The Dirty Secret

Today I've finally decided to discuss a dirty little secret, or not so secret as the case may be: constipation. I've been intending to write this article for some time, but it has been slow in coming. (See what I did there?)

A lot of people have this problem, but Parkinson's patients tend to be overly afflicted by it. I used to be and have a few solutions to tell you about how to deal effectively with this problem, whether or not it is due to Parkinson's.

I'm going to first discuss the basic problem, then am going to discuss the following potential solutions: The process, Diet, Supplements, Exercise, Medications, and DBS.

The Problem

One of the more common "non-motor" symptom of Parkinson's disease is constipation. I put "non-motor" in quotes, because the reality is it is a motor system even though people don't think of it in that way. Your large colon is a muscle that pushes your solid waste down and out. But, being an automatic process that we usually don't think about, we don't tend to classify it as a motor symptom. But in reality, there are motor issues at play here that Parkinson's can affect.

But it isn't merely a motor issue either. Many Parkinson's patients are missing key bacteria in their gut that help to digest food. This can result in hardened stools. Getting the gut back in shape is one key component of dealing with PD constipation.

I've also read that PD can affect the smoothness and dryness of the colon wall. This will make it harder to move stools through the colon. I recall feeling that problem as well.

The Process

Most people who have constipation push with all their might to get it out. I've since discovered that this is counterproductive. Sure, it works sometimes, but it can cause worse and worse constipation as well.

Before I knew that bit of info, I would strain to push it out. My all-time record of sitting on the toilet and trying to get it out was a little over three hours. It was grueling. I was literally crying by the time it was over with in one big explosion. That was after cramming suppositories up there and all that. I feared at the time I would end up in the emergency room because I couldn't get it to budge, no matter how hard or how many times I pushed.

The problem with pushing hard is twofold. One, it puts stress on your internal organs. That can cause its own set of problems. Problems you don't want. Two, it can pack the stool into your colon in such  a way as to exacerbate the problem.

The best process I've found is to: First, let your natural colon process take over and expel it on its own schedule. This is by far the best method and can make for the least stress on the body.

Second, if it needs a little help to get going, like when you feel the need to go, but it stops short of coming out, some moderate pushing is in order. What I've found works best is breathing deep with your stomach. That produces a natural shove and nudge of the stool. If you feel it is necessary, you can provide a moderate push at the deepest part of the breath. Nothing that will turn your face red type of pushing, just use as much as it may require.

Third, if it still doesn't come out, don't push with all your might. Sit there continuing to do deep breaths until you either expel the stool, or you are forced to give up and try again later. Whatever you do, don't push excessively in a straining manner as that will make it worse in most cases and you'll run the risk of damaging internal organs.

If after three attempts like this, it still won't come out, consider going to see a doctor.

The Diet

Your diet plays a large part in what kind of gut bacteria you have. The types of bacteria you have in your gut are largely dependent upon what you feed them. So if you eat processed foods, the bacteria you'll tend to end up with are largely those that help breakdown sugar and fats. If you eat fiber rich foods, however, your gut will grow bacteria to process those types of nutrients.

It should go without saying if you eat a lot of fat and sugar heavy types of food, like meat, cheese, eggs, most processed foods, etc., that your constipation will get worse, not better. Take cheese, for instance, It is mostly a concentrated lump of fat. Around 90% saturated fat. I know from experience when I've eaten too much cheese in the past that I've had constipation problems. That was before I had PD. All that fat can gum up the works in your colon, especially if you are already prone to constipation by PD.

The type of diet that works best at reducing constipation is one that is starch and fiber rich. That means lots of bread, vegetables, fruit, and legumes of various types and forms. If you need to eat meat or meat products, and processed foods, serve them in very small portions and only occasionally. But it is best to eliminate them altogether. The more problems you have with constipation, the more strict you need to be with eliminating those foods. A plant-based diet will do more to correct your gut bacteria than most any other method.

Additionally, it is a good idea to stay hydrated. I usually drink plenty of water and other liquids each day. I tend to always have a water bottle full of water close by.

You can gauge how well you are doing based on the frequency of your bowel movements. Healthy individuals will have around one bowel movement a day. If you go two or three days without one, know that you are building up to a constipation episode and take preventative measures as soon as possible.

Supplements

"But Rick, what about fiber supplements?"

Yes, they do help. When I had constipation on a regular basis, they were one part of my routine to help stave off that problem. All by themselves, they didn't do the trick, but they helped. Now I take them more for the B12 they contain than for the fiber. At any rate, if you can get your fiber from whole foods like I've listed above, you are far better off and will not need fiber supplements. That said, even if you are getting plenty of fiber from your diet, it won't hurt to add more from a supplement.

