When I first started to research about Parkinson's Disease back in 2004 their really wasn't much information available about how it affected someone like me. Female and age 47. The information I found was grim and didn't offer me much hope. You can read more about my story at my website newfacesofparkinsons.com
I started out researching the typical allopathic treatments... which included reading about the drug Sinemet, along with other drugs that were being used at the time. Reading about all the side effects associated with these drugs... made me feel that it wasn't right for me. I never responded well to drugs in the past... so it was just a gut intuition thing that didn't feel right for me.
It was a natural choice for me to look for alternative treatments for Parkinson's...That's just who I am. Everyone is different and we each have to follow our own Path.
Nowadays their is a plethora of information out there... some of it free and some of it not free. I've read a lot of it. Some of it good and some not so good.
My Personal Experience is this...
In the eight years since being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, what I have learned is this...
Parkinson's Disease is different for everyone. What helps one person, may or may not help someone else. You have to do your own research and try what works for you. Listen to your gut instincts. If something sounds to good to be true... it probably is. It's true ... their is no known cure for PD at this time. But, that doesn't mean you can't feel better and function better. What you put in your body plays a huge part in how you feel.
I can take a variety of herbs and supplements (and I do) but the biggest difference comes from what I put into my body via food. Using Food combining to reduce inflammation in my body seems to also help with my symptoms. Breathing...taking time to learn how to breathe and reduce stress. Drinking enough water is equally important. Finally exercise... got to move to feel good. They all play an extremely important roll in how I feel.
If you are reading this blog and have recently been newly diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Please read as much as you can to help yourself. Whether you choose Allopathic care or Alternative care or a combination of both. You need to be aware of all the methods available so you can help yourself.
Parkinson's Disease is not a death sentence... but it does change your life.
I choose to be in control of my life... I can make a difference. I do it everyday!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Experimenting with food... Parkinson's symptoms get worse!!!
I decided to try an experiment on myself... via the food I put into my body.
The results were pretty drastic. It proves to me that what I eat has a tremendous effect on the severity of my Parkinson's symptoms, along with irritating my stomach.
What did I eat...
I had French dip sandwich with au jus and french fries, I had this 2x during the week... I drank Strawberry Marguerita's... I had Mexican food -Shrimp Burrito with traditional rice and beans. Corn Chips and Salsa. I had tuna fish sandwich on Wonder whole grain white bread... Kettle potato chips... Sierra Mist Soda... White Zinfandel Wine... Dairy Queen Chicken Salad with French dressing. Egg Salad with Mayonnaise on Wonder whole grain white bread... Subway Pizza with spinach, green peppers, onions cheese and marinara from their meatball sauce. I ate Chinese buffet ....mix of all types of veggies, meats and fried rice... I had frozen pepperoni pizza with cheese. I ate candy... tootsie pops!!! lots of them.
I did have some Fresh fruit for breakfast.... plums, cantaloupe, watermelon, bananas or a Enlgish muffin with butter and strawberry preserves... or I ate no breakfast at all.
I did not do food combining or eat organic foods... I just ate what is typically available via the restaurants in town. And via purchases from the grocery store. I did not drink very much water... and I did minimal exercise.
If you look at the list of things that I ate... you wouldn't really say that it looks bad!!!
But for me it was disastrous!
By the 2nd day of eating this way... my stomach felt bloated and I had extreme pain and a distended abdomen. By the 4th day... my tremors were out of control. I could not get calm, no matter how much of the herb that I normally use to help alleviate my symptoms... I tripled the dosage and it not help... my leg, arm and hand shook like crazy. I could not sit still! I had cramps in my arm, hand, foot and leg.
I felt horrible... physically and mentally.
What I learned is this... The type of food that I put into my body is the key to how I feel.
I am back to eating a mostly vegan diet... with occasional organic chicken and/or beef. I seem to do better when I eat less meats or if I do eat them... eat them in small amounts with dinner.
Vegetables... I am trying to purchase most of my produce at the local Farmer's market... or get organic what I can from the local grocery store. And am eliminating gluten and sugar from my diet!
Already feeling better!!! Stomach bloat is going down and tremors are again controllable, via my herbs.
What a difference a few days makes!!!
Eating healthy food ... makes me feel better! It's not always easy... but well worth it in the end!
The results were pretty drastic. It proves to me that what I eat has a tremendous effect on the severity of my Parkinson's symptoms, along with irritating my stomach.
What did I eat...
