gut bacteria
July 27, 2019 – Parkinson FIT Weekend Update
This Week's Highlights: Dog Days of Summer; if Parkinson's starts in the gut, what does this mean; getting the most from your remaining dopamine neurons; international PD soccer tournament; PD smartwatch is too retro for its own good; marijuana and pain; forget about hot chilis; research briefs; inspiring people with PD; Improv to Improve PD; and much more ...
Food for Thought: Parkinson’s and the Gut-Brain Connection
It began with a gut feeling. Every week, another study provides insight into the gut-brain connection, and the possibility that Parkinson’s disease begins in the gut. What does this mean? ...
July 21, 2019 – Parkinson FIT Weekend Update
This Week's Highlights: It began with a gut feeling, the latest on the gut-brain connection and Parkinson's; Yale study challenges a long held assumption about Parkinson’s effect on neurotransmitters other than dopamine; Merck Discontinuing Sinemet CR; is PD causing your pain, or just contributing; taking control of your PD, encouraging people with PD to exercise; plus more news and insight ...
July 14, 2019 – Parkinson’s Weekly Update
This Week's Highlights: NASA sending Parkinson’s brain cells to space; Is red light therapy a potential hope for treating pain associated with PD; Understanding exercise intensity; reconnecting through rhythm; Info on Parkinson’s meds & nutritional supplements; gene therapy nears trial for PD-GBA; Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease (YOPD); How long do the effects of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery last?; MS, ALS & PD: Cure one, cure all?; Inspiring people with PD; and more ...
June 30, 2019 – Parkinson’s Weekly Update
This Week's Highlights: Parkinson's humor at the supermarket checkout; more evidence that PD starts in the gut; Blue Water Navy Vietnam vets finally get disability benefits; Michael J. Fox Foundation plans to take their show on the road; brain changing benefits of exercise; Parkinson's and Pain - is your mattress trying to kill you; Photobiomodulation and a stroll through the PD Red Light District ...
June 23, 2019 – Parkinson’s Weekly Update
This Week's Highlights: Is Laughter Still The Best Medicine - Carbidopa/Laughodopa Therapy; Best Blogs from World Parkinson Congress 2019; Gut bacteria ate my Parkinson's meds; magnetic button adapters; Performing DBS while you sleep (the patient that is, not the surgeon); what is the glymphatic system; somatic genetic mutations; PD Summer School; 50-state Rock Steady Boxing Tour; Ping Pong Parkinson; What's in the pipeline for PD; Hype or Hope for treatments in the news; and more ...
Gut Bacteria Ate My Parkinson’s Meds
The dog ate my homework, and gut bacteria ate my Parkinson’s meds. I'm glad it wasn't the other way around. In spite of my poor attempt at humor, this is one of the most interesting scientific discoveries related to Parkinson’s Disease so far this year. No, it does not bring us any closer to a cure, but it is of practical significance because it identifies a naturally occurring scenario that can severely limit the effectiveness of levodopa ...
June 16, 2019 – Parkinson’s Weekly Update
Weekly Update Highlights: Parkinson's Disease and the nagging spouse; Parkinson's Si Buko (the must-read inspiring effort in Uganda to educate that PD is not witchcraft); Generic Carbidopa/Levodopa Extended Release; Gut Bacteria Interferes with Parkinson's Disease Medication; PD research updates; diet and nutrition for Parkinson's; PD exercise programs in the news; and more ...
FDA allows Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) study to include Parkinson’s
Local TV news station KHOU (channel 11) in Houston is reporting that the FDA has given the green light to expand a Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) study at UTHealth to include Parkinson’s. https://www.khou.com/article/news/health/doctors-use-human-feces-to-treat-deadly-disease/285-86b1359c-51c4-4d12-b428-0cfa84215b1a The study is being performed at the Kelsey Research Foundation UTHealth Center for Microbiome Research in Houston, Texas. The idea behind FMT is that good bacteria in healthy stool samples is transferred to an unhealthy individual to repair whatever is going wrong in the gut. In a UTHealth lab, the stool samples are mixed with saline, filtered twice, freeze dried, then put in capsules. The basic transplant takes place in ...
February 25, 2019 – Parkinson’s Weekly Update
This is a recap of the most interesting news and discussions relating to Parkinson's Disease this past week. We saw people with Parkinson's in Tasmania (Australia) turning heads with the latest Parkinson's Disease fashion trend, wearing red light buckets on their heads. They say it helps improve their symptoms. We saw study results that told us that while research on the gut bacteria/PD connection continues, we should also be aware that gut bacteria can interfere with levodopa treatment. Rock and roll legend Peter Frampton was diagnosed with Inclusion Body Myositis, a rare disease that based on some of the symptoms, ...
Gut bacteria can interfere with the effectiveness of levodopa (Sinemet)
Hardly a week goes by where there isn't another study exploring the connection between gut bacteria and Parkinson's Disease. While research continues to try to understand exactly how different strains of gut bacteria are involved in the development and/or progression of PD, a recent study highlights the obvious impact that differences between our unique individual microbiomes can have on how we experience PD in our daily lives. Side note: If you are curious about this research, one of the more useful updates that I recently added to this website is the ability to search recent news items related to Parkinson's ...