Friends-- a neighbor gave me an article from a magazine called "American
Health" (july-August '99) ca;;ed "Nature's Newest Anti-depressant", with
emphasis on depression, but also claiming help for arthritis, fybromyalgia,
and PD. It is from an interview with a psychiatrist, Dr. Richard Brown,
Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia U. College of
Physicians & Surgeons--sounds pretty reputable. SAM-e is the short name
for S-adenosylmethionine, "a popular depression treatment in Europe, now on
the shelves of your local drugstores". Dr. Brown uses it selectively with
his patients and says it can be added to or substotuted for SSRI type
antidepressants like Prozac, with fewer side effects, especially in mild
depression, cautioning not to use it in bipolar type.
SAM-e is said to be " a chemical in the body that's central to at least 35
essential metabolic reactions. It eases depression by RAISING THE BRAIN'S
LEVEL OF SEROTONINS AND DOPAMINE...AND STABILIZING THE NOREPINEPHRINE
TRANSMITTER SYSTEM so it can send chemical messages
effectively." (emphasis mine )
Does this sound reasonable/correct to the experts onlist? Has anyone
(hello, over in Europe?) used or heard of this ? I wonder if it is used,
as St. John's Wort is, for relieving depression by some PWPs?I told my
neighbor, who was just trying to be helpful, that I'd check it out---on the
web I did an ALtaVista search and came up with LOTS of items, mostly re:
depression, arthritis, and where to buy it at lowest price--nothing re: PD.
(It is not cheap, of course!) Comments are welcome.
Camilla Flintermann, CG for Peter 81/70/55
Oxford, Ohio
http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/camilla/one.htm
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