I had French dip sandwich with au jus and french fries, I had this 2x during the week... I drank Strawberry Marguerita's... I had Mexican food -Shrimp Burrito with traditional rice and beans. Corn Chips and Salsa. I had tuna fish sandwich on Wonder whole grain white bread... Kettle potato chips... Sierra Mist Soda... White Zinfandel Wine... Dairy Queen Chicken Salad with French dressing. Egg Salad with Mayonnaise on Wonder whole grain white bread... Subway Pizza with spinach, green peppers, onions cheese and marinara from their meatball sauce. I ate Chinese buffet ....mix of all types of veggies, meats and fried rice... I had frozen pepperoni pizza with cheese. I ate candy... tootsie pops!!! lots of them.
I did have some Fresh fruit for breakfast.... plums, cantaloupe, watermelon, bananas or a Enlgish muffin with butter and strawberry preserves... or I ate no breakfast at all.
I did not do food combining or eat organic foods... I just ate what is typically available via the restaurants in town. And via purchases from the grocery store. I did not drink very much water... and I did minimal exercise.
If you look at the list of things that I ate... you wouldn't really say that it looks bad!!!
But for me it was disastrous!
By the 2nd day of eating this way... my stomach felt bloated and I had extreme pain and a distended abdomen. By the 4th day... my tremors were out of control. I could not get calm, no matter how much of the herb that I normally use to help alleviate my symptoms... I tripled the dosage and it not help... my leg, arm and hand shook like crazy. I could not sit still! I had cramps in my arm, hand, foot and leg.
I felt horrible... physically and mentally.
What I learned is this... The type of food that I put into my body is the key to how I feel.
I am back to eating a mostly vegan diet... with occasional organic chicken and/or beef. I seem to do better when I eat less meats or if I do eat them... eat them in small amounts with dinner.
Vegetables... I am trying to purchase most of my produce at the local Farmer's market... or get organic what I can from the local grocery store. And am eliminating gluten and sugar from my diet!
Already feeling better!!! Stomach bloat is going down and tremors are again controllable, via my herbs.
What a difference a few days makes!!!
Eating healthy food ... makes me feel better! It's not always easy... but well worth it in the end!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Best Veggie Chili...
Best Veggie Chili Ever…
1 small yellow onion chopped
1 small red onion chopped
1 large clove garlic minced
1 jalapeno pepper chopped
1 banana pepper chopped
1 zucchini chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 yellow pepper chopped
I sautéed all of the above in virgin unprocessed coconut oil until veggies started to get tender. I then added my spices, I don’t use a measuring spoon when adding my spices, so I don’t have exact amounts… I will do my best to give you estimated amounts.
Turmeric ½ -1 T.
Chili Powder 1- 2 T.
Cumin Powder ½ - 1 T. I like the Smokey flavor it gives the chili
Onion Powder ½ - 1 teas.
Garlic Powder ½- 1 teas.
Az Rub Chipotle style 1 teas.
Mixed into the veggies until all veggies covered with spices…. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
I then added -
1 can of organic diced tomatoes
This didn’t seem like it made enough juice to cover the veggies so added the following:
These were from the local farmer’s market-
2 small whole tomatoes
5 cherry tomatoes
6 baby organic carrots
I put them into my bullet blender and it made a tomato juice, which I then added to my chili mixture.
I then added 6 Organic Sundried tomatoes in olive oil (I drained the oil off of them, then chopped them into small pieces) to the chili. I then decided to add about 1 T. of the oil from the jar of Organic Sundried tomatoes to my chili.
Final touch …. I added 1 can of Organic tri beans (it is a combination of kidney, pinto and black beans) to the Chili.
I let the Chili simmer for about 45 minutes… it got pretty thick!
I tasted the Chili before it simmered for the 45 minutes and thought it was good … but after it had simmered for the 45 minutes it was awesome! I couldn’t stop tasting it. I decided that I better walk away and let it cool down so I could put it away for dinner tonight.
I personally think this is my best veggie Chili ever! It has layers of flavor, it is not spicey at first bite, but as it lingers in your mouth you get a little heat that is just enough… and as for missing the meat… I didn’t miss it at all.
This has all of the flavor of a meat chili and is a good food combining recipe… as far as I can tell.
Note: For best results … Start off using less spices and season to your own taste! I usually start off with small amounts of spices and then season and adjust to my taste buds as I am cooking. When adding Chili powder and Cumin powder to recipes, it is my experience that they take a little cooking time to come to their full flavor. You can always add more later if you want more of the smokey flavor or more heat!
1 small yellow onion chopped
1 small red onion chopped
1 large clove garlic minced
1 jalapeno pepper chopped
1 banana pepper chopped
1 zucchini chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 yellow pepper chopped
I sautéed all of the above in virgin unprocessed coconut oil until veggies started to get tender. I then added my spices, I don’t use a measuring spoon when adding my spices, so I don’t have exact amounts… I will do my best to give you estimated amounts.
Turmeric ½ -1 T.
