> From:          "Gary J. Cornwell" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject:       PD Mysteries & Phenomena #2

 Hi Janet
It is good to hear your theory again  . As I have said before I
support you in your view that PD = lack of dopamine in the brain as
simplistic and probably wrong

> THE THEORY:  (This is a repeat; I'm using it so everyone will know how
> I'm thinking.)
> > <P>
> The commonly accepted theory about PD goes like this I believe:
> > Eighty to one hundred % of PDer's brain cells that produce dopamine are dead
> > which results in loss of dopamine that is shown on scans and  the PD symptoms
> > the patient had while living and loss of substantia nigra found in PD patients at autopsy.
> > Surrounding this theory are many 'phenomena'. These 'phenomena'are actually known
> > FACTS. They are categorized as 'phenomena' because although they are FACTS
> > they do not FIT with the commonly accepted theory about PD, but rather seem
> > to REFUTE, CONFLICT WITH, and CONTRADICT it.  So since we hold this theory
> > to be correct, they are classified as PHENOMENA and PARADOXES.
> > They just don't fit, or rather we SHOULD SAY I think that the THEORY does
> > NOT fit with the FACTS. It could loosely be like saying that if the shoe does
> > not fit, the FOOT is the wrong size. There are a number of these ill-fitting FACTS.

It is difficult to see how pallidotomy or DBS improves PD symptoms or
why I have symptoms only on one side of my body using the
conventional view . In fact the explanation that PD = lack of
dopamine is strained in most PD phenomenon . The only thing that
really supports this view is that autopsies show PD patients had less
dopamine producing cells in their brains on average than people
without PD . Even this evidence is inconclusive as one cannot say
catergorically looking at  brains in an autopsy which had PD and
which did not.
MY own view is coming around more and more to the position  that the lack
of dopamine producing cells is the result not the cause of PD . PD is
a neural firing pattern that uses little dopamine so the dopamine
producing cells atrophy ( die off from lack of use ).

> > <P>
> > My theory says, NOT, but RATHER that reduced blood supply to brain is the basic
> > cause of my PD and that when blood flow is returned to normal,
> > PD symptoms go away.  I believe that the hypoperfusion of my brain
> > is due to chronic sustained cervical (neck) muscle spasm (which
> > is shown on my MRI and also I have a positive arterial Doppler
> > on right while doing the Adson's maneuver) and that my neck muscle
> > spasm is a result of allergic reactions (as in asthma/bronchospasm)
> > and probably also because of overactivity of acetylcholine because
> > of the reduced amount of dopamine in my brain.  The reduced amount
> > of dopamine I believe is from (1) the hypothalamus being faked out
> > by detecting not enough adrenalin because the whole volume of
> > blood getting through being reduced and therefore it signaling the adrenals to
> > produce MORE, causing tremor, until there is a sufficient amount
> > to 'break through' the muscle spasm, since adrenalin (epinephrine)
> > is an antagonist to the effects of histamine on muscles, which results
> > in a flood of adrenalin & dopamine (L-dopa which I take by mouth) to the brain
> > which causes the body's own producer of dopamine, the substantia nigra
> > to decrease and/or stop production and (2) The ischemia induced rise
> > in histamine which may cause a 50-60% reduction in dopamine as well
> > and the chain reactions that these occurrences initiate. (see past posts).
> >One reason that I believe this is because I found I could make
> all my Parkinsonian symptoms go away briefly simply by massaging my
> neck muscles with a heat/massager while on NO medication.

> > "Paradoxical kinesias" are referred to in about every book that I have read on
> > Parkinsonism.  In Dr.  Duvoisin's "Parkinson's Disease - A Guide for Patient &
> > Family" Raven Press copywrite 1991 it is discussed on page 37.  (Third
> > Edition).  These occurences are neatly filed under "Phenomenon".  (shouldn't
> > happen given what we accept about the disease, but occurs so frequently we
> > can't deny their existence so we just say, "beats me - I don't have any idea
> > why it happens.")

