Tips To Alleviate Parkinson’s Symptoms Now

Madiha Saeed, MD

Thank you so much for having me. I am so incredibly honored. And this is one of the topics that I’m incredibly passionate about. So thank you so much for having me. I am a board certified family physician in the Illinois area so close to you. And I became very passionate about chronic conditions when I developed my own chronic issues. I had lupus and Hashimoto’s and severe digestive issues and all these chronic health conditions. And I saw that, you know what the answer does not lie in conventional medicine. There had to be something more. And that’s when I started researching integrative, functional, holistic medicine. Right out of residency, I joined this medical practice where under one roof there was me, an obgyn, an internist, an exercise physiologist just came, and chiropractic massage therapy. And 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’m currently working on book number eight and nine simultaneously. Actually, my kids are working on 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, my children. And so I’m just a little passionate about this topic.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

Just a little passionate.

Madiha Saeed, MD

Just a little passionate.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

I’ve been a guest on your kid’s holistic podcast, 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 inflammation and how is it connected to Parkinson’s disease?

Madiha Saeed, MD

Absolutely, because today, just like with a lot of other chronic health conditions, Parkinsonism is on the rise and that is directly also related to chronic inflammation. 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 body’s immune system trying to keep the bad guys out and the good guys in, even heal wounds. So 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 good inflammation and a little bit bad inflammation. So the good inflammation is the right amount of inflammation, acute inflammation, that’s a healthy response that lasts for a short time. It’s a good sign that your body and its defenses are working properly. But if the switch of our immune system stays in the on position for too long, that can 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 from the 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, it can keep this fire under control. But with the constant exposure every which way these inflammatory molecules like cytokines go out of control, they destroy everything in its path, damages tissues and organs, and lead to chronic diseases of every stripe. And chronic disease, chronic inflammation doesn’t just affect our cells, but it can also affect our brain. Studies have shown that inflammation has been found to decrease the strength of the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. And then on top of that, it can also disrupt 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.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

Pretty scary. What can we do about chronic inflammation and how would that impact mitochondrial health?

Madiha Saeed, MD

Absolutely. So for mitochondrial 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 that the three main contributors to Parkinsonism are outdoor air pollution, pesticides, trichloroethylene or tetrachloroethylene. So these are all mitochondrial intoxicants, and we know that the mitochondria in itself is super important, right? It is the key energy source of our bodies and the powerhouse of our cells and their little factories. Each cell holds hundreds of thousands and they basically take the food that we eat and convert them to energy or ATP. And this energy is used to support the bodily functions. So we again, we need healthy mitochondria to have a healthy overall health and well-being.

And these mitochondria are able to perceive signals of inflammation that initiates dangerous signals by activating and managing the innate immune system. So these by this mitochondria are super sensitive, they can be damaged through uncontrolled oxidative stress. They can then degrade the protein, the membranes, the DNA of the mitochondria. 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. And so there’s so many things that we can do in our everyday, daily routines that can and that get better, easy, fast, cost effective to optimize our brain health, our immune health, our DNA and even our mitochondria.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

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?

Madiha Saeed, MD

Absolutely. I mean, so I live with a family and I feed a family of nine on a daily basis. Actually, eight with my hands, one with my boobs. But like there is, 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 a daily basis in my crazy busy life. Right. And the best thing is our routines are key. So how you wake up in the morning to how 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, it’s really difficult to wake up on the right side of the bed, obviously waking up with pain and, sometimes with difficulty, the tremors. And with the patients that I’ve had, it’s really miserable.It’s really, really difficult.

But focusing on the things that are going right in our lives can actually shift that mentality from thinking negative all the time to thinking positive. And that is probably one of the most powerful things that I have started with every, over the last 15, 16 years. I have worked with every single one of my patients. Because let’s face it, this disease is miserable no matter what chronic health condition, but specifically this Parkinsonism can really throw you for a whirlwind. So immediately when you wake up in the morning saying ten 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 never self can help nature, fasting. So there are so many different pieces in your morning routine, even your food and the foods that I stick with more like ketogenic, more vegetables, clean protein, healthy fats to optimize the gut microbiome. Because now studies have shown that the gut problems are, studies that Parkinsonism can start in the gut. So the foods that we consume are really critical to optimizing the gut microbiome, to lowering chronic inflammation, to optimizing our mitochondrial functions, because if you look at Parkinsonism, one of the first symptoms are usually gut-related issues like constipation. And so focusing on gut health again is super, super important to helping you to even prevent and improve those symptoms. So again, focus on, “Oh my God, what am I going to eat? Where am I going to 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, the better.

