Parkinson's Disease

I'm a little hesitant on starting this blog, but I think it is important.  There was no one lecture on this subject, but rather I have put some pieces together to try and provide some helpful information.  I have had some interest in Parkinson's disease due to that it has effected my own family, and it continues to effect many.  The unfortunate thing is that there is plenty unknown about this disease.

Parkinson's Disease is a Neurological disease that effects the motor system of the body.  It has also been called "The Shaking Palsy" due to the most common symptom of tremors that often occurs in the arm, hand, and face.  These tremors are called "Pill Rolling" or "Resting" tremors because they occur when at rest, but often disappear while active.  Other symptoms are rigidity of the trunk and extremities.  This often results in a shuffling gait.  Early signs are often subtle and get over looked, but a progressive disease can be disabling- a slow crippling death.

The symptoms are easily recognizable, however the cause remains a mystery.  In the recent years there has been some light shed on this subject that may provide hope for those that suffer from this disease.  Parkinson's is associated with a decrease in Dopamine.  Dopamine is a hormone released by the substantia nigra of the brain that has several effects on the brain.  Dopamine effects the prefrontal cortex- saying that it helps one see their future-or to look ahead with hope and ambition.  Those that lack the effects of Dopamine in this area loses motivation and it is hard for them to see beyond that moment.  Dopamine is also used to make Norepinephrine and Epinephrine- important neurotransmitters that help the nerves fire.  Obviously a lack of Dopamine would effect the nerves dramatically.

What I would like to present is information that some recent discoveries may help in figuring out the cause of this disease and what can be done to help stop this disease from advancing.

1. Neurotoxins - In an attempt to promote better food choices, especially to provide alternate sugars, we failed to see the effects of these chemicals in these products.  Synthesized sugars such as Nutrasweet and Splenda are made from chemicals that are toxic to the brain and nerves.  The most common is Aspartame which contains Aspartic Acid which is known as a Neurotoxin.  Another name is also called Excitotoxin, which gives a better description of the effects it has on the nerves.  The end effect is to make the nerves fire excessively until they give out.  I'm not sure if they have a direct effect on the Substantia Nigra and the release of Dopamine, but there may be an indirect effect.  If there's no need for Dopamine to help the nerves fire, since the excitotoxins are doing it, then it may inhibit and suppress that part of the brain- going by the term, "If you don't use it, you lose it."
2. Lack of Extensor Stimulation-  I have recently received the importance of extensors in our body.  To help illustrate this, think of the arm.  The muscle on the front of the arm, the Bicep, is a flexor, and the muscle of the back of the arm, the Tricep, is an extensor.  When people work out, they mostly work out the Bicep,  when people sit at a desk at work or home, they often have their arm flexed to write or type, and when people drive, their arms are in a flexed position.  Our extensors are often ignored and lack stimulation.  They soon become weak, and this can have dramatic results.  This can result in Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, elbow and knee injuries, and cramps in our calfs- and possibly even Parkinson's Disease.  The Bicep and Tricep work against and with each other to keep our arm stable. It seems like an equal relationship, but as a species that depends on our extensors to stand and walk, our extensors need more stimulis.   The ratio between our extensors and flexors is really 3:1.  But as our extensors weaken, the ratio soon becomes equal.  This presents a problem.  As the flexor works, it stretches the extensor, causing it to contract, in return stretching the flexor and causing that to contract. Soon, it is a battle of the two muscles going back and forth, that starts gradual at first, but soon becomes progressive and results in the Tremor we see classically in Parkinson's disease.  How is this known?  If the extensor of the tremor part is held and stimulated, the tremor ceases, as well as if there is an active movement of this part-stimulating the extensors to perform this action- the tremor as well ceases.  The weakness of our extensors systemically is a neurological defect.  I once talked with a Chiropractor who had researched certain conditions and uttered that someone with a Frozen Shoulder is more likely to have Parkinson's disease.  At the time, it didn't make sense to me that a biomechanical dysfunction can be related to a neurological disease.  Not until now.  Frozen shoulder is a shoulder that has difficult raising the arm higher than the head, as well as having difficulty extending it back.  These are roles of the extensors.  If a Frozen Shoulder is treated, but there's nothing done to strengthen the extensors- it is clear by this logic how the symptoms of Parkinson's may manifest
3. PQQ- This last item may be the most hopeful to understanding this disease.  PQQ (Pyrroloquinolone-quinon) is a Vitamin-like substance first discovered in the 1960's, but has only recently been discovered how it effects the human body. http://www.vegsource.com/pahy/pqq---an-essential-micronutrient-that-helps-you-thrive.html. This recent research has shown that all neurological disorders show a lack of or a degradation of mitochondria in certain areas of the brain associated with that disease.  The Mitochondria is the powerhouse and energy factory of the cell.  Without Mitochondria, the cell becomes defective.  One of the major roles of PQQ is to regenerate cells, more specifically the Mitochondria. PQQ as a supplement has shown to stop the progression of Parkinson's, and even possibly reverse it.

