Tips to Alleviate Parkinson’s Symptoms Now

Introduction and speaker background 0:00

Your pain can be either your power or your pain. Can be your prison, right? So we can take this pain that you're experiencing and turn it into your Power because it's that perspective. So, we Can change that Perspective of that pain, that we're Experiencing and then turn that into our power, or our prison. And so, this is where gratitude love and positivity can really create hope in you. This is Dr. Talks. Welcome back to the Parkinson Solutions Summit. I am your co-host, Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum. And I'm so excited to be here today with not only a colleague, but a friend, and that is Dr Medea Saeed.

She is the Holistic Mom MD. she has a fabulous background and I need to turn it over to you, Medea, to tell everybody about who you are about your background. Thank you so much for having me. I am so incredibly honored. This is one of the topics that I'm incredibly passionate about. So thank you, so, much, for, having, me, I have a board certified family physician in the Illinois area. so close to you. Okay. Became very passionate, about chronic conditions when I developed my own chronic issues, lupus and Hashimoto's and severe digestive issues and all these chronic health conditions.

And I saw that, you know what? The answers didn't lie in conventional medicine. There had to be something more. And that's when I started researching integrated functional holistic medicine right out of residency. I joined this medical practice where under one roof there was me and OB-GYN, an internist, and exercise physiologist who just comes in, chiropractor, massage therapy, I'm like, what? You can treat the whole person? Because again, that's something that we're not taught in medicine. And now 15 years later, this is something I'm super passionate about.

I am currently working on book number eight and nine simultaneously. Actually, my kids are working at a book. They have their own podcast called the Holistic Kids Show. So literally we are so passionate in this house as three generations educating the world on health and wellness, including my in-laws, me, and my children. And so just a little passionate about this topic. A little passion. I've been on a guest on your Holistic Kids. Check this out. This is a wonderful podcast. You are a true expert in chronic inflammation.

So let's start there. What exactly is chronic information and how is it connected to Parkinson's disease? Absolutely, because today, just like with a lot of other chronic health conditions, Parkinsonism is on the rise.

Understanding chronic inflammation and Parkinsonism 3:00

And that is directly also related to chronic inflation. All of these chronic conditions are related to chronic inflammation. Inflammation actually means fire inside. So it's your body's natural defense responses to your bodies immune system trying to keep the bad guys out and the good guys and even heal wounds. Without inflammation, we would really be in danger and have really no way to fight these microbial invaders or even repair damage that's being constantly inflicted upon us. So there's two main types of inflammation.

There's a good inflammation and a little bit bad inflammation, so good information is the right amount of information, acute information. That's healthy response, it lasts for a short time. It's good sign that your body and its defenses are working properly. Yay! But if that, if the switch of our immune system stays on in the on position for too long, that could be too much of a good thing. So constant modern life's daily exposure to triggers like chronic stress, you know, toxins. toxic food, allergens, low-grade infections, toxins in our environment can all start to drive disease and that can really destroy this miracle of a body.

And it can take a little longer for this to kick in and to develop, but with a properly functioning immune system that could keep this fire under control. But with the constant exposures every which way, These inflammatory molecules like cytokines go out of control, they destroy everything in its path, damages tissues and organs and leading to chronic diseases of every stripe. And chronic disease doesn't, chronic inflammation doesn' t just affect, you know, our cells, but it can also affect our brain.

Studies have shown that inflammation has been found in to decrease the strength of the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. And then on top of that, it also these inflammatory precursors can can increase, disrupt the brain chemistry. So it really does lead to a lot of cognitive function and accelerated brain aging. And now studies have actually shown that Parkinsonism is directly related to chronic inflammation. Pretty scary. What can we do about chronic inflammation and how would that impact mitochondrial health?

Absolutely. So for mitochondria health, we know now that Parkinsonism is directly related to a lot of the environmental exposures that we're constantly bombarded with. So for example, I know like the three main contributors to Parkinsonism is outdoor air pollution, pesticides, trichloroethylene, or perchlorothylene. So these are all mitochondrial intoxicants. And we know that, so not. The mitochondria in and of itself is super important, right? It is the key energy source of our bodies and the powerhouse of ourselves.

And they're little factories and each cell holds hundreds of thousands. They basically take the foods that we eat and convert them to energy or ATP. This energy is used to support the bodily functions. Again, we need healthy mitochondrion. to have healthy overall health and well-being. And these mitochondria are really, they're able to perceive signals of inflammation that initiates dangerous signals by activating and managing the immune system. So these, this mitochondrion are super sensitive. They can be damaged through uncontrolled oxidative stress.

