Just Ask Terry

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Dear Terry, “My mother has Parkinson’s disease, which she has controlled admirably these last five years. Although it is progressing, she has been maintained with minimum doses of the prescription drug Sinemet, and has helped herself with yoga, physical therapy, and massage. She does experience pain some days, often from the results of weight bearing exercises due to her physical therapy. Can an herbal combination targeting pain that includes curcumin, boswellia, DLPA and nattokinase be taken while taking Sinemet for Parkinson’s? Do you have other suggestions? I look forward to hearing from you. All my best.” —Amy C., San Jose, CA A. Dear Amy, I applaud all the proactive steps your mother has taken to preserve her health despite dealing with Parkinson’s disease. In answer to your questions about using natural products for pain, I would first ask her to discuss this with her healthcare practitioner. I think the best health outcomes are achieved when all those involved are in the loop and cooperating to achieve certain health outcomes—like controlling pain without the use of additional prescription drugs, and blending the use of dietary supplements with a prescription drug. If he or she has no concern with doing so, then I do have some suggestions for your mother. I am not aware of any reason your mother could not use curcumin, boswellia, DLPA (Dl-phenylalanine) and nattokinase. In fact, this combination might be useful for more than alleviating her pain. Inflammation also plays a role in progressive neurological diseases (such as Parkinson’s) and this is a very potent formula for reducing inflammation. I would also suggest 400 IU of Vitamin E per day as well as 300 mg of CoQ10. There are published human studies using CoQ10 at 1200 mg per day with significant effects on slowing the progression of this disease, but that was also with a doctor’s supervision. Also, be aware of a new bioactive form of CoQ10 called ubiquinol, which is superior in absorption and may prove to be much more effective, though since it is very new, few studies have been done so far. Best of Health to you and your mom!