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August 18, 2000 New Hope for Parkinson's Disease Approximately 1 million Americans suffer from Parkinson's disease, a neurological disorder that begins with only a slight tremor but eventually produces rigidity, a shuffling gait, and difficulty speaking. With a cure still undiscovered, the "gold standard" for treatment of Parkinson's disease is l-dopa, a drug that helps to control tremor and reduce rigidity by increasing the amount of dopamine in the brain. While l-dopa relieves symptoms temporarily, this drug is far from ideal. It has undesirable side effects, including severe nausea, dizziness, and in some cases liver damage. Its effectiveness diminishes over time, and the drug itself increases the generation of free radicals that worsen the disease in the long run. Glutathione, an Effective New Therapy At the Whitaker Wellness Institute, we are using a promising new therapy called intravenous glutathione to help slow the process of nerve cell degeneration. Levels of glutathione, a naturally occurring brain-protecting antioxidant, are significantly decreased in patients with Parkinson's disease, with the deficiency occurring in the portion of the brain where dopamine-generating neurons are concentrated. Clinical studies have demonstrated that boosting levels of glutathione through intravenous administration slows the progress of the disease significantly. We have seen evidence of this firsthand. Effects of Therapy Are Rapid and Dramatic One of our patients arrived for his first treatment in a wheelchair, with a significant tremor in his left arm. After his third treatment, he was walking around the clinic, arms swinging, the tremor in his left arm completely gone. In addition to its effects on tremors and mobility, IV glutathione usually improves speech and alleviates depression, which is a common side effect of Parkinson's disease. Glutathione can be beneficial even when administered several years after the onset of Parkinson's disease. Injections take about 15 minutes and are repeated three to seven times per week. Glutathione therapy is extremely safe and without side effects. David Perlmutter, M.D., has done much to study and promote the use of IV glutathione in Parkinson's disease. For more information on this therapy, click here. To learn more about the programs offered at the Whitaker Wellness Institute, click here. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- HOME | TOP OF PAGE | AFFILIATE PROGRAMS HEALTH TERMS EXPLAINED | CONTACT US | THE FINE PRINT [log in to unmask]