Theories On The Causes Of Parkinson’s Disease

The cause of Parkinson’s disease is unclear, but there is some evidence that genetics, environmental factors, or a combination of both which play a role. It is also likely that the disease has more than one cause. Scientists commonly agree that Parkinson’s disease is caused by a combination of biology and climate in the majority of people who have it.

There is already a tremendous amount of research being conducted in order to find out what causes Parkinson’s disease and if it can be prevented or cured. When doctors diagnose Parkinson’s disease, they often use the word “idiopathic” (ID-ee-oh-PATH-ik).

There are also studies that have linked pesticides and herbicides to Parkinson’s Disease, tremors, and renal failure and paraquat lawsuits are being filed by lawyers in Evansville, Indiana.

Factors of origin of Parkinson’s Disease

Scientists estimate that hereditary factors account for fewer than 10% of Parkinson’s disease cases. The most common genetic effect that causes Parkinson’s disease is a mutation in the LRRK2 gene. The LRRK2 mutation is more common in families with North African or Jewish ancestry. Mutations in alpha-synuclein have also been found to cause Parkinson’s disease, but these are extremely rare. In the majority of cases, no primary genetic cause can be identified. Beate Ritz’s presentation on Genes and the Environment can be seen here.

Environmental considerations

Certain environmental factors, such as prolonged exposure to pesticides or heavy metals, as well as repetitive head injuries, may raise the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Most people do not have a specific environmental cause for their Parkinson’s disease diagnosis, and since several years can pass between exposure to an environmental factor and the start of Parkinson’s disease symptoms, establishing the connection is often difficult. However, it is likely that environmental factors do affect the development of Parkinson’s disease, perhaps more so in people who are also genetically predisposed.

Such potential dangers

Other factors can increase a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Since Parkinson’s disease is most often present in adults over the age of 50, age is the most important risk factor (although diagnoses can occur in much younger people). Men are also more likely than women to develop Parkinson’s disease. Caucasians seem to be more affected by Parkinson’s disease than African Americans or Asians. The exact associations between each of these causes and Parkinson’s disease are unknown.

According to the paraquat lawsuits filed in St. Clair County Illinois, and across the nation, the herbicide paraquat can cause Parkinson’s disease.

An experiment in Southern California in the 1980s showed that MPTP, a heroin contaminant, caused users to experience symptoms similar to those associated with Parkinson’s disease. The experiment demonstrated that the heroin contaminant killed dopamine neurons, the same neurons that are damaged in Parkinson’s disease patients. MPTP and paraquat have chemical structures that are very similar.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared in 1997 that the primary route of exposure to paraquat was during the mixing, loading, and application of the herbicide, as well as during the post-application period. The agency also stated that, despite the fact that the herbicide is not licensed for residential use, such exposure is possible for people who live near farms where the herbicide is used.

Over the last two decades, scientists have increased their research into the effects of paraquat toxicity on humans, especially the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

According to a 2009 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, any exposure to paraquat within 1,600 feet of a home increased the risk of Parkinson’s disease by 75%.

Environmental Health Perspectives, in collaboration with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, released findings from a comprehensive review of Parkinson’s disease cases and pesticides in 2011. Paraquat emerged as a major concern in this report.

Pesticides that block mitochondrial complexes and those that induce oxidative stress have been linked to Parkinson’s disease. Paraquat works by producing intracellular molecules that cause oxidative stress in cells. According to the report, “Parkinson’s disease was closely correlated with” paraquat. The authors also stressed that the risk of paraquat exposure extends beyond the occupational/agricultural climate, and that many people may be exposed to the pesticide without even being aware of its presence in their surroundings.

The study also found a significantly increased risk of Parkinson’s disease in people who had been exposed to both paraquat and a form of fungicide known as fungicide maneb. Finally, participants in the study who lacked an active copy of a particular gene (missing in 20% of Caucasians and 40% of Asians) were at a higher risk of paraquat toxicity.

The EPA announced in 2016 that it would re-evaluate paraquat, including the possible correlation to Parkinson’s disease.

The Unified Parkinson’s Advocacy Council sent a letter to the EPA on July 24, 2017, in anticipation of the agency’s paraquat registration review. The petition, signed by all council members, listed a laundry list of evidence linking paraquat to the development of Parkinson’s disease symptoms and pathology and concluded by urging the EPA to refuse paraquat’s reregistration.

The letter went on to emphasize the financial costs of Parkinson’s disease, including:

Individual treatment for a person with Parkinson’s disease costs $26,400 per year.

Annual economic burden in the United States between $19.8 to $26.4 billion. Costs associated with dependence on services such as Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security.

