Hi
 Some weeks ago I undertook to test an increased potasium diet in the
light of discussion on lithium and Dr Iocono's bananas are good for
PD suggestion .
   Potasium rich diet has traditionaly been used and I found a
reference to " potash water " in an old book on medication . I take
this to mean water collected over the top of wood ash .
  I consulted with my doctor prior to embarking on the trial and he
reckoned one could not over dose on potasium because the gut would
regulate the absorption .
  I found this article on potasium on the web

http://web.bu.edu/COHIS/nutrition//health/supplmnt/minerals/potassium.htm =
 : -

 " Nutritional Supplements: Minerals:  Potassium

IMPORTANCE
=F2Works with sodium to regulate the body's waste balance and normalize
heart rhythms =F2aids in clear thinking by sending oxygen to the brain =F2
preserves proper alkalinity of body fluids =F2stimulates the kidneys to
eliminate poisonous body wastes =F2assists in reducing high blood
pressure; promotes healthy skin. DEFICIENCY =F2poor reflexes =F2nervous
disorders =F2respiratory failure =F2cardiac arrest =F2 muscle damage SIDE
EFFECTS (in overdose) =F2doses above 25,000 mg/day or more can be toxic,
especially with kidney problems or failure.

U.S. RDA RECOMMENDATION

1,875 - 5,625 mg

Usually, the diet will provide adequate potassium but it very active
individuals may need more of this electrolyte.



----------------------------------------------------------------------
-


Contents provided to us by Austin Nutritional Research with
permission. "

 I used the above imformation as a basis for my trial . As you can
see the body can take up to 25 grams a day of potasium this is a huge
amount . My initial trials were bedeviled because I was unable to get
potasium from the chemist in measured quatities so I tried potash
water and bananas . I had no idea of the quantity of potasium of
either of these sources and probably fluctuate wildly . In the last
couple of weeks I was able to go to a nonparanoid chemist and get some
tablets with clear indications of potasium qiantity . The trial was
conducted using 2 bananas plus an extra 4 grms of  Potasium in tablet
form on top of the usual diet and medication . I think bananas may contain=
 some
chemical which helps the body use potasium as well as the potasium .
   EFFECTS  ( PD)
  Reduction in tremor by 50 % .
  No longer suffer from severe constipation ( maybe a banana effect )
  No inprovement in muscle dysfunction .
  No improvement in dyskinesia .
  EFFECTS   ( other )
  It had a strange effect that time seemed to stretch . Instead of an
hour having passed only 1/2 an hour had passed . I put this down to patasi=
um
affecting my body clock .

   I tried to see if L-pyroglutamic acid would boost the effect .But
it increased the dyskinesia . L-pyroglutamic acid is believed to boost
the effect of theacetylcholine neuro-transmitter . I will at some
stage repeat the experiment when I am not taking L-dopa .

   I will continue to use this list as a place to receive ideas for
new experiments and to communicate results . I feel a lot more can be
achieved this way than by any 100 million US $ . I personally have
spent about 800 US $ in in the last 6 months on just chemicals and
equiptment only . If you were to include my time as wel lyou can see
that it only takes a very small proportion of the people with PD to
dwarf any 100 million US $ . There is of course some big capital
research that is outside the bounds of an individual listmember but
most research need not be expensive . Finding out what affects my
faulty brain is not just of interest to other people with siilarly
faulty brains but also is the best way of finding out how the brain
works .
     It would help the general knowledge if other listmembers tried
similar experiments to establish the extent of the effect of any
treatement/chemical .
     peace
          Alastair     ( [log in to unmask] )