The Alarming Rise In Parkinson’s Disease And How To Stop It, With Dr. Ray Dorsey - The Empowering Neurologist
Published: June 26, 2023
Dr. Dorsey is not just an accomplished physician but also an engaging author. His groundbreaking book, Ending Parkinson’s Disease, is a critical exploration that sheds light on this global health crisis. It offers an enlightening perspective on Parkinson's disease and, so importantly as we discuss in this episode, its modifiable risk factors, raising consciousness and hope about this life-altering condition.
Dr. Ray Dorsey, a professor of Neurology at the University of Rochester, said that Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the fastest growing brain disease; the number of people with PD has doubled over the last 25 years. Environmental factors, including outdoor air pollution, certain pesticides and a dry cleaning chemical called trichloroethylene, are fueling the rise of PD. Exposure to these pesticides and chemicals can go back as far back as childhood or even in-utero as some of these toxic agents can cross the the placenta. The cascade of events can take years or decades to unfold before people develop the classic tremor or slowness and movement of PD.
Trichloroethylene is used in dry cleaning, de-greasing metal and decaffeinating coffee, and has been found in carpet cleaners and typewriter correction fluid. This chemical is still permitted in US even though it causes cancer. The earliest features of PD don’t have anything to do with tremors or movement, but include loss of smell and constipation, and both are found in over 80% of individuals with PD years before people develop tremors. PD begins when chemicals are either inhaled or ingested. Dr. Dorsey said that PD is preventable to a large extent if the toxic chemicals are banned and people avoid head trauma that can also cause PD.
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