Natural Levodopa Consumption and Improved Balance Score in a Patient With Parkinson’s Disease: A Case Study.

Abstract

We report the case of a 66-year-old man diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) for 8 years, residing in Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. This is the first reported case of a Parkinson’s disease patient with a Berg Balance score (BBS) of 56 despite an eight-year diagnosis. The score indicated that he had a lower fall risk. A higher ABC score further classified him to have a high-level functioning and a higher confidence level. An interesting finding from the study was that there was a reduced intake of Syndopa plus to half a tablet per day and incorporation of Mucuna pruriens seed in powdered form, 4g twice to the daily medication schedule. He self-reported to have better balance throughout the day and felt that consumption of  natural levodopa to be the reason for his better gait and postural instability. This unique case study is being reported for further studies to be taken up by researchers to understand symptom alleviation and its association with natural levodopa in powdered form, Mucuna pruriens. The case highlighted better balance scores and level of functioning with regard to lesser synthetic drug consumption and more Mucuna pruriens consumption. Further research needs to be expanded to understand the effect of Mucuna pruriens and balance improvement. Symptom alleviation through natural levodopa consumption can be of paramount importance as many synthetic drugs have been reported to cause various side effects which further deteriorate their quality of life. The report on this intrinsic case study focusing on balance, Mucuna pruriens, and severity is unique and would help in further research expansion thereby improving the overall disease management strategies among Parkinson’s disease patients.