However, the most effective supplement I ever took for this problem was Magnesium. I took around 500 mg a day, which appeared to keep my stools soft enough. The only time I needed more fire power was when I was on Amatadine because that medication had the side effect of more constipation added on top of PD. However, magnesium was my primary supplement to fight against constipation. Also, it had the added benefit of helping my nervous system operate at peak performance.

The times I had the worst constipation was the days I forgot to take my magnesium for the day. There may be other supplements that work for other people, but those are the two that worked best for me.

Exercise

"Aw, do I have ta?"

Yep, if you want to address the cause rather than just the symptoms. The colon, as I mentioned above, is a muscle. PD affects muscles, and it can affect the colon. It can interrupt the smooth movement downward of a stool. As PD progresses, it makes your muscles weaker due to the tremors and any dystonia affecting the muscle. The solution to this is exercising those muscles.

This was dramatically brought home to me back in 2015. In 2014, during our trip to Hattiesburg, MS from our home (at that time) in Marble Falls, TX, I was constantly stopping to use the bathroom. My bladder muscles had grown weak enough by that point that I frequently had a hard time holding it in. I had many close calls on that trip, and at least one or two misses. My need arose without warning and usually left me little time to find a restroom.

In Feb. of 2015, I had started to exercise regularly at the YMCA doing Zumba and Pilates. By the next fall when we left for Hattisburg, I had little problem and could go for quite a while before needing the bathroom. The reason? Mostly due to Pilates, because it works the core muscles. They got stronger, and therefore my bladder had more control. As a matter of fact, several of my muscles grew stronger during that period. I had several of my symptoms reversed because of it.

"But Rick, that's dealing with the bladder, not the colon."

Yes, but they are in the same area. It was harder to gauge the constipation. However, it was in 2014 I sat on the toilet for over three hours. I never had that bad of constipation since I've started exercising regularly, even when I took Amantadine. I know that it has been one of the things that has helped my constipation issues.

Medications

There are over-the-counter and prescription medications that one can use. The problem is that they can have side-effects and complications with other medications you may be taking. Be sure to check contradictions with other medications before taking even over-the-counter medications. By far, the best methods are the above ones, but in some cases that will not be enough and you may need more powerful methods. It is a good idea to check with your doctor before taking any additional medications, even over-the-counter ones. I personally have no experience with those, as I've never had need to use them.

DBS

DBS, or Deep Brain Stimulation, can help with constipation. It generally doesn't help non-motor symptoms, but as I've indicated above, the colon is a muscle that can be affected by PD, so there is some motor issues involved, even though there are also non-motor issues. All I know is currently, over the past year since my DBS surgery, I've had near zero problem with constipation. I am also doing the plant-based diet, so I know I'm getting plenty of fiber, but I no longer take magnesium and my stools and frequency of bowel movements are quite normal.

Now, am I saying get DBS to solve your constipation problems? No, there are other ways to deal with it. However, it could be one consideration in whether to get DBS or not. And I'm not saying for sure that it will solve it for you. It depends on why you are constipated and whether DBS will affect that or not. However, if it does affect it, it is one potential side-benefit of getting DBS.

That has been my experience with constipation to date. I'm sure as this disease progresses, I will deal with it again. But for now, I've conquered it using the above methods. Maybe it will help you too.

My Recent Findings and a Move.

I wanted to give a quick update on my last post. Yes, I've definitively noticed a difference on my symptoms as per the plant-based diet. How, you may ask?

Simply, I've cheated on occasion, as I indicated in my original statement I would. That is, on special occasions, I would eat meat and the like. I recently had one such special occasion, my birthday! July 16th is my birthday, and we celebrated by going to Chili's. I had one of my favorites, baby back ribs.

The following days, I could tell a difference. My right hand can have breakthrough tremors on occasion. I had noticed previously that I could hold  a pencil or whatever in my right hand without any tremors, which is a new progress. Until I went on plant-based eating, I couldn't do that without some tremors breaking through the DBS. But the more I've been on a plant-based diet, the better I'm able to keep that hand from trembling when I'm holding something.

But after the Chili's feast, my right hand would tremor if I held anything. The worst is when I attempt to hold a cup of liquid. It will get sloshed out and create a mess in fairly short order.

So yeah, I'm going to stick to a plant-based diet for the foreseeable future. All the scientific evidence to avoid all diseases like heart and cancer are to do a plant-based diet. Having Parkinson's is enough. I don't need heart disease and cancer to be added to the mix of stuff I and my wife need to deal with.

So I've finally found the diet that will help with my symptoms. Yay!

I recently met with my Movement Disorder Specialist. We discussed a few things, but overall I'm doing great with my DBS. Still no medications required. I feel blessed to have this procedure and am glad every day that I have near zero symptoms and can do the things i used to do, like write. Which I've been doing quite a bit of lately, save for the last couple of weeks. Which leads me to the next thing I need to talk about.

