slowing Parkinson’s progression: a research update

alpha-synuclein is a protein encoded by the SNCA gene.

http://www.ppu.mrc.ac.uk

Although we are still not certain of what it does, we do know it makes up Lewy Bodies, clusters of proteins that are a pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease and other dementias (lewy body dementias). It is thought that in Parkinson’s disease, the variability in alpha-synuclein gene produces either too much alpha-synuclein protein or causes it to malfunction — which may be toxic to brain cells and to result in neuron dysfunction.

Some of the ways in which research is targeting alpha-synuclein is by:

• a vaccine that binds to alpha-synuclein and clears it from the brain
• compounds to stop alpha-synuclein from clumping (avoiding lewy body formation)
• compound to break up alpha-synuclein clumps (breaking up formation of lewy bodies)

Recent research developments include a chemical compound that slows down the onset and progression of Parkinson’s disease in mice. Griese and Griesinger in Gottingen have developed a substance which, in mouse models of the disease, reduces the rate of growth of the alpha-synuclein deposits and delays nerve cell degeneration. As a consequence, mice treated with this agent remain disease-free for longer than non-medicated controls. The current gold-standard, Levodopa, controls Parkinson’s symptoms by enhancing the function of the surviving nerve cells in the substantia nigra. This compound shows promise in slowing down the progression, according to their lab results; the earlier the onset of treatment, the longer the animals remained disease free.

(Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (2013, April 22). Putting the brakes on Parkinson’s.ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­/releases/2013/04/130422111147.htm#.UXa4E78jkGQ)

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Another research effort looking to halt Parkinson’s disease progression involves GM1 glanglioside. GM1 impacts neuron plasticity, repair mechanisms, and neurotrophin release.

A study published in November 2012 showed that GM1 ganglioside improved symptoms and slowed disease progression during a two and a half-year trial in persons with Parkinson’s. Dr. Jefferson, published in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences, followed 77 subjects over a 120-week period and 17 control subjects as comparison.  GM1 group had significant improvement in UPDRS motor scores and maintained much of the initial benefit of GM1 treatment, (i.e. showed relatively minor symptom progression compared to patients using standard anti-Parkinson medications).

(Jay S. Schneider, Stephen M. Gollomp, Stephanie Sendek, Amy Colcher, Franca Cambi, Wei Du. A randomized, controlled, delayed start trial of GM1 ganglioside in treated Parkinson’s disease patients. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 2012; DOI:10.1016/j.jns.2012.10.024)

… some very interesting drug developments on the horizon. it’s a long process from developing compounds, animal testing, clinical testing etc. … but nice to know there are possibilities on the horizon! much love

Find your “special thing”

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.” ~Rumi

You know what it is. You’ve always known. You drew pictures of it when you were small. But then, job, kids, house, yard, family, friends, house, yard, work, computer came along. It sits under all that “busy me”.

It’s your dharma, your purpose.

You might already be doing it without naming it. Or it’s something you’d do it without pay if you could live off it.

Your calling. And it may take a huge amount of physical and emotional effort. The path may be confusing, painful, stressful, but you will know that it’s worth it.

what lights me up: yoga, parkinson’s disease and caregivers, healthy aging especially for women

Life mastery doesn’t have to be making deals, responding to emails, losing sleep. You can change the world and achieve your dharma with not only the yang -pushing forward, taking action- but also the yin -be in the flow and receptive.

Some ways to help you get there..

• Take the time to figure out “what lights you up”!
• Try saying no to things that don’t contribute to your purpose.
• Surround yourself with people who understand or do similar “work”.
• Take some time to sit and listen to your inner teacher.
• Trust that you know what is best for yourself and your purpose.
• Take the time and space you need. Ebb and Flow.
• Embrace your calling, whatever it is. No judgment.

what lights you up? It’s ok to still be figuring it out. I know mine involves

Parkinson’s, caregivers,

yoga,

healthy aging and female-specific research

… but in what capacity? Not too sure yet!       much love.

References:

tinybuddha.com; yogadork.com

Parkinson’s Caregivers, join me May 25th!

Hey all you Parkinson’s caregivers in the Surrey area, join me and Parkinson Society BC for a workshop on May 25th from 1-4pm!

Connect with fellow caregivers and maybe take home a tip or two on self-care and developing resilience in your role as a caregiver. You can get more information and register HERE.

… can’t wait to see you there! much love.

From Research to Real Life: Roundup ready herbicide and Parkinson’s?

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup ready is the most popular herbicide, and the most biologically disruptive according to a new study in the journal Entropy.

