Long-Term Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods and Prodromal Features of Parkinson Disease

Long-Term Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods and Prodromal Features of Parkinson Disease - 2025: https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000213562
"higher UPF consumption was associated with increased odds of individual prodromal features, including pRBD, constipation, body pain, and depressive symptoms."
Bolt Note: The fact that RBD is included, to me, is a smoking gun.
The paper only has the abstract but The Daily Mail has more information: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14687307/popular-food-parkinsons-disease-link-doctor-urgent-warning.html
"Chinese scientists found people who ate 11 or more servings of ultraprocessed foods a day were 2.5 times more likely to have early signs of the progressive movement disorder Parkinson's disease than those eating three or fewer servings.
However, even three or fewer raised the risk by up to 60 percent, depending on the specific food.
One serving is the equivalent of a can of soda or tablespoon of ketchup, but other foods considered healthy like salads and sliced meat can also be ultraprocessed."
"Writing in a medical journal this week, the researchers suggested artificial additives in these foods like emulsifiers, sweeteners and preservatives may promote inflammation and oxidative stress. This damages neurons in the brain that create dopamine, a neurotransmitter that controls movement.
Additionally, the foods quickly get absorbed into the bloodstream and attack the microbiome, a community of 'friendly' bacteria that live in the gut and communicate with the brain. Harmful bacteria creates inflammation in the brain that destroys dopamine-producing neurons.
The experts believe cutting down on ultraprocessed food consumption may slash the risk of developing Parkinson's years or decades before it would be diagnosed."
"The researchers believe additives in ultraprocessed foods like emulsifiers and sweeteners promote oxidative stress, an imbalance between disease-fighting antioxidants and harmful free radicals.
Free radicals attack the body's cells and tissues. In Parkinson's disease, they damage neurons that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates movement.
Ultraprocessed foods are also thought to induce inflammation in the brain, which further attacks the neurons responsible for dopamine production."

40 HZ Brainwave Entrainment

So... on today's Zoom call I was asked to re-post the link to the 40 HZ brainwave entrainment audio file I created and have been using. So here it is, plus some info:

I apologize for going off of memory, but there are a number of reasons for using this audio file (or something like it or something better). If you search HU Cure Parkinson's for "40 HZ" you will find a number of posts on this topic: https://healthunlocked.com/cure-parkinsons/search/posts?query=40+hz

So... benefits:

1: There is research that meditation helps PD. And they say that when you meditate you get your brain into the Gamma frequency range. Well I have never been able to meditate. Or if I do meditate I can't tell that I am. I just sit there bored. But something else gets your brain into the Gamma frequency range: Brainwave entrainment at 40 HZ. Listening to this file should accomplish the goal of getting your brain to 40 HZ (I would stake my High School Diploma on it!).

2: A normal brain has multiple different frequencies going on at once. One of the symptoms of PD is those multiple different frequencies becoming similar and lower. I think all of the various frequencies kind of congeal at around 15 HZ. Brainwave Entrainment can pull your brain out of that rut and get you up to Gamma (40 HZ range).

3: There have been a number of studies showing some benefits, nothing rock solid, of using 40 hz flashing lights and synchronized 40 HZ sounds. (FYI: If you find the audio file MIT used in their study, well, it was designed for the mouse hearing range, so I would skip that one).

Okay: I listen to the audio file, it is 50 minutes long, once during the day and once in the evening, every day. With bone conduction headphones I can listen to to the pulsed tone while I do other things, even watch TV.

Oh! Another thing about bone conduction headphones: I think it was @House2that clued me onto bone conduction headphone and he thought these types of headphones were actually better for brainwave entrainment.

I use these $35 Bone Conduction Headphones to listen to the beats. They do not cover your ears so you can walk around and listen to beats and still be able to hear people and watch TV: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B15FN1Z2?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 (These particular bone conduction headphones are no longer available, but hopefully you get the idea).

