I was just diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and would like to know the following: Is my dopamine system becoming more stable? I am taking L Dopa (natural). It is made from the dopa bean.

My motivation level is so low and the fatigue keeps me from being positive – but I am on the the road to recovery with my best cheer leader (God).

Thanks for all your wisdom

Margie

I am sure you are eagerly awaiting an answer to your very specific question. The technical answer is that even if your dopamine levels are “stable” you may still feel lousy. “Stable” may convert to a level that is so depleted that your body engine is running on very little oil.

The analogy I would like to suggest is to equate dopamine with oil in a car and your energy with gas in a car. I admit this is a crude analogy, but it helps me make the point I want to make here. You report that you have very low motivation and high fatigue. It was probably even a challenge to write in this question today.

The translation I would like to make is that you are running low on gas. Your tank is almost empty. Now as we all know, once the gas tank in a car is empty the car stops. The same outcome holds true for the body.

Our cells need fuel to function. I would speculate that you are probably not giving your body the fuel it needs to rejuvenate and revitalize itself.

in response to your question: Is My Dopamine System Becoming More Stable, I recommend that you begin thinking about your current health challenge in a different way. Dopamine is only one of 40 different hormones in the body. If is a formidable challenge to maintain the delicate balance that is needed across all 40 hormones. Only the body knows how to manage this incredibly complicated task.

Adjustments are made by the body every second. The never ending challenge for the body is to maintain a balance.

I assure you that your body is not focusing its attention exclusively on dopamine. It has three or so other dozen hormones to monitor. Why not just step back and realize that your body needs a little extra support in the form of nutrients, exercise and lifestyle changes  to do the work it well knows how to do?

The one hormone that inflames symptoms is cortisol. When stressed our bodies pump out cortisol which activates our sympathetic nervous system. What helps is to keep stress at a minimum. When the body is supported by the parasympathetic nervous system, symptoms are less problematic.

Your body really does know how to heal itself. All you need to do is to trust that your body is qualified to do the job that is needed as long as it has the fuel (the gas) that is required to fire up your energy and jump start your journey on the road to recovery.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery
Pioneers of Recovery