Category: Clinical Studies

Another Benefit

Since my diagnosis with Parkinson’s, I have struggled with my vision. It became impossible to text with my cell phone, because I simply couldn’t focus to see to hit the appropriate keys. That is when I learned about prism prescription glasses. They have been such a blessing, and they continue to be necessary for me to type my message to you here. But Something happened that tells me my eyes are improving. Where I volunteer each Thursday, there are some words posted on a wall, and I have needed to wear the prism lens in order to read it. But this past week, I couldn’t read the words with my prism glasses on, but was able to see the words when I removed the glasses. There has deffinitely been a change in my vision, for the better. I attribute the improvement in my vision to the more comprehensive nutrition of LuminAloe.

LuminAloe
Scroll down to learn about the other ingredients included in the formulation https://ascendsciences.net/luminaloe/

Opportunity to participate

I f You (or someone you know) have a speech impediment that makes it difficult to be understood, THIS is FOR YOU

Systems don’t always work as well for people with atypical speech. By personalizing its speech recognition to the individual, Project Relate seeks to improve everyday life for people with speech impairments.

Project Relate is a continuation of years of research from both Google’s Speech and Research teams, made possible by over a million speech samples recorded by over a thousand individuals. We welcome new trusted testers to experience the app and provide feedback. Express interest at g.co/ProjectRelate.

(I have cut and pasted the form, so you can seethe qualifications required to participate )

Google Project Relate Interest Form


You are signing up to be included in a beta research app release of Google’s Project Relate.

Project Relate can be trained to understand your specific speech, if you provide it with examples of you talking. Project Relate needs at least 500 phrases to be trained; most people need 1-2 hours, which can be spread over multiple sessions, to complete their 500 phrases. You will need an Android phone (e.g. Pixel, Samsung, OnePlus) running Android OS 8 or later to be able to use the app.

We value your thoughts and feedback. When you submit your feedback to Google, we will determine your eligibility (based on certain compliance and legal considerations) for either a cash or other non-cash incentive, up to $60 or local currency equivalent.

IMPORTANT: If you’re filling out this form on behalf of someone else, please ensure you have their permission to do so.

The purpose of this questionnaire is to verify your eligibility to download and use Google’s Project Relate app. The data you provide in the app and this form may be used to assist Google to design, research, develop, build, and improve the accessibility of its current and future products and services related to speech technologies. Information you provide in this questionnaire may be combined with other information and data that you chose to provide during the data collection, if you are selected to participate.

Questions? Write us anytime at project-relate@google.com

  • Strangers or people I just met find it difficult to understand my speech (and not just because of an accent).
  • I am 18 years of age or over
  • I have access to an Android mobile device, running Android OS 8 or later, to download the Relate app
  • I understand I need to record at least 500 phrases (which can take anywhere between 30 to 90 minutes) in order to train Project Relate to understand me and that new features of the app that are unlocked by these recordings may take a few days to receive.
  • I understand that even after recording 500 phrases, Project Relate may still not understand me perfectly.
  • I understand I will need to record each phrase word-for-word in order to teach Relate to understand me. If I don’t say exactly what is written, Relate may not work as well. If I make a mistake, I can re-record the prompt.
  • I understand that the phrases I record will also be used to help improve Google’s speech technologies and the products and services that use them.
  • I understand that Project Relate is for English speakers only at this time.

You must confirm agreement with all the listed criteria to participate

Mindset

I am excited about some research news that was shared at a BYU Forum yesterday. Please take time to listen to this facinating discussion about the scientific discoveries of some substances that are now going to human testing, looking very promissing for reversing the protein folding in the brains of Patients with ALS, Parkinsons and alzymers and other neurological imparements.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=JkfuvwqcEcw

My researching Dr. Paul Alan Cox brought me to a Ted presentation at:

https://brainchemistrylabs.org on the ‘about’ page. Here is a quote from the page.: “We have only one wish at the Institute for Ethnomedicine: to discover new treatments for serious illnesses. This focus has led to the discovery of two promising new drugs for ALS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other tangle diseases.”

I am excited because of the inclusion of some of the same ingredients in our LuminAloe formula as mentioned in the Forum titled “Exploring Nature’s Curiosity Cabinet”

From the website..https://ascendsciences.net Organic Yam Powder

(Dioscorea Villosa) powder – is naturally high in the chemical diosgenin; which in a laboratory can be converted into estrogen.  Wild Yam is considered a phytoestrogen food, meaning it comes from plants used to produce estrogen therapy and relief of menstrual-related conditions.