Chili Powder 1- 2 T.
Cumin Powder ½ - 1 T. I like the Smokey flavor it gives the chili
Onion Powder ½ - 1 teas.
Garlic Powder ½- 1 teas.
Az Rub Chipotle style 1 teas.
Mixed into the veggies until all veggies covered with spices…. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
I then added -
1 can of organic diced tomatoes
This didn’t seem like it made enough juice to cover the veggies so added the following:
These were from the local farmer’s market-
2 small whole tomatoes
5 cherry tomatoes
6 baby organic carrots
I put them into my bullet blender and it made a tomato juice, which I then added to my chili mixture.
I then added 6 Organic Sundried tomatoes in olive oil (I drained the oil off of them, then chopped them into small pieces) to the chili. I then decided to add about 1 T. of the oil from the jar of Organic Sundried tomatoes to my chili.
Final touch …. I added 1 can of Organic tri beans (it is a combination of kidney, pinto and black beans) to the Chili.
I let the Chili simmer for about 45 minutes… it got pretty thick!
I tasted the Chili before it simmered for the 45 minutes and thought it was good … but after it had simmered for the 45 minutes it was awesome! I couldn’t stop tasting it. I decided that I better walk away and let it cool down so I could put it away for dinner tonight.
I personally think this is my best veggie Chili ever! It has layers of flavor, it is not spicey at first bite, but as it lingers in your mouth you get a little heat that is just enough… and as for missing the meat… I didn’t miss it at all.
This has all of the flavor of a meat chili and is a good food combining recipe… as far as I can tell.
Note: For best results … Start off using less spices and season to your own taste! I usually start off with small amounts of spices and then season and adjust to my taste buds as I am cooking. When adding Chili powder and Cumin powder to recipes, it is my experience that they take a little cooking time to come to their full flavor. You can always add more later if you want more of the smokey flavor or more heat!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
What's really important? ....
Diet and Exercise and drinking lots of water are critical to feeling your best... whether you have an illness like Parkinson's Disease or just want to feel and be the best you can be... what you put into your body plays such an important role in being healthy.
Eating a predominantly plant based diet with occasional organic meat, chicken and wild fish, works best for me. Too much protein interferes with the herb that I take which helps my body to produce the dopamine that it needs to function properly.
Also eliminating sugar from my diet seems to make a big difference on the severity of my symptoms. I was reminded of this recently while talking to someone whose husband was recently diagnosed with PD. Her Doctor recommended eliminating sugar and going on a Vegan Diet!
Books of Interest
Recently I read the "The Coconut Oil Miracle" by Bruce Fife. And after reading about all the benefits of this luscious substance...I've Decided to incorporate it into my diet. I have been making these wonderful creamy soups with Organic unprocessed Coconut Milk. I have also added Organic Raw virgin Coconut Oil to my diet... the benefits of this delicious oil seem endless.
Recipe
My latest adventuresome recipe sounds kinda strange... I had made cooked greens this week combining Kale and Collards with onion and some spices, but did not eat all of it. And not wanting to waste these delicious greens... I decided to try it out in a soup.
I used the leftover greens, added 1 ripe tomato, a handful of baby carrots, a shake of Turmeric, 1 mild jalapeno pepper, a little Bernard Jensen's Seasoning and a Tablespoon of Red Miso along with 1 can of Organic Coconut Milk and put it all in my Vita Mix blender. Voila!!! A wonderful soup. It had a little kick to it from the pepper, but it wasn't overwhelming. I thought it was great and what a good way to turn leftovers into a delicious meal.
Great connections
Dr. Mercola An excellent website with links to the most current and breaking health news in the world.
How we can all help ourselves by making better choices.
Energise for Life awesome website for living an alkaline balanced lifestyle. Free info and recipes!!!
Hope your having an awesome day!!!
Please feel free to make comments and or suggestions....I am always interested in your feedback!
Eating a predominantly plant based diet with occasional organic meat, chicken and wild fish, works best for me. Too much protein interferes with the herb that I take which helps my body to produce the dopamine that it needs to function properly.
Also eliminating sugar from my diet seems to make a big difference on the severity of my symptoms. I was reminded of this recently while talking to someone whose husband was recently diagnosed with PD. Her Doctor recommended eliminating sugar and going on a Vegan Diet!
Books of Interest
Recently I read the "The Coconut Oil Miracle" by Bruce Fife. And after reading about all the benefits of this luscious substance...I've Decided to incorporate it into my diet. I have been making these wonderful creamy soups with Organic unprocessed Coconut Milk. I have also added Organic Raw virgin Coconut Oil to my diet... the benefits of this delicious oil seem endless.
