Hanne Koplev, veterinarian (Denmark)
A neurologist recommended in 1998 that I start taking medication for my tremor but I declined his offer as I wanted a more detailed diagnosis first.
The following year my symptoms became worse, particularly my rigidity and tremor, so I was easily persuaded by a new neurologist to try anti-Parkinson’s medication. Soon after that I had a scan, which confirmed a diagnosis of early stage Parkinson’s.
Medication helped to reduce the symptoms for a while, but before long they became more severe. At first I thought it was the condition progressing, which my neurologist confirmed saying that this was unavoidable.
After a year he recommended that I stop taking my medication before the next consultation. This marked a new beginning in the way I coped. Without medication, I found that some symptoms disappeared, and many that I thought were due to Parkinson’s, were in reality side effects of the medication. So I decided to accept the symptoms rather than the adverse side effects, and began to search for factors which may have influenced my symptoms.
In 2001 I was tested for heavy metal toxicity in a private clinic in Aarhus, Denmark, by Dr. Bruce Kyle, who diagnosed a combined toxic overload of mercury and copper. I was treated at the clinic with the chelating agent DMPS, vitamin-C infusions and different types of antioxidants and nutritional support. At the same time I had my amalgam fillings safely removed by a specially trained dentist, and was given non-toxic, non-metal composites instead. I also took saunas to help expel toxins by sweating them out through the skin.
After a few years of detoxifying treatments I had fewer tremors and was less rigid, but I still had fatigue. An allergic reaction to metals was suspected, so I underwent a MELISA-test. This showed an allergic reaction to gold, nickel and cadmium, and as a result a dental gold crown was removed and replaced with a plastic one. I now try to avoid nickel and eat more organic food to avoid cadmium. Luckily my efforts have been rewarded as my fatigue has decreased.
Today I can honestly say that testing and treating my chronic cumulative toxicity has successfully revealed some of the causes of my Parkinson’s. However, I still had slightly high levels of copper and in the autumn of 2006 and spring of 2008, tests indicated lead and aluminium toxicity too.
I dare not think how my life might have been without detoxifying treatments! When I look at other people with Parkinson’s who are getting worse I have even more reasons to be thankful for my health, which continues to improve as time goes on.
Where do these heavy metals come from?
In my case, mercury and copper are likely to have come from my amalgam fillings. Copper-amalgam contains a high percentage of copper and I had many fillings in my milk teeth, and at school many cavities were filled with amalgam. The dentist said that I had weak teeth but as an adult, I have had only one cavity, so maybe my parents were not good at helping me to brush my teeth, and perhaps the school dentist was tempted to do unnecessary fillings as she was paid per filling.
In addition, in my job as a veterinarian I have been exposed to many thermometers, which have sometimes broken, with the mercury ending up at the bottom of the car. At that time vets were not educated about its potential health hazards. Mercury can also come from vaccinations containing the preservative thirmerosal (ethyl-mercury). It may also derive from environmental pollution and from eating fish.
Copper can be absorbed from the copper anti contraceptive coil, and from water and food. Danish agriculture uses 200 tons of copper annually and one assumes that this spreads to the environment and ends up in drinking water and food. Furthermore, when a person has mercury toxicity, their excretion of copper is reduced.
My lead toxicity may perhaps have resulted from common environmental pollution, whilst my aluminium toxicity probably came from years of injections with aluminium containing products against my dust mite allergy.
Today my nutrition contains more antioxidants (nutrients which protects the body against free radicals and oxidation), more vegetables, especially raw ones, and more fruit. I have stopped eating unhealthy fats such as margarine, hard fats, corn, soy and sunflower oils etc. Instead I try to eat more of the healthy fats, such as oily fish (salmon), linseed, olive oil, nuts etc.
I take antioxidants as nutritional supplements, as well as a multivitamin mineral tablet (which does not contain iron and copper!), extra vitamin C and vitamin E, lipoic acid, N-acetyl-cysteine, echinacea, ginkgo biloba and coenzyme Q10. I also use DMSA (dimercaptosuccinic acid) for mercury, copper and lead chelation.
For more information on nutrition I would recommend the book “Your Miracle Brain” by Jean Carper.
Helping myself
Physical activity has been an important part of my life. At the beginning of my illness I walked without swinging my right arm and I stumbled quite often. After years of trying to walk normally, with my right arm swinging, I have succeeded, but only when I am not too stressed or exhausted. My philosophy is that if I can walk one step swinging my arm, then I can also walk three steps….. or also walk five minutes…or five kilometres and so on. I also use visualisation when training my movements.
People who don’t realise how Parkinson’s affects the body often have difficulty understanding how demanding it is to cope with conscious movements. Even something as banal as cleaning shoes on a doormat is not necessarily automatic and needs a conscious effort, rather like steering a toy car with a joystick.
It is very common for people with Parkinson’s to develop a stooped posture over time and some years ago I had thoracic kyphosis (an abnormal curvature of the spine, causing a hunchback) and could no longer wear any of my shirts. A physiotherapist gave me some exercises which I do every day, and now my back is straight again which makes me happy. People, who are happy often have a straight posture, while sad and grieving people often have a bent posture. By choosing body posture we can also indirectly influence our emotions. I enjoy sending a signal with my posture to say that I am bubbling with the joys of life!
I try to avoid where possible all types of stress. I now choose calm, classical music instead of rock; value close relationships instead of a circle of acquaintances and 'small talk'; love being out in the country instead of taking city walks and I enjoy meditating and singing.
I am better at listening to signals from my body, am careful to rest and sleep when I need to. I am also better at avoiding activities I dislike, doing things that make me happy instead.
It is not unusual for anyone diagnosed with a chronic disease to go through a life crisis and I was no exception. But the crises have made me more religious. I have learned to pray to my God from the bottom of my heart – this has given me spiritual power to cope with life and my new circumstances. 'Where there is willpower, there is a way' - a good friend said this about me when explaining how I cope with Parkinson’s.
Years ago the neurologists said several times that I had Parkinson’s and that the disease is chronic, incurable and progressive. I decided that this might be the case for others, but not for me! By working and studying a lot, and by sometimes venturing into the unknown, I have succeeded in finding a tiny path out of my illness. Today I have fewer symptoms than in 1998, defying the use of the term ‘progressive’. I retired in 2001 when I was 44 years old and although it was really hard, today I feel that I have a good life. To my fellow Parkinsonians I say “search for knowledge and new possibilities."
Generally I would recommend anyone with a neurological condition to be tested for chronic toxicity with heavy metals, using a chelating agent. If toxicity is diagnosed then detoxification is possible, which brings with it the hope of better health and fewer symptoms.
If you want more information about toxicity with heavy metal and Parkinson's then look on the Internet.
Thank you for reading my personal account and I wish you all the best.