The diosgenin in Wild Yam has been studied extensively and research suggests it supports healthy blood sugar levels.  Other respected studies further suggest it is also antiproliferative – which means it may help keep unhealthy or DNA-damaged cells in check.   Yet another study suggests diosgenin may support healthy HDL production and help stifle unhealthy LDL production.  

Traditionally, Wild Yam was used as an antispasmodic for colic in babies and some people actually call it colic root.  However, most people use it due to the DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) it contains.”

CUE

This is a link to an introduction of the Cue1… a non invasive tool that I signed up to receive updates on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHzxntHblG4

………………………This is a chat entry by a gentleman in the UK

“Ok… so… I went on the waiting list in September 2020 and received my CUE1 in early February just gone.”

“The first couple of days I didn’t really notice much difference, then all of a sudden it dawned on me that my balance had improved a lot and that stiffness and slowness were improved too. I don’t think it does a lot for my tremor but could be wrong. Everyone is different so don’t be put off by this.”

“If you’ve got questions, email the team at Charco, they are lovely and very approachable.”

………………………..and this posted in the chat by Deedee777

I live in the United States, and this is the response that I received today from Charco Neurotech (Team Charco ) regarding their CUE1 availability for customers in the USA:

“We are offering the CUE1 to those on our UK waiting list. As a medical device company we are unable to make the CUE1 available to those in the US until we have been approved by the FDA. ” Team Charco,

Go to their website, for detailed information on CUE1, and to sign up to their Waiting List: Their website is: charconeurotech.com/

I’ll keep you posted.

Sue

Worth Trying

My holistic GP keeps a close eye on our lab results; he has me on 5,000iu of Vitamin D per day, but he has John on 10,000iu of vitamin D per day. I suspect John’s medication for his factor5 blood clotting issues may be why he needs so much.

Marisa Wexler wrote the following discussion in the Parkinson’s News Today newsletter. Just passing it on in case it rings logical to any one who reads this.

p.s. I have no idea how the serum 25, compares with the capsules of vitamin D that we take.

High levels linked to fewer cognitive problems.

“People with Parkinson’s disease who have higher levels of vitamin D in their blood are less likely to experience cognitive impairment or dementia, a new study suggests.

The results provide support for future research to test whether vitamin D supplements could reduce the risk of cognitive problems for Parkinson’s patients.

The study, “Correlation between serum 25(OH)D and cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience.

Vitamin D plays a number of important roles, including to help regulate calcium levels and modulate nervous system activity. Prior research has linked low levels to an increased risk of falls, depression, and sleep problems in people with Parkinson’s.

Researchers in China analyzed possible connections between cognitive outcomes and levels of serum 25(OH)D, a form of the vitamin that’s easily detectable in blood.

The study enrolled 112 people with Parkinson’s at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, China. A group of 70 people with no known health problems were included as controls. In both groups, slightly more than half the participants were male, and the average age was in the mid-60s.

Cognition was assessed with the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), which is used to test for dementia. Based on standard criteria, Parkinson’s patients were divided into those with normal cognition, those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and those with Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD).

“This is one of the few studies investigating the association between serum 25(OH)D and cognitive impairment in Chinese [Parkinson’s] patients,” the researchers wrote.

They found that average vitamin D levels were significantly higher in the healthy controls than the Parkinson’s patients: 56.54 vs. 45.86 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L). Among the Parkinson’s patients, average levels were highest in those with normal cognition (53.67 nmol/L), followed by those with MCI (44.57 nmol/L) and then PDD (36.53 nmol/L).

Higher levels of serum 25(OH)D were also significantly associated with better MoCA scores. This association remained significant even after statistical adjustments for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), years of education, and sunlight exposure.

Researchers found that assessing vitamin D levels could be used to accurately predict cognitive impairment risks. These results suggest that “low serum 25(OH)D may be involved in the occurrence and development of cognitive impairment in [Parkinson’s] patients,” the researchers wrote.

The scientists did emphasize that, because of the way the study was designed, it’s not possible to make any definitive conclusions about cause and effect with regard to vitamin D and cognition in Parkinson’s. They said further research is needed to see whether supplements may protect against cognitive problems in Parkinson’s.

Although efficacy remains to be proven, “long-term vitamin D supplementation carries a low risk and many possible benefits for patients,” the researchers concluded. “Therefore, evaluating vitamin D for patients with [Parkinson’s] and supplementing vitamin D for deficient patients are worth trying.”

Of c0urse, the use of any supplement should be discussed with your doctor, before you try it.

