WHY PARKINSON’S CHOOSE ME

September 7, 2020Gajanan BandodkarHealth2

“WHY ME?”

You might get this question every time you think about Parkinsons. Where did I go wrong in these past years of my life “Did I eat something wrong?”, “Did I get exposed to something hostile?”, “ I don’t even have a family history” . Could I go back to my past and get it corrected? If you are thinking the same , there are some possible links which can be backtracked in your lifestyle. Medication is not the only solution, changes in lifestyle are needed to slow the progression of the disease. Let’s have a look at some of the risk factors which have been found associated with Parkinsons.

Pesticides and PD

As we already know that pesticides are proven to be hazardous to health. It’s ill effect is not limited to farmers and manufactures but also to consumers. Statistics reveal that even low level exposure to pesticides increase the risk of having Parkinsons by 70%. Which makes me think,

“What we are eating, is it right for us?.”

Pesticides have been found in cow’s milk, drinking water, marine life and even in breast milk of a mother consuming pesticides in her diet. Biggest source of exposure to pesticides in consumers is oral consumption of food produced. Mostly through consumption of fruits and vegetables sprayed with pesticides or eating without proper hygiene. A study stated that a large concentration of pesticides get ingested and absorbed into the crops which have been sprayed with pesticides. Main groups of pesticides, organochlorine and organophosphate are of concern due to its toxicity, though being prohibited in many developing countries it is still being used.

So “Who knows what’s on our plate?”.

Pesticides induce oxidative stress leading to the generation of free radicals plus mitochondrial dysfunction which are both documented to Parkinson’s disease pathology.

Solution:
Organic farming seems out to be a better option where crops are grown with bio-insecticides and with minimum pesticide residual. It is estimated that pesticide residues found in organic farming were 23% and in conventional farming it was 72%. This is a massive difference in the figures, which recommends it would be beneficial if we switch to organic. In addition it has been proved that organically grown crops have more nutrient value along with higher levels of ascorbic acid, low levels of nitrate and better protein quality.

Tips:

• Washing and cooking has proved to reduce various types of pesticides. So proper washing 3-4 times, removes the superficial surface pesticides, boiling/steaming removes few more.
• What about the products which are eaten raw ? 
  • Washing won’t be enough , we will have to switch to organic
• Preferably boil water for drinking and cooking. 
• Soaking seems to absorb pesticides into the cereal(rice/pulses)  which don’t get removed with just washing
  • Try to soak it in already boiled water.

Aluminium and PD

Aluminium is the most common metal alloy used for the cooking ware (utensils) and packing(processed food can, foil for packed food). It has been traditionally used since ages for its several advantages. But aluminium has been linked to have neurotoxic effects on several disorders like Alzheimer’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsons. Studies have shown an increased amount of aluminium content in substantia nigra in PD patients. There is prolonged retention of a fraction of aluminium that enters the brain, suggesting its potential for accumulation with repeated exposures. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage are the major toxic consequences of Aluminium which are also considered to be the pathogenesis behind Parkinsons. Major exposure to humans from aluminium(Al) is through diet.

Following results are reported

• Cooking in Al vessels with apple, tomato ,pickle ,vinegar,salted fish increases Al migration to these foods.
• Older Al vessels leached more aluminium than newer vessels
• Al content can increase due to storage of food in Al containers
• Frequent usage of Al cookware significantly increased the Al content in food
• Aluminum is much more harmful in older population as their bodies are not as capable of filtering out traces of aluminum which are present in their system.

Aluminium is much more harmful in older population as their bodies are not as capable of filtering out traces of aluminium which are present in their system. An average of 30 mg of aluminium is consumed through water, food, and drugs daily. Even though few studies suggest the level of Al using Al vessels does not seem hazardous it always adds on to the daily intake along with other sources. If possible avoiding or replacing aluminium cooking ware, foils, cans with stainless steel, iron, ceramic or glass seems prudent !!

Dental amalgam filling and PD

Dental amalgam is made up of mercury and other metals. It is used for different dental treatments mostly during caries filling .This mercury(Hg0) is considered to release vapour if a person grinds or chews ,whose inhalation is considered to have effects on kidneys and brain. Dental amalgam filling has been used widely due to its advantages of being cost effective and sustainable. Post occupational exposure to Hgo has shown symptoms like decreased coordination and increased tremor. A study conducted in Taiwan considered patients with amalgam filling from the year 2000 to 2008 which revealed a higher risk of having Parkinsons with dental amalgam .High levels of Hg0 in the CNS, results in oxidative stress, which has been found to be a major factor in neurological diseases. WHO has declared amalgam to be safe. There is dearth in the evidence confirming the relation of amalgam and parkinsons but why not try to avoid amalgam fillings in future as there are studies which strongly relate it with Parkinson’s. We Can’t leave any stone unturned!!!

Recent studies show that genetic factors plays a minor role in determining whether an individual develops this disease, creating some interest in the other environmental factors. I know these are not 100% proven factors, but there is some scientific reasoning to it. So why not give it a try and hope that it would cause some positive change !!

This does not end here, there are many more risk factors which we need to keep in consideration, I would be covering them in my future blogs. Hope you found it useful.

References:

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