Supporting Information Regarding Deadly Nightshade of Plants and Lewy Bodies Dementia

Several weeks ago I had stumbled upon research results that stated anyone who has dementia should avoid Belladonna family of plants. This includes Deadly Nightshade, which consist of tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant.

I stopped giving my mom these foods when I read this and she seemed to start having better days and not walking in her sleep, freaking everyone out, like the night she called the police because she believed "the man" violated her. (* She also reported me missing. You can read the story here in an old post, it is pretty funny now, but at the time, not so funny.)

I've been looking for the place where I got to this conclusion so that I can share it with my mom's Naturopath Doctor.

I was able to trace my steps. I'll list them here with my reasoning that lead me to find what I would consider a key nutrition fact that all folks with dementia should know about.

FACT: My mom has better days and nights now that she doesn't eat any tomatoes, potatoes, peppers or eggplant.

On a mission to find this information, I did a search - "lewy bodies dementia tomatoes".

I came to this page: The Alzheimer's Action Plan: The Experts Guide to the Best Diagnosis...

I read on and on about all the different types of dementia and how they are caused. Pretty eye opening, who knew? Some can be genetic. Some are caused by a blow to the head. Others by poor nutrition which brings on high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, which later could lead to bigger problems.

As I read, I looked for any word or words that popped out at me; Anticholinergic was the word that became more visible on the page.

My mom was diagnosed with Parkinson's several years ago, she was never on any medication for it. I know that anticholinergic drugs that are used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's are the worst drugs for folks with Lewy Bodies.

I started to think to myself, "hmmmm, I wonder what natural plants have Anticholinergic properties?"

Fortunately, I was on the right page. I know that Belladonna is in the same plant group as Deadly Nightshade, which is where all my mom's favorite and former staple to her diet vegetables came from.

As I read the article I saw a web address for "The Beers List: Potentially Inappropriate Medications for the Elderly."

Knowing about Belladonna, I clicked on the "Belladonna Alkaloids."

I read all about Belladonna and came to near the end where I found the place where I had originally learned about this anticholinergic plant. If you go down to the Safety section, read the allergies and side effects/warnings.

For those who don't know, dementia folks NEED Choline, it helps with cognition.

Today, I made chilli. I was thinking of letting my mom have some. Now, I'll make her a healthier choice - baked haddock with a salad on the side.