Sue

Make some noise

I found this article from ‘Parkinson’s News Today’ insightful… I’m appreciative to the PD Support group . They help me project my voice.

patients speak less | Parkinson's News Today | illustration of woman speaking with megaphone
Parkinson’s Patients Speak 60% Less Than Healthy Peers

“People with Parkinson’s disease verbally communicate less than those without the neurodegenerative disorder, according to a recent study that discovered that patients speak about 60% less than their healthy peers.”

“Apart from the tremors and movement issues associated with Parkinson’s, the disease also can disrupt aspects of a person’s speech, including volume, rhythm, and intonation. Such difficulties in speaking lead those with Parkinson’s to rate themselves as being worse at conversing compared with their counterparts without the disease, according to researchers.”

“Now, a new quantitative study shows that, in fact, patients speak for fewer minutes each day than those without Parkinson’s.”

“In some cases, a person with Parkinson’s will hesitate to speak or pause when speaking, leading even attentive listeners to jump in or talk over that person,” according to a press release from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Angela Dietsch, PhD, an associate professor in the university’s department of special education and communication disorders, conducted the study with Jeff Searl, PhD, director of the undergraduate program in communicative sciences and disorders at Michigan State University.

+The study reporting their findings is titled “Daily Phonatory Activity of Individuals With Parkinson’s Disease,” published in the Journal of Voice. The two researchers investigated the amount of phonatory activity — also called phonation or voicing, but basically, how people speak — among Parkinson’s patients compared with those without the disease.+

“The team looked at 30 age- and sex-matched individuals, half diagnosed with Parkinson’s and using dopaminergic medications — commonly used medicines to replace the dopamine lacking in Parkinson’s patients — and half without the disease, who served as the control group.”

“All participants were asked to wear vocal monitors — specifically, the VocaLog vocal monitor — for three days while going about their daily lives. The monitor measures the number of one-second windows in which the sound is increased over zero and then reports that relative to how long the monitor is worn. That allows for the determination of %PA, or percentage of phonatory activity, which essentially quantifies how much time people speak.”

“This method gets around the usually used questionnaires, in which participants often overestimate their speaking time.”

“The Voice Handicap Index score — a self-reported measure in which patients report how much their voice disorder impacts their quality of life — also was assessed.”

“Results showed that patients with Parkinson’s had, on average, 54 fewer minutes per day in which they spoke, resulting in about 60% less speaking than those without Parkinson’s. Those with Parkinson’s had 11.1% phonatory activity over the course of the three days, while those without the disorder had an activity of 18.6%.+

“Additionally, the Voice Handicap Index was found to directly correlate with the amount of speaking the patients did. Those who scored themselves higher on the index, meaning they had less quality of life due to a higher impact of vocal issues, tended to speak less than those who scored themselves lower.”

“Overall, “the results indicate that PwPD [people with Parkinson’s disease] engaged in less verbal communication in their daily environment compared to adults without Parkinson’s disease,” the researchers wrote. “The findings support reports in the literature indicating that PwPD often have reduced communication participation.”

“Furthermore, the team believes that the percent of phonatory activity may be a useful measure to assess communication changes in patients with Parkinson’s disease, as a way to evaluate both disease progression and treatment.”

By Yedida Y Bogachkov Phd

Encouraging report

This was taken from a post on a forum I participate in. The contributor uses the sign in name of … PrayN4aCure

“I wanted to give this forum an update on my participation in the clinical trial at the University of Texas in Houston. I was reluctant to comment beforestudy was completed but was compelled by my wife to do so. It has been nearly one month since my first infusion, but my family has witnessed some clear improvements.”

“The first thing that they noticed was my freezing has completely stopped. The next biggest changes are that I no longer have any tremors, my rigidity has lessened, and my gait has improved where I no longer drag my right leg. What I noticed, is my speech has improved along with my vision has become clearer, and my jaw and tongue no longer quiver when I open my mouth.”

“I only had a 33% chance of receiving the real stem cells on the first leg, so I wasn’t expecting anything, but I did notice after 2 two weeks I started feeling a little flushed each day. My blood pressure remained steady, and I temperature was normal, but I remember the Dr. asking me during the infusion how I was feeling and if I felt flushed. Just an observation.”

“So if I got the Placebo, all I can say is sign me up for another. I am patient 37 out of 45 and I am in the last group. Group 1 has already received their 2nd infusion and mine is scheduled at the end of February. I remain cautiously optimistic and hopeful that this study will prove to be a viable therapy for those who have any form of neuro-degenerative disease, until a complete and effective cure has been has discovered.”

“I will keep y’all updated.”

