A case of non-Parkinson’s tremor

David was a man in his early 60s. He had a handsome, open face, thinning grey hair and a physique that would have been envied by an athletic young lad in his 20s. Unfortunately, David’s reason for visiting our clinic soon became obvious: his arms and hands trembled like aspen leaves whenever he tried to use them. Lottie, his wife, told me that the problem had slowly become worse over the past 10 years.

Lottie produced a thick swatch of tests, including blood screenings, MRIs, scans and X-rays. To date, nothing had shown up that might be linked to David’s loses of motor co-ordination. At the present time he was on no medication and ate a “normal” diet.

Physical examination revealed little of interest though blood pressure was on the low side. At intervals, David’s head shook uncontrollably for a second or two and saliva would flow down his chin. Lottie quickly blotted the moisture away with a soft flannel, a sad look in her eyes. David spoke hesitantly and slowly while giving his history and occasionally shuffled his legs as if they felt stiff and needed a change of posture.

With so little to go on, we organised some tests of a different kind and then waited for results with interest. Six weeks later, David and Lottie returned to learn the following:

• Thorough screening by an experienced, holistic dentist had revealed a fulminating infection under an ancient crown.
• David was highly sensitive to a number of environmental hazards, including detergents, bleach components, formaldehyde, PCBs, arsenic and several food-borne mycotoxins, especially aflatoxins, known to colonise foods such as cereals, grains, legumes, nuts and corn.
• Vitamin A deficiency. This often-overlooked nutrient inhibits aflatoxin damage and acts as a protective agent for liver, colon and intestinal cells.
• Adenosylcobalamin deficiency. This nerve protective factor “insulates” nerve fibres, facilitating electrical transmission along neuronal pathways. Deficiency of this nutrient becomes increasingly common as the body ages, contributing to a rise in blood levels of homocysteine. As levels increase, toxicity supervenes, a scenario that can include brain cell death.
• Deficiency of pyridoxal-5-phospate: an essential co-factor involved in over 100 enzyme-dependent reactions in the human body, many concerned with neurotransmitter integrity.

Supplementing David’s diet with a good-quality activated B complex was the first step in trying to help him. At the same time, Lottie was encouraged to begin introducing significant sources of nerve-strengthening B complex factors into their daily meals.

Supplementing David’s diet with a good-quality activated B complex was the first step in trying to help him.

Adenosylcobalamin is one of two active forms of B₁₂ and is the predominant form in our tissues. As it’s water soluble, the body is unable to store the vitamin so it’s vital to ensure daily food sources to support nerve activity. Best among these are shellfish, poultry, egg yolk, raw goat’s milk and offal.

Whether you are vegan, vegetarian or simply turned off by offal, the fact remains that organ meats are among the most nutrient-rich sources of food available. Wild animals instinctively relish offal above muscle meat, enjoying the benefits of high-quality protein, B complex vitamins, fat-soluble compounds A, D and K as well as minerals, trace elements and the superlative cardiovascular protective factor ubiquinone.

When it came to changing eating patterns, David was more than happy to include organ meats. “I’ve always loved liver and bacon,” he enthused. “And my mother regularly made devilled kidneys, which was my father’s favourite breakfast.” Lottie obviously struggled with the concept of offal. Fortunately, her concern centred on a lack of preparation and cooking experience and she was quickly reassured after exploring the wide range of recipes available on multiple websites.

As many of David’s chemical sensitivities were virtually impossible to avoid, he was advised to take supplements covering the full range of fat-soluble vitamins. In addition, a compound containing a wide spectrum of protective liver antioxidants was prepared. This included carotenoids, ascorbate electrolytes, mixed tocopherols, selenium, copper, zinc and manganese, ubiquinol, thiols, bioflavonoids and oligomeric proanthocyanidins.

While it was very easy for Lottie to replace her regular washing powder with old-fashioned soda crystals, removing the CCA-treated logs surrounding her beloved vegetable Garden required a lot more effort. With her son’s help, Lottie wasted no time. All CCA-impregnated logs were replaced with salvaged hardwood and new soil substituted. “I shall also stick to organic seeds free of synthetic antimicrobial or fungicidal dips,” Lottie promised.

David commenced his detoxification program with a sea vegetable blend containing spirulina and chlorella — two of the most efficient digestive purifiers. At the same time, muscle cleansing was addressed using relaxing foot and hand baths. Basic ingredients included Epsom salts, sea salt, ginger root, mint sprigs, lavender flowers, saffron, Oldenlandia galioides, Monnier’s snow parsley (Cnidium monnieri), gas plant (Dictamnus albus) and Baikal skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis).

David’s dentist recommended extraction of the infected root canal and at first David was very reluctant to lose a tooth. However, after reading several books by renowned holistic dental practitioners, he eventually agreed.

Progress was slow to start with but, by the end of four months of intensive detoxification, David’s tremor had improved noticeably. Even if he fails to recover complete muscle control, he has at least regained much better functional capacity.