I wanted to let you know why it may be a while before I can get another update out. We are moving! To Denver, CO area, no less. What has prompted this move?

I'll be honest. It wasn't because I wanted to move. I've come along somewhat reluctantly, especially at first. That is mainly for two reasons. One, it is obviously much colder there for much longer than it is here in Central Texas. While I've lived in colder climates before, I didn't necessarily enjoy it. There are, if I'm being honest, some things I enjoy about snow and cold. But overall, if I had to chose, I'd take the heat of Texas over the cold of Colorado any day.

Yep, that's even including the high temps here of late being around 109 degrees. I was much more miserable this past Christmas running around in the teens of Colorado than I was in the 109 heat of Texas.

Now, if I hadn't had DBS, this would be a no-brainer. Cold weather makes my tremors go crazy. While I was cold this past Christmas, I didn't have the same problems that I'd had before when my symptoms. So I know that for the time being, the "cold doesn't bother me anyway," at least as far as my tremors go. Still, that means at some point when the DBS is no longer effective at keeping my symptoms at bay, it will mean moving back to a warmer climate if I'm to be reasonably comfortable. I'm willing to cross that bridge when I come to it.

Two, financially, I feel we are doing better now than in times past. In large part to my being able to do window work. I've done well enough to catch up on my mortgage payments while also paying off a debt I owe. I have a couple of houses scheduled next couple of weeks that will amount to around 1000 dollars. That's on top of what my wife makes cleaning houses, which also continues to grow. I feel like it is crazy for us to drop all this and start over in a new place. I won't have my wife's clients to get window work from. I'll be starting my window cleaning business from square one in Denver, giving up the good progress I've made in the last 6 months of doing this.

Still, we've worked it out financially. Lenita is going to finally get involved in her passion, which is taking care of kids. To start out, in Colorado, you can legally have 4 kids to watch without a license. She will watch two of our grandkids starting out. This will allow our daughter to get her interior design career started. She figured she could afford paying for an apartment for us easier than to put her two kids in daycare. So once she has a job, she'll be able to pay for us to have a place to stay. That means she can watch two other kids for around 1000 each a month. Along with my disability payment that will result in a little over 3000 dollars we will have at a minimum. I've calculated that the bills we'll have there will barely fit into that income. As I work on getting my window cleaning business going in Denver, that will be gravy on the top to give us some extra spending money.

I know there are some questions left in the above picture. Like, what happens if my daughter doesn't get a job very quickly. We'll be staying with them initially, until that happens. There are considerations to take into account if that gets extended too long, And a lot is riding on whether Lenita can get another couple of kids to watch and how quickly that will happen. Otherwise, we could end up figuring out how to live on my 1200 a month disability payment. Also a lot depends on how quickly I can get window jobs to increase our income.

So we've worked out the financial side of it, though it all depends upon how quickly my daughter can get a job, how quickly my wife can get a couple of extra kids to watch, and how quickly my window cleaning business takes off there. Still, it seems a bit crazy for us to dump what we've worked so hard for, right when we'd be making the extra money we'd need to be more financially secure.

But if there is one thing I've learned, is that a happy wife can lead to a happy life. And my poor wife cannot continue to do the housecleaning work she's been doing for these past 18 years. She generally cleans around 3 to 7 houses a day. Yes, she doesn't do them all herself, but that is where our company has grown to, and she is doing the bulk of the houses herself, putting in long, hard and grueling 8 hour-plus days, cleaning 3 to 4 houses a day herself along with her crew. She frequently takes pain medication just to survive the day. She can't keep that up forever.

So, I want her to retire from her cleaning business, and this seems the best prospect for doing that. She wants to start her own daycare in Colorado. More power to her!  It is for this reason, and yes, we'll be closer to our grandchildren and she'll see them nearly every day, that we decided to do this. We pray it will all work out financially. We are trusting God to help us.

But there are some positive feelings I have about this venture. One, I've always wanted to live in Colorado at some point. Mainly, "Mountains, Gandlolf!" I loved the time I was in Colorado Springs at a mountain retreat, and climbed a couple of mountains. One I climbed around 5 am, to watch the sun rise over the range as I sang hymns to God. That was a very impressive experience in my life. I've been drawn to the mountains ever since.

Two, there appears to be a vibrant Parkinson's community. The University of Colorado has the biggest DBS centers in the country. There will be plenty of support and help there from knowledgeable people.

Three, one of the reasons my daughter and son-in-law moved there was because it was listed as one of the best states for autism support. Being their older son has autism, that was a big draw for them. Likewise for us.  While Texas isn't ranked as one of the worst, it is far from the best. Our oldest son, Nathaniel, has autism as well. We are hoping where the resources haven't been adequate in helping him become independent, Colorado will help. It certainly seems to have more resources there for him.

