Antioxidants to Help Relieve Huntington's Disease Symptoms

Huntington's disease is a degenerative, progressive condition characterized by the wasting away of nerve cells in your brain. The disease is hereditary and results in gradual and progressive personality changes, irritability, depression, diminished cognitive functioning, balance issues, coordination issues and involuntary movements of the face and body. You can also develop rapid, uncontrolled eye movements, speech difficulties, difficulties swallowing and dementia. Using antioxidants may help you reduce the effects of Huntington's disease.

Diagnosis and Treatment

• Contact a physician to discuss genetic testing if you have a family history of Huntington's disease; this disorder is caused by an abnormal gene that can be identified through a blood test. Visit your doctor for an evaluation and physical examination, and discuss your family medical history. During the initial consultation, inform your doctor of any psychological, physical or emotional changes. You may also need a psychiatric evaluation to assess your present psychological condition and to identify a baseline; the assessment will be used to compare and identify any psychological changes and the extent of such changes in the future. You may need to see a genetic counselor to find out more about genetic blood testing and to learn more about defective gene identification. Some doctors also use computerized tomography, CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the condition of your body and examine your brain structure.

Antioxidants and Your Brain

• In "Micronutrients and Brain Health," authors Lester Packer, Helmut Sies, Manfred Eggersdorfer and Enrique Cadenas explain that antioxidants can slow the progression of pathological aging, help maintain cognitive and physical health, and help improve your brain functioning. In "Healing Without Medication: A Comprehensive Guide to the Complementary Techniques Anyone Can Use to Achieve Real Healing," author Robert Rister explains that vitamin C and vitamin E, both rich in antioxidants, help to reduce symptoms associated with Huntington's disease and may prolong brain and physical health.

Vitamin C

• Men older than 18 need 90 mg of vitamin C daily for optimal health. Women older than 18 need 75 mg, and nursing mothers need 120 mg. To treat symptoms associated with Huntington's disease, consume 5,000 mg of vitamin C every day: 2,000 mg before breakfast and 1,000 mg at lunch, dinner and before you go to bed. Side effects may include gastrointestinal upset and diarrhea; lower the dosage to reduce or eliminate side effects.

  Vitamin C is found in many food sources such as blueberries, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, cauliflower, citrus juices, cranberries, grapefruit, green peppers, kiwi, leafy green vegetables, mango, oranges, papaya, pineapple and potatoes. Additional food sources include raspberries, red peppers, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, turnip greens, watermelon and winter squash.

Vitamin E

• Vitamin E may slow the progression of dementia and help delay the aging of your tissues and cells. Adults require 22.5 International Units (IU) of vitamin E daily for optimal health. You should consume 800 IU of vitamin E each day for antioxidant effects. Vitamin E can be obtained from a variety of food sources including eggs, mayonnaise, liver, dark leafy vegetables, kale, spinach, avocados, asparagus, yams and cold-pressed vegetables. Sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts are also high in this vitamin. Vitamin E may interfere with the use of tricyclics, imipramine, nortriptyline, chlorpromazine, phenothiazines, propranolol, atenolol, metoprolol, cyclosporine and warfarin.