The more phytonutrients there are, the phytochemicals, the 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 are like, “What are we going to eat? How are we going to do it?” We’re going to miss our favorite delicious foods. And I know for somebody who lives this kind of lifestyle, right. I know you do, too. So we can still have those delicious treats, but then just alter them, you know? Or for example, instead of getting rid of gluten, you know, even getting rid of grains, dairy, sugar, processed foods, having alternatives is really important and fun. So, for example, in my house, the one like getting as many foods that you can get from the garden, right, is always fine, especially in the morning time. The kids are always going to the garden, picking up those specific foods, eating the rainbow. So 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 can still enjoy our treats with healthy alternatives. So that’s something that and I found that, you know, once we decrease the amount of junk that we eat, we actually increase the amount of great healthy nutrients that the body can really start to heal itself. And it’s fun and delicious and easy. 

And then, you know, making sure that we incorporate some sort of detoxification on a regular basis. So either that or, you know, sauna. I love my sauna. You know, either that’s the hot and cold showers for adding a little bit of hormesis  in there, which is a good stress that can optimize, you know, a good stress that does the body good either Epsom salt baths can help with that, even massages helping those on the lymphatics flow again, things that we can incorporate into our everyday daily routine. Now we know that air pollution is directly linked to brain health, so incorporating air filters in my house, every room, actually even our main room has multiple air filters, meaning every room has an air filter. We have plants in our house, and I’m trying to barely keep my kids alive. So therefore. But 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 room. I have multiple in every room to really lower the amount of environmental toxins in the air pollution that’s in the house, along with, you know, 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 the complaints that come to primary care physicians so 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 that kids incorporate that they like to incorporate when they come back from school. But incorporating some sort of meditation breathing techniques into your everyday routine are simple things like even going out in nature. We love board bathing. I know you do too. 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 a different or the family, you know, spend that time outdoors. And that in of itself is really healing. So schedule that nature time and then some sort of stress management technique and then social cue people around you that are going to lift you up, not drag you down. And then we are optimizing your sleep. And then 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 concerned about and being and giving those that these are defense mechanisms that we have. But again, it can be super easy to incorporate into your routine and to help you optimize your body. So super fun.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

I love it. And all of these techniques and strategies to lower that inflammation, these modify the lifestyle factors and this is the coach zone. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed like this is 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 love that you started with gratitude. So I always, when I get out of bed, I say, You hit the floor. I say, Today’s going to be a good day and think about what I’m grateful for. And that is so powerful as an anti-inflammatory that comes from positive psychology, the power of gratitude. So I’m glad you mentioned that amongst all the other areas, and it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You can start to flow and then add on.

Madiha Saeed, MD

And then again, health coaches are like kings 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 start. I have some patients that can’t start with their diet. They’re like, It’s too overwhelming. And so working with somebody to figure out where you can start, what you can do is really important, and then it makes it doable. Like this is super easy and doable and it is 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 too, that those successes.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

And those are real. If you start where you’re at and you personalize it and you can help, you can go very, very far. And a health coach is the guide to help you get there.

Madiha Saeed, MD

Absolutely.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

A little bit more about her business. Can you explain exactly what that is and why is it good for us and how do you get into that state?

Madiha Saeed, MD

Absolutely. So horror Me says is basically I said keeping it was super simple. It’s good, it’s a little bit of stress. It’s 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 body in a way of healing. So there’s this little bit of stress that can actually do good for the body and the best way is that again, I tried to incorporate Sun. I can do that. My cold plunges can do that. Even if you don’t have these kinds of things, something super simple is a hot, cold shower, right? So a hot cold shower is like heat and cold exposure. So if you get into the shower at the end of the shower, you want to immediately, you know, put it like the coldest start with like 30 seconds. Right. And then 30 seconds and in this super hot, you know, and then as much as you can handle and doing background, these like five five cycles to start with and then you can always increase the other things. Obviously Breathwork can also help with that along with, you know, intermittent fasting. So there’s lots of different fun, great ways to, to increase this little bit of stress because of stress, then they can optimize and stimulate the mitochondria that we talked about at the beginning that is so critical for improving the symptoms and preventing Parkinsonism.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

Very, very helpful. So to start slowly and doing this quite some time and getting used to it, I and I always thought I hated the cold.