So for the above reasons, I'm willing to live with some financial uncertainty and the cold weather. It will be for us another venture in which we trust God to make a way for us. It will certainly be an adventure.

However, what this means for this blog is that it may be a while before I post another update. Depends on a lot of factors as to when that happens. Our current plan is if the house sells quickly (a lot depends on that) then we'll leave sometime between 9/15 and 10/1. Otherwise, I'll post new information when I have new information to post and when I have the time to do so.

Until then, pray for us if your the praying type. If your not, then whatever well-wishing you want to send our way will be appreciated. I thank each one of you for your support.

Plant-Based Diet, All the Way!

My last post centered around how I would go on a plant-based diet to see how it might help my symptoms. After doing some more research, I know that I'm on the right track. Even if it doesn't help my Parkinson's symptoms, it will certainly be a more healthy way of eating.

There are many in our society who believe that a healthy diet includes some form of meat. Indeed, my wife often said, "Where's the meat in this meal?" If you look at the FDA food recommendations, they all suggest that eating meat is a healthy thing to do. We've been convinced, primarily by our culture, spurred on by the meat and dairy lobbies, that eating meat is an essential and necessary part of our diet.

But is it really?

Now, I've heard people say in response to my pronouncement that I'm going plant based, something along the lines of "I could never give up meat, or cheese, or eggs."

Let me, in all sincerity, ask you: even if it would save your life? Even if you suffer a heart attack? Are you aware that heart disease has been proven, not merely speculated, but proven to actually be REVERSED when people go on a plant-based diet?

Here's the truth of the matter. Heart disease and cancer are our number one and two, respectively, killers in the Western world. In places that haven't yet adopted a Western diet, like Kenya, they have a near non-existent death rate of heart disease and cancer. Study after study, as a matter of fact, every single study ever done on this topic, were talking clinical controlled studies, all show without exception that anyone who eats meat has a much, much higher chance of cardiovascular disease and cancer than those who are on a plant based diet. There are no studies anyone can point to that show that eating meat has a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. The studies that purport to do so are ones funded by the meat and diary association, and are relative to a much worse diet. But anytime eating plant-based is compared to eating animal products, the result is always the same: a marked absence of heart disease and cancer rates in those eating plant-based diets.

I don't care how much you like cheese, eggs, and a steak. Is it really worth the risk of dying earlier than you would have? Do you seriously want to indulge in those things knowing you'll most likely be leaving before your grandchildren or great-grandchildren are born? What exactly are you willing to sacrifice to stay eating meat, dairy, and eggs?

Now, I understand. Sometimes, due to eating necessity, one must eat some meat or other such bad thing. But more and more I'm loathing doing so. That's because I know what it is doing to my body. This past week, my daughter and her family were staying with us. We had a great time. Still, I was forced to eat stuff I would not normally eat. And I could tell the difference. Sugar out the ying-yang. Processed foods containing who knows what. I drew the line at drinking real milk (otherwise known as a pregnant cow's estrogen-laden party). But I felt the differnece in my body. My Parkinson's symptoms even got worse. So much so that I had to turn my left side up one notch on my DBS controller because my left hand felt stiffer than it had.

Now my diet isn't perfect by far. That said, I always recall Dr. Gregor's advice about eating meat on occasion: when you eat some meat, it is like kicking your shin against something, hurting it. Left alone, it will heal in time. But if you keep kicking it over and over again, three times a day, it will never heal, only get worse.

I can hear someone say, "But grandpa lived to be 120 years old smoking and eating eggs and bacon every morning."

One can always find an exception to the rule. The question is, are you willing to bet your life that you will be one of the few, one of the rare cases when it doesn't affect you? That is a serious question. If you are willing to die of a heart attack, cancer, or deal with diabetes, eat that steak, gouge on those eggs. That is the sure route to end up later in life with a heart attack, cancer, diabetes, or all three.

As a matter of fact, the evidence is so overwhelming that eating meat and dairy will kill you, the Surgeon General should force meat and cheese producers to put a warning on all their products that eating this can cause you to die early of a heart attack or cancer. He did if for cigarettes, he should do it for meat and dairy. Because that's how serious this is. Lung cancer from cigarettes is minimal compared to the cancer risk from eating animal products day in and day out.

But he won't because the meat and dairy lobbies are too powerful and entrenched. But that is what should happen if we seriously followed the science.

God created us herbivores, not omnivores.

My Parkinson's Life Style Eating Plan

I’ve been on the Keto diet, as well as several other Paleo and plant-based diets in hopes they would help my Parkinson’s symptoms. When my wife and I decided to get serious with our eating life style again, we looked at our options and our focus turned back to doing the Dr. Wahl’s version of the Paleo diet which we tried for several months on her first level. Her third level was a combination of paleo and Keto. I had been on a Keto diet before, so I decided to give it a go. Then I started researching it all again, and I realized that the Keto diet wasn’t the way to go. Indeed, a plant-based diet has all the science behind it. So, I took what I discovered concerning a plant-based diet, as well as some key parts of the Wahl’s Paleo diet, and put together the following guidelines that I plan to find out if it helps my Parkinson’s symptoms.

