Note: this is a continuation from Part 1. Well, I’ve got it all figured out now. The drastic change in symptoms that I described in Part 1 was due to nicotine poisoning. When I ran out of my initial two-week supply of nicotine patches, I … Continue reading Sudden Change in Symptoms (Part 2)
A couple weeks ago, I mentioned the possibility of using nicotine to treat Parkinson’s Disease (PD), but I wasn’t sure at the time whether I wanted to try it for myself. Well, I’ve talked myself into it. I will be starting nicotine therapy within a week. And to make sure I don’t get confused as to what changes (if any) are being caused by which therapy, I will temporarily cease taking the lion’s mane mushroom supplements. As I said when I started on the shrooms, I’ll let you know if I experience any major changes in my PD symptoms. If I don’t notice any changes after a year, I’ll take stock of my condition and report back to you at that time.
Well over a decade ago, I read somewhere that air fares tend to be least expensive from 18 to 28 days prior to the flight. This has proved true time and time again over the years. Many times, I have looked at flight prices over a month in advance, and been tempted by a good price. And many times, I have waited until that 18 – 28 day window, and been rewarded with an even better price.
But not so this time. A week from tomorrow, I will be leaving for Mississippi. This trip will conclude with a one-way flight from Birmingham, Alabama back home to Charlotte. When I was initially plotting this trip a couple of months ago, I was tempted to buy this ticket the first time I looked, as it was only $133 at the time. But, as always, I waited, hoping an even better price would emerge. This time it didn’t; I ended up paying $204 for this flight. This isn’t as bad as it sounds, as the flight I ended up booking is with Southwest airlines, which does not charge to check a bag. The $133 flight would have been with either American or United, and I would’ve had to pay at least an additional $30 to check a bag.
About a month ago, I told you about a dietary supplement that I had added to my routine: lion’s mane mushroom extract. Since that report, my off periods have been less frequent and more tolerable than before. Of course, Parkinson’s symptoms come and go as they please, and there are other potential factors involved. Time will tell whether this fungus is really helping, but right now it seems to be doing some good.
Long ago, a relative sent me a link to a news article about “lion’s mane” mushrooms and their possible use in fighting Parkinson’s Disease (PD). The article made it sound like this particular type of mushroom may be quite helpful. I decided to add some lion’s mane to my diet. Unfortunately, I was never able to find any grocery outlets that carried this particular fungus, and any thought of it slipped to the back of my mind. Which is a scary place, but that’s not what this post is about.
A few weeks ago, I was reminded of lion’s mane mushrooms (though I forget what it was that reminded me). I did some fresh Googling and read a few articles. Many of these articles were extremely scientific (i.e., hard to read), so I’ll just point you to this one, which sums things up in a human-readable form. At this point, I’m feeling pretty good about lion’s mane, so I decided to see if I could find it in pill form, since my attempts at finding full-fledged fungus failed, folks. A quick Amazon search for “lion’s mane extract” turned up loads of options. I focused on dietary supplements, though I made a mental note that you can also order a kit to grow your own lions mane ‘shrooms.
One thing to note: According to at least one of the articles I read, you need to read the label to make sure you’re getting the correct part of the mushroom. Apparently, there are two main parts to a mushroom: the fruiting body and the mycelium. It seems the helpful stuff is found only in the mycelium. I saw quite a few products on Amazon that only mentioned fruiting bodies. In the end, I settled on a brand that says it contains both parts. It contains 7,500 mg “per serving”; the articles I read concluded that 1,000 to 1,500 mg per day is appropriate, but I want results NOW, DAMMIT!
Any way…I’ve been taking them for a week now. It seems like my anxiety and depression have been slightly reduced, but those symptoms vary so much that it’s hard to gauge anything by them. I’ll let you know if I experience any major changes in my PD symptoms. If I don’t notice any changes after a year, I’ll take stock of my condition and report back to you at that time.
Voyages with Parkinson's 