Monaural Beats Files: There is only one. This is my favorite file now. It is 250 HZ pulsed at 40 HZ (Gamma). I chose 250 HZ because I think that is the frequency of the Tass gloves. Here is the file: 250hz pulsed at 40hz Isochronic.mp3 https://drive.google.com/file/d/14XgHquGwa7DsFP9-kg4k7CmSunPjc8oB/view?usp=sharing

PS: I also try to entrain my brainwaves to 40 HZ Gamma I use a 40 HZ flickering light for about an hour a day: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08X4W6N5M?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Effects of Traditional Japanese Massage Therapy on Various Symptoms in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease:A Case-Series Study

Effects of Traditional Japanese Massage Therapy on Various Symptoms in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease:A Case-Series Study 2012 https://sci-hub.st/10.1089/acm.2011.0148

Abstract:

Objectives: Massage therapy is one of the most commonly used complementary therapies for patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate the effects of traditional Japanese massage therapy on various symptoms of patients with PD.

Design: The study design was a case series study. Setting: The study was conducted at the Center for Integrative Medicine, Tsukuba University of Technology, Japan.

Subjects: The subjects were 10 patients with idiopathic PD (mean age, 69.6 – 7.7 years; range, 55–85 years) who presented for consultation with a neurologist between February and April 2009 and who desired massage therapy in conjunction with standard pharmaceutical treatment.

Intervention: The intervention comprised a 30-minute session of traditional Japanese massage in conjunction with standard conventional medication.

Outcome measures: The outcome measures were as follows: Gait speed in the 20-m walk test (10-m walk and return) for gait disturbance, angular range of shoulder joint motion for frozen shoulder, and a visual analogue scale (VAS) for assessing the severity of each of various symptoms (hypophonia, shoulder stiffness, muscle pain, heaviness or lassitude of a body part, and fatigue), as determined before and after the massage session.

Results: (1) Patients with gait disturbance showed improved gait speed, (2) those with frozen shoulder showed improved range of motion of the shoulder joint, and (3) VAS scores for assessing the severity of other subjective symptoms were improved.

Conclusions: These results suggest that traditional Japanese massage therapy used in combination with medication is effective for alleviating various symptoms in patients with PD and may contribute to enhancing their health-related quality of life. Larger studies with a control group are required to verify these findings.

TauRx Parses Subgroups to Make the Case for Methylene Blue Derivative, Again

I just added an edit to my old pro Methylene Blue post: Interesting Methylene Blue Dosing Story https://healthunlocked.com/cure-parkinsons/posts/edit/147878332

According to this paper, TauRx Parses Subgroups to Make the Case for Methylene Blue Derivative, Again https://www.alzforum.org/news/conference-coverage/taurx-parses-subgroups-make-case-methylene-blue-derivative-again some researchers are not really buying the effectiveness of LMTM (a stable reduced form of MB) for AD. Apparently this drug company goes through a lot of statistical and analytical gymnastics to find the silver lining in their trial results.

For the record, I have been off MB for over a month. I don't plan on re-starting it, but you never know.

Wheat Diet may Exacerbate Multiple Sclerosis Severity

Wheat Diet may Exacerbate Multiple Sclerosis Severity

Wheat diet may exacerbate multiple sclerosis severity, research finds - Jan 2024

by Natkritta Hüppe, Universitätsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-wheat-diet-exacerbate-multiple-sclerosis.html

Highlights:

A research team at the University Medical Center Mainz has discovered that a diet containing wheat can increase the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS). This is due to the amylase trypsin inhibitors (ATI), natural proteins in wheat, while the gluten proteins did not influence the inflammatory reaction.

The studies confirm that diet and gut health can influence the course of chronic inflammatory diseases, including MS. What is special, is that a specific food, in this case, a defined ingredient, can promote this inflammation.

Until now, however, there was no clear evidence that a wheat-containing diet can also influence inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system. We have now been able to show, both in an animal model and in a clinical pilot study, that the ATI proteins in wheat can enhance the severity of MS. These ATI proteins play a broader role in inflammation than the gluten proteins."