You may ask, “If you currently aren’t on any medications and your symptoms are currently being controlled by your Deep Brain Stimulation device, how are you going to know if it helps or not?”

Good question. Mainly I’ll discover if it helps when I switch my programs on my DBS remote. I currently have two settings, a high one and a low setting. The low setting is when I need more fine control of my movements such as when I do Zumba, whereas the higher setting deals with my symptoms better. Also, I use the lower setting when I sleep, otherwise I toss and turn all night, sometimes beating up my wife, and I get very little deep sleep. Whenever I change the program, there is around 3-5 seconds when I’m not getting any stimulation at all and I’ll usually shake during that time. That’s when I’ll be able to key in on it. If I start to show some noticeable signs of improvement, I may experiment with turning the system off to see what happens—of course with my wife around so she can turn it back on for me if I’m shaking too badly. So that would be how I can tell how much it is effecting me.

I’ve intentionally avoided quoting a lot of studies and sources in this article. That’s because: 1. I wanted to simply tell what I was doing. 2. I know that anyone can search on the Internet any of this information and find what I’ve found. So I’m going to avoid citing my sources, not because I’ve got anything to hide, but I hope this will motivate you to do your own research and come up with your own conclusions. However, I will give you one site to start your research on: http://nutritionfacts.org. There are a bunch of informative, short videos on that site, which break down what scientific studies have said about nutrition. Do a search on a topic of your choice, like “Parkinson’s.” That is a good facts-based source of information to learn more about the science behind a plant-based diet.

Consequently, I’ve been working on developing an eating plan, otherwise known as a diet, that addresses two major concerns: 1. My health going forward, especially as it relates to Parkinson’s Disease, and 2. My wife’s weight loss goals, while keeping my own weight at an optimal level, around 150 lbs., give or take 5 lbs.

The main objective to accomplish these goals will be to eat healthy. It is my premise that eating healthy will resolve most of these goals, as well as others. But what does eating healthy mean in this context?

I should add that this is what I believe will work best for me. I’m not recommending this as a diet to any specific person, though I believe in general it will be a good diet for the majority of people. However, none of this should be taken as medical advice for  a specific situation or person. I’m not a therapist or a nutritionist. Any changes in your diet should be done in conjunction with your doctor’s knowledge and advice. 

Based on my research, eating healthy involves the following objectives: 1. It avoids and/or minimizes added sugar intake. 2. Avoid and/or minimize processed foods, save for those with a simple and whole food list of ingredients. 3. Avoid meat, save for special occasions (such as special feast days, anniversary, birthdays, etc.) 4. Avoid dairy, eggs, and cheese. 5. Focus instead on approximately: 3 cups of fruit, 3 cups of greens, and 3 cups of colorful veggies. 6. Eat around 1 cup of beans a day. 7. Moderate use of whole grains. 8. Moderate use of “good” oil. Let’s break that down.

1. Avoid and/or minimize added sugar intake.

I won’t go into this one much. Almost everyone knows that eating added sugar to things is bad, even if those same people tend to eat it anyway. It is a primary cause of inflammation, and a contributing cause of extra calories, obesity, type two diabetes, and heart disease. Almost all diets plans restrict sugar, and many try to totally eliminate it. Long gone are the days when “Super Sugar Crisp” was a great marketing strategy. They changed it during the 80s to “Super Golden Crisps” even though it had the same ingredients.

That said, we do need glucose to survive. Our body is designed to run on it. However, there is enough in our regular diet to give the amount of glucose to accomplish that goal. So that’s why I’ve said to minimize added sugars. That is, sugar found in fruit and some vegetables is okay. Just avoid spooning, refined or otherwise, sugar into what you eat. Also, avoid any foods where sugar has been added, even nut milks at the store.

That said, sugar has been given a bit of a bum rap. Many think that by eliminating sugar from one’s diet, that will be enough to lose weight. However, sugar isn’t the biggest culprit in the “Battle of the Bulge.”

2. Avoid and minimize processed foods, save for those with a simple list of whole food ingredients.

Processed foods is another no-brainer. All you need to do is look on a list of ingredients to see how much bad stuff they tend to put into these things. All sorts of chemicals, natural flavors which is a word for “we’re not going to tell you what we’re putting in here, but hey, they’re natural! So is poison ivy, but they had better not put that in their product. From fructose corn syrup, to hydrogenated oils, to all those preservatives and other chemicals they throw in there to make their product more palatable and keep it from rotting on the store shelves, we need to avoid them. With the advent of processed foods in the 60s, American’s have grown worse and worse in their health. There is good reason to believe processed foods have played a big part in that downward spiral.

