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a-Synuclein - Culprit in Neurodegeneration

 A good article in exploring the neurological problems found in Covid 19 (Long Covid) and other neurogenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) and many other auto-immune diseases. 

The authors describe a particular chemical (a-Synuclein) that tends to be expressed in the conditions which is the cause of neuro degeneration. Neuro degeneration can be defined as mental confusion, "brain fog", memory lapses, cognitive issues etc. 

a-Synuclein is produced when there is inflammation. Inflammation has a starting place from immune responses. Those immune responses can originate from several different sources.

1/ Toxin exposure. This most likely comes from environmental toxins found in a wide variety of things such as cosmetics, pesticides, herbicides, cleaning supplies and more recently from fluoride-based products (PFAS) which includes cooking pans etc. Microplastics are the newer finding, and the research indicates some concerns. 

2/ Immune response. This would include viral responses, mold, bacteria, parasites etc. Many studies have shown that viruses are responsible for Alzheimer's.

3/ Mental and Emotional stress. There is no question that these are responsible for a cascade of inflammatory responses. Learning to mitigate those stresses is very helpful.

The mechanism to produce a-Synuclein starts with inflammatory processes, it is best to address the underlying causes.

The article describes the role of Metformin that can assist in this. Metformin is used for blood sugar (diabetes) and is generally regarded as safe. Metformin actually works because it targets a metabolic pathway AMPK. 

There are many pathways in the body, much like roads and streets. There are some major pathways (freeways) that spill over to smaller pathways (roads) and so on. AMPK is a freeway; it controls a number of things such as blood sugar but also inflammation.

The idea is that Metformin targets the AMPK pathway that reducing inflammation is improved thus the a-Synuclein is reduced thus the neurological symptoms are improved. 

There are quite a few natural substances that can target the AMPK pathway. Turmeric gets a lot of press and has been shown to help. Turmeric is a polyphenol and they have been shown to help in a number of inflammatory conditions, but they also help in many other pathways. Polyphenols are found in plants and there are a wide spectrum of polyphenols. 

Media tends to promote other polyphenols such as green tea, red wine, dark chocolate etc. However, there are many others that can offer help. Last time I checked, they found 8,000 different types of polyphenols. 

Jiaogulan is one of those, Siberian Ginseng is another. Note that Siberian ginseng is not a true ginseng. Caution should be used in true ginseng (Korean, American etc.) and should be avoided.

Antioxidants are powerful and work by reducing inflammatory processes. They reduce the bad effects from oxidative stress thus saving the cell from damage. 


Biomedicines | Free Full-Text | SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein 1 Causes Aggregation of α-Synuclein via Microglia-Induced Inflammation and Production of Mitochondrial ROS: Potential Therapeutic Applications of Metformin (mdpi.com)

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