I have enjoyed this information, as it provides great hope. First, Parkinson's was just a term I had to learn for a test, but it has become more of a reality, and hopefully soon an afterthought with a possible cure.

Malachi's First Adjustment

My son, Malachi, just turned 1 month today, and he just had his first adjustment.  To many, that sounds very early for an adjustment. To me, it was 1 month too late.  The delivery went well, without any apparent trauma or complications.  As a newborn, he showed no signs of any complications either.  Just a couple weeks ago, he gradually began to be irritable.  It became progressive each day, making it more apparent that he was not comfortable and not at all content.  He became more difficult to hold without crying let alone put down by himself, and putting him down for a nap didn't last very long.  The nights become more tiresome and sleepless.  He was even throwing up after a feeding almost once a day and soon became congested with a cold.  Not a happy camper.  We first thought it might be gas, and we bought some drops to help out, but that only made him constipated.  A couple days later, we read some nutritional ways we could help out- by staying away from certain foods that cause gas and keeping him on a more strict feeding schedule.  Those ways seem to give a slight improvement, but he still seemed irritable and so we made the appointment.

We took him in to see my teacher at school, Dr. Watts, who specializes in pediatric care.  She made some spinal adjustments and took an in depth examination and provided some cranial work.  I went in not 100% sure if it would help, but I would have been more at ease knowing he was adjusted and properly functioning.  I drove home from school, to find my son content and happy.  It was like night and day.  The congestion hasn't gone away completely, but I was able to hold him in my arms and watch him stare at me without any look of discomfort or pain.

I don't know why still keep some doubt in the back of my mind.  I guess I keep falling back to the popular phrase, Nothing "seemed" to be wrong . . . not until the crying and fussiness never ended.  He wasn't quite to the point of colicky, but it was frustrating anyway.  However, I have talked with some who have had to deal with colicky and fussy babies.  And what is the usual response to treat? Usually, it's to just wait it out and they will grow out of it.  First off, it has been mine own experience and I have heard several others, if a doctor says about a child, "They will grow out of it" just simply means, "I have no idea and I don't care" and I would run out of that office.  Especially if it is a health issue.  There is a reason why children do things . . . and what a doctor calls, "growing out of it," really is a child adjusting to a problem in which the problem hasn't gone away, but rather the child has seemed to find away around the problem in their own unique way.  If a doctor told me that Malachi was just fussy and he will "grow out of it,", Malachi would have been left untreated when obviously there was something wrong and could be treated.  I just read in the book, A Well Adjusted Baby, that chiropractic adjustments have a 94% success rate for colicky babies (And yet people are told to wait it out).

I just wanted to share this experience, since it does help illustrate a good point about health care.  Most people think of chiropractors treating older people who are ailing from sickness and bone misalignments.  The elderly need the care for sure, but we need to stop thinking about treating people with what they are ailing from, and start treating people with preventive care.  This goes to all the medical and health care world.  This starts with our children.  Health care starts from the womb, even before the baby is born.  And when the baby is born, don't you think there is trauma that occurs, even in a simple, uncomplicated birth? Oh, there is plenty and a simple birth is rare these days.  Think of all the births that have complications, c-sections, labors being induced.  Think of all the babies being pulled and yanked out.  Birth is not a pretty site, and with all that trauma, don't you think it would be beneficial to get that child functioning properly and in good alignment from the beginning?  I would hope so.

Importance of Breathing!

I once heard the phrase, "If you lose your cervical curve-you die!"

