to use larger, more effective doses. Researchers found that by administering a supplement containing 5-HTP, L-tyrosine and a sulfur amino acid with the L-dopa, side effects like involuntary movement, nausea and psychiatric symptoms do not occur, or are at least manageable because the supplement replaced chemicals that the L-dopa depleted or inhibited. A 2010 case study in the journal "Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology" found that supplementing with 5-HTP and L-tyrosine helped a Crohn's disease patient experience remission once the proper serotonin levels were achieved. Of course, these examples are only case studies, not treatment plans, so more research is needed before the 5-HTP/L-tyrosine combo becomes a commonplace treatment for any condition........read more  http://www.livestrong.com/article/539256-l-tyrosine-5-htp/