Supplements for Parkinson's Disease?

How nutrition can help PD symptoms

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common, yet devastating, neurological condition afflicting about 1 million people, many of whom are over age 50. The incidence of PD in younger people with this disease is increasing at an alarming rate, according to the American Parkinson Disease Association.

People with Parkinson's typically experience tremor of the hands, rigidity, poor balance and mild intellectual deterioration. Despite drug therapy, it remains a progressive and incurable condition.

Although Parkinson's can occur from viral infection or exposure to environmental toxins, the causes of the majority of cases are not well understood. Scientists suspect that free-radical damage to neurons in the brain could well be one of the major causes of this disease, particularly due to the depletion of the antioxidant glutathione.

Improving the antioxidant system

Of all the nutritional strategies available, antioxidants appear to be the most promising choices to prevent or slow the progression of this condition. For prevention and addition to treatment, I recommend the following antioxidants:

* Alpha lipoic acid 50-250 mg a day in the morning, with breakfast.

* Coenzyme Q-10 (CoQ-10) 50-100 mg each morning, with breakfast.

* Fish oil. 500-1,000 mg per day, with meals.

* Ginkgo 120-160 mg (divided into three doses).

* NAC (N-acetylcysteine) 50-100 mg per day, with a B-complex, before breakfast.

* NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide H) 2.5 to 5 mg every other morning on an empty stomach.

* Selenium. 100-200 micrograms a day can be taken with any meal.

* Vitamin C 1,000-3,000 mg per day.

* Vitamin E. 400-600 IU a day, preferably of mixed tocopherols, taken with any meal.

A light at the end of the tunnel?

Now that major celebrities, like Michael J. Fox, are lending their star power to this neglected disease, innovative treatments will likely be sought after, whether treatment is diet, supplementation or sophisticated (safer). pharmaceuticals.

In the public eye: Michael J. Fox brings worldwide attention to Parkinson's

Nothing seems to educate the public more about health and medicine than when a celebrity is diagnosed with a disease. Due to Christopher Reeve's horseback riding accident, we now know about spinal cord injuries; President Reagan's diagnosis brought attention to Alzheimer's disease; even MTV's Tom Green offered an eye-opening look at testicular cancer after the documentary of his diagnosis and treatment. So it comes as no surprise that Parkinson's disease is now in the forefront of media attention, due to Michael J. Fox's announcement, and subsequent call to action, in the war against the debilitating disease that also afflicts Billy Graham, Janet Reno and Muhammad Ali.

In 1998, Fox, 39, publicly announced that he was battling Parkinson's, a disease that was generally considered to exclusively afflict the elderly.

In the May 22, 2000 issue of Newsweek, Fox shed some light on what his life has been like since leaving his hit television show "Spin City." He explained he decided to leave his job after a vacation in the Caribbean. "I'd been finding over the last few years that my symptoms were milder on vacations," he said. "Without the stress, I was having an easier time of it. In order to do the show I have to be gussied up with medication."

Fox underwent a thalamotomy--brain surgery aimed at managing the symptoms of Parkinson's disease--and also takes the drug Sinemet to control his tremors.

In a Dec. 7, 1998 interview with People magazine, Fox explained how it feels to have Parkinson's. "There's all kinds of ways you can look at it, and I happen to be really positive [...] If I was 70 years old, I wouldn't feel like it was so weird. But I know that by the time I'm 50, this will be wrapped up."

In fact, Fox has dedicated himself to Parkinson's research. In May 2000, he launched the website for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research at www.michaeljfox.org.

Ray Sahelian, M.D., is the author of the newly published Mind Boosters: A Guide to Natural Supplements That Enhance Your Mind, Memory, and Mood (St. Martin's Press, 2000). See www.raysahelian.com.

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