Gut Microbiome Changes with Osteopathic Treatment of Constipation in Parkinson’s Disease: A Pilot Study
The gut microbiome appears to be predictive of Parkinson’s disease (PD) with constipation. Chronic constipation frequently manifests prior to motor symptoms and impairs quality of life. An osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) sequence used physical exam assessment and manual treatment of neuromusculoskeletal dysfunctions pertinent to constipation in PD for this prospective ABA-design study, IRB-NYITBHS1065. The effects of 4 weekly treatments on the gut microbiome among men and women over 40 years old with chronic constipation and PD were investigated. Severity of PD was rated with the Movement Disorders Society-Unified PD rating scale (UPDRS) in six subjects with constipation. Also, the Bristol stool scale and questionnaires validated for constipation were administered for diagnosis, symptom severity, and quality of life during a 4-week control-period (A), 4-weekly OMM-treatments (B), and 2-weeks no-intervention (A). Biweekly stool samples were assessed for normalized microbiota abundance … MORE