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The problem is that PD is a very individual disease - some people's symptoms progress rapidly and others slowly, so it is hard to say if any intervention drug or natural really has much of an effect or if the person's Parkinson's would progress at the same rate without them. Wendy -----Original Message----- From: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of MyFirstname Mylastname Sent: Sunday, April 10, 2005 6:28 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: over medication Hi, My beloved husband Geoff was diagnosed with PD last September at the age of 57 and so far he has avoided taking any meds. Neither one of us likes the idea of taking medication, especially with the possibility of toxic side effects and very limited effectiveness. We've always preferred to seek out natural remedies first. We figure that if we don't have any success with these, then there is always plenty of time to start taking the meds later. Straight away after his diagnosis I found the following reference to broad beans (aka fava beans) at _www.wholisticresearch.com_ (http://www.wholisticresearch.com) : "L-dopa is actually found in some leguminose plants of the Vicia Fava (broad bean), and researchers are reporting that this plant can replenish brain deficits of L-dopa more quickly and for longer than synthetic medication without any side effects. A 100 gram serving of broad beans including the pods provide about 250milligrams of L-dopa and in addition a significant amount of proanthocyanidines. The broad beans seem to remain effective even if canned or frozen, but should always be consumed whole as the pod has been found to have the highest concentration of L-dopa. Medication may have to be adjusted if broad beans are consumed on a regular basis". We can't get whole broad beans with the pod, only frozen ones, but I'll be growing some in the garden this year. Since adding broad beans to Geoff's daily diet he felt there was some improvement in the discomfort and immobility he experiences in his rigid left arm and dragging left foot. We live in England and heard about a man over here who was diagnosed at least 10 years ago who has never taken meds and he works everyday at a riding stable. We hear he isn't doing too badly. The person who told us about him says he eats an awful lot of broad beans. I also heard somewhere that the Pope ate a lot of mangoes which are high in a number of beneficial nutrients so thought I'd add those to Geoff's diet. We go for long walks every weekend and I can say that since adding the mangoes he hasn't been dragging his left foot. I did a search on the internet for "cure for Parkinson's Disease" and amongst all the sites that said "there is no cure for Parkinson's Disease" I found a few that claim PD CAN be cured! I've read with interest what Raj is doing and taking for his PD, Geoff is taking many of the same supplements, it sounds like the recommendations of an Ayervedic doctor we found with this search who claims to cure 90 - 95% of his PD patients. A few days ago I came across a different slant altogether on _www.parkinsonsdiseasecure.com_ (http://www.parkinsonsdiseasecure.com) and we have downloaded an ebook from there called 'Parkinson's Disease The Greatest Medical Blunder'. Has anyone out there read this book? or followed the author's recommendations? He says there is medical evidence that proves what the cause and the cure of PD is and he is of the opinion that drug companies want to ensure Parkinson's patients don't overcome their disease so they will have to purchase a lifetime supply of drugs that never actually solve the problem. Whether this is true or not, we are amongst the few people who have chosen not to follow our doctors advice...and so far we can't see any evidence that this is doing Geoff any harm. Other than the PD he is very fit, he has a physically demanding job (exercise is known to be beneficial for PWPs), eats a healthy vegetarian diet and is now taking some supplements. I know it is early days, but this is our experience so far. You're not alone in wanting to resist the medication. Ann ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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