Home Remedies

As you read this, pharmaceutical companies, universities, and foundations are conducting formal clinical studies all over the world, looking for effective treatments and cures for chronic diseases.

People with those diseases aren’t waiting around.

People in the Parkinson’s community talk to each other, trading information and discussing their own ideas on what might work. They’re conducting their own experiments at home, using whatever tools and resources are available to them.

Below are three completely-unauthorized approaches I’ve encountered.

My disclaimer: I am not a healthcare professional, and have no medical training whatsoever. I’m not endorsing any of the methods described below — I have no idea if they will work. It’s possible they may be harmful. If you experience side effects, such as projectile vomiting, or death, don’t come crying to me. I’m not suggesting that you do any of these things.

Without further ado, here are some “off-label” experiments I’ve heard about on the street:

Ambroxol is the active ingredient in several over-the-counter cough medicines sold in Europe. There is some evidence it has the potential to slow the progression of Parkinson’s. Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials have gone well, and a Phase 3 trial is in progreas at University College London Hospitals.

Someone I met, who did not want to wait for the results of that trial, learned that Ambroxol is not approved for use in the United States. But it’s sold over-the-counter all over Europe. So it’s theoretically possible to take a business trip across the pond, buy the stuff in a drug store, and fly home with it. I’m not saying he did. I’m just saying it’s possible.

A Miracle Glove? Researchers at Stanford University developed a glove that may be able to ease motor symptoms — tremors, stiffness, slowness — of Parkinson’s. According to the Michael J. Fox Foundation:

In early trials, participants wore a glove on each hand for several hours per day. The gloves deliver light vibration through the fingertips. Study researchers suggest that this stimulation can ‘reset’ abnormal electrical activity in the brain, which happens in Parkinson’s disease (PD).

The gloves are being tested to see if they ease the symptoms of PD. They are not expected or intended to change the course of disease progression.

The gloves are not available to the general public while the current clinical tests are happening. A person I met did not want to wait years for the tests to conclude. He has considerable engineering skills, found a trial participant, spent several hours examining the participant’s gloves, and then built his own. Home experiments are ongoing.

Could Covid medication work? Following an Alaska cruise last summer, I came down with a case of Covid (who knew you could get Covid on a cruise ship? I’m still stunned.) My doctor prescribed Paxlovid, a powerful anti-viral medication. The drug did a great job with my Covid symptoms. Within two days of starting Paxlovid, I felt better, and I ultimately recovered fully.

Also within two days: my Parkinsons’ tremor went away. Completely. My right hand stopped shaking, and I regained most of the dexterity it had lost.

A full course of Paxlovid takes five days. A few days after I stopped taking Paxlovid, the tremor came back. I called my neurologist and asked whether there was any association between Paxlovid and Parkinson’s. She said there was nothing in the literature about it, and I couldn’t find anything online. Near as I can tell, it hasn’t been studied.

Did Paxlovid stop my tremor? Correlation ain’t causation, and I’m a sample size of one. No way to know, and I’m not willing to get Covid again to test the theory.

But if I get Covid again, will I agitate for another course of Paxlovid so I can try another home experiment?

You bet your sweet bippy I will.