“But Rick, I don’t always have time to cook that meal.”

I understand. That’s why I said to “avoid” and “minimize” your exposure to these foods. So I’m not saying stay away from them 100%. Rather there are times when we need to be able to grab something on the go, and we don’t have time to cook. When that happens, I’d suggest looking at the label ingredients on anything you buy and buy the best possible product. Then use it sparingly as a last option, so that it is a small percentage of your total intake for the day.

For instance, if you don’t normally have time to get a bowl of oatmeal or other healthy breakfast, you may find a breakfast bar with ingredients in it that will work on your plan. But if you do have the time one morning, eat the bowl of oatmeal instead.

“So I can eat lots of Fritos and potato chips because they have simple ingredients?” Well, not really. Mainly because of the type of oils they use. That said, those two are much better for you than the flavored varieties or the majority of other chips that add in a lot of chemicals.

3. Avoid meat, save for special occasions.

This and the next one may be more of a challenge for many. Eating meat has been such a daily event for most of us since we were young, we’ve grown up firmly believing we should eat meat at every meal. But the truth is, until recently in human history, meat was a special occasion meal. Most of what our ancestors ate was berries and vegetables.   That’s because meat would spoil pretty quickly after killing it. They didn’t have things like refrigerators. The best they could do is to turn it into jerky. 

Remember the Biblical story of when the Prodigal Son returned home? What did the father command to be done? “Go thrash some wheat and make a special loaf of bread!” No, he called for the fatted calf to be killed so that they could celebrate. That indicates they didn’t tend to have meat on the menu except for those special occasions. That was the norm even when meat was available.

But why? I know the Paleo folks and the Keto folks would tend to disagree. All you have to do is to look at the science to know why. 1. Meat, all meat, has a chemical in it (I believe it is called Lacten if my memory serves me correctly.) This chemical will accelerate the aging process in a person. So every time you dig into that steak or chicken, you are speeding up your aging process. 2. Most all meat is infested with pesticides from the grains they are fed. Even some meats labeled grass fed and free range are shown to contain pesticides once tested.

Being that pesticides are one of the known causes of Parkinson’s, I don’t want to add anything into my system on a regular basis that adds to that destruction.

“But Rick, don’t you know that according to a study in 1990, that 99.99% of all ‘pesticide’ were from plants and not man-made?”

Yep, sure do. This is the only study I’ll point to. You can find it at this link. The point it is making is that while we complain about all the man-made pesticides in our food, the bulk of them are natural to the plant. There are several points that can be made about this.

One, that the percentage is deceiving to a degree. First off, the definition of pesticide they are operating from is:

A pesticide is any chemical, natural or human-made, that is designed to kill another organism. Using that broad definition, there are probably hundreds of thousands of pesticides in the natural environment. Link

The list of natural pesticides is huge. So it is no wonder that our diet mainly contains those substances. However, that does not result in the effect of the other .09% being inconsequential. Indeed, due to the concentrated state of those pesticides compared to natural ones, their effect can be greatly magnified. 

Two, if we go according to the study’s results, around half of the “pesticides” they found were “rodent carcinogenic”, which means that they were carcinogenic to rodents in a study. That means there are others that are non-carcinogenic, or even beneficial to us. So, for example, caffeine is listed as pesticide. An apple browning is listed as a pesticide. Even flavonoids, which we know are good for us, but because they kill other bad things by oxidizing them, were considered a pesticide. So the list isn’t as big as they make it out to be. That 1.5 grams of estimated daily intake of natural pesticides would be cut to 0.75 if what they say is true. Given the first point, it is clear that they man-made pesticides are more significant than the study lets on.

Three, quoting from the study itself:

Caution is necessary in interpreting the implications of the occurrence in the diet of natural pesticides that are rodent carcinogens. It is not argued here that these dietary exposures are necessarily of much relevance to human cancer. Indeed, a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is associated with lower cancer rates. This may be because anticarciogenic vitamins and antioxidants come from plants.

In other words, the amounts are so low that the nutrients in plants protect one from any negative effects of such carcinogens. Unfortunately, you don’t get that same benefit with meat, which is why there is statistically a much higher chance of getting cancer when you eat meat on a regular basis.

However, if natural as well as man-made pesticides are present in our food, how much more so for cows and chickens who are fed grass and free-range bugs and such. According to this study, they are eating and concentrating within themselves all those rodent carcinogenic pesticides they are eating, even if they are not getting any man-made ones.

This does not even go into the greater risk of heart disease and cancer that practically every study done on those who regularly consume meat face.

