The Alarming Root Causes of Parkinson's Disease & Key Steps To Prevent It | Dr. Ray Dorsey

We know that environmental toxins can lead to higher rates of chronic disease. According to today’s guest, some of these same toxins, many of which are still highly prevalent today, can be direct contributors to your likelihood of getting Parkinson's disease and possibly other brain disorders. If you are curious about prevention and limiting your exposure to toxins, this episode is for you.

Today on The Dhru Purohit Podcast, Dhru sits down with neurologist Dr. Ray Dorsey to discuss the root causes of Parkinson's disease and how environmental toxins, like trichloroethylene (TCE), radically increase our likelihood of developing it.

Dr. Dorsey shares the decades of research behind why Parkinson’s is on the rise, how toxins can impact our mitochondria and the role of misfolded proteins in developing this disease. He also shares practical steps we can take to limit our exposure, especially at an early age, and reduce our risk of developing this disease through lifestyle and dietary interventions.

Dr. Ray Dorsey is a neurologist and researcher known for his groundbreaking work in the field of Parkinson's disease. After completing his undergraduate studies at Stanford University, Dr. Dorsey earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He then pursued further training in neurology, completing his residency at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by a fellowship in movement disorders at Columbia University.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Dorsey has significantly contributed to Parkinson's disease research. His work on the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) and other research projects has advanced the field's knowledge and treatment options. Dr. Dorsey also co-authored the groundbreaking book titled Ending Parkinson's Disease: A Prescription for Action. The book delves into the current state of Parkinson's disease, highlighting the limitations of existing treatments and emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive, patient-centered approach.

In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Dorsey dive into:
-The three environmental toxins responsible for the rise in Parkinson’s disease
-What is trichloroethylene (TCE) and the recent news about it
-How toxins impact our mitochondria
-The true heroes who have helped sound the alarm about the harmful effects of TCE
-Dr. Dorsey’s journey in learning about the role of toxins in developing chronic disease
-The importance of both outdoor and indoor air quality for longevity
-The earliest cases of Parkinson’s disease
-The link between pesticides and Parkinson’s disease
-The research around toxins and Parkinson’s disease as a largely preventable disease
-The traditional medicine approach to disease
-What individuals should be thinking about to prevent Parkinson’s disease
-Dr. Dorsey’s training and thought process behind Parkinson’s disease before his research
-The role of misfolded proteins
-How exposure during early periods in life can impact the development of Parkinson’s
-A map of the areas contaminated by trichloroethylene
-Testing to determine toxin exposure
-What a person with a Parkinson’s diagnosis can do and the importance of minimizing additional exposure
-Dr. Dorsey’s dietary recommendations and reducing consumption of ultra-processed foods
-Dry cleaning and exposure to toxins
-Is there a safe level of trichloroethylene
-The role of exercise in prevention and for anyone diagnosed with Parkinson’s
-Additional research needed on this subject
-Resistance around the role that toxins play in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s
-The correlation between rates of pesticide and rates of Parkinson’s

Also mentioned in this episode:

For more on Dr. Dorsey:
-Twitter @RayDorseyNeuro

This episode is brought to you by:

[redmoondesignbeth]

I thought I was having early dementia and I was losing my balance. I deduced that it was from the pesticides on the coffee I was drinking...2 cups every morning for 30 years. Now I'm drinking mint tea from my garden. It's been almost 3 months now. My brain is back, my hair is no longer falling out. My eyebrows are coming back. I can see the ridges on my finger nails that show when I quit coffee. My energy is back to my pre-coffee days. I am AMAZED at the difference. Coffee has the highest pesticide.

[LTPottenger]

One of the worst toxins is sugar. The more sugar our cells burn the more damage it does to the mitochondria. Most of our energy consumption is actually fat from free fatty acids, butthese cannot penetrate the blood brain barrier. This means when we are not in ketosis our brains rely exclusively on damaging carbohydrate, which produces more ROS. Thankfully, fasting can restore mitochondria and help a great deal with all forms of neurodegeneration due to increasing BDNF and NGF to help grow new neurons, and also inducing stem cell release. Some benefits of doing occasional extended fasting: High blood pressure is lowered to normal levels very quickly while fasting. Fibrosis/scarring is reversed over time, including in the heart and lungs.

Fasting increases T cell production and regenerates the thymus. T cells are vital in fighting cancer, autoimmune disease and infections but as we age the thymus stops making as many of them. Fasting releases stem cells, which then can become new T cells. Fasting also releases growth hormone, which regenerates the thymus itself, which aids this process!

