By WOJCIECH WASILEWSKI
Pricey Reader, in case you’re searching for one thing tender and simple, please purchase a unique e book. This one isn’t right here to consolation you — it’s right here to shake your lazy world, to shock you, to pull you out of the identical lethargy I used to be trapped in for years after being recognized. When you really feel anger, insurrection, or perhaps a surge of motivation whereas studying, then it was price writing this e book, every hour. Parkinson’s isn’t well mannered — and I gained’t be both. That is my battle manifesto in opposition to Parkinson’s.
All through this e book, I exploit the phrase “Parkinson” as shorthand for Parkinson’s illness, not as a reference to James Parkinson, the physician who first described it. If that appears like an oversimplification — I apologize. However belief me, it’s the least vital factor right here.
Individuals at this time are looking for actual tales — not textbook definitions, sterile medical jargon, or sugar-coated tales of struggling. You gained’t discover any of that right here. What you’ll discover as an alternative is one thing much more precious: the reality. Uncooked, unfiltered, typically brutal, typically even vulgar. Why? As a result of that’s what this illness actually is. That’s the sort of relentless struggle you’ll want in case you don’t need Parkinson’s to steal your life, piece by piece. I’m not afraid of that struggle — and that is precisely what this e book is about. I would like you to cease being afraid and to consider you will get into this struggle too.
This isn’t a scientific e book. I’m not a health care provider. I don’t have a PhD. I’m not an “knowledgeable” who seems on morning TV. I’m only a affected person — such as you. Somebody who heard the analysis and, as an alternative of quietly accepting it and ready for the top, selected to struggle again. And an important half? After years of battle, I’m residing proof that it may be performed. This isn’t concept — it’s my sweat, my ache, my setbacks, and my comebacks. If you wish to learn the story of somebody who curses Parkinson’s out loud day by day and refuses to let it win — you’re in the precise place.
If you wish to hear the voice of somebody who assessments each doable technique to claw again yet one more day of regular life from this illness, somebody who isn’t afraid to talk the reality and take dangers — this e book is for you. That is my declaration of battle on Parkinson’s. And in case you’re prepared to hitch me on this struggle — come on board. As a result of to dwell effectively with Parkinson’s, you must utterly change your life-style. That’s precisely what this e book is about.
PARKINSON’S AFFECTS THE YOUNG
I’m speaking to you — the one who typed into Google: “Parkinson’s and bodily exercise,” “food plan and Parkinson’s,” “ cease Parkinson’s,” “are you able to recuperate from Parkinson’s,” or “can younger individuals get Parkinson’s.” When you’ve landed right here, you’re looking for solutions. I’m no miracle employee. I don’t have magic tablets or secret formulation. I do have one thing higher although — actual methods that work for me. Not only for me.
This isn’t an instructional thesis. It is a battle information. A survival handbook. It’s about resisting this illness, outsmarting it, slowing it down, exhausting it. It’s about clawing again yet one more day of regular life — and doing it once more tomorrow.
You recognize what annoys me probably the most? That almost all of individuals nonetheless assume Parkinson’s is a illness of previous males sitting on benches exterior their condominium buildings. That’s simply not true. Increasingly more younger individuals — individuals who ought to have their complete lives forward of them — are being recognized. After which what? Concern. Panic. The crushing feeling that every thing is over. Docs not often have time to elucidate what’s actually happening. And the web? It hits you with nightmare eventualities — movies of individuals shaking so violently they will’t even elevate a spoon. Nonetheless, that’s not the total fact about Parkinson’s.
For youthful individuals, Parkinson’s is a totally totally different struggle — a unique tempo, a unique stress, a unique sort of battle. They’re those who this e book is for. For individuals of their 30s, 40s, and 50s, with households, careers, desires, and plans — all of which Parkinson’s is making an attempt to tear away. We don’t should let it occur. We are able to struggle again.
WORDS OF CRITICISM FOR THE CRITICS
I can already hear the noise — the mocking, the scoffing, the eye-rolling. Critics saying there’s no scientific proof, that possibly one thing did work for me however gained’t work for anybody else, that it’s all clichés and empty phrases. Possibly my Parkinson’s is ‘faulty,’ they’ll say. Or possibly I don’t even have it. Or I simply obtained fortunate and ended up with the tender model — you understand, Parkinson’s Lite.