This phrase is significant in many ways.  At first, I thought it was just an expression.  The cervical, meaning your neck, keeps your head up and your eyes forward.  The vertebrae in your neck make a curve, and if that curve is lost then your head would flexed forward with your eyes down.  If your eyes are looking down, you can't see where you are going, you have lost your way, you have given up, hence- you die.

As I have thought more about this phrase, and then listened to the recent Neuro lecture, the phrase is much more literal.  We are living in a "Head Forward" society- our students sit in long classes all day long sitting with their head forward, many workers sit at desks 9-5 with their head forward, many sleep on their backs with their head on a pillow, pushing their head forward as they sleep, and there is a whole generation spending their time in head flexed position playing video games, texting on their phones, or spending hours at their computers.  Have you ever wondered why kids who text have very little social skills?  It's not because their too engaged in their activity.

As we sit all day long in a head forward position, we set off a chain reaction that can be detrimental.  When we sit with a head forward, we decrease the curve in our neck.  This position closes down our airways.  To think about this more, think of a paramedic giving air or CPR to a person.  One of the first things done is to tilt the head back to open up the airways.  A head forward position closes in on our airways, constricting the air getting to our lungs.  This does a couple things.  First, this makes our body work harder to breath.  In order to breath, our body needs to recruit other muscles usually up by the neck to help move the chest. Recruiting these muscles promotes mouth breathing, instead of breathing through our nose.  There is a giant list of conditions that occur when we breath through our mouth, most notable is sleep apnia, along with snoring, morning fatigue and cardiac dysfunction.  The other result to blocking our airways is hypoxia, or lack of oxygen.  If we are not getting enough oxygen, our breathing changes from being long and deep to short and shallow.  Our respiratory rate increases significantly.  Research has shown that a respiratory rate greater than 15 breaths/min is strongly associated with chronic illnesses.  The lack of oxygen also effects our prefrontal cortex, effecting our mental health where we begin to see problems such as stroke, ADD, ADHD, personality changes, and yes even lack of social skills- going back to our young texters.

In a society where we sit all day in a flexed forward position, we are oxygen deprived.  85% of the US population is sleep deprived, many are fatigued and struggling with several illnesses.  Where do we begin?  It all begins when we're born.  When a baby is born, especially with boys, their lungs are not fully developed and they need to learn to work and expand.  Yet, we are taught to swaddle them tightly and keep them from breathing.  Babies spent the last nine month curled up in a ball, it is necessary for them to extend and work on the curve of their neck.  Babies innately know how to develop, you often see them extend their head back.  Yet, we are told to have them sleep on their backs- where not only can they not work on their curve, but they sleep in a flexed forward position, limiting their breathing- and we wonder the existence of SIDs.  One of the best ways, especially for boys, to develop their lungs is to exercise and run.  Yet, we let our kids sit and watch TV, play games, text, and watch more TV.  These changes are up to us.  But if we don't change, then our kids won't change and we are spiraling down to an ill-centered generation.  These conditions don't happen right away, but are alarmingly becoming appearant and widespread.

A few helpful ideas would be first to see a Chiropractor.  Again, I'm not trying to sell anyone on chiropractic, but who else knows more about correcting the curve of our neck and keeping our body in good posture. Don't sleep on your back. Don't sit at a desk for long hours at a time, take breaks and walk around.  Exercise and do breathing activities (Train yourself to hold your breath longer than a minute . . or more).  Just take a deep breath . . . and relax.  We can't afford to lose our cervical curve.  We can't afford to keep our eyes down, not seeing where we need to go.  We can't afford to lose our way.  Hold your head up high!

Beginning Tri 5

School just started back up this week and this going to be an exciting Trimester.  With a full load of classes, boards to study for and take, and with a new baby this is going to be one crazy ride, but I am way excited. I don't know how this is going to be.  Last Trimester had some amazing classes full of helpful information.  This Trimester will be a lot of material, but harder to relate.  I am taking OB/GYN, which will be great to address some pediatric and pregnancy care.  I also have clinical neuro and physiotherapy.  I also plan on attending plenty of outside lectures to gain as much knowledge as I can.  I had a blast last time sharing information with you and I look forward to doing the same.  So I hope you check regularly and I will try and post as often as I can.  Enjoy