Fasting stimulates phagocytosis, the ingestion of bacteria, plaques and viruses by the immune system. This will also remove any spikes, whether natural or unnatural in origin!

Blood clotting is reduced and blood clots and arterial plaque are reabsorbed into the body.

Blood sugar and insulin are lowered when fasting, allowing white blood cells to move more freely throughout the body and do their job.

Vitamin D plasma levels are increased as fasting improves metabolic health, and vitamin D in turn increases autophagy.

Fasting restores NAD+ to healthy levels.

Reflexes and short term memory are increased.

Fasts from 36-96 h increase metabolic rate due to norepinephrine release!

Telomeres are lengthened and fasting also increases anti-aging Yamanaka factors.

After 72 hours or more fasted, your body recycles up to 1/3 of all immune bodies, rejuvenating your entire immune system. This helps prevent the onset of new autoimmune conditions, which develop through a leaky gut and damaged immune system.

Fasting can help with MS, Depression, BPD, Autism and seizures.

Thymus is regenerated, which suppresses aging and renews the immune system. The thymus also plays a vital role in fighting cancer.

Weight loss from daily caloric restriction has 1/4 to 1/3 of the weight lost as lean tissue while many studies show fat loss from 36 h fasts without losing any lean tissue!

The obese will lose extra tissue like loose skin while fasting, but the skinny or frail will have increased growth hormone release than the obese, which helps to make more lean tissue and reduce frailness.

When you move out of MTOR your body shuts down the building blocks of the cell required for viruses to replicate.

The hunger hormone ghrelin also lowers with extended fasting and rises from dieting.

What breaks a fast? Anything with protein or carbohydrates in it will break a fast. Most teas and herbs are OK. Most supplements and meds will either break ketosis directly or contain a filler that will. Many meds are dangerous to take while fasting.

Does fasting lower testosterone? No, it raises it when the fast is broken by increasing lutenizing hormone. Fasting also increases insulin sensitivity, which helps with muscle building.

Fasts of 36-96 will not affect short term female fertility or affect menstrual cycle. They also may increase long term fertility, especially in women with PCOS.

Fasting reduces pain and anxiety by stimulating the endocannabinoid system in a similar way to CBD oil.

One day of fasting can cut your leptin levels in half and gets your immune system working properly again! This reduces leptin resistance, which impairs immune function.

Stomach acid is reduced over time while fasting and can allow for the healing of treatment resistant ulcers. Some patients may need continued acid reduction medication while fasting.

Does the body preferentially prefer glucose as a fuel? No. Except for brief periods of very intense exercise, your body mainly burns fats in the form of free fatty acids. Your brain also prefers to burn ketones at a rate of around 2.5 to 1 when they are available in equal quantity to glucose.

Fasting stimulates the AMPK complex and activates autophagy. Autophagy (literally self eating) will cause cells to recycle damaged proteins and foreign matter such as viruses. It will can kill cancerous and senescent cells

It increases mitochondrial function and repairs mitichondrial DNA, leading to improved ATP production and oxygen efficiency. Increased mitochondrial function also has the added benefit of increasing your metabolism, fighting infection and cancer prevention!

Fasting releases BDNF and NGF in the blood which stimulates new nerve and brain cell growth. This can help a great deal with diseases like MS, peripheral neuropathy and Alzheimers.

When not in ketosis, the brain can only burn carbohydrate, which produces a great deal of damaging ROS the brain has to deal with.

Fasting also increases telomere length, negating some of the effects of aging at a cellular level.

When you fast, this stimulates apoptosis in senescent or genetically damaged cells, destroying them. Senescent cells are responsible for many of the effects of aging and are a root cause of the development of cancer.

A fasting mimicking diet for 3-5 days in a row also provides many of the same benefits as water fasting. FMD usually has 200-800 calories, under 18 g of protein and extremely low carbs.

Exogenous ketones can aid with fasting, making it easier in healthy people and allowing some people with specific issues to fast in spite of them without worrying as much about hypoglycemia. They also help with dementia and many other issues even if you take them while not fasting!

Glycine and trimethylglycine can also be useful supplements while fasting that won't break ketosis and have many benefits.

Children, pregnant or nursing women should not fast for periods longer than 16 hours. People with pancreatic tumors or certain forms of hypoglycemia generally cannot fast at all. Type 1 diabetics can also fast but it is more complicated and should be approached with caution as it could lead to ketoacidosis. If you experience extreme symptoms of some kind, especially dizziness or tremors, then simply break the fast and seek advice.