Amylase trypsin inhibitors (ATI) are natural proteins found in cereals such as wheat, barley and rye. The ATI proteins are hardly digested and cause mild inflammatory reactions in the intestine. However, they do not only act in the intestine: Inflammatory cells and soluble inflammatory mediators activated by ATI can also be transported from the intestine to other parts of the body through the bloodstream.

As the scientists have discovered, the ATI proteins promote existing inflammatory processes in organs such as the liver or lungs and, what's new, even in the central nervous system. As a result, the ATI proteins can exacerbate the symptoms of MS.

The research team was then able to confirm the results from the animal model in a clinical pilot study. Patients with moderately severe, mildly active MS took part in this study. One study group followed a wheat-reduced diet for three months, while the other group continued their wheat-containing diet.

After the three months, the groups switched to the other diet for a further three months. The MS patients reported significantly less pain during the wheat-free diet. Fewer inflammatory immune cells were also measured in their blood.

On a Related Note:

Sourdough Fermentation Degrades Wheat Alpha-Amylase/Trypsin Inhibitor (ATI) and Reduces Pro-Inflammatory Activity July 2020

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7404469/

“The ingestion of gluten-containing foods can cause wheat-related disorders in up to 15% of wheat consuming populations. Besides the role of gluten, α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors (ATI) have recently been identified as inducers of an innate immune response via toll-like receptor 4 in celiac disease and non-celiac wheat sensitivity. ATI are involved in plant self-defense against insects and possibly in grain development. Notably, they are largely resistant to gastrointestinal proteases and heat, and their inflammatory activity affects not only the intestine, but also peripheral organs.”

“In conclusion, this work provided fundamental knowledge on the fate of pro-inflammatory wheat ATI in different strategies of bread-making. ATI tetramers were disassembled/degraded and showed a significantly lower pro-inflammatory bioactivity after sourdough fermentation. Sourdough was the main leavening agent for bread production until the late 19th century. The introduction of baker’s yeast in 1871 resulted in a gradual replacement of sourdough fermentation by a straight, short-term dough processes. The use of sourdough in bread production has increased again in the past decade, owing to the superior organoleptic properties of sourdough bread; this study, apart from prior studies related to the degradation of FODMAPs during sourdough fermentation [47], suggested that the product development strategy using sourdough fermentation may benefit the community by reducing the severity of inflammatory non-celiac wheat sensitivity.”

Research Demonstrates Massage Therapy’s Positive Role in Aiding Brain Health

Research Demonstrates Massage Therapy’s Positive Role in Aiding Brain Health

Jan 2024

https://www.integrativehealthcare.org/mt/research-demonstrates-massage-therapys-positive-role-in-aiding-brain-health/

Research on Massage and Neurological Health:

Excerpts:

Cognitive Function

• In Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, researcher Jeong-Hwan Lim concludes positive results with the usage of mechanical massage within a mechanized chair coupled with binaural beats (two different frequency sounds played in each ear through headphones) has a positive impact on cognitive function and reducing mental fatigue.

• Participants received massage in the mechanical chair while listening to the binaural beats. Measures of EEG (Electroencephalogram) readings and results of five cognitive tests were examined. (1)

Balance and Stability:

• The International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork published research showing short-term improvements in balance, neurological, and cardiovascular measures with the usage of massage therapy. Participants were elderly individuals.

• The study concluded that a single 60-minute massage therapy session was shown to have stabilizing effects on measures of static and dynamic balance and physiological factors related to stability in older adults. This may lead to improved balance, thereby decreasing the risk of falls in elderly individuals. (3)

Parkinson’s Patients:

• The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine published a case-series study in 2012 highlighting Japanese massage therapy, commonly referred to as Shiatsu, aids Parkinson’s patients with their symptoms.

