Questions about Parkinson’s disease

In an e-alert I sent you last week (“Live Wires” 10/21/02) I told you about how the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) appears to slow the progressive deterioration of function for patients in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease.

I received several e-mails about that one, and all of them zeroed in on one slightly confusing paragraph. Here’s a comment, for instance, from HSI member G.G.R. who said:

“One of the paragraphs in this letter either makes no sense or I don’t understand it correctly. The paragraph in question states that people receiving 1200 mg of COQ-10 showed a 40% decline in mental activity! Please explain! If that is true, then it would be dangerous to take this supplement!”

I’ll admit that I grappled with the wording of that paragraph in question, but even so, it still ended up being confusing. In describing the study results from research at the University of California, San Diego, here’s what I wrote:

“Using a scale that measures the severity of Parkinson’s symptoms, the researchers found that the 23 subjects who received the 1,200 mg dose showed a decline in mental function and muscle movement that was about 40% less than the placebo group. Subjects who received the lower dosages also showed less decline, but it was not as significant as in the high dosage group.”

It’s a double-negative problem. What I intended to say here was that all of the study groups showed a decline in mental function, but the group that received the 1,200 mg daily dose of CoQ10 experienced 40% less decline than the placebo group. So just as “less is more,” in this case “less decline” is better.

In his e-mail, G.G.R. also had this question: “Did you hear that an Italian doctor actually cures Parkinson’s with two high dosage injections of L-Glutathione. Would like to hear something about it from you.”

I have heard about this intravenous treatment. My understanding, however, is that it falls far short of being a “cure.” Apparently the large IV dose of L-Glutathione provides a dramatic relief from the severe tremors of Parkinson’s. But the effect wears off after a few days and must be repeated. To be honest, I’m not aware of any other factors that might come into play. For instance: Are there a limited number of treatments that a Parkinson’s patient can tolerate? Are the treatments exorbitantly expensive? Do you have to go to Italy to receive them?

If anyone has further information about this treatment and can provide the answers to these questions, G.G.R. and I would very much like to hear from you.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute