Parkinson's disease is fast becoming one of the most prevalent neurological disorders worldwide, affecting millions of people and placing a growing burden on families and healthcare systems.
While researchers continue to explore genetic and environmental factors behind its onset, an alarming and lesser-known cause is emerging in an unexpected place. This cause can impact anyone at any age. And they develop Parkinsonian symptoms literally overnight.
This is not just a theoretical risk—it’s a tragic reality for some, caused by exposure to a toxic byproduct of synthetic drug manufacturing.
What’s even more unsettling?
The very same toxin used by scientists to create animal models of Parkinson’s disease has found its way into a surprisingly common source, and it’s leaving unsuspecting users at risk of devastating, permanent neurological damage.
As you may know, I’ve done a lot of research on Parkinson’s disease. Several of the papers I’ve reviewed were animal studies. So, where do these scientists find animals with Parkinson’s?
They don’t. They give the animals the disease. And how do they do that? They give the animals a drug called MethylPhenylTetrahydro-Pyridine or MPTP for short. (This is when I thank God for acronyms.) MPTP is highly toxic to nerve cells and is particularly attracted to the nerves that are damaged in Parkinson’s disease. Scientists can give just one dose of MPTP to a mouse, and it will instantly come down with Parkinson’s.
So, how did the scientific world discover MPTP? Shockingly, in street drugs.
Underground chemists were making a substance called meperidine, which they were selling as “synthetic heroin.” What they didn’t know is that they were inadvertently also making MPTP as a side product. The MPTP ended up in the final product.
Drug users taking the contaminated product were coming down with full-blown Parkinson’s disease within two to three days of using the drug. And here’s the thing that kids need to know. God only knows what other chemicals are contaminating the various drugs being sold on the streets today. There’s no way to know except to try and see. And that’s not the only problem.
Recently a young man in our community died from taking a street drug. This story is especially sad because this was the very first time he had ever taken an illicit drug. He was with a few of his friends when someone produced some pills known on the street as ecstasy. They all took a pill.
Later that evening, the boy reported that he was not feeling well. Soon, he went into a coma and eventually died. And what about his friends? They were just fine. It turns out that the drug was not contaminated. The problem was that our boy had an unusual reaction to it. A freak thing? Yes. But it happens.
So if you haven’t already had a conversation with your kids/grandkids about street drugs, make sure you do. Tell them about these cases. Because what happened to these people could happen to anyone. There’s no way to predict an uncommon contaminant. And there’s no way to predict an uncommon reaction.
Yours for better health,
Frank Shallenberger, MD