The Link Between Golf and Parkinson's Disease

By: Nick Sienkiewicz, DPT, CSCS

 This study was published earlier this month. It has been blowing up in the holistic health space, so I figured I’d devote this week’s newsletter to break it down. It has long been hypothesized that modern pesticide exposure is linked to the exponential increase in many of the chronic diseases that plague our society today; this has especially been the thought process for neurological disorders, like Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Research has begun to mount on this matter in recent years. The current article mentioned is one of the recent studies illustrating a strong connection between pesticide exposure and PD. In this experiment, the researchers followed individuals over a long time period from 1991 to 2015 and found a strong association between a PD diagnosis and living in close proximity to a golf course. Studying the areas adjacent to golf courses is an efficient way to evaluate the effects of pesticide exposure, as golf courses spray exponential quantities of pesticides in order to maintain their pristine fairways and greens. At baseline, pesticides are disproportionately utilized on golf courses, but this figure is even higher in the Untied States, where pesticide application can be upwards of 15x higher compared to golf courses in Europe. I won’t dive into the mechanisms in which pesticides pose a health threat to humans on a cellular level (as this would be multiple newsletters on its own). Rather, we are going to focus on the particular findings from this study, then discuss some practical tips. Nevertheless, it is important to know and understand that these mainstream modern pesticides used at golf courses, farms, and even in local parks are manmade chemicals that pose varying levels of toxicity to biological organisms and the Earth’s environment. With that being said, let’s get into the specific results from this paper: 

• The overarching finding was that the closer individuals live to a golf course, the greater the odds of being diagnosed with PD.
• Compared to living over 6 miles away from a golf course, those living within…
• 1-2 miles resulted in a 198% increased risk for PD
• 2-3 miles resulted in a 121% increased risk for PD
• 3-6 miles resulted in a 92% increased risk for PD
• The odds of PD reduces by 9% for every mile you live away from a golf course up to 18 miles away.
• Getting tap water from areas that included a golf course equated to approximately 2x risk of developed PD compared to those whose tap water was sourced from the an area without a golf course
• This same risk was 49% higher than those who possessed private wells in the same area
• It is important to understand that these findings are associations and do NOT explain causation!  

 Based on these findings, it is clear that there is a strong link between pesticide exposure and developing Parkinson’s Disease. These results by no means illustrate a causative relationship. However, the significance of the quantitative values should concern and give us pause. Having said that, stressing out and panicking is not the answer if you live near a golf course. Knowledge is power, and this understanding allows us to make alterations in our life in order to better offset potential negative side effects of not just living near a golf course, but also hitting the links in your free time. This also goes for other potential exposures to excessive amounts of pesticides, such as when living near farms, outdoor recreational sport complexes, and local parks. There is by no means a guarantee that each of these places uses pesticides all of the time. However, the US has been known in recent years to spray over 1 billion pounds of pesticides. Thus, if you live in the US and specifically New England, where everything is just in closer proximity, you can basically be assured that you’re being exposed to unnecessary quantities of pesticides. This is not to scare you, but to empower you! There are many things you can do to reduce this apparent risk of pesticides as illustrated by the current study. So, here’s some practical tips: 

• Since it is clear that much of the pesticide exposure when living close to a golf course is likely from the contaminated water supply, water filtration is pivotal: I’ve discussed water purifiers at length previously. Check this link out for AquaTru Water Filters!  
• Also utilize air purification for airborne pesticide particles: Use the Air Doctor link below.
• Practice regular detox support to assist your body in ridding itself of the pernicious chemicals in pesticides: There are a variety of options here, including specific supplements, sauna, exercise, dry brushing, and lymphatic massage, among other strategies. Some of my favorite supplements for this pesticide detox are Quicksilver Scientific Glutathione, Takesumi Supreme, Glypho-X Supreme, Quicksilver Scientific Ultra Binder, and VerVita Cir-Q Tonic. 
• Leave you shoes at the door, or better yet completely outside the living area, like in a garage: Roughly 90% of US homes tested show pesticide residue on the floors within your home. These pesticide remnants are typically directly transferred from the soles of footwear onto the surfaces of your home’s floors where you then likely walk barefoot and may even have children rolling around. Having a shoe-free home reduces the likelihood of these harsh chemicals making their way into the fabric of your house.
• Plant larger trees/bushes/tall grasses along the perimeter of your property: Once sprayed, these pesticides are airborne and can travel by wind to neighboring areas. By strategically placing taller trees and/or plants on the border of your plot of land, it acts as somewhat of a shield for your house and yard where you and your family would be more at risk with open air freely blowing pesticides onto your house and lawn 24/7. It is important to add that this is an imperfect solution as you are technically posing an element of harm to the trees you decide to plant along the perimeter of your property. Nevertheless, the goal first and foremost is to protect you and your family. If protecting my children means planting a few “sacrificial trees,” I wouldn’t hesitate. This is not necessarily a choice I like or want to make, but one I know can be beneficial in light of this modern world of toxicity.
• Consider the potential effects if you grow your own produce: I’m all for having a garden and growing your own food, and I believe this is a fantastic way to assure you’re getting a less adulterated food product in today’s world. However, deeper consideration needs to be taken if you’re one of these people who lives within 6 miles of a golf course. Due to the significantly higher odds of PD sub-6 miles, it is evident that these airborne pesticides seem to travel a few mile radius from where they were initially sprayed. Therefore, if you fall in these geographical areas, it would indicate your homegrown crops may be contaminated by the noxious pesticides, which you then would consume. Thus, an effort to better control the purity of your family’s food could become tainted by neighboring farming practices and/or golf course maintenance. This does not mean you should not grow your own food in this instance, but rather you may need to employ additional safety strategies and precautions to assure your food is not being contaminated. 
• Reach out to the local golf course, farms, and parks to see what pesticides they’re using, if any: These conversations give you the awareness of the exact chemicals you and your family may be exposed to, at which point a little extra research on the specific compounds can shed some light on your unique situation. Additionally, the dialogue we partake in with the individuals who run these farms, golf courses, and parks starts the process of igniting change. If enough people begin to ask questions and push back, it will eventually force these institutions to alter their practices. I would be remiss if I did not say that we should approach these types of conversations with curiosity, courtesy and respect rather than hostility. A confrontational attitude will get us nowhere! 
• If you have young children or are planning to start a family, consider a relocation: Yes, I understand this is a bit extreme, but we have seen that pesticide exposure appears to be exponentially more harmful to babies and young children compared to adults. Luckily, many neighborhoods directly abutting golf courses are retirement communities, so there is commonly less children in the closer proximity ranges to golf courses. Nevertheless, this should be a consideration for anyone with a young family.  

Ultimately, pesticides encompass a variety of manmade chemicals used in today’s world, but these are just a fraction of environmental toxins nowadays. As I’m regularly discussing, we need to be cognizant of the various noxious substances to which we’re exposed on a daily basis. Most of these practical strategies work for all environmental toxins. We cannot avoid them completely, but we can certainly make modifications in our lives to mitigate our exposure and reduce the likelihood of negative effects.