Parkinson Causes: Do Genetics or
Environmental Toxins Lead to Parkinson?

While Parkinson causes are diverse...

Both genetic and environmental causes of Parkinsons Disease are well recognized in the medical literature. 

1) Environmental toxins lead to Parkinsons:

Studies, both of large groups of people (epidemiological) and experimental studies show that both pesticides and metal toxicity are Parkinson causes. 

• These toxins cause "a-Syn aggregation" which leads to neuro-degenerative diseases including Parkinsons.

2) Genomic defects are among Parkinson Disease causes: 

• Yes, family history, or genetics can be a player, but few people get Parkinsons directly from genetic mutation.  A number of factors usually combine to trigger the disease. 

Which Parkinson Disease Causes Might Affect You?

When Parkinson causes converge -- either genomic, or environmental factors or both, these lead to abnormalities in the mitochondria of the cells (the energy centers) and there is more "oxidative stress."  

• Toxicity causes inflammation and oxidative stress and eventually the balance of health tips toward disease.

While not a Parkinson cure, we can protect better against toxins, and lower inflammation and oxidative stress. 

Parkinson Causes: What Adds up to Trigger the Disease?

Researchers say that Parkinson causes are "multifactorial". ¹

Risk factors that add up as Parkinson Disease causes, are exposure to:

• pesticides
  
• smoking 
• brain microtrauma
  
• environmental toxins and metals e.g. manganese, iron
• drugs
• genomic defects
• injury in a specific location of the brain (can be noticed by neuro imaging), resulting in neurologic dysfunction

Some or all factors combine in the brain and nervous system and cause:

• neuro-toxicity
• neuro-inflammation
• oxidative stress

A combination of factors can converge over a lifetime as Parkinson causes:

• For instance, when researchers fed extra metal - iron  - and the pesticide rotenone to experimental animals, this led to Parkinsons Disease in the substantia nigra part of the brain.  

• However, when they gave only one of these, or each separately -- just iron or rotenone alone -- this did not happen.²

Is Parkinson's a Syndrome rather than a specific Disease?

There is evidence that instead of long term chronic exposure, there was likely a more specific "environmental" or toxic event or exposure.

This would have killed some nigral dopaminergic cells, and damaging others. ³

Better Parkinson Prognosis with Protection?

One of the known markers for PD is low glutathione in the substantia nigra - which was also the case for these animals that were given rotenone and iron. 

Glutathione is the body's "protective molecule" and is typically depleted in the brains of Parkinsons patients.

Increasing glutathione in the substantia nigra, they found, gave the test animals "dopaminergic neuroprotection" and decreased the damage caused by these toxins.

• This is why glutathione-building supplements are advised by neurologists for a better Parkinson prognosis. 

This molecule can also protect against the eventual toxic effect of the Parkinsons medications which cause dyskinesia or "shaking:"

See: Dyskinesia caused by Parkinsons Medications, Carbidopa, Levodopa (Sinemet)

What Protects Best Against Parkinsons? 

While Parkinson causes are multiple, researchers have also found what can protect best.

Even for different Parkinson stages and early symptoms of Parkinson, here is what scientists found to be protective against risk factors:

• A diet high in flavonoids and antioxidants
• drinking coffee
• being active and getting exercise ⁴

Better Parkinsons Disease Treatments

Why add alternative medicine for Parkinsons treatment?

Long term use of anti parkinsonian drugs have a “wearing-off phenomenon.” Not only that, but they cause additional psychomotor and autonomic complications.

"Shakes" are part of this long term effect of the medications! 

• Unfortunately, the medication used as Parkinson disease treatments only work so long, and then they themselves cause tremors, or dyskinesia.  This then makes life miserable.

Researchers are now looking to prevent cell damage, and to protect the cells that make dopamine - to help them re-generate and to keep them healthy. 

Many environmental toxins lead to Parkinsons. Pesticides and metals such as iron and manganese are neuro-toxins.  These neuro toxins can cause cell death. 

So what have they found so far that can help best? 

Fortunately, scientists have studied the neuroprotective effects of many substances

Some things may be easy!

• It has been known from large scale population studies, that drinking coffee reduces both the risk of Parkinson's disease as well as Alzheimers.  

So, they asked, is there something in coffee that is neuro-protective? If so, what is it, and how does it work?

What Helps Parkinson Causes? What Protects Dopamine Cells? 

Turns out that no, it is not the caffeine! 

Researchers at the Kinsmen Laboratory of Neurological Research, University of British Columbia, tested the ingredients in coffee.

• They discovered that a compound called quercetin is in fact the main neuro protective compound in coffee against Parkinson's disease as well as Alzheimer's disease.

How does it work? 

They found that the quercetin actually reduced the amount of damage to the DNA, and the fats and proteins in the brain cells. (The SH-SY5Y cells responsible for making dopamine).

• The quercetin in the coffee, in turn increased the amount to GSH, or glutathione in the cells. 

• It is already known that improving glutathione is very important for PD patients. Glutathione, GSH is the protective molecule that reduces damage inside brain and nerve cells, and keeps them healthy. 

So, drink more coffee!!

But protecting your brain is also multi-factoral! You may need a different Parkinson diet and supplements than others. 

• Improving the protective molecule in the brain, glutathione is one of the best things you can do against Parkinson causes. 

Unfortunately, it is not as simple as taking a pill! You have to take the pre-cursors, or building blocks. 

Ask Us for a Recommendation 

Best neuro-protective foods and supplements.

You may ask us about:

• Supplements scientifically shown to replenish glutathione levels to protect against cell death and toxins

• Glutathione-building supplement for detoxifying metals and pesticides

We hope that you have been inspired for better Parkinson Disease treatments with natural help.

• Knowing that yes, that environmental toxins lead to Parkinson is hopefully less scary, because there are prptective foods and supplements.

• For your best shot at a Parkinson cure, you will want to add the best foods and supplements shown to be neuro-protective. 

Metals such as iron are usually high in the brains of Parkinsons patients. Iron can be reduced in the body by:

• not taking iron supplements
• eating less red meat
• donating blood 
• drinking green tea and adding curcumin to your food. These contain natural iron-chelating, substances -  molecules that bind to and remove iron. 

Knowing the causes Parkinson Disease will hopefully help live a fuller and longer life! 

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Sources:

1.  Int J Mol Sci. Parkinson’s Disease: From Pathogenesis to Pharmacogenomics 2017 Mar; 18(3): 551. Published online 2017

2. Front Neurosci. Neurochemical and Behavior Deficits in Rats with Iron and Rotenone Co-treatmen.  2017 Nov 23;11:657. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00657. eCollection 2017.

3. PARKINSON’S DISEASE: A SYNDROME NOT A DISEASE  Issue: BCMJ, vol. 43 , No. 3, April 2001 , Pages 129-132 Clinical Articles By: Donald B. Calne, OC, DM

4. Neurology. Integration of risk factors for Parkinson disease in 2 large longitudinal cohorts.  2018 Apr 11. pii: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000005473. doi: 

CNS Neurosci Ther. The neuroprotective effects of caffeine in neurodegenerative diseases. 2017 Apr;23(4):272-290. doi: 10.1111/cns.12684.

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Protection against Parkinson causes:

• Neuro protection of coffee for Parkinsons Disease

Better Parkinson Prognosis with Natural Treatments?

• Levodopa-induced dyskinesia: What your doctor may not have told you about Parkinson disease medication!

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