Re: Parkinsons, and Iridology

[Guest guest]

I have given Reflexology to a c.50 patient with Parkinsons and she finds it

helps her a lot with relaxation, general well being.

You may like to know that the Ayurvdic herb Mucuna pruriens is used in India

widely for this> it contains a significant percentage of natural L-dopa,

which is also found in beans, particularly fava beans, so eating them is

also a good idea.. Zandu Pharmaceuticals of Bombay market an extract and you

can order it from Davmendra Parikh, e-mail parikhdmhotmail (DOT) Ask them, and

they should send you some printed material for you to study first of course.

My patient is interested in trying this but we haven't as yet as I just

recently sourced it.

ON Iridology: I belong to the Guild of Naturopathic Iridologists and have

used Iridology for many years. It is not an exact science, but what is? It

is useful if you know its limits. Don't expect signs to disappear when

symptoms resolve, this rarely if ever happens, I think (iridologists differ

on this one). It is vey holistic in that it helps you see the different

factors contributing to the condition and you have something in addition to

what the patient reports. I use it mainly to identify constitutional

characteristics and predispositions and also maybe if a therapeutic approach

is not working, I'll take a closer look to see if the irides can tell me

something significant that I've missed. It is well studied and used in

Germany in a very rational way with high tech insturments. and their texts

are the best. Dr. Jenson in America spread its use in recent years. Farida

Shran kind of revived it in GB from what I can tell. But the text by Priest,

who I understand was a NIMH herbalist ( it apparently used to be used among

them in the early part of the century - ?), is excellent. Homoepaths,

nutritionists, some medical doctors and others also use it.

The Guild is currently in the process of settiing core curriculum standards

and proper accrediting and examination procedures, rising to a new level. In

my experience the practitioners I know have integrity and use it

responsibly. It is a disagnostic tool and in good hands plays its part. It

is not the be & end all.

For information, contact the Guild of Naturopathic Iridologists, 94

Grosvenor Rd. London SW 4 3LF 0

Regards to all,

Vicki Pitman, Somerset

[Guest guest]

Just to follow up Vicki. The Mucuna has to be combined with a herb that

contains a mono-amine-oxidase inhibitor as the l-dopa is simply broken down

in the gut before it can be absorbed. The best herb to combine, and the one

that has always been used traditionally is Tribulus terrestris. It has a

small percentage of harmala alkaloids which have MAOI activity. The

combination works extremely well as I have been giving it to patients

myself. Do not give the combo to anyone on Parkinsons drugs or any

psychoactive medication.

Stuart Fitz