Of tremors and things

Of tremors and things gives the rationale for growing a legume known as the fava bean to help manage neurological conditions such as Parkinson's Disease.

They also known as Broad Beans.

July is the month in the Southern Hemisphere when you absolutely know why farmers do not grow broad beans; I have never once seen them on the shelves in supermarkets. They are not difficult but they are fiddly things. Every day you have to retie the supporting twine; given sufficient water they flourish incredibly fast and will fall and snap off if you don’t attend to them daily.

The black fly is an ever-present threat when hot, dry weather arrives; soapy water has to be applied.

Not many of us can afford to irrigate our gardens any more; that’s for the very rich only, so it means carrying buckets of water from the shower and the washing machine in the dry season.

Broad beans have a shallow rooting system so the soil has to be kept moist or they dry out quickly; it’s hard, physical and time-consuming work.

• How to plant broad beans
  

But then by August you suddenly know with equal certainty why everyone with a food garden absolutely should be growing broad beans. Hundreds of pods are forming and within two months you will have a whole year’s supply of protein stored up in the deep freeze.

No one with a food garden should ever go hungry; nor will their children ever suffer from kwashiorkor. The broad bean is the only legume that I know of that is reputed to have a “complete” protein; like dairy and meat it contains all the essential amino acids. Not that a few eggs and a daily glass of milk would do our kids any harm; just to be certain.

For me personally it is not the protein in broad beans that is really important; it is the L-dopa. It came as quite a shock at forty to be told that the very worrying “essential” tremor in my right hand might turn into Parkinson’s Disease; for years I refused to talk about it and tried to conceal the shakes. These legumes are the only food that contains pharmaceutical amounts of the “happy hormone.”

And indeed within a couple of hours of eating five young pods the tremor stops completely. For a month this winter we ran out of frozen broad beans before the new plants started bearing; my hand shook so much that drinking soup and eating porridge was an embarrassment. So this year we have 80 bushes, enough to feed a whole army.

Painful cramps in the lower legs

Painful night cramps in the lower legs are usually attributed to a mineral deficiency; however it can also be from too little dopamine in the circulation.

During the "off period" those suffering from Parkinson's Disease often suffer from painful cramps in the lower legs causing flexion of a foot but dorsal movement of the great toe.

These very painful night cramps are also part of the essential tremor that I experience. As I write we are in the midst of huge crop of these beans; I'm having zero problems with this dystonia too.

I couldn't be bothered

As a columnist I find myself torn between extremes. The first is bringing to life through my own lived experience scientifically known facts about gardening and wellness; and secondly as a high school science teacher once, to introduce new concepts and then build on them, at risk of being repetitive and boring.

And lastly as a health practitioner now having to forcefully present how destructive lifestyle practices can cut short and make miserable our last years. If only one in a hundred patients takes seriously the damage done by obesity and smoking then it was all worthwhile; even if the ninety-nine left fuming, likely to seek out a less forthright doctor.

We humans do not take readily to new ideas be they about religion, politics or lifestyle. They have to be repeated frequently until finally the penny drops. There remains strong antagonism, or at least indifference in South Africa to the fact that we can and should be growing much of our own food.

There is equally powerful resistance to eating whole, nutritious meals; they need to be chewed and cooking takes much longer. Convenience food, despite the cost remains the uncontested king of the road. Whilst rarely expressed, “I couldn’t be bothered,” is the prevailing sentiment.

Horrid and starchy

Dried broad beans are horrid and starchy.

Broad beans get bad press and for good reason; to be edible they have to be reaped whilst still young and eaten on the same day, otherwise they are truly awful. You have to grow them yourself. Mark next February on your calendar; that’s the time to start planting the seeds so that they are established before the beginning of winter.

A dopamine deficiency goes along with another nasty sign; severe constipation. The so-called catecholamine hormones through complex pathways control gut motility.

Broad beans are also a very rich source of dietary fibre; but never skin them. Combined with the L-dopa there is a great improvement in bowel habits. Only those suffering from the misery that is severe constipation as I once did prior to discovering the virtues of broad beans will truly understand.

Only 5% of Americans and I would assume it’s much the same in South Africa consume the required daily allowance of fibre; around 35 grams per day. For those with a dopamine deficiency it needs to be even more. Just one cup of the mature seeds will supply your total needs; provided you do not skin them, a common practice that should be reserved for old, starchy beans.

Grow enough protein for the whole year

So imagine being able to grow all the protein you need for the whole year in your own garden if push came to shove; for close to zero cost. Understand how the “happy hormone” has a profound influence on mood and gut motility; it’s a huge relief knowing you have considerable protection against colorectal cancer and the fastest growing neurodegenerative disease in the world.

If you have a food garden and you should, start planning now to plant broad beans next year in February and March. We’ll probably run another hands-on course through the winter for a donation to a local early childhood development charity. Stopping stunting of our kids, mental and physical, in its tracks is what it’s all about; these legumes are part of the solution.

• Stunting of children
  

Of tremors and things will also give you another option if you have Parkinson's Disease.

Of tremors and things

Of tremors and things considers how broad beans can provide sufficient dopamine for two-thirds of those suffering from Parkinson's Disease.

What causes body tremors?

Body tremors are generally caused by neurological conditions such as Parkinson's Disease, diabetes and side-effects of various medicines.

An essential tremor for example may occur in the hand when holding a spoon; there are no other neurological signs like numbness or loss of a reflex.

An intention tremor only begins when you try to touch your nose for example.

Various dystonias cause body tremors usually characterised by unwanted movements; for example turning the head involuntarily which can be controlled by placing a finger against the chin.

It's a highly complex subject; this page of tremors and things covers only the bare essentials.

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