Your favorite feline is going to get all scientific on you today. Now before you click away to some absurd comic strip or check on your favorite presidential candidate (same thing, really) let me promise your efforts will be rewarded.

There's new research regarding Parkinson’s disease -- a nasty, lingering disease that causes degeneration of the nervous system. A list of notable people who have suffered from Parkinson’s include: Pope John Paul II, Actor Michael J. Fox, Boxer Muhammad Ali, Former Attorney General Janet Reno, and Evangelist Billy Graham.

The chief symptoms are known by the acronym, TRAP. This stands for Tremors, Rigidity, Akinesia/Bradykinesia, and Postural instability.

• Tremors usually show up on one side of the body initially and worsen when a limb is at rest.

• Rigidity refers to stiff muscular movements.

• Akinesia and bradykinesia are rapid, repetitive movements and slow or absent movements respectively.

• Postural instability is the lack of muscular control, which leads to imbalance issues and the risk of falling and injury.

If you're unfamiliar with Parkinson’s, check out some great information.

Unfortunately, doctors don’t have an accurate lab or blood test for Parkinson’s. This means it’s usually only discovered upon examination, and by that time symptoms are causing quite a few problems. Pathological characteristics (the stuff they see after autopsy) of Parkinson’s usually includes something called Lewy bodies.

Lewy bodies are sticky clumps of alpha-synuclein cells that not only gum up the area of the brain associated with Parkinson’s (the substantia nigra), but also show up in other parts of the body.

The new research I mentioned centers around doctors and researchers moving away from the failure of the brain transmitter system, dopamine, as the cause of the disease.

The reason medicine is abandoning its 50-year-old focus on dopamine is because it was largely only addressing symptoms, and not the other aspects of the disease which aren’t dopamine-dependent.

I admit this is pretty dry stuff, but bear with me, this gets a lot more interesting. One of the emerging views about Parkinson’s is that the problem may originate a lot further south than the brain.

Dr. Mahlon R. DeLong of Emory University believes the disease may begin in the gut and “work its way up the vagal nerve, almost like a spreading virus or toxin.”

The idea that Parkinson’s may involve the vagus nerve (the only cranial nerve to innervate the gut) may explain many of the non-dopamine related symptoms that are part of the Parkinson’s complex.

A fellow named James Parkinson first put this idea forth back in 1817. His paper, “Essay on the Shaking Palsy,” described the possibility that toxins and digestive processes may have something to do with the disease. Parkinson’s pioneering work lead to the condition being named after him.

While it is a bit early to draw ironclad conclusions about the role of the gut and the vagus nerve with Parkinson’s disease, it is clear far more disease processes are attributable to poor or incomplete nutrition and the gut than previously thought.

Our own Dr. Rodier has long championed the idea that good health begins and ends with a healthy gut. With the gut in mind, he helped design our new Constant Health™ - the 46-ingredient formula targeted at supplying the body with a complete array of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and detoxifiers.

For more information about the science, research, and formulation of Constant Health™, click here to read an easy to understand white paper on how the Kat and his gang are constantly (pun intended) on the prowl to improve your health and nourish your cells.

Dr. Rodier also recommends the following products to help maintain and enhance gastrointestinal health:

• First, there are omega-3 fatty acids for strong intestinal support. Chronic conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease seem to respond to omega-3 in some trials and studies.

• Next are pancreatic enzymes for digestion and absorption of food. These enzymes are made of primarily protease, lipase, and amylase, which break down proteins, fats, and carbohydrates respectively. Proteases also help keep the small intestine free of unfriendly parasites.

• Third, there are probiotic bacteria our bodies rely on for metabolizing foods, absorbing nutrients, and preventing colonization of harmful bacteria.

• Lastly, there is Fiber Fit, a heart-healthy soluble and insoluble fiber formula with apple pectin, oat bran, and psyllium. Fiber Fit works to support healthy digestion and elimination.

For these or any of our other quality products, please visit our store page.