I dont mind the medical profession admitting they dont know the
answer . What sticks in my throat is their inability to have an open
mind on the cause of PD .

   In Oliver Sacks "Awakenings" he tells of the "silent room",
> > where two almost totally motionless patients stayed. Suddenly one
> > day the "silent room" erupted into a maelstorm and everyone rushed to
> > the room to find the two patients up in the middle of the floor fist fighting.
> > Afterwards they returned to their motionless, silent state for many more years.

This is a trully excellent book by someone who has no preformed views on
what he wiil find . HE is dealing with a condition that is called
encephalitis lethargica . Recently I posted on this list the report of
a QED programme where it was maintained that this encephalitis
lethargica is still around today and can be cured using
methylprednisolone in large doses . ( PUBMED author Blunt S will
produce an abstract of this) .
     I believe that have an encephalitic form of PD ( see previous
postings ) . I therfore resolved to try methylprednisolone in large
quantities . To do this avoiding the battle with the medical
profession that I could not guarantee of wining I recently took a
trip to Mexico where medication can be bought over the counter
without presription from a doctor . TReating the PD as a viral
induced inflamation of the brain I started a course of treatment that
included amantadine chloramphenicol and injecting 50 mg of
methylprednisolone twice a day . I immediately lost the stiffness in
my left side back and neck . My bradiskenisia on my left side ( no PD
symptoms on the right side ) was over 50% better . After 3 days of
this treatement I suddenly developed a bad cold/flu and was forced to
discontinue when cold/flu would not go away  ( like other
corticosteroids methylpredisolone reduces the immune systems
strength ) . All my pretrip symptoms have now returned bar my  frozen
shoulder and my left ear does not cause as much discomfort with
changes in pressure . I brought the medications back home with me and
am proceeding with trials at a much slower pace .
 Initial trial suggests that methylprednisolone reduces the severity
of PD symptoms but is not a cure My next trial will be for longer
tosee if symptoms can be permanently stopped . Methylprednisolone is
a strong anti inflamatory drug and I have achieved the same effect
although not so pronounced taking 3 aspirins at once . Further more a
similar improvement is achieved with Diamox/Acetazolamide ( PUBMED
author Cowen MA et al )(also in list archives ) . Diamox is used to
relieve altitude sickness and hydrocephalus ( excess CSF pressure
).The latter squashes the brain and  can give rise to PD symptoms .
Tumours can have a similar effect .
    So at present I am running with the idea that MY PD is caused by
a brain inflammation mainly on the left side . I was considering a
few weeks ago how a physical effect squashing the brain coulf affect
the the neural firing pattern . Your idea of obstructed blood flow to
the brain is a good candidate . There is a strong linkage between
blood flow and PD . The blood flow in the brain after pallidotomy is
different than before . ( I am still waiting to hear if this is also
true for DBS ) . But here the change neural firing pattern causes the
chance in blood flow. The opposite could also be true.
   Conclusion . Early indications that treatement using
methylprednissolone was very succesful . This will have to be
repeated many times to eliminate the possibility of the placebo
effect . There is also the problem of the side effects of using high
dose methylprednisolone ( fluid retention .adrenal and immune
suppression) . I am optimistic that these will not be too problematic
because they did not appear to affect the treatement of MS with high
doses of methylprednissolone ( PUBMED author Sellebjerg F ) . I will
post my results when I have repeated the experiment enough times to
convince myself it is not a placebo effect. Initially I assumed that
the imfflammation was due to a viral infection . But I am not so sure
now as Chloramphenicol and amantadine did not produce any positive
effect . In fact at present I believe the latter caused me a lot of
ill effects ( fluid retention )  and I am at present waiting to be
sure this clears my body before starting any more experiments .
system before trying any more experiments .
   A theory for PD is best if it can show why the different causes of
PD produce a similar effect but more importantly  ,  A CURE
  I  am probably wrong in my accessment of PD but I think until
someone using the conventional view of PD comes up with a cure it is
necessary for alternative views to be aired and tried  .
     peace
          Alastair     ( [log in to unmask] )