4. Avoid dairy, eggs, and cheese.

The science behind this is irrefutable. Dairy is bad for you on many levels due to the high saturated fat content, plus the hormones and antibiotics they shoot these animals up with. But the worse of these, especially as far as weight gain and health is concerned, is cheese. That’s because cheese is concentrated fat, around 70% fat, most of it being saturated fats. That is one of the worst kinds of fat.

Oh, I know. There are all sorts of people out there saying saturated fats are fine and in some cases good for you. But according to the science, they don’t have a leg to stand on. The “studies” they quote tend to be small studies or taken out of context. For instance, they cite a study of why the saturated fats in coconut oil isn’t bad for you because a pacific island ate it and they weren’t overweight. But, did the study take into account the other healthy foods they ate that would have offset any potential negative effects? Or did they eat the coconut as a snack rather than stuffing processed oil into their mouth, minus the fiber of the plant, which would have helped process the oil in their system?

Rather, in hundreds of studies, dealing with large groups over a long period of time (5+ years), they consistently show that eating high saturated fat leads to heart disease, weight gain, and diabetes, among other things. In addition, there is another study showing a population that doesn’t eat well also eating coconut oil, and they are obese. Does that prove that coconut oil isn’t good for you? No, no more than the other study shows it is good for you. But the studies that use coconut oil in a controlled setting? They all show it is bad for you.

But cheese, especially on pizza, is the biggest source of saturated fat in the nation. Also, there is a definite correlation between the amount of cheese eaten by Americans, and the level of obesity. Cheese is such a big culprit in this, that one doctor said if we eliminated this one thing from the American diet, we would solve the obesity problem in this country, along with several health problems.

But why is dairy so bad, then? Aside from high levels of saturated fats, (not as high as cheese, but still high), it is because of the cow’s hormones in the milk used for dairy products. Those hormones are there because, surprise, surprise, the cow has been pregnant! There are hormones that a young growing calf needs in its milk. Hormones that we need, for the first year or two of our life. But certainly not as teens or adults. Additionally, all those pesticides that the cow, or its parents, has/have been eating are in that milk.

The good news is that there are some good substitutes for milk. Aside from soy milk, there is also currently almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, flax milk, walnut milk, and I’m sure they are coming up with new ones as I write this. Much of it is good, some of it almost identical to the flavor and texture of cow’s milk.

Cheese substitutes are getting better, but still have a ways to go. Though daya is good enough to top a pizza. Eggs are another matter. You can find substitutes for recipes, but not to replace them in the frying pan or to hard boil them. Yet. Butter, however, one can find good substitutes for it, though one has to watch the ingredients to know whether it is truly good for you or not.

5. Focus instead on approximately. 3 cups of fruit, 3 cups of greens, and 3 cups of colorful veggies.

This is where you’ll get most of your nutrients. Fruit provides sweetness, vitamin C, as well as the flavinoids that provide your antioxidants. Same for the colorful veggies on the antioxidant front. The green veggies are needed for other nutrients, like you can get from kale, spinach, green beans, and the like.

This realization was key where it concerns Parkinson’s. I was reading the Wahl’s Paleo Diet book. She reversed her Multiple Sclerosis symptoms using her diet. I was about to seriously think about following that diet, despite what I knew above about meat. Then I watched a video on nutrition.org, about Parkinson’s and flavinoids. It was pointing out that the free radicals that attack the brains of PD patients are likely treatable with these types of fruits and vegetables. The antioxidants found in fruit like blueberries and grapes, as well as beets and various colored peppers, were shown to enable sick and near dying cells to come to life in a petri dish and in mice studies. 

It then dawned on me that Dr. Wahl’s symptomatic reversal may have had little to do with eating meat and more about eating these flavonoids. That’s when I decided to go to a plant-based diet in order to deal with my Parkinson’s. 

6. Eat around 1 cup of beans a day.

Despite what you may have heard about beans being toxic, that’s only if you don’t soak and cook them. Indeed, beans supply plenty of protein and other vital nutrients your body needs. So soak, cook, and eat those fiber rich beans. Sprinkle them on salads, along with  some nuts and seeds. They are good for you.

7. Moderate use of whole grains.

Keto diets have been responsible for the vilification of whole grains. Yes, there is some nasty bread out there, probably the majority of what you’ll find at your grocery store is suspect. They tend  to use “Enriched flour” which at first sounds good. What it actually means, however, is due to the processing of the wheat, the vitamins and minerals were stripped from it. So they add some of them back in and call it “enriching” the flour. 

You’ll also find that many of the breads contain suspect ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup and chemicals added in to preserve freshness and make the bread “fluffier” and otherwise more appealing. Yes, I’d recommend reading labels and avoiding such bread. If that’s the only bread you can get, then it is better to not eat bread.

