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Hello Nilo -- We, too, have used fava beans in the early stages of PD. Actually, I sprouted them since that increases the amounts of nutrients in legumes and seeds enormously. That somewhat mitigates the amount of beans one would have to eat to find them beneficial (so I have heard). They are fairly tasty but as has been said, not always easy to find. I ordered them dried from a specialty nursery in Oregon and then soaked and sprouted them. I would definitely suggest that you try sprouting. some folks say they help and others say they don't. Carole Menser PWP Ted (54/46/40) -----Original Message----- From: NILO A SARMIENTO <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Date: Friday, March 29, 2002 11:10 PM Subject: Fava Beans Produce L-Dopa...A natural alternative to prescription drugs for Parkinsons???? Several days ago, I posted a query re Fava Beans. Only one in the listserv picked it up: Kathrynne Holden, who has written about it, and whose article I had printed off the Net. I responded to Kathrynne at length...and not one picked it up, again. The lack of response could have been due to one or more of the three reasons: (1) those on the listserv know next to nothing about Fava, which supposedly naturally produces L-dopa, the very same L-dopa that is in the chemically manufactured (? is that the term to use) levodopa in sinemet and the like prescription drugs; or (2) those on the listserv know much about it, have tried it, found it not effective, saw my post and query, and have chosen to remain silent, and wait until I have tried it and found out for myself; or maybe (3) my subject "Fava Bean" was not descriptive enough. I was/am hoping (still!!) that there would respond a few, especially those just getting started on sinemet or the like, who would try Fava with me, and share experiences; or from amont those who have tried it, even warn me I am treading on dangerous territory... I ruled out reasons (1) and (2) as preposterous, I decided that the reason could be (3). And so, on this third try, I am making the subject more descriptive: Let me recap what I wrote to Kathrynne: I was diagnosed with Parkinsons in late February 2001; was put in sinemet 25/100 (3 times a day); was not happy with the results and was told by my physician and neurothat maybe a change either in the type of med and/or quantity is needed. I do not want to be dependent on any drug, and I saw (rightly or wrongly) that what they were thinking of doing was taking me down the path of no-return. Without telling them, I decided to gradually decrease my sinemet from 3 to 2 to 1 and 1/2 from around October 2001 thru February 2002 (my anniversary). By February 2002, I was fully off sinemet, and instead went on a Vitamin-B complex regimen + 7-8 hours of rest at night (instead of my usual 5-6) + exercise. I kept looking for "something" that I could use as an alternative to sinemet. Two weeks ago, while at Costco, my wife picked up a book "Prescription for Herbal Healing" by Phyllis Balch. I went to the Index and looked for Parkinsons, and "discovered" Fava (Broad) Beans: "A 3-ounce serving of broad beans contains as much as 250 milligrams of L-dopa." At least I found the "something" that I could use as an alternative, a natural alternative, to sinemet. Went on the Net to find out more about Fava, at least what it looked like! Last week, I bought 5 lbs of fresh fava beans, and steamed a few pods at a time, took the beans, and weighed 6+ ounces which I then divided into three servings of 2+ ounces each. The empty pods I did not know what to do; I decided to put them in a plastic bag and store in the freezer, until I found out more about the beans. The other day, I went on Google and searched for "Fava beans produce L-dopa" and printed an article by Kathrynne Holden at: http://www.scienzavegetariana.it/nutrizione/favabeans.html I then re-activated my listserv membership, and did my first post: Fava Bean, and I got an underwhelming response of <1>, from Kathrynne herself. and so, here goes ... Nilo On Thu, 28 Mar 2002 07:28:06 -0500 "Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD" <[log in to unmask]> writes: > Dear Friends, > I came across information on a reminder watch, a topic that > sometimes > comes up on Parkinsn; I've posted it on "Ask the Parkinson > Dietitian" > and thought some Parkinsn folks might be interested, too. I don't > have > any personal experience with it, don't endorse it, and don't receive > any > money from the company; just passing it on FWIW. > > Cadex Medication Reminder Watch > Beep...it's time for your pill! Relax. You won't forget to take > your > medication any longer. Set this easy to use watch and let the > state-of-the-art reminder system do the work. It can handle up to > 12 > reminders each day. The digital display is large and easy to read. > Doctor recommended, it gives you back your independence and peace > of > mind. Don't let a missed dosage threaten your health. Set it and > forget > it! Available in Black or Silver. Battery included. On sale. > > http://www.ihcatalog.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=131&itemT ype=PRODUCT&sSearch=YES&sortby= > > > -- > Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD > "Ask the Parkinson Dietitian" > http://www.parkinson.org/ > Author: "Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease" > "Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy for Parkinson's disease" > http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/ > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn