Inositol: Battling the Shakes of Parkinson's

Your nervous system really consists of two things, the nerves and the nerve coverings. The nerve covering helps conduct the nerve signals. When the nerve covering is working poorly, it can affect the nerve system.

Approximately 5 years ago, I devised a supplement protocol for my older brother who was suffering from phase 1 Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s dementia. After starting the protocol I devised, his Parkinson’s stabilized and even improved! We will tell the whole story through this blog, but as of now we will discuss the specifics of the protocol that improved his nerve function.

I started by looking into the possibility that the Parkinson’s shakes could be controlled through optimizing nerve function. The first thing I researched was the myelin sheath (the nerve covering). I initially consulted the book Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, 10th edition (a present I received from a friend) which states that diabetic neuropathy in animals can often be induced, “which exhibits prolonged conduction times similar to those seen in human diabetes.” Our nerves operate best when they are working at optimal speed. When nerve conduction slows down this can lead to degeneration of the nerves. Since I read this information in Harrison’s, I have seen many other examples which support my conclusions.

The book continues to state that, “the involved nerves were found to have a marked decrease in myoinositol content that could be reversed either by insulin treatment [this was an article about diabetic neuropathy] or by feeding myoinositol [pg 675].” I considered what I read and reasoned that prolonged nerve conduction could possibly be improved by feeding a person myoinositol. My background in nutrition led me to the supplement Inositol, which causes your body to produce myoinositol when ingested! I reasoned that including Inositol in my brother’s protocol might help keep his nerve conduction optimal and possibly combat his Parkinson’s shakes.

I knew that before I administered anything to my brother, it was essential that I figure out the proper dosage. Whenever I need nutritional information I refer to Dr. Michael Colgan, a world renowned nutritional scientist. He won’t print anything unless it has been thoroughly researched and supported by reliable sources. In his book, Your Personal Vitamin Profile, he states that, “nerves contain fifty times the Inositol level of the blood. Inositol is essential to proper conduction of nerve impulses. The level in nerves declines with age and so does our speed of reactions. It has no known toxicity. The best natural sources of Inositol are lecithin and wheat germ.” The key point I took from this passage was Inositol’s lack of any known toxicity. After evaluating this information, I came to the conclusion that a dosage of 1 gram a day would prove itself safe and beneficial.

After some deliberation, I reevaluated my initial decision and decided to increase his Inositol dosage to 3 grams a day, as part of a health and protein shake. Three grams may sound like a major increase, but I reasoned that an individual suffering from Parkinson’s would need more Inositol than a person that did not have a degenerative disease. Later I learned of another supplement called IP6 (Inositol Hexaphosphate), a form of Inositol involved with messaging in the body, which I included in hopes that it would work synergistically with the regular Inositol and increase their effectiveness.

Everyone: The first step I took in battling my brother’s Parkinson’s was to improve his nerve conduction. I felt that poor nerve conduction could be a symptomatic factor of Parkinson’s, independent of any dopamine considerations. My older brother’s reaction times have improved since he started taking the Inositol powder every morning in his health shake. By improving his nerve conduction we have improved stability in his limbs, which goes a long way towards helping control his Parkinson’s shakes.

A Parkinson's Miracle

My older brother is 65 years old. 5 years ago he was diagnosed with stage 1 Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s Dementia. He was suffering from shaking in his left arm and tremors in his right. He walked with a shuffle. He also had slight slurring of speech and his face had begun to take on characteristics common to those with Parkinson’s; a big deal to someone who made a living as a salesperson.

His brain was X-Rayed and showed genetic defects that could explain Parkinson’s disease. I asked my brother if he wanted me to devise a supplement protocol to help combat his Parkinson’s, and he happily agreed.

Shortly after we began his protocol for Parkinson’s, he started to stabilize. His slur disappeared. He began to take normal steps and his shuffle abated. His face returned to normal. The shakes in his left arm drastically diminished, to the point where they only occurred in the evening, if at all. His right arm still retains a slight tremor. Keep in mind that this is nearly 5 years from the date of his diagnosis of stage 1 Parkinson’s (with all signs of deteriorating to stage 2).
In mid 2008, I added a high ORAC juice supplement to his protocol, which he would take in 2-4 ounce servings morning and night. This supplement seemed to buffer him daily. It allowed him to deal with more stress before finding his shakes and tremors acting up. He commented that it helped him feel better and he seems almost dependent on his ORAC drink these days.

The final stage in this 5 year period was the recent introduction of a new supplement to his protocol that research shows can raise Glutathione levels. I will discuss the importance of Glutathione further in a later post, but the point is that research has shown that injection of Glutathione has made rapid and enormous improvement in Parkinson’s. To date, there haven’t been any effective super Glutathione supplements, because oral supplements have not been able to get inside cells effectively.

He started this new supplement and in less than four weeks reported that his shakes and tremors were 75% improved! Now for the first time in 5 years, he is showing actual improvement, rather than simply staying stable! In addition, his dementia has not progressed in 5 years. As long as he takes notes to aid his short term memory, his dementia does not handicap him in any way. I will be blogging on all the supplements that my older brother has been taking the past 5 years and the ideas behind them, as well as at least one very effective drug that is considered low toxic.

Keep checking Restore Unity Blog if you’re interested in learning more about how to combat Parkinson’s, because more articles will be appearing soon!