To all of the critics who will declare that nothing on this e book works, I’ve just one factor to say: Carry on clucking.
After I first determined to struggle Parkinson’s, my situation was declining quick. I had muscle rigidity. I might barely stroll. My left arm didn’t swing. I felt that heavy-leg fatigue, and my tremors had been intense. I handed out twice — each occasions collapsing within the toilet. Then I underwent the FUS process, and it considerably lowered the tremor in my left hand. That was the second I spotted I needed to change my life. And so started a gradual however highly effective transformation.
I HAVEN’T WON THE WAR
Let’s be clear, expensive Reader: I haven’t gained the battle in opposition to Parkinson’s — not even shut. Penning this e book, after working full-time as an analyst for eight hours a day, takes a toll on me. Sitting on the laptop for hours quickly worsens my signs. Simply this morning, I wakened in ache — arms, legs, again, every thing.
And what did I do? First I went for a lightweight three-kilometer run. Subsequent I took a freezing chilly bathe. Then I had a wholesome breakfast. These easy steps and similar to that — my physique got here again to life.
Now let me ask you, expensive Critics: what would you have got performed in case you had woken up feeling the best way I did this morning? Would you have got popped one other painkiller? Slapped on a ache patch? Possibly relied on a pump delivering dopamine straight into your intestines?
Inform me — which certainly one of you can provide me a straight reply about what my life will appear like in 5, ten, or twenty years? None of you’ll be able to as a result of fashionable drugs doesn’t assume long-term. It treats signs — not causes — and it offers with them solely now, not tomorrow. So how lengthy will I final on this ‘dopamine from the pump’? I’ve been residing with Parkinson’s for nearly a decade. How rapidly does my physique develop tolerance to every new dose? What are the long-term negative effects?
Will I find yourself like my buddy with superior Parkinson’s — so overmedicated he sees animals on his mattress and suffers from terrifying hallucinations? What occurs to me in twenty years if I observe your playbook of escalating doses and stronger meds that deal with nothing however masks every thing?
A few of you would possibly say, ‘What about DBS?’ Nicely, right here’s the reality: Deep Mind Stimulation helps some signs, nevertheless it worsens others. Speech? Reminiscence? They typically worsen. DBS is outdated, invasive, and — at the very least in Poland — poorly maintained. So no, it’s not the silver bullet both.
MY BODY AS THE PROOF
My physique is the very best proof I’ve — nevertheless unscientific — that life-style change generally is a highly effective device on this struggle. The distinction between how I used to really feel and the way I really feel now could be cause sufficient to share my story.
Earlier than anybody thinks about stem cell remedy or gene enhancing — remedies which may assist however might simply as simply hurt — why not strive one thing out there to everybody? Bodily exercise. A way of life overhaul. As a result of this illness hates motion. It thrives on stillness, dependency, and inactivity.
Sure, somebody would possibly quote a examine claiming bodily exercise doesn’t at all times ship. Possibly that’s true in some instances. Even so in animal fashions, it helps. What about research on people? Let’s be actual — they’re restricted and never fully dependable. Why? As a result of you’ll be able to’t power somebody who’s severely sick to observe a strict, demanding train routine. However I did. And it modified every thing.
THE HONEYMOON PERIOD IS OVER
Now let me say one thing which may shock a couple of and piss off the remaining: though my so-called ‘honeymoon interval’ — that golden part when meds work like magic — ended very long time in the past, I’m nonetheless doing effectively. The truth is, I’m in higher form than many newly recognized sufferers.
How is that doable?
As a result of as an alternative of crying over the misplaced ‘honey,’ I started working. I ended chasing miracles and realized the one miracle I can depend on is the one I create myself. No capsule will ever substitute a liter of sweat spilled in coaching, a deep breath of fresh air, or a plate of actual meals.
The honeymoon is over — however I’m not. So long as I can transfer my arms, my legs, and what’s left of my dopamine system, Parkinson’s won’t win. So in case you assume that after these early ‘golden years,’ it’s all downhill — you’re useless unsuitable. That is when the true battle begins. It’s as much as us whether or not we crash or climb.