Recipe
My latest adventuresome recipe sounds kinda strange... I had made cooked greens this week combining Kale and Collards with onion and some spices, but did not eat all of it. And not wanting to waste these delicious greens... I decided to try it out in a soup.
I used the leftover greens, added 1 ripe tomato, a handful of baby carrots, a shake of Turmeric, 1 mild jalapeno pepper, a little Bernard Jensen's Seasoning and a Tablespoon of Red Miso along with 1 can of Organic Coconut Milk and put it all in my Vita Mix blender. Voila!!! A wonderful soup. It had a little kick to it from the pepper, but it wasn't overwhelming. I thought it was great and what a good way to turn leftovers into a delicious meal.
Great connections
Dr. Mercola An excellent website with links to the most current and breaking health news in the world.
How we can all help ourselves by making better choices.
Energise for Life awesome website for living an alkaline balanced lifestyle. Free info and recipes!!!
Hope your having an awesome day!!!
Please feel free to make comments and or suggestions....I am always interested in your feedback!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
I am back....
I can't believe I am finally writing on my blog again! Hooray!!!
The challenge of trying to get access to my blog via my laptop has been challenging, to say the least!
Either my computer isn't working properly or I don't have access to the internet....
Updates!!!
I am still using the Neuroassist protocol with guidance from my Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Dana Keaton of Phoenix, AZ.
It's always a challenge... my body is constantly adapting to the regime and I am continually having to change dosages of Mucuna and Amino Acids. Fortunately, I am still able to find several hours of relief each day from my symptoms. ie: tremors and muscle spasms/contractions in hands, arms, legs and feet.
It is during these few hours of relief time that I do my shopping, housekeeping, cooking, reading, writing and exercise. Some days are better than other's... I just try to appreciate this time and do things that I like to do.
Food does play a huge role in how my body reacts to Mucuna Pruriens. I have actually discovered that the Mucuna works best if I don't eat anything prior to taking it. (waiting at least 30-60 minutes before eating anything)... and not taking it with the D5 or Cys replete. This seems to cause the least stomach issues for me.
I am still trying to use Food Combining principles when making choices for what I eat.... trying to get my body more alkaline.
Today I made this delicious soup. I think that I have to call it "Heaven in a bowl".... it is probably one of the best soups I have ever made... and it is so simple!
1/2 red onion - chopped
2 red potatoes - peeled and chopped
1 sweet potato - peeled and chopped
6 small baby carrots - chopped
4 cherry tomatoes - cut in half
1 sundried tomato
1 cup spring water
Simmer all of the above ingredients until tender, Using a vita mix blender or any high powered blender, add small batches of soup to blender and puree until smooth. Add 1 can of Organic Thai Kitchen brand coconut milk to the soup in the blender and 1 T. red miso and continue to blend til all is blended well.
That's it! It is ready to eat and enjoy!
Please let me know if you try this and what you think of this simple to make soup. I thought it was awesome!!!
The challenge of trying to get access to my blog via my laptop has been challenging, to say the least!
Either my computer isn't working properly or I don't have access to the internet....
Updates!!!
I am still using the Neuroassist protocol with guidance from my Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Dana Keaton of Phoenix, AZ.
It's always a challenge... my body is constantly adapting to the regime and I am continually having to change dosages of Mucuna and Amino Acids. Fortunately, I am still able to find several hours of relief each day from my symptoms. ie: tremors and muscle spasms/contractions in hands, arms, legs and feet.
It is during these few hours of relief time that I do my shopping, housekeeping, cooking, reading, writing and exercise. Some days are better than other's... I just try to appreciate this time and do things that I like to do.
Food does play a huge role in how my body reacts to Mucuna Pruriens. I have actually discovered that the Mucuna works best if I don't eat anything prior to taking it. (waiting at least 30-60 minutes before eating anything)... and not taking it with the D5 or Cys replete. This seems to cause the least stomach issues for me.
I am still trying to use Food Combining principles when making choices for what I eat.... trying to get my body more alkaline.
Today I made this delicious soup. I think that I have to call it "Heaven in a bowl".... it is probably one of the best soups I have ever made... and it is so simple!
1/2 red onion - chopped
2 red potatoes - peeled and chopped
1 sweet potato - peeled and chopped
6 small baby carrots - chopped
4 cherry tomatoes - cut in half
1 sundried tomato
1 cup spring water
Simmer all of the above ingredients until tender, Using a vita mix blender or any high powered blender, add small batches of soup to blender and puree until smooth. Add 1 can of Organic Thai Kitchen brand coconut milk to the soup in the blender and 1 T. red miso and continue to blend til all is blended well.
That's it! It is ready to eat and enjoy!
Please let me know if you try this and what you think of this simple to make soup. I thought it was awesome!!!
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