Although industry (aka Monsanto) asserts it is non-toxic, Dr’s Samsel and Seneff argue it inhibits an enzyme (cytochrome P450 (CYP)) and disrupts crucial gut microbes, amino acids, and other biological processes ( like inflammation). You can read the full journal article HERE.

dailyguardian.co.uk

Roundup ready is sprayed on lawn weeds and used in generically engineered corn and soy that goes into our Western diet of corn, sugar, soy and wheat. Dr’s Samsel and Seneff propose that Roundup ready disrupts CYP enzyme’s function, leading to inflammation and contributes to diseases associated with a Western diet, including gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

what are your thoughts?  … i think it’s just another reason to eat local and organic. where does your food come from and what are the consequences of that? much love.

(other commentaries: here and here).

creating a home practice

doing yoga regularly at home can be very beneficial to your practice. It may be intimidating to practice without guidance, you don’t need to be a super-yogi to create a safe and beneficial home yoga practice.

some days my home practice is seated meditation, breath work by candlelight…

• take a few classes, first. get to know which postures make you feel good, and which postures really benefit you. Those are the poses that may be tough and that challenge you… you may be avoiding them, but you may really benefit from working on that area (hamstrings, core, slow movements, long holds). also, get to know proper body alignment. develop good alignment and positioning habits right from the beginning.
• be easy on yourself. do what you feel like doing, instead of what you do in class or what someone tell you you should be doing. the first thing to ask yourself is: what type of practice and schedule works best for me?
• personalize it. chose what (poses?) helps you the most in this moment. maybe today you sit and breathe for 2minutes. maybe tomorrow you do 20minutes of solid movement. maybe the day after you lie in savasana for 5minutes. make it accessible and flexible so you’re more likely to do it. getting on your mat is good enough.
• don’t make it complicated. nothing fancy. just you, your mat or a designated floor space. everything else is bonus.
• make it a habit. just like brushing your teeth, practice yoga consistently.
• get creative. for those busy days, let something else be your yoga for the day. make a task (dishes, laundry, commute) a mindful meditative experience. be fully present and observe yourself during the task.

… and some days my home practice is bright, energetic and keeps me on my toes!

… most importantly, yoga is about making a habit of coming back home to yourself. so, take the time to check-in with yourself daily, it’s a nice habit. Also, if you’ve lost the motivation for your home practice or daily routines, try setting up a private session with a local teacher to help design a program that re-inspires you. Getting support makes this yoga-journey more fun!

do you have a home practice? if so, feel free to share what it looks like in the comments below! much love.

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more inspirations:

Thrive – kripalu

A day in the life

Woke up, fell out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head (typically, i exclude this part).

Found my way downstairs and walked my pup

And looking up, I noticed I was late.

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Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat.

Found my way upstairs to a yoga class

And somebody spoke and I went into my office.

Ahhhhh. (now, when’s the next coffee break?) much love.

Posture in Parkinson’s and how yoga can help

I did a yoga class last Saturday in Victoria for people with Parkinson’s. We focused on posture and stretching/strengthening the muscles we use to stand up tall. I am so grateful to the yogi’s who came out and practiced with me!

I always take home a few things from each workshop that I teach, and I wanted to share 3 of them with you;

• people with Parkinson’s never cease to amaze me… as we breathed, contracted and stretched together I watched everyone grow (stand) taller – seemingly more self-confident and aware of their bodies in space
• it doesn’t matter what the specific movement is – as long as you do it with integrity and breath, you are doing something good!
• one of the most important things you can do for yourself is relax. take a time out. we rarely give ourselves time to ‘do nothing’, that it takes a while for our bodies to relax. As we finished the class in savasana, it took 5 minutes before i saw everyone really let go and give into relaxation. this is a great practice in itself – being able to let go.

(blisstreeyoga.com)

Two of the postures from this workshop to take home, would be:

• Chair Pose, for leg/core strength and balance (see instructions HERE)

Utkatasana

• Halfmoon pose, for core stability and spinal flexibility

Ground your feet, clasp palms above your head, move your shoulders down your back; engage obliques and bend to the side “over a beachball”; maintain length down both sides of your body.

Ardha Chandrasana

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I am working towards having regular (monthly?) yoga workshops in Victoria (who’s up for that??!), and maybe visiting some of our neighbours on the mainland. Langley, Surrey, Richmond, Vancouver…?

Tell me in the comments below, where should I bring my Yoga for Parkinson’s workshops to next? Also, what specific aspects of Parkinson’s disease do you want to address with yoga (balance? feet? upper chest? depression?)? Much love.

hell-being: competitive and hot yoga

I recently read “Hell-Bent: obsession, pain and the search for something like transcendence in competitive yoga”. Not only does this book follow  the writers personal yoga journey from fat and unhealthy to fit and flexible, but provides it within the context of the world of competitive yoga and Bikram yoga.