That can then degrade the protein, the membranes, and the DNA of the mitochondrial. And so again, we need our mitochondria to work optimally because and by lowering chronic inflammation, by putting our bodies back into balance, We can not only address the immune system, but we can also optimize brain function and the function of our Mitochondria. to allow each of these cells to work the best that they possibly can.

Mitochondrial health and environmental triggers 7:30

And so there's so many things that we can do in our everyday daily routines that are easy, fast, cost effective to optimize our brain health, our immune health our gut health and our DNA and even our mitochondria. So can you get into the specifics of some of the things that we could do to optimize our health and wellness? What are some good daily routines? Absolutely. I live with the family and I feed a family of nine on a daily basis. I actually ate with my hands, one with boobs, but like, I completely understand.

It can be really overwhelming to figure out, oh my God, what am I going to actually do to help lower the chronic inflammation, to optimize my mitochondria and that too on daily. in my crazy busy life, right? And the best thing is, is that our routines are key. So how you wake up in the morning, to how do you go to sleep, and everything in between is super important to optimizing all of these bodily functions to lower your risk of Parkinsonism and other chronic health conditions. And so, for example, These are cost-effective things.

Waking up with gratitude and positivity, especially when somebody is dealing with a chronic health condition, is really difficult to wake up on the right side of the bed. Obviously, you're waking up in pain and sometimes with difficulty, the tremors. And with patients that I've had, it's really miserable. It's a really, really difficulty. But focusing on the things that are going right in our lives can actually shift that mentality from instead of thinking negative all the time to thinking positive.

And that is probably one of the most powerful things I have started with over the last 15-16 years. I've worked with every single one my patients. Because let's face it, this disease is miserable. No matter what chronic health condition, but specifically the Parkinsonism can really throw you for a whirlwind. So immediately when you wake up in the morning saying 10 things that you're thankful for every day can actually optimize your overall health and wellness and even improve your immune system, heart rate variability, all of that.

Then the next thing is, you know, early morning sunlight. That in and of itself can help. Nature. you know, fasting. So there's so many different pieces in your morning routine. Even your food, the foods I stick with more of like ketogenic, more tons of vegetables, clean protein, healthy fats to optimize the gut microbiome. Because now studies have shown that gut problems are studies that Parkinsonism can start in the gut. So the foods that we consume are really critical to optimizing the microbiome, to lowering chronic inflammation, optimizing our mitochondrial functions.

Because if you look at Parkinson's, one of the first symptoms are usually gut related issues like constipation. Focusing on gut health again is super, super important to helping, you know, to even prevent and improve those symptoms. Again, focus on you're like, oh my God, what am I going to eat? Where am i going start? Focus on real foods. Vegetables, clean protein, healthy fats, eating the rainbow. The more fruits and vegetables, the different colors that you can get in there, and the better the more phytonutrients there are the phytochemicals, more polyphenols that will help with your overall health and wellness.

So many fun ways to incorporate that into your everyday daily routine That's what I do with me and my family and a lot of times they're like, what are we gonna eat? How are you gonna do it? We're gonna miss our favorite delicious foods And I know for somebody who lives this kind of lifestyles, right? I don't you do too so we can still have those delicious treats, but then just alter them, you know or for example instead of the wheat getting rid of gluten

Daily routines for lowering inflammation 12:00

and You know, I even tend to get a lot of grains, dairy, sugar, processed foods, but having alternatives is really important and fun. So for example, in my house, The kit one, like getting as many foods that you can get from the garden, right, is always fun, especially in the morning time. The kids are always going to the gardens, picking up those specific foods, eating the rainbows, and then immediately their eyes are like, yes, we can have all of these foods. They look so pretty and delicious.

But then specifically for treats, We use like almond flour or coconut flour, or cassava flour. I mean, the list goes on and on, so we still enjoy our treats with healthy alternatives. So that's something that, and I found that once we decrease the amount of junk that we eat, we actually increase the amounts of great healthy nutrients that the body can really start to heal itself. And it's fun and delicious and easy. Then making sure that they reincorporate some sort of detoxification on a regular basis.

So either that's, or, you know, sauna. I love my sauna, either the hot and cold showers for adding a little bit of hormesis in there, which is a good stress that can optimize, a, good, stress, that does the body good. Either Epsom salt baths can help with that. Even massages, helping those lymphatic flow. Again, things that we can incorporate into our everyday daily routine. Now we know that air pollution is directly related to brain health. So incorporating, making sure that we have air filters.

