Amino Acid Therapy and Parkinson’s Disease

Historically, the most effective way to manage Parkinson’s disease involved using L-dopa to increase dopamine levels in the brain. L-dopa can cross the blood-brain-barrier and is freely synthesized into dopamine if the necessary co-factors are present.

Illustration from Marty Hinz, MD: www.neuroassist.com.

The cause of Parkinson’s disease is damaged post-synaptic dopamine neurons in the brain which cause a steady and dramatic decline in dopamine production and function, often referred to as a relative nutritional deficiency (RND); this results in the symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease, or Parkinson’s disease-like RND symptoms. L-dopa is required in order to raise dopamine levels high enough to alleviate these symptoms.

However, L-dopa is associated with numerous side effects when given as a stand-alone therapy. Many of these side effects are due to the fact that the administration of L-Dopa alone may deplete L-tyrosine, L-tryptophan, 5-hydroxytriptophan (5-HTP), serotonin and sulfur amino acids.

Illustration from Marty Hinz, MD: www.neuroassist.com.

This is exacerbated by the fact that Parkinson’s disease itself is associated with a depletion of tyrosine hydroxylase (the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the conversion of L-tyrosine into L-Dopa), dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine.

Carbidopa is often given along with L-dopa to try and relieve some of the side effects of L-dopa administration. Carbidopa is a general decarboxylase inhibitor, which means it inhibits the peripheral synthesis of both serotonin and dopamine (as well as norepinephrine and epinephrine). Although this approach may relieve some of the side effects of L-dopa administration, especially nausea, it is associated with an incredibly long and severe list of side effects and has been implicated as being the causative agent in the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

The ONLY way to address the underlying neurotransmitter imbalances associated with Parkinson’s disease-like RND symptoms is to take the proper balance of L-dopa in conjunction with 5-HTP, L-tyrosine, L-cysteine and necessary cofactors to restore optimal neurotransmitter function. The protocol necessary to address each person’s unique underlying causes needs to be tailored to their exact needs. In addition, special attention needs to be placed on when a person takes their amino acids, as timing can be as important as the dosage itself in regards to the elimination of PD-like RND symptoms.

This can only be accomplished by working with a provider trained in the proper use of amino acid therapy and is imperative for long term success. Please contact us to get started.

The Sooner You Get Started with Amino Acid Therapy for Parkinson’s the Better

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neuro-degenerative disease. That is, the disease progresses as more and more neurons are destroyed. The ideal approach is to catch the disease as early as possible so that full function can be restored. This occurs when there are enough dopaminergic neurons remaining so that when given the proper amount and balance of amino acid precursors, they are able to compensate for the damage.

However, without proper intervention, the neurodegenerative process will continue. If enough dopaminergic neurons are destroyed, no amount of amino acids will be able to completely restore proper function. Unfortunately, this often occurs when people with Parkinson’s disease-like RND symptoms attempt to exhaust all other options before implementing amino acid therapy. While these people benefit greatly from amino acid therapy, most do not achieve complete relief of PD-like RND symptoms due to the extent of the neurodegeneration.

Therefore, a person with Parkinson’s disease-like RND symptoms should implement a course of properly guided amino acid therapy as soon as possible to obtain optimal results. All other therapy options are associated with a progression of the disease. Unlike the medical approach of using L-DOPA/carbidopa, amino acid therapy needs to be implemented as early as possible to optimally manage the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease-like RND symptoms.

More Information Regarding Amino Acid Therapy and Parkinson’s

Here is a published case report on using amino acids in the management of Parkinson’s disease.