Parkinson's Disease

This is an excerpt from Dennis N Crouse's Book  'Silica water the Secret of Healthy Blue Zone Longevity in the Aluminum Age'  Here is a link to buy the book.

 
 https://www.amazon.com/Dennis-N-Crouse-Ph-D/e/B01LFW4782?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1578406231&sr=8-1

Parkinson’s Disease

The recent announcement that Alan Alda has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) sparked my interest in writing this section. Recent papers on the rapidly rising incidence of PD and a link between PD and traumatic brain injury make it clear that we need to know more^376-378.

PD is a neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system that negatively impacts regions of the brain that control movement (i.e. motor system). The main motor symptoms are called “parkinsonism” and the most obvious are tremor, rigidity, and the impairment of the power of voluntary movement (a.k.a. akinesia). PD generally occurs in people over 70 but in 5-10% of cases does occur in people under 50, where it is called “young-onset PD”. PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s and PD is also a terminal disease. The motor symptoms of the disease are due to dopaminergic cell death in the substaintia nigra (SN) region of the midbrain leaving this region deficient in the neurotransmitter dopamine.

The cause of PD is believed to be a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Aluminum is an environmental factor whose prevalence is increasing at approximately the same rate as the rising prevalence of PD. For instance worldwide death from PD increased 2.3 fold between 1990 and 2013 while worldwide aluminum production increased 2.8 fold in this same period^229,376.  In the U.S.A. the incidence rate of PD is also increasing at a rate comparable to that of worldwide aluminum production as graphed in figure 30³⁷⁷.                           
 

Figure 30 – PD Incidence Rates and Worldwide Aluminum Production^{227, 377}

Traumatic brain injury (a.k.a. TBI) has been found to significantly increase the risk of PD in later life. Records of 325,870 health care recipients of the U.S. Veterans Health Administration were studied.  These records were age-matched 1:1 to a random sample of those with and without a diagnosis of mild to moderately-severe TBI. Those with mild TBI had 71% higher risk of PD than normal while those with moderate-severe TBI had 83% higher risk than normal of PD³⁷⁶. As explained earlier in this chapter both TBI and aluminum increase the permeability of the blood-brain-barrier opening the door to environmental chemicals, such as aluminum, entering the brain^214-218.  Aluminum and iron concentrations have been found to be higher in the SN region of the brain in people with PD as compared to people without PD^380-381.

Divalent Metal Ion Transporter (DMT1) is an iron transporter protein that transports both iron and aluminum to neurons in the SN region of the brain causing neurodegeneration³⁸². The amount of DMT1 being made (i.e. DMT1 genetic expression) is not governed by iron availability; but instead governed by a person’s age and the brain location to which the iron is being transported³⁸³. For instance DMT1 is increased for iron transport to the SN region as people age and is increased in the brains of Parkinson’s patients^383,384. The result is that as we age higher DMT1 expression in nigral dopaminergic neurons facilitates higher iron and aluminum levels in the SN region dependent only upon the availability of absorbed iron and aluminum^383,384.    

Aluminum alters the metabolism of levodopa (a.k.a. L-DOPA) by increasing the ratio of dihydroxy-indole (DHI) to dihydoxy-indole carboxylate (DHICA) in SN regions that are slightly acidic (i.e. pH 5.5)³⁸⁵.  A high ratio of DHI to DHICA inhibits the polymerization of a mixture of DHI and DHICA to neuromelanin (NM) ³⁸⁶. Less NM means less protection from oxidative stress. Aluminum causes more oxidative stress (i.e. ROS) in the brain than any other common metal ion (see table 32)²¹⁹.  Aluminum enhances both oxidative stress and dopaminergic neurodegeneration as has been observed in an experimental animal model of PD³⁸⁷.  In the brains of patients with PD oxidative stress leading to dopaminergic cell death is indicated by lower than normal levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) levels being found in the SN region³⁸⁸. 

Neuromelanine (NM) stores iron and can also store aluminum in neurons of the SN region. It is believed that iron and any aluminum stored in NM is less likely to cause oxidative stress and cell death in the SN region³⁸⁹.  Normally NM slowly increases in concentration in neurons of the SN region from birth to age 90+³⁹⁰. However, patients with PD have only 50% of normal levels of NM, possibly due to aluminum causing a high DHI to DHCA ratio that inhibits the creation of NM^382,391. This is a dangerous situation because people with a damaged-blood-brain-barrier^217,218 and all people over 77 years of age absorb and accumulate more aluminum than normal¹⁹⁴. For this reason accumulating aluminum that is unable to be stored by available NM, creates oxidative stress and dopamergic cell death in the SN region of PD patients³⁸⁷. Worse yet is when these cells die, a storm of NM stored iron and aluminum is released creating even more inflammation in the SN region of the brain³⁸⁹.  

Conclusion of Parkinson’s Disease – Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder of the substriatia nigra (SN) region of the brain that is due to both environmental and genetic factors. The following evidence points to aluminum accumulation being a causal factor of PD:

·         The incidence rate of PD is correlated with increasing worldwide aluminum production. 

·         Blood-brain-barrier damage due to TBI and/or aluminum increases the risk of both PD and aluminum accumulation

·         Divalent Metal Ion Transporter (DMT1) genetic expression is increased resulting it the transport of too much aluminum and iron to the brain’s SN region as people age

·         Aluminum levels are higher in the SN region of the brain in people with PD as compared to people without PD

·         Aluminum alters the metabolism of levodopa resulting in the inhibition of neuromelanin (NM) production and ultimately lowering NM levels by 50% in the SN region of PD patients allowing aluminum to cause oxidative damage to the SN region

·         Lower than normal levels of GSH indicate oxidative damage to the SN region

Research on the etiology of PD has uncovered four causal factors:

·         Traumatic brain injury (TBI) - Damages the blood-brain-barrier allowing environmental chemicals, such as aluminum, to accumulate in the brain

·         Divalent Metal Ion Transporter (DMT1) Expression - is not governed by iron availability; but instead governed by a person’s age and the brain location. DMT1 transports too much aluminum and iron to the brain’s SN region in older people

·         Aluminum – Damages the blood-brain barrier and alters the metabolism of levodopa resulting in less neuromelanin and more oxidative damage and neurodegeneration in the SN region

·         Neuromelanin (NM) – sequesters aluminum and iron protecting the brain from oxidative stress due to these metals. But people with PD have 50% less NM than normal

By taking two supplements and two drugs PD can be both prevented and possibly healed:

·         Drink OSA rich water – facilitates removal of aluminum preventing further damage to the blood brain barrier and oxidative stress, neuro-inflammation, and neurodegeneration in the SN region of the midbrain       

·         Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) – ALA exerts a protective effect against aluminum induced oxidative stress when taken as a 50 – 300mg a day oral supplement³⁹²

·         Nonasprin and Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – NSAIDs decrease neuro-inflammation and reduce the incidence of PD by greater than 20% for long-term and regular users³⁹³

·         Levodopa (L-DOPA) – L-DOPA combined with a DOPA decarboxylase inhibitor is the recommended treatment for PD as it provides palliative relief from the symptoms of PD. Both L-DOPA supplementation and aluminum increase homocysteine, therefore silica water is recommended to at least remove aluminum³⁸¹

Avoid traumatic brain injury (TBI) - Since falls result in 2/3 of traumatic brain injuries, avoid falling by keeping walkways free of objects, loose rugs, and pets and by using a walking or balancing aid, such as a pole, walking stick, cane, or walker. The use of metal studded over-boots when walking on snowy or icy surfaces is also recommended.