In my house, every room, actually even our main room has multiple air filter. Every room as an air-filter. We have plants in our house and I'm trying to barely keep my kids alive. Therefore, keeping like the easiest plant to grow is like those snake plants, right? Or they're also called mother-in-law's tongues. You can put that in every, I have multiple in room. to really lower the amount of environmental toxins and the air pollution that's in the house, along with a lot of the other simple things that we can do, swapping out the bad stuff for the good stuff, right?

And then the next thing is stress management, because we know that stress leads to 80% of complaints that come to primary care physicians. To incorporating some sort of stress-management technique into your daily routine is key. In my house, before I really start the day, there's meditation and prayer. The kids incorporate that. They like to incorporate when they come back from school, but incorporate some sort of meditation, breathing techniques. into your everyday daily routine are simple things like even going out in nature.

I love Boris bathing, I know you do too. Absolutely. So we, especially on the weekends, that's what I try to do with the kids. Like we choose a different park to go to. We choose with a family. You know, spend that time outdoors and that in and of itself is really healing. So schedule that nature time and then some sort of stress management technique and social key people around you that are going to lift you up, not drag you down. And then we have is optimizing your sleep and we talked about gratitude.

So these are simple, quick things that can be incorporated in everybody's daily routine to help lower the assaults that our bodies are constantly being. And giving those, these defense mechanisms that we have. But again, can super easy to incorporate into your routine and help you optimize your body. So super fun. I love it and all of these techniques and strategies are going to lower that inflammation. These are the modifiable lifestyle factors and this is the coach zone. So if you're feeling overwhelmed like this too much, how do I do this in my life?

So that is what a health coach can help you to show you where to start in all these areas. And I'd love that you started with gratitude. When I get out of bed, as soon as you hit the floor, I say, today's going to be a good day and think about what I'm grateful for. And it is so powerful as an anti-inflammatory that comes from positive psychology, the power of gratitude. So I am so glad you mentioned that amongst all the other areas, and it doesn't have to overwhelming start flow. and then add on.

And then again, health coaches are like the key because it's so nice to have somebody there with you to hold your hand and figure out where you can start because not everybody can. I have some patients that can't start with their diet. They're like, it is too overwhelming. So working with somebody to figure where can you start, what can do is really important and that it makes it doable. Like this is super easy and doable and it's less overwhelming if you have somebody there cheering you on. This is why I love what you do, right?

Because it makes it so much easier and attainable to those successes. And those successes are real. If you start where you're at and you personalize it and, you can go very, very far and a health coach is the guide to help you getting there. Absolutely. A little bit more about hormesis. Can you explain exactly what that is and why is it good for us? And how do you get into that state?

Hormesis, stress resilience, and simple healing habits 18:00

Absolutely. So, hormesis is basically keeping it super simple. It's a little bit of a stress. A little stress that actually helps the body. and helps heal the body in so many different ways. So again, incorporating that into your daily routine is super important and actually can push the in a way of healing. These little bit of stresses can actually do good for the And the best ways that, again, I tried to incorporate, sauna I can do that. Cold plunges can you that? If you don't have these kinds of things, something super simple is a hot, cold shower.

Right? So hot, cold shower is like a heat and cold exposure. So if you get into the shower at the end of the show, you want to immediately, put it like the coldest, start with like 30 seconds, and then 30 second in the super hot. And then as much as you can handle. Doing that for at least like five cycles, um, to start with and then you can always increase. Um, the other things, obviously breath work can also help with that along with intermittent fasting. So there's lots of different fun, great ways to increase this little bit of stress because the stress then they can optimize and stimulate the mitochondria that we talked about at the beginning that is so critical to improve the symptoms and prevent Parkinsonism.

Very, very helpful. So to start slowly and doing this for quite some time and getting used to it. And I always thought I hated the cold. Yes, I know, right? Now I feel I'm heartier and I could go out in colder weather and not have it affect me as much. Yeah. These are simple things that we can incorporate that can really benefit us. And again, I know you're like, oh my God, there's so many different things, where are we gonna start, right? This is where one health coach, can help you figure that out.