The three main results shown in the study were:

• patients with challenges walking witnessed improved gait speed

• patients with frozen shoulder displayed greater shoulder range of motion

• and improved VAS (visual analogue scale) scores regarding patient pain.

Shiatsu massage was shown to be an effective treatment for Parkinson’s patients. (5)

The same journal published similar findings in 2018 indicating that “Acupoint massage,” massage that involves stimulating traditional Chinese meridian points, is an effective intervention for maintaining cognitive health in elderly adults. Improvements were witnessed with measures of the Wechsler Memory Scale, Visual reproduction, Logical memory and Associative Learning markers. (6)

References:

• “The Effects on Mental Fatigue and the Cognitive Function of Mechanical Massage and Binaural Beats (Brain Massage) provided by Massage Chairs”, Lim, Jeong-Hwan, Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, August 2018

• “Multiple Sclerosis Patients Benefit from Massage Therapy”, Field Tiffany, et al, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, July 1998

• “Massage Therapy Produces Short-term Improvements in Balance, Neurological and Cardiovascular Measures in Older Persons”, Sefton, JoEllen, International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, 2012

• The Handbook of Wellness Medicine, Ishak, William, Cambridge University Press, copyright 2020, first edition

• “Effects of Traditional Japanese Massage Therapy on Various Symptoms in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Case Series Study”, Donoyama, Nozomi, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2012

• “Acupoint Massage for Managing Cognitive Alterations in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analaysis”, Liu, Fang, et al, Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 2018

• “Effect of Massage on Sleep Quality and Motor Development”, Kusumastuti, et al, Universitats Sebelas Maret, 2013

"Shiatsu massage was shown to be an effective treatment for Parkinson’s patients. (5)"

Wikipedia says: In the Japanese language, shiatsu means "finger pressure". Shiatsu techniques include massages with fingers, thumbs, elbow, knuckle, feet and palms; acupressure, assisted stretching; and joint manipulation and mobilization.[4]

I sure like my massage chair thingy: COMFIER Shiatsu Back Massager with Heat -Deep Tissue Kneading Massage Seat Cushion, Massage Chair Pad for Full Back, Electric Body Massager for Home or Office Chair use. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M699ZHV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I did not realize it might be therapeutic.

The one I bought seems to not be available, but there are plenty like it. It has the hard balls going up and down your back.

Proximity proteomic analysis of the NRF family reveals the Parkinson’s disease protein ZNF746/PARIS as a co-complexed repressor of NRF2

Proximity proteomic analysis of the NRF family reveals the Parkinson’s disease protein ZNF746/PARIS as a co-complexed repressor of NRF2 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scisignal.adi9018

"Editor’s summary: The cell death that occurs in neurodegenerative diseases is due partly to decreased function of the transcription factor NRF2, which mounts cellular responses to oxidative stress. LaPak et al. sought to identify binding partners for NRF2 and related family members with proximity proteomic analysis. They found that the transcription finger ZNF746 (also known as PARIS), which is increased in abundance in Parkinson’s disease, bound to and repressed the activity of NRF2. A neuronal cell line commonly used in Parkinson’s disease studies showed greater apoptosis and oxidative stress upon ZNF746 overexpression. These data reveal a potential mechanism that may contribute to the suppression of NRF2 activity in Parkinson’s disease. —Wei Wong"

I have a High School degree and no medical training, but I think my daily dose of broccoli sprouts are boosting NRF2, and if PD represses NRF2, then boosting it might be a good idea. Or not. I am not giving advice.

Exploring the anti-inflammatory activity of sulforaphane 2023 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/imcb.12686

(This study has a Summary of studies on sulforaphane/glucoraphanin given to human volunteers in vivo) "The phytochemical sulforaphane, well established as an activator of NRF2 antioxidant signaling, has demonstrated broad anti-inflammatory effects."

I will continue my daily breakfast of a 1.5 cups of broccoli sprouts. https://rbd-pd-protocols.blogspot.com/p/broccoli-sprouts-sulforaphane.html