Syngenta and Growmark, the manufacturers of paraquat, were sued on October 6, 2017. The lawsuit was lodged on behalf of farmers and agricultural workers who were exposed to paraquat and developed Parkinson’s disease. Chevron Chemical has been added as a defendant in the case since the initial charge was filed.

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released its protocol for a study of paraquat dichloride toxicity and Parkinson’s disease in 2018. Recognizing that hundreds of studies have been conducted to examine the correlation between paraquat exposure and Parkinson’s disease, the analysis will attempt to map evidence that links the two.

How does paraquat work?

Paraquat is sprayed directly onto plants, where it destroys the leaves on contact. When the compound comes into contact with soil, it becomes inactive.

The chemical is sprayed to clear fields before crops are cultivated, as well as to eradicate marijuana crops in Mexico and the United States.

Paraquat is often used as a herbicide for weeds that have gained resistance to Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides, according to the Unified Parkinson’s Advisory Council.

What Do We Know About Parkinson’s?

Parkinson’s disease is a debilitating neurodegenerative condition that manifests itself in humans in their middle to late years of existence. Tremors in the arms and legs, weakened coordination and balance, sluggish movements, and rigidity of the body and limbs are some of the effects on the motor system. Such symptoms are due to the brain’s gradual degeneration of dopaminergic neurons.

Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world. The disorder is chronic and progressive, with current medical treatments only providing partial relief of symptoms. 

While genetic factors play a role in a small percentage of Parkinson’s disease cases, the primary cause of Parkinson’s disease has remained unknown for many years. A growing number of scientific studies in recent years have linked Parkinson’s disease to environmental exposures such as pesticides.

People are strange. They just won`t drink enough water.

They somehow think that other liquids, especially those with some level of alcohol in them, are better than the sacred elixir that they are. They are? Yes! We are mostly water! And we use water! So Dammit, why won`t we drink enough water?

I`m constantly amused at the health revival stories on YouTube of people who drink ionized water. All sorts of miraculous cures are attributed to the drinking of what they claim is alkaline ionized water… but frankly, when I look at them, the vast majority of them were very unhealthy people to begin with – before they began to drink this `special` water. And 8 glasses of ANY kind of water is going to radically improve their wellbeing.

And of course, they all make money by saying their cure was due to their brand of water. It IS MLM after all!

Not that I`m against ionized water.. I`m just against having to pay $5000 to get it!
So here`s a thought.

 What if…

..just drinking sufficient water – not Pepsi, not Coke, not Gatorade, not orange juice… WATER was the real reason for their health revival? After all in his book, Your Body`s Many Cries For Water Dr Feyrood Batmanghelidj demonstrated conclusively that in the absence of other medicine, water alone affected amazing healings on the battleground of the Iraq-Iran war.

Dr. B. believes chronic dehydration to be the cause of many conditions including asthma, allergies, arthritis, angina, migraine headaches, hypertension, raised cholesterol, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, depression, and diabetes in the elderly.

According to Dr. Batmanghelidj, the body possesses many different thirst signals. A dry mouth is not a reliable indicator of your body`s water needs. He describes a variety of more reliable ones, and helps you learn to understand when your body is calling for water. In this way, he claims you can prevent, treat, and cure a variety of conditions of ill health, at no cost, with what he calls nature`s miracle medicine: Water. He explains how much water one needs to drink a day to stay healthy, and why tea, coffee, and sodas are not good substitutes for water.

Whatever you are doing, wherever you are, hydration is critical for your health, including the health of your bones. What`s more, sstudies have now confirmed that water plays a crucial role in building strong bones.

Five easy ways to know if you’re drinking enough.

The attitude: be aware.

Adequate water intake = health. Dehydration negatively impacts the body’s thermoregulation, its capacity for physical activity, cognitive and kidney function, the digestive and cardiovascular systems, and your skin.1 It also negatively affects your bones (more on that later).

Water is two hydrogen atoms attached to a single oxygen atom. It`s indispensable since we can only survive a few days without it.

Modern diets often include sources of water that contribute to our hydration. Some foods, such as strawberries, watermelon and cabbage and many others are more than 90% water. Many beverages are water-based. However… the best way to stay hydrated is by drinking just water.

The Effect Of Age On Thirst And Hydration

Hydration should be a part of your daily routine no matter your age or condition. It`s not natural (but it seems natural!) that as we age we drink less, so we do need to become more proactive about it.

If we compare the relationship between thirst and fluid ingestion between younger and older people found that after water deprivation, we can see that older persons experience less thirst and hence drink less fluid than younger people. Older people are therefore more likely to fail to replenish their body’s supply of water, leaving them dehydrated. Dr Abram Hoffer worked in a canadian mental Institution. One day he was asked to administer electrotherapy to an old schizophrenic patient. The man was OLD. He applied the pads.. nothing happened. He did it again.. nothing.