Bikram yoga is a 26-pose sequence undertaken in a 105-degree heated room for 90 minutes. Same poses, same carpet, mirrors and same Bikram-script, every time. The author touts this type of yoga is suited to alpha-types looking for self-transformation, with a degree of machoism. He also provides a solid list of  people who overcame adversity (drugs, abuse, injury, illness) with Bikram’s style of yoga.

… but, wait a second. Did it also say competitive yoga? That seems to go against all yoga notions… or does it? During competitive yoga, or Yoga Asana (posture) Championships, competitors are required to perform five compulsory poses, including a standing head-to-knee pose and a bow pose, plus two other poses of their choice, within three minutes. They’re then marked on their strength, balance and flexibility.

Bikram and his wife Rajashree Choudhury hold these competitions where the ultimate goal is to join with similar organizations in other countries to form an international yoga federation and to qualify Yoga Asana as an Olympic sport. This ask questions around how does the spiritual side exists on a competitive level? Can we have both?

Yoga Asana Competition (yogainmyschool.com)

I also really liked how the novel presented data from scientists on the dangers and benefits of heat.

Dr. Yeargin (Indiana State University) discusses physiological mechanisms that trigger heat stroke among athletes. When exercising in extreme heat, your body is battling head produced by your muscles (inside the body) as well as from the outside world. If your core temperature rises too high, your brain and organs begin to shut down. Exercising in heat feels harder because the muscles are starved for energy and the brain isn’t receiving enough blood… leading to hallucinations, fainting and seizures. However, the body is smart and can adapt (acclimatization effect), which is great but doesn’t eliminate the risks.

Dr. Santiago Lorenzo (University of Oregon) described the fitness benefits of heat acclimatization in the novel. His work shows training in a hot environment increases athletic performance (longer, harder, faster) and physiology (blood plasma, cardiac output, power output). The heat stresses the cardiovascular system, and his speculates training in head could give cardiovascular benefits to patients who otherwise wouldn’t be able to get them (i.e. injury, paralysis). But of course, he mentions that you need to be aware of the risk and take caution.

The story of Bikram, his charisma, pain, sweat and narcissism is in contrast to other insightful stories from yoga champions and past-Bikram stars. In the end, the writer comes to the conclusion that there is another way to do yoga; it’s almost a call-to-arms for more mindful, body-aligned and aware practice.

… this book provided me with inspiration to reflect on my own practice… as well as some funny laugh-out-loud moments where I found myself saying “that can’t be true!”

Happy Reading! much love.

Finding your balance with Parkinson’s

Have you seen my latest guest post for the Parkinson’s Hub Blog? If not, you can check it out HERE!

http://www.theparkinsonhubblog.com

The post discusses finding balance in your movements, but also ways to seek balance in your life… it provides some direction on practicing Warrior II posture. Warrior II embodies the spirit of a warrior and conveys readiness, stability, and courage.

… wishing you strength and courage in seeking balance in your life. much love.

Paleo for Parkinson’s?

So, Darc and I decided to do a cleanse for the month of March. Spring is a great time to detox… your body and your living space (we moved apartments, so we also did some major spring cleaning of our ‘stuff’!). We decided to follow Tim Ferris’ 4-hour body Slow Carb Diet … basically cutting out everything but protein and veggies. It was hard, at first… then after a month we decided to extend it a bit longer. Now, a low carb diet is becoming a habit (are you surprise? this is from the guy who bakes … and I mean CHECK OUT THESE pancakes, english muffins, bread, cinnamon buns, pizza, AND croissants!!).

Lately, we’ve been looking into the Paleo diet (…though being a vegetarian i’m a bit unsure of where I’m going to get all my protein without legumes) and we came across this great book at the library…

… and whatdya know, they have a section on eating for Neurological health, including Parkinson’s disease!

The book suggests some nutrients, such as B vitamins, Vitamin C, D & E, magnesium,  potassium, omega-3′s, probiotics, zinc among others…

It also discusses dietary / lifestyle factors you should add (fats, antioxidants, massage, stress-management) and avoid (gluten, dairy, sweeteners, caffeine) … though I DO NOT agree with avoiding high-intensity exercise, as research demonstrates it IS beneficial.

… and finally some considerations around protein, Vitamin B6 and Levodopa.

… now I’m curious… Let me know IN THE COMMENTS BELOW; do YOU follow ay special diet plans?

Have you tried a gluten-free or Paleo diet?

How does diet modification change YOUR Parkinson’s management (because we all know everyone is different!)??

much love.