Madiha Saeed, MD

Yes, I know right.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

Now I feel I’m harder and I could go out in colder weather and have not been that me as much. So yeah.

Madiha Saeed, MD

So these are simple things that we can incorporate that can really benefit us, right? And it’s and again, I know you’re like, Oh my God, there’s so many different things. We’re doing storage right? This is where one health coach, right, can help you figure that out. But start with one thing. Exactly. That was one thing because just you just layer these things on it can make huge benefits in the long run. So there’s so much that we can do that is really, really powerful.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

And the just the strategies you are describing are simple and you don’t need fancy equipment. You don’t have to go out and invest in a cold plunge tub. You can, you’ve got it right in your bathtub.

Madiha Saeed, MD

Absolutely. And you know what? Over the last 15 years, I found that these basics are critical in their healing. So you can spend like, you know, thousands on supplements and thousands and all these different things. But if you don’t have these key basics, you know, steps of really hard 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 I do is if that’s still an issue, like if there’s still symptoms, I really work on all of these, the diet and then detoxification, the stress, the sleep, social, spiritual health, the mental, emotional. So all of these pieces, trauma and then and then that’s when I start to look at the others like that is where making sure that you know is it could there be you know, insulin resistance, could there be, you know, environmental exposure, Could there be toxic heavy metals? Could there be a chronic infection? Could it be Epstein-Barr or herpes that that can then trigger the immune system leading to inflammation and neurodegeneration? Could it be, you know, hormonal imbalances, thyroid issues, you know, micronutrient deficiencies, write specific deficiencies like, you know, falling vitamin D, magnesium, B12, all of these can again, you know, can really, really, you know, 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 then 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 were what made the most difference in her symptomatology. Where I’ve had patients where they’re like the doctors couldn’t even recognize if they had Parkinsonism. But again, when she went off of a lot of some of these things, when she didn’t have that support system, it was very difficult for her to get back. And then some of the 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 have like a cheerleader, cheerleader at your side. Right. We all need cheerleaders. And so, you know, and because we all know that that improves the outcome.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

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.

Madiha Saeed, MD

Absolutely. Absolutely. But it is something we need to sustain. I mean, but again, these are all healthy habits that can not even just improve, you know, the cognitive function, but then the brain health, but also overall body health. And anybody can and this is something, again, if you’re dealing with this in your family, in your friends, start to incorporate these in your everyday daily routine with the whole family and get the whole family involved. Right. And that’s where it really starts to become so beneficial. And that’s what I’ve done in my house, is get it and get the entire family involved, because then you don’t feel like, Oh, I’m just practicing this just for me because I have a sickness. Know everything that we’re talking about here and everything you’ve probably heard on the summit is for overall health and well-being, and it can be done with the entire family. So getting the entire family involved is super, super beneficial and absolutely.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

Yeah, rather than isolating a patient. But everything you have described is good for kids, it’s good for the caretakers, it’s good for everybody, whether it’s preventative or it’s to reverse a chronic condition and make significant headway. On to the mythology of things like Parkinson’s.

Madiha Saeed, MD

Absolutely. So much hope.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

And that is a great place to learn because hope combined with gratitude, those are character strengths from positive psychology. They do more to the healing realm than anything else. And so, so, so powerful. This has been a powerful interview. How can people find you, Madiha?

Madiha Saeed, MD

They can look and find Me and Holistic Mama and Instagram and Facebook and Tik Tok. Then I have a holistic kids show, the Holistic Kids show podcast. The kids have interviewed over 120 guests from New York Times, best sellers to, you know, our 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 or M.D. I am currently working on my eighth book, so I have lots of books. My first book is called The Holistic Our Guide to Healing Chronic Inflammation and Disease. So 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 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 our 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 and healing.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

While everybody listening needed to hear that. And that just brought tears to my eyes. That was so, so powerful. Well, you are amazing. Your family is amazing. Check out her materials. Check out the Kids podcast. It is really wonderful. And we’re talking about interviewing world renowned leaders. So thank you so much for being on the Parkinson’s Solutions Summit.

Madiha Saeed, MD

I am so incredibly honored. Thank you so much for having me.

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD

Bye now.