Although Parkinson’s needs close medical supervision, sufferers can benefit enormously from nutritional therapy.
Research has shown they are often deficient in certain nutrients, so supplements can be helpful. Digestive difficulties are also common, so identifying food sensitivities, taking enzymes and healing the gut lining are important.
Many people with Parkinson’s also suffer from chronic constipation, which can be alleviated by drinking 1,5 litres of water daily, taking Aloe Vera juice, eating foods such as prunes, cabbage and celery, and exercising (with the help of a physiotherapist).
The known cause of Parkinson’s is a difficulty with converting amino acids into dopamine, adrenalin and noradrenalin. So a nutritional approach demands a very specific type of diet that controls the amounts of the amino acids tyrosine and phenlylalanine in the diet, and ensures an optimal intake of vitamin B6 and zinc, among other nutrients, that help to convert them into dopamine, adrenalin and noradrenalin.
Many people with Parkinson’s also have high levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which indicates an inability to balance the brain’s chemistry and which can be substantially helped by taking vitamins B12, B6 and folic acid.
Keeping all these nutrients in balance is quite complicated, however, and for this reason I strongly recommend you see a nutritional therapist who has experience in treating people with Parkinson’s.
Pre-menstrual syndrome describes the occurrence of a cluster of symptoms including bloating, tiredness, irritability, depression, breast tenderness and headaches, occurring most commonly in the week leading up to menstruation.
There are three main causes: oestrogen dominance and relative progesterone deficiency – corrected by natural progesterone and avoiding sources of oestrogen; glucose intolerance, marked by a craving for sweet foods and stimulants; and deficiency in essential fatty acids and vitamin B6, zinc and magnesium, which together create prostaglandins, which help to balance hormone levels.
While the need for these is greatest just before a period is due, it is wise to take the supplements throughout the month. If dietary and supplementary intervention do not result in significant improvement, consider seeing a nutrition consultant and having your hormone balance checked.
Diet advice
Eat little and often before menstruation, snacking on fruit but avoiding sugar, sweets and stimulants. Ensure that your daily diet contains one tablespoon of cold-pressed vegetable oil rich in both Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids.
Supplements
• 2 x Multivitamin and multimineral
• 2 × Vitamin B6 100mg with zinc 10mg
• Vitamin C 1,000mg
• 2 x Essential Omega 3 and 6 oil capsules
• Herbal complex with agnus castus, dong quai, black cohosh or St John’s wort
• Providing magnesium 300mg
Serious post-natal depression is thought to affect up to 15% of new mothers, and feeling weepy or down is even more common. Although there’s a psychological component (from shouldering the huge responsibility of a baby), post-natal depression is usually triggered by hormonal and chemical changes, and these can be supported with good nutrition.
Before you give birth, you transfer a large supply of zinc to your baby, and if you don’t have a good supply yourself, the chances are you’re now deficient, especially if your labor was long and difficult or you had a caesarean. Depression is a common side effect of zinc deficiency, as are white marks on more than two fingernails, a poor appetite, stretch marks and a weak immune system.
Supplements
So if you have any of these additional symptoms, up your supplementary zinc intake to 15mg twice a day until your mood improves. As zinc works with the B vitamin family, particularly B6, also take a B complex supplement.
The other common deficiency in post-natal depression is in essential fats.
In a study of 11,721 British women, those who consumed fish two or three times a week were half as likely to suffer from depression as women with the lower intakes. So eat more oily fish (organic salmon, sardines and mackerel, although go easy on fresh tuna, as it can contain mercury) and some fresh pumpkin and sunflower seeds each day to boost essential fats in your diet. Also take an all-round essential fat supplement containing 600mg of EPA, 400mg DHA and 200mg GLA.
What it does: Enables nutrients to move into and waste products to move out of cells, promotes healthy nerves and muscles, maintains fluid balance in the body, relaxes muscles, helps secretion of insulin for blood sugar control to produce constant energy, involved in metabolism, maintains heart functioning, stimulates gut movements to encourage proper elimination.
Deficiency Signs: Rapid irregular heartbeat, muscle weakness, pins and needles, irritability, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, swollen abdomen, cellulite, low blood pressure resulting from an imbalance of potassium: sodium ratio, confusion, mental apathy.
Best food sources: Watercress, endive, cabbage, celery, parsley, courgettes, radishes, cauliflower, mushrooms, pumpkin, molasses.
Optimum daily amount: 2000mg a day (all supplied by diet – no need to supplement).
The most common prostate problem is prostatitis or benign prostatic hyperplasia, in which the prostate gland enlarges, interfering with the flow of urine.
This is thought to be due to hormonal imbalances, possibly testosterone deficiency and oestrogen dominance, affecting prostaglandins, which have an anti-inflammatory effect. Reversal can be achieved through supplementing essential fatty acids and testosterone. Also important is zinc and a herb called saw palmetto.
The prostate gland is also a common site of cancer, most likely triggered by hormonal imbalances with risk factor similarities to breast cancer.
Diet advice
Follow a diet with an emphasis on foods high in antioxidants, avoiding milk and meat due to their hormone content and eating organic as much as possible. Keep saturated fat very low and ensure that you have adequate essential fats from seeds and their cold-pressed oils.
Supplements
• 2 x Multivitamin and multimineral
• 2 x Antioxidant complex
• 2 × Vitamin C 1,000mg
• 2 x Essential Omega 3 and 6 oil capsules
• Saw palmetto 300mg (for enlarged prostate only)
This is a completely different kind of skin condition from eczema or dermatitis and does not generally respond as well to nutritional intervention. It can occur when the body is ‘toxic’, perhaps due to an overgrowth of the organism Candida albicans, digestive problems leading to intoxication, or to poor liver detoxification. Otherwise consider the factors discussed for eczema and dermatitis.
Diet advice
Follow a diet with an emphasis on low levels of meat and dairy products (to keep you low in saturated fat) and plenty of seeds and their oils for essential fats. If you suspect allergy to dairy products or wheat, test by avoiding these foods.
Supplements
• 2 x Multivitamin and multimineral
• 2 x Antioxidant complex
• Vitamin C 1,000mg
• 2 x Essential Omega 3 and 6 oil capsules
Use topical vitamin A cream