Explanation of proceedure involed: additional information provided by another forum member using the user name of Despe

“Bone marrow extraction from a healthy donor was obtained by aspiration under local anesthesia. Testing was performed using FDA-approved licensed kits by Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. MSCs were expanded using a Terumo Quantum Bioreactor29 by the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy of Baylor College of Medicine under current Good Manufacturing Practices designated by the FDA. The total quantity of allo-hMSCs was reached in 3 passages. Thawing was initiated on infusion day, and allo-hMSCs were aliquoted into a 250-mL transfer pack with 5% buminate. Release tests were performed on the pooled cells (purity, viability, cell dose, and microbiological testing).”

Comprehensive Nutrition

  I wanted to tell you about what I am using and the impact it has made in my life.  I had purchased a helmet to protect my head as I had continued to fall.  But I forgot to put it on before going to the hospital to visit a sister who had fallen and injured her back.  As I was stepping from the curb onto the sidewalk, I didn’t get my foot raised quite high enough, causing me to stumble. The thought flashed through my mind..(You didn’t put the helmet on and now you are going to face plant on the cement.)  But miraculously, I was able to move my feet quickly enough that I was enabled to recover my footing.  I’m sure it wasn’t a pretty dance, as several people came to make sure I was ok.  I attributed my rescue to be by the grace of God and the improved comprehensive nutrition of the New Eden product I had begun to consume.            The next week, I was feeling so good, I was working outside and decided to pull a hose around to water an Angel Trumpet Bush… and as I was pulling hard,when the hose snagged on something, it stopped me so suddenly that it caused me to fall backwards.  Thankfully, I had the helmet on, because I hit the cement statue of a child holding a fishing pole, so hard that I dislodged the pedestal from the soil and knocked the child off of the pedestal.  Although my shoulder was sore and where the cement had struck my spine was bruised and swollen,by the third day, the pain was all gone, the swelling had receded and it was as if it had never happened.  Again I thanked the Lord for leading me to this more comprehensive nutrition.          As you probably know, people with Parkinson’s frequently cease to swing their arms as they walk.  Mine would just hang at my side.  But in about the last month I have noticed the swing has returned to my arms when I am going into a store or even around the house or going from house to car.   Again, the only thing I have added to my regime in the last little while is the more comprehensive nutrition.          Also, my  voice has been terribly weak, and I have a friend who is hard of hearing,  When she called me on the phone this week, she said;  “You are speaking louder !  And I noticed that the last time we were together, I could hear you better !”  What can I say, but Thank you for the tool of more comprehensive nutrition. 

I received this letter today from Dr. McDaniel:

“The clinical benefits in Parkinson’s Disease was not  a fluke or an isolated brain function restoration event.  I attach the highest level of evidence based science we have had the research funds to conduct.  It was at the Miller School of Medinine in cooperation  with the Miami Jewish Health Service.  The Jewish facility if the largest retirement in-house operation on the East Coast and has 150 dementia patient beds and an out patient group in early Alzheimer’s disease patients, not ready for being institutionalized. They had done drug company Alzheimer’s research for over 20 years and were experts. All FAILED prior research efforts conducted in the past were designed to determine if a potential drug would SLOW the progression of dementia.   They had never had a patient improve memory and cognition.”

“The idea and intent of our plan to test more comprehensive nutrition met skepticism and cynicism to the point of being insulting and hostile by the investigative team. It was worth more than any earthly value to see and hear their responses to our outcome in 30 pilot patients that the medical school IRB demanded a pilot study be done with all our funds, to show if their was toxicity.  We had no toxicity what so ever with nutrition. But we got a bonus.  There was 69% benefit to memory and cognition restoration, to their astonishment. 46% improved memory and cognition and 23% did not progress. Thus both groups beat any study ever conducted.”

“The CD-14 monocytes with adult stem cell potential increased nearly 400%/ We drew blood on entry and exit a year later and froze the serum.  When the Brain Derived Neuro-Growth Factor assay became available; the BDNGF was elevated in the serum even though it was diluted with the entire blood volume.  We had an objective  mechanism  of action (MOA) for the clinical benefits. The adult stem cells migrated into the brain to replace the degenerated neurons and the BDNGF supports the differentiation of the stem cells to become neuros to increase memory and cognition function.”

“This is why we have had multiple anecdotal reports of benefit in cerebral palsy children and adults, Parkinson’s, strokes, Down’s Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol syndrome, seizures, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, olivary nucleus dementia, fragile X dementia in boys, brain trauma and retinal blindness.  Just to name a few top incidence conditions.”\  

Dr McDaniel sent me his desk top file  on studies in which brain function was documented to have improved.  I saved them on my computer, but have not included them in this post. Please reach out to me if you would like to see the documented data.