Resources:


This list compiled over years of research by the user known as Pottenger's Human on youtube. Feel free to copy and paste this anywhere you like, no accreditation needed!

My community tab will always contain an updated version of this list of fasting benefits. I also have playlists on fasting and health topics.

[carriewilson]

My husband has been diagnosed of Parkinson’s in 2011.
Prior to that, I have taken him to our family Dr & get him check as I have been noticing changes in his mobilities & speech & producing too much saliva in his mouth that often dribbles out when he speak.
The Dr seems to be not taking my concern seriously…as she said it’s part & parcel of getting to getting old (when he is only over 50 yrs old).

He used to brush-paint our 14 panels of garden fence every year with Creosote. He doesn’t use any protective garments as he is very stubborn & arrogant …thinking that he is in open air & won’t harm him. Everytime he done the paintings his breath smells strong chemicals & even his sweats smells Creosote, even he had the shower.

[KJSvitko]

We all are exposed to too many dangerous chemicals on a daily basis.

[candecarro]

My husband passed from a “cousin” of Parkinson’s, Corticobasal Degeneration after a terrible and totally debilitating 5-yr decline. At his death he was completely “locked up.”
He was a sailor who sanded and bottom-painted his boats every other year (6 of his yacht club buddies also contracted typical Parkinson’s in their 50s and 60s, one’s decline was also rapid with Lewi bodies.
My husband also obsessed over poison ivy and at least once a month “sprayed” the length of our 300ft driveway. NO mask in either activity! He was home during his decline. But it was a terrible progression!

[juliebarks]

My husband has Parkinsons' and Lewybody Demnica. He grew up and played in fields near his home. The fields were spayed regularly. UK

[margaretmarshall]

Thank you for getting straight to the point!

[juliebarks]

We are all drowning in a toxic soup of chemicals. 🏊‍♂🥣☢☠

[hongbeaven]

This makes sense as most of Blue zone’s population live longer because they’re far from pollution and their food are nearly all organically grown. And they walk a lot everywhere they go.

[georgehunter]

Dr. Dorsey made a mistake many times in his interview. He called the chemicals that are used to kill weeds the wrong name. He called these chemicals "pesticides". Pesticides are used to kill pests such as insects. He should have used the word herbicides, which are used to kill weeds and other unwanted plants. Pesticides kill things that are in the animal kingdom. Herbicides is the name of the products that kill plants.

[jbrock]

Thanks Dr. Dorsey for the free copy of your box. I am currently reading and learning so much!

[cherylnicowski]

Thank you for your research. That explains why my neighbor and my family members and friends that lived near by have all had luekemia, parkinsons and other brain abnormalities.

[world_still_spins]

Sounds like we need to remove all pesticides and herbicides at all levels, as a society like now. 😮.

[craigo.thompson]

I’m grateful for the EPA despite the current ultra-conservative political atmosphere. My concern is… after the chemicals are banned, what new “replacement” chemicals, and their “hidden” particulates, will be used by the product manufacturers to bypass the bans — whose health dangers won’t be discovered for decades to come. My suspicion is… the companies, challenged by this most recent ban, are already looking for these chemical replacements.

[candecarro]

Truly a fantastic interview!! Thank you.

[bhavishapatel]

Great Podcast! Thank you Dhru! We love listening your podcasts. Is there a way you can shine more about consuming alkaline water, Kangen water ect. Thank you for keep us updated and motivated.

[Mr.Sixty.]

Very enjoyable and informative, thanks for broadcasting this.

[arnoldfrackenmeyer]

This neurologist is very observant and sharp minded. Most people brush off environmental factors in disease. Today you will inhale 2000 gallons of air. The quality of that air will impact your future health.

[TedNemeth]

Wow. As a teenager I basically washed my hands with trichloroethylene as I was degreasing motor parts.
That was 35 years ago.
Now I’m 52 and healthier and happier than ever. I sure hope that damage doesn’t surface 50 to 60 years after the exposure .

[KJSvitko]

Breathing off gassing chemicals is not healthy. When you buy a new vehicle leave it in the garage or outside with the windows open to let the chemicals can have time to disburse. That new car smell is the chemicals from the parts. It is the worst the first few weeks after the vehicle is made. It gets better over time but even a vehicle that is a few years old still off gasses chemicals.