But start with one thing. Exactly. Start with the one, thing because if you just layer these things on, it can make huge benefits in the long run. So there is so much that we can do. It is really, really powerful. Yeah, and the strategies you are describing are simple. and you don't need fancy equipment. You don' have to go out and invest in a cold plunge tub. And you've got it right in your bathtub. Absolutely. Over the last 15 years, I've found that these basics are critical in the healing. So you can spend like thousands on supplements and thousands and all these different things.

But if you do not have these key basic steps of really foundations of healing, then the rest of it is not going to really make a difference, right? And so that's what I always do with all of my patients. And then what do is then if that still an issue, like if there's still symptoms, I really work on all these, the diet and then detoxification, stress, sleep, social, spiritual health, mental, emotional, so all this pieces, trauma, And then that's when I start to look at the others. Like that is, we're making sure that, you know, is it, could there be, insulin resistance?

Could there, be environmental exposure? Or could they be toxic, heavy metals? could be a chronic infection. Could it be episteme bar or herpes that I can then trigger the immune system leading to inflammation and neurodegeneration. Could it be, you know, hormonal imbalances, thyroid issues, micronutrient deficiencies, right? Specific deficiences like folate, vitamin D, magnesium, B12. All of these can, again, can really impact the way that you heal. And so, and then you can then dive into genetic testing and microbiome testing, And then all of those other things.

But again the key foundations are super important and slowly building up from there because I have had close family members and friends that have been diagnosed with Parkinsonism. And so I have actually for the last almost a year now have really dove into all of these key pieces, but I have found that those foundations was what made the most difference in her symptomatology, where I've had patients where they're like, the doctors couldn't even recognize that they had Parkinsonism.

Foundations of care, family support, and hope 23:00

But again, when she went off of a lot of some of, some these things, When she didn't have that support system, it was very difficult for her to get back, and then some other symptoms came back. And so this is where it's really important again to have a trained practitioner on your side, along with a health coach to help keep these things sustainable and doable and not overwhelming. And to like a cheerleading on her, cheerleader on their side. Right? We all need cheerleaders. Because we all know that that improves the outcome.

Absolutely. This is very encouraging that people you've worked with and people, you know, personally have been able to see improvements in their health status. Absolutely, absolutely. But it is something we need to sustain. I mean, but again, these are all healthy habits that could not even just improve, the cognitive function, and the brain health, and anybody can and like this is something again if you're dealing with this and your family and you um and friends start to incorporate these in your everyday daily routine with the whole family.

Get the family involved and that's where it really starts to become so beneficial and what I've done in my house is get the entire family involve because then you don't feel like I'm just practicing this just for me because I have a sickness. No, everything that we're talking about here and everything you probably heard on this summit is for overall health and well-being and can be done with the entire family. So getting the entirely family involved is super, super beneficial. Absolutely. Yeah, rather than isolating a patient, but everything you have described is good for kids.

It's good. For the caretakers, it's for everybody, whether it is preventative or it to reverse a chronic condition and make significant headway onto the symptomatology of things like Parkinson's. Absolutely. So much hope. Yay! And that is a great place to learn because hope combined with gratitude, those are character strengths from positive psychology. They do more in the healing realm than anything else. And so, so so powerful. This has been a powerful interview. How can people find you, Medea?

They can look at, uh, find me on Holistic Mom MD on Instagram, on Facebook, and TikTok. Then I have a, a holistic kid show, the Holistik Kid Show podcast. The kids have interviewed over 120, um, guests. from New York Times bestsellers to, you know, journalists and actors. So that's a great place to get the entire family involved with that. And then my in-laws have a channel, Holistic Urdu MD. I am currently working on my eighth book. so I have lots of books. My first book is called The Holistice Rx, Your Guide to Healing Chronic Inflammation and Disease.

Lots of fun ways to connect and keep connecting and to know that, you know what? Your pain can be either your power or your pain, can't be your prison, right? So we can take this pain that you're experiencing and turn it into your powerful because it's that perspective. So, we change our perspective of that pain we are experiencing, and then turn that into our power, or our prison. And so, this is where gratitude, love and positivity can really create hope and healing. Wow. Everybody listening needed to hear that.

And that just brought tears to my eyes. That's so, so powerful. Well, you are amazing. Your family is amazing, check out her materials. Check out the kids podcast. It is really wonderful. We're talking about interviewing world renowned leaders. So thank you so much for being on the Parkinson's solutions. I am so incredibly honored. Thank you so much for having me. Bye now. Stay connected, stay healthy, and join us next time on Doctor Talks, real talks from real doctors on the issues that matter to you most.