On the finish of this e book, I’ve included a fast and sensible information handle a few of Parkinson’s signs at dwelling — easy instruments, habits, and actions that may make an actual distinction.
MY STORY THE WASTED EARLY PHASE
I used to weigh 130 kilograms. I lived on junk meals and spent most of my time mendacity on the sofa, glued to the TV. Then Parkinson’s got here alongside — and flipped my world the wrong way up.
I used to be recognized with Parkinson’s illness on the age of 36 or 37 (I’m 45 now). At first, I didn’t consider it. I assumed the medical doctors had made a mistake. I stored hoping it was one thing else — anything. However the analysis was confirmed by a DaTSCAN. There was little question.
Certainly one of Poland’s main neurologists, Professor Andrzej Friedman — for my part, an impressive knowledgeable on Parkinson’s — confirmed it: I had young-onset Parkinson’s illness (YOPD), affecting the left facet of my physique.
So what did I do with that data? Nothing. For the primary 4 years, I wasted time. I sat on the sofa, I cried, I did nothing however watch TV. I let my dosage of levodopa–carbidopa enhance whereas my well being slowly declined. I used to be caught — bodily, mentally, and emotionally.
SEARCHING FOR INSPIRATION
Then got here a second of reflection. I had two selections — quit or struggle. I selected to struggle. Trying on the instance of Michael J. Fox and others residing with Parkinson’s, I spotted one thing vital: the street to success is lengthy, winding, and filled with obstacles. You possibly can have all the cash on the earth, entry to the very best medical doctors — and nonetheless lose to this illness.
For my part, the one possible way ahead is to utterly overhaul the dangerous, self-destructive habits which can be breaking down your physique. That’s what I got down to do. I started looking for data, for inspiration — for one thing to carry onto.
One of many first issues I got here to grasp was that weight problems and Parkinson’s illness are a horrible mixture. I used to be merely consuming my disappointment, consuming my melancholy. I didn’t have the data or the time — or possibly simply the power — to observe a correct food plan. There was at all times that magical phrase: ‘I’ll begin tomorrow.’
THE TURNING POINT
Someday, I spotted I couldn’t maintain suspending the onerous choice to alter my life-style. So I began — with weight reduction. As a result of actually, it felt like the best place to start with. I stored it easy. I lowered the calorie content material of my meals and launched one thing referred to as a ’feeding window’. One fundamental rule: eat lower than 2,000 energy a day, solely between 8 a.m. and three p.m. That was it. I didn’t reduce out any meals teams. I didn’t quit sweets — I simply ate them carefully. On high of that, I began strolling and doing yoga. The outcomes had been staggering: inside a 12 months and a half, I went from 130 kg to 80 kg.
THANKS TO PARKINSON’S, I HAVE NO OTHER DISEASES
Unusual as it could sound — I’m grateful to Parkinson’s for this transformation. It might have saved me from diabetes, coronary heart illness, and all the opposite well being issues associated to extreme weight problems. After that breakthrough, I stored going. I stored experimenting with my very own physique, progressively introducing increasingly modifications. I modified every thing — my food plan, my bodily exercise, my sleep, even my psychological lifestyle. Was it simple? No. It was brutally onerous.
But at this time, after eight years of residing with Parkinson’s, I’m in higher form than many individuals who had been recognized extra lately. The truth is, I’m in higher form than I used to be years in the past.
My situation hasn’t progressed. I haven’t elevated my medicine dosage in years. I presently take three tablets of Nakom 250 mg through the day and two tablets of Madopar HBS 100 +25 mg at evening. Possibly I’ll even be capable to cut back that comparatively excessive day by day dose and nonetheless really feel good.
Daily, I make the identical alternative: it’s me — not Parkinson’s — who runs my life. And if I can do it — so are you able to. Everybody has their very own model of ’Parkinson’s.’ It’s not nearly sickness. Everybody has one thing that holds them down — some worry, some burden, some invisible weight. When you can overcome Parkinson’s, you’ll be able to overcome something.
WHAT IS PARKINSON’S DISEASE?