The man was so dehydrated that electricity could not pass into his body. And he was.. just.. alive! So although we can survive with incredibly small amounts of water in the body, we can`t also expect to be healthy.

We should keep sipping water throughout the day, even when we don’t feel thirsty.
We should know how to tell when we’re dehydrated, so that we can take immediate action. We need to know the signals – Headaches, fatigue, muscle spasms, and dark urine are the obvious ones.. but there are more it;s good to be aware of.

1. Skin Elasticity

Pinch a little bit of your skin on the back of your hand between two fingers. Pull it up gently, then let go. It should immediately return its former position, smooth against your hand. This is a simple measurement of skin turgor or elasticity.

If you’re dehydrated, the skin will remain in the pinched position, or return more slowly than usual.

This simple test can tell whether you need to up your water intake.

2. Confusion: I`m not stupid, I`m dehydrated!

Dehydration affects the brain. Even mild levels of dehydration can disrupt mood, concentration, and cognitive function. Dehydration impairs performance on tasks, affecting short-term memory, perceptual discrimination, arithmetic ability, visuomotor tracking, and psychomotor skills.

If you are feeling lost, confused, or losing the ability to concentrate, t it may bea sign of dehydration. Slow down.
Drink water, Dammit!

3. Dog Breath

Bad breath, or halitosis, can indicate that you’re not getting enough H2O.

Why? Simple. Your body reduces saliva production. Saliva affects the number of bacteria in your mouth. It`s those bacteria that cause bad breath. Not enough water = increased bacteria levels in your mouth = Dog breath

Drink more water, Dammit!

4. Food Cravings

In a national study of almost 10,000 participants, researchers found a direct relationship between inadequate hydration and elevated body mass index (BMI) or obesity.

The study (once again) confirms that dehydration causes overeating. Sometimes when our body is trying to tell us to drink water, we interpret the signal as hunger and eat instead.

If you are regularly craving food, perhaps your dehydration is playing games with you. Adequate hydration can clear up the cravings, keeping you healthy and your weight down.

Drink water, Dammit!

5. Sweating Slows or Stops

Water understands its vital nature. Unfortunately is can`t talk.
Fortunately, your body will do just about anything to keep water when supplies are running low. One strategy is turning off your sweat glands. This can indicate severe dehydration. It may even be a marker of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

Seek help immediately and start hydrating as soon as possible, especially if you feel faint, confused or hallucinatory.

What about Water and Bones?

What is your mind`s eye picture of a bone?
Let me guess.
It`s something hard, and dry. Brittle.

I`m sure most people don`t think of bone as `wet`.

But believe it or not, Mr Ripley, water is one of the main `íngredients` of bone, plus apatite mineral and collagen protein.

Without sufficient water, the mechanical properties of bone are negatively affected as well as bone quality.

We now see more studies demonstrating that dehydration actually causes an increase in bone damaging stress hormones – such as cortisol.
So not only do you need adequate hydration to build bone… dehydration is also actively harming your bone mineral density.

We talk to people every day at AlkaWay about water.
Usually it`s about the right sort of water to drink, and yes, we know that you can supercharge your water with alkaline minerals and molecular hydrogen for many, many health benefits. But we often don`t have the chance to talk to people (convince them!) of the absolute necessity of drinking enough water. Drop by. We just might change your mind.

Think of your prize possession; your car. You lavish money, love and more money on it because not only does it give you emotional support, it also opens the world to you. And you know that if you don`t. all that money you spent on it will be lost on ultra-expensive repairs.

So.. would you buy cheap oil for your car? Would you run it with constantly low oil in the sump? Why then do you do this with your body`s many cries for water“?

Drink Water, Dammit!

PS: And if that`s not enough, think about trying to overcome chronic inflammation without sufficient hydration.

While the effects of dehydration are often ignored or overlooked by med professionals, the link between hydration and inflammation seems obvious. Healthy inflammation is the body’s defense against invaders such as bacteria, viruses, and toxins in the environment. This defense is incomplete without the water needed to carry these negative factors out of the body. Isolating these invaders does no good if they are then left to sit within the body and allowed to er.. rot. Which in turn, causes a repetition of the inflammation designed to remove these negative influences and increases the possibility of this inflammation becoming chronic.

PPS: And if that`s not enough, latest science links ALZHEIMERS` with chronic inflammation!

Drink Water, Dammit!

Ian Blair Hamilton is the founder of AlkaWay and the inventor of the Primal Water system, the Ultrastream