However, bread made with whole grains and simple ingredients is good for you. “But they’re carbs,” I can hear you say. “That’s a starch that will turn into sugar, and we all know sugar isn’t good for you!” 

The problem with that statement is it isn’t totally in scientific context. For one thing, unless you are in ketosis, you need glucose flowing though you veins to survive. That’s because your brain runs on the stuff. It doesn’t have the ability to use fat. Which is why you have to be in ketosis for the Keto diet to work. The rest of your body can use the fat it stores in its cells, but your brain’s only fuel, if it doesn’t have glucose, is its backup: ketones. 

So, unless you are on a keto diet and are in ketosis, it is essential that you have an adequate supply of glucose available for your body, but especially  for your brain, to operate on. Otherwise, you’re dead. 

And the complex carbs are the best way to get that fuel for your brain and body. Why not just eat spoonfuls of sugar to get that glucose? It is because it will give you too much glucose, too quickly. In order for your body to convert that starch into glucose, it first has to break down the molecules, using up around 25% of its calories in the process. Plus, whole grains provide your body much needed nutrients and fiber as well.

So, what is a “moderate” amount of bread? Good question, since moderate is a relative term. What I mean by that is you don’t want to pig out on bread. Even if you eat whole grains, if you eat too much of them, you can get a glucose spike. A serving once or a couple of times a day isn’t overdoing it, in my thinking. Much higher and you’ll be getting too much starch in your system.

About the only bread on the market that you might find in the bread section that I would recommend is “Dave’s Killer Bread” line. Check it out if it is available in your area, you’ll see what I mean. Another good bread is “Ezekiel Bread,” which you can find in the frozen section of your grocery store. What you want to look for is that it contains “100% whole grains” and is organically grown and non-GMO. If you can’t find it at the grocery store, you can always make it yourself using 100% whole grain, organic, and non-GMO flour.

Jesus said He is the “Bread of Life.” If he equated himself with bread, then it has to be needed for our physical, as well as spiritual life.

8. Moderate use of “good” oil.

There are two considerations on this one. Again, what does “moderate” mean in this context, and what what are “good” oils? The first one is easier to nail down. It is less than 30 grams of fat per day. Or, to put it differently, around 20% of your total calorie intake. No need to measure it out unless you simply want to get an idea how much that is for you. Rather, I would suggest that you simply keep away from fried foods and use oil very sparingly in cooking, preferring instead to use a little water.

So, what are “good” oils? I would suggest that most, if not all, your oil be derived from plants. That would be olives, avocados, walnuts, flax, chia seeds, as well as other nuts and seeds, including coconuts. Note: this is actually eating these foods, not talking about bottles of oil extracted from those sources. Two reasons for this.

One, if you eat the oil along with the fruit, nuts, etc., you get the oil delivered the way nature intended, which fills you up quicker so overall you’ll get less oil than you would if you poured oil into the pan for cooking.

Two, the roughage that you get with fruit, which is absent in a bottle of oil, slows the total absorption of oil into your system and enhances your gut ecosystem. Additionally, the plant oils all contain healthy oils, especially omega-3 oils known to be an oil that doesn’t negatively effect your body when used in moderation. Indeed, you’ll need some oil in your system to be healthy. 

“But what about coconut oil, which is predominantly saturated fat? Didn’t you use to eat a lot of it earlier in your Parkinson’s journey?” Why, yes I did. If you look back in the early entries in this blog, you can find where I posted that I ate 2-3 tbs. of it in my morning bowl of oatmeal at the time. I discontinued that mainly because I failed to see any benefit from it for me personally. Also, last year when I was on the Keto diet, I added a tbs. of it in my morning coffee, along with butter and heavy whipping cream, mainly because I needed the fat calories to maintain my weight. Now that I’m back to a carb-based diet, that would be way too much of any kind of oil.

Anyway, there is a lot of pro-coconut oil, as well as anti-coconut oil, people who may read this. I don’t want to get into it here, whether it is worth eating or not. On this diet, I’ll use it when it is appropriate, but if you eat it as coconut flesh and not as pure oil as I stated above, any potential negative effects from it will be mitigated. If you believe it is good for you, well, you don’t have to follow this diet. You are free to do what you want to do. But there is no scientific evidence that coconut oil is good for you, some case studies show that it is bad for you. I’m basing this on the best science that I can dig up. So I don’t plan on eating a lot of it. Most of it will be when I need to cook and the substitute butter I use contains it. In my case, very little.

I will use olive oil on my salads. I’ve read that due to compounds in it that heat turns into negative substances, I will probably avoid using it for cooking, but it has some good omega-3 oils that are beneficial, so on my salads it will go! I will add, though, that the majority of my oils will be from the foods themselves, not from a bottle of oil.

That’s it. My Parkinson’s Life Style Eating Plan. What do you think about it? What are its chances of helping my symptoms? Time will tell!