Most individuals assume Parkinson’s is easy: lack of dopamine — give dopamine — drawback solved. Nonsense. That’s like taking a look at a burning home and saying, ‘Simply pour water on it, and every thing shall be advantageous.’ Nevertheless, what you don’t see is that the fuel exploded within the basement, the wiring is fried, and the muse is collapsing. Parkinson’s isn’t just about dopamine. It’s a full-body vitality disaster that impacts each cell — not simply the mind. Each cell in your physique — out of your mind to your muscle mass to your coronary heart — depends on one factor to perform: mitochondria. These tiny energy vegetation create the vitality (ATP) that fuels each motion, thought, and heartbeat. The extra wholesome mitochondria you have got, the extra vitality (ATP) your physique can produce. And the extra ATP you have got, the extra power, focus, and vitality you’re feeling.
PARKINSON’S DAMAGES MITOCHONDRIA
However then Parkinson’s creeps in like a thief and begins sabotaging these energy vegetation. Within the our bodies of individuals with Parkinson’s, mitochondria are broken and weakened. They produce much less vitality and age quicker. Meaning your cells are operating on empty. Much less vitality means much less motion, much less readability, much less life. You are feeling it as persistent fatigue, that lead-like heaviness, mind fog, the shortcoming to get off the sofa. It’s not laziness — it’s mitochondrial failure. And it will get worse. Broken mitochondria additionally produce poisonous waste: free radicals. These unstable molecules assault wholesome cells like smoke flooding from a damaged engine. Your physique will get poisoned from inside. This units off a vicious cycle: free radicals destroy extra mitochondria, which then produce much more poisonous waste, accelerating cell loss of life — particularly within the mind. Parkinson’s doesn’t start in your arms or toes. It begins deep inside your cells, the place your mitochondria — the engines of life — begin breaking down. That’s why dopamine medicine alone isn’t sufficient. You possibly can flood your system with dopamine, but when your cells don’t have the facility to make use of it, it gained’t take you far. It’s like pouring premium gasoline right into a automobile with a cracked engine block. The pistons would possibly transfer a bit, however you’re not going wherever.
Scientific analysis backs this up. A Danish-German workforce discovered that injury to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) performs a key function within the improvement of Parkinson’s illness. They found deletions within the mtDNA of sufferers, particularly in mind areas chargeable for cognition. In lab experiments on mice, they confirmed that mitochondrial injury results in the identical pathological modifications seen in Parkinson’s. This might result in new diagnostic instruments, biomarkers, and ultimately higher remedies. In brief, mtDNA is the genetic blueprint of your mitochondria. When it will get broken, every thing begins to interrupt down — and Parkinson’s is only one doable final result. These disruptions hit nerve cells the toughest, as a result of they want big quantities of vitality to outlive. When that vitality vanishes, the cells start to die. That’s when neurodegenerative ailments like Parkinson’s begin to take maintain.
These problems are particularly damaging to nerve cells, which want huge quantities of vitality to perform. When that vitality provide breaks down, neurons start to degenerate — and that’s what results in neurodegenerative ailments like Parkinson’s.
LIFESTYLE CHANGES CAN REPAIR MITOCHONDRIA
Food plan, motion, sleep, toxin elimination — all of those have a direct affect on vitality manufacturing on the mobile stage. Your mitochondria aren’t static. They’ll regenerate, multiply, and change into stronger — however provided that you give them a cause to. That cause is bodily effort, deep respiratory, clear vitamin, and intermittent fasting, which prompts a strong mobile course of referred to as autophagy (we’ll come again to that later within the e book).
Parkinson’s isn’t only a mind illness — it’s a complete battle, fought in each single cell of your physique. Each step you’re taking, each aware breath, each drop of sweat sends a sign to your system: “We’re nonetheless within the struggle. We’d like vitality. Begin rebuilding.”
What in case you sit nonetheless and complain? Your mitochondria get a really totally different message: ‘We’re performed right here. No want to supply something. Shut all of it down.’
And if there’s one factor mitochondria really hate — it’s sugar. Sugar clogs them, weakens them, and slowly destroys their skill to perform. It’s the last word enemy of your mobile engines.
This e book shouldn’t be about hope — it’s about motion. When you’re uninterested in ready for miracles, begin making your individual.
To Beat Parkinson’s, You Should Stand on Your Head is on the market now.
Wojciech Wasilewski is a Polish creator and fairness analyst residing with Parkinson’s illness — and combating it with radical life-style change.
