As with so many paths that open to us in life, our guest in this episode did not set out to make a deep study of Parkinson’s. She stumbled into it by first helping a number patients who had foot injuries. And from there has delved deeply into neurobiology, brain chemistry, Chinese medicine, and psychology in her study of how long-term physiological shock can effect brain chemistry and movement disorders.
Our conversation touches on the triggering events that can lead to Parkinson’s, and how recovery is a transformative DIY project.
This episode is longer than our usual podcast, and not only is packed full of helpful information for those affected by this condition, but also may challenge you to open your perspective on this disease. Especially if you don’t have Parkinson’s, some of this material may uncomfortably challenge how you think about this illness. But, curiously enough, the people with Parkinson’s find it oddly comforting that someone really gets something that is fundamental at their core.
Listen in and be prepared to be surprised!
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Show Highlights:
4:10 Recovering from Parkinson’s is a DIY project.
5:16 Various causes of Parkinsonism.
6:49 A head scratching twins study on Parkinson’s.
9:08 Some traits of the Parkinson’s personality.
13:00 Beyond sympathetic and para-sympathetic; the role of adrenaline.
19:17 The mindset that leads to constant adrenaline release.
20:32 The dope on dopamine.
29:06 Our thoughts create our brain and chemistry.
37:00 If you know what’s causing the problem, you just need to stop doing it.
47:45 The difference between what doctors and patients say about Parkinson’s.
49:00 Understanding Parkinson’s from the inside.
57:52 Turning off physiologic dissociation.
1:05:46 Issues involved with people who have taken dopamine enhancing medications.
1:12:35 Recovering from Parkinson’s by turning off physiological dissociation.
Dr. Janice Hadlock, DAOM, LAc, is a professor at the Five Branches college of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, in Santa Cruz, California. She is also the founder of the non-profit Parkinson’s Recovery Project. All the research findings of the Project, including several books, are available for free download at www.pdrecovery.org.
Dr. JJ, as she is known, has been studying Chinese medicine since the late 1980s. Her studies in Chinese ” (bio-electric) channel theory” helped her stumble across some highly unusual sub-dermal electrical patterns in people with Parkinson’s: patterns ordinarily associated with severe shock. Over years of research, she has been able to put together an explanation for the development of idiopathic Parkinson’s that brings together and makes perfect sense of all the research loose ends and even seemingly contradictory neurological patterns that can be seen in the highly individualistic, even come-and-go symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
As for the recovery from Parkinson’s, it does not involve acupuncture. Acupuncture can, over the long-term, actually accelerate the symptoms. Recovery turns out to be very much a do-it-yourself project – those who read the material and apply it on their own are the ones who recover most quickly and efficiently. Those who insist that they will need someone else to act as therapist and “fix” them are least likely to recover. Please note that those who have taken anti-parkinson’s medications for longer than three weeks are not good candidates for recovery.
More on this subject is available on the website: www.pdrecovery.org
Links and Resources:
Book- Recovery From Parkinson’s, main book of the Parkinson’s Recovery Project
Book- Yin Tui Na, Techniques for Treating Injuries of Parkinson’s or Any Dissociated Injury
Book- Once Upon a